One of the toughest things about being in Ethiopia is getting around. There is a tremendous amount of construction going on with the roads and buildings, trying to prepare for the millenium celebration (more on that later). Because there is not much heavy construction equipment, many things are done manually. This means that it takes a long time to complete. There are about 
4 million people in Addis Ababa, and they all share the roads with the vehicles and animals. So part of the fun of getting around is guessing where other cars may be going, dodging people and sheep, and iguring out just where you are. You see, there are no addresses in Ethiopia. None. This means you cannot tell anyone where you ar
e other than to use the local landmarks. Mail is not delivered any farther than a PO box. In fact, we bought a map of the city and found where we were located, relative to the airport. We are a bit NE of it. When we asked our driver where work was located, he could not find it on the map, but he knows six other ways to get there by car. Just as in other major cities, there are many buses and taxis. The city buses are orange and white and the taxis are blue. They call them "Blue Mules" he
re. They are plentiful and come in several varieties. Tiny boxy cars, pick-up trucks with camper shells on them and 15 passenger minibuses. They are constantly in motion, jockying for position and lurching for the next couple of meters that may make a 2 second difference in arrival time. The existance of lanes appears to be a formality and as one famous pirate said, "are more like guidelines, than laws". You apparently are expected to take 
whatever opening is made as soon as it appears. Defensive driving is a curious concept at best.
4 million people in Addis Ababa, and they all share the roads with the vehicles and animals. So part of the fun of getting around is guessing where other cars may be going, dodging people and sheep, and iguring out just where you are. You see, there are no addresses in Ethiopia. None. This means you cannot tell anyone where you ar
e other than to use the local landmarks. Mail is not delivered any farther than a PO box. In fact, we bought a map of the city and found where we were located, relative to the airport. We are a bit NE of it. When we asked our driver where work was located, he could not find it on the map, but he knows six other ways to get there by car. Just as in other major cities, there are many buses and taxis. The city buses are orange and white and the taxis are blue. They call them "Blue Mules" he
re. They are plentiful and come in several varieties. Tiny boxy cars, pick-up trucks with camper shells on them and 15 passenger minibuses. They are constantly in motion, jockying for position and lurching for the next couple of meters that may make a 2 second difference in arrival time. The existance of lanes appears to be a formality and as one famous pirate said, "are more like guidelines, than laws". You apparently are expected to take 
whatever opening is made as soon as it appears. Defensive driving is a curious concept at best. Dirt roads in the city are normal during this time and traffic 4 cars wide one a two-lane dirt road is commonplace. Every day the drive to work is different. The things we see, from animals to people, to vehicles is fascinating. You never know what the next block will bring. Riding here is not for the faint of heart.
No comments:
Post a Comment