Last night after dinner, I finally got home at around 10:30 (it is great to be in a place where you don’t have to be afraid to walk around at night). Unfortunately, I found out, at this time, that the key my room in the guest-house does not also open the front door of the guesthouse as I assumed it would (since I only got one key).
Familiar situation… only this time, I don’t have the phone of a taxi-man, and all the yelling and banging that I can do won’t be heard by Dale on the 3rd floor. Hmmm… After some thinking, I realize that there are several doors on the second floor (where my room is located). I got the guard to bring the “ladder” which didn’t reach the balcony, but which got me close enough to reach the bottom of the balcony railing, which I used to pull me up. Of course, my key didn’t work on those doors either, but I realized that the hallway door wasn’t very strong and I could probably force it. At this point, paying for a new lock seemed like a better option than sleeping on the cement below, so I started pushing. After the first couple of tries, the light upstairs came on and Dale sleepily came down to let me in AGAIN. “Are you trying to break-in?” “Well, YEAH!!”
Hewit arranged for a friend of hers who owns a taxi to take us up to have a look. Bini was an awesome chauffeur, tour-guide and friend. He is an architectural-design student, putting himself through school by driving taxi whenever his schedule allows. His 1984 Lada was in pretty good shape as were his English skills.
It was good to get out of the city and see some countryside. The falls were spectacular and much larger than I had expected. What I didn’t expect was how many people were there. Apparently, this is a very popular place for students (high-school and university) to come to by the bus-load for a relaxing Saturday! It was very entertaining, watching them showing off and trying to act cool. Teenagers aren’t that much different around the world! Despite the crowds, we were able to hike around and enjoy some quiet moments amongst the big coniferous trees. The place smelled great because of the mist from the falls, mingling with the scent of the trees - I realized that you don’t get this kind of tree in other parts of Africa. I guess the elevation here makes them feel at home. (Addis has an elevation of 8000ft, compared to 3700ft in Calgary, and 5400ft at Sunshine Village!) More incredible Ethiopian cuisine under the trees.
On the way back, we got a flat tire. While Bini and I were getting the tools out of the trunk, some drops started falling from the sky. By the time he had it jacked up, it was a full-on rainstorm! We took refuge in the local butcher’s shop until the downpour slowed to a drizzle.
This is what I love about Africa. Nothing is predictable. Ever. Everyday is an adventure.
“Something awful has happened; something terrible. Something worse, even, than the fall of man. For in that greatest of all tragedies, we merely lost Paradise- and with it, everything that made life worth living. What has happened since is unthinkable: we’ve gotten used to it. We’ve broken in to the idea that this is just the way things are.”
-John Eldridge - Desire
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1 comment:
Steve, you know what happened last time to tried to climb up onto a balcony(roof) without properly reaching it. You and your second floors man, I tell ya! Glad you got some sleep afterall... Fun stories, sounds like an awesome experience already!
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