Thursday, February 23, 2012

Ethiopian Vehicles

I really had no idea what to expect upon landing in Ethiopia. All I've seen is the little blurbs during the Olympics leading me to believe that everyone is tall and runs fast. We flew into the capitol city of Addis Ababa, population 3.4 million, and my first impression was a very urban. modern city with crazy traffic. Mini-buses running around all over the place. Shortly after arriving, we then flew to Bahir Dar, population 200,000. After Addis Ababa, it felt wonderfully "rural". A much better location for me to get acclimated.

One of the most popular vehicles in this area are the three-wheeled, two cycle bajaj. The local names for them are the words for "virus" and "mosquito" since they appeared all of a sudden and seem to be everywhere. The drivers seem to be pretty fearless. These photos are a quiet road at the outskirts of town and the donkey carts were almost as numerous as powered vehicles. Very few individuals would be able to afford a private vehicle as a gallon of fuel is a significant portion of the income for the average laborer.

Westerns seem to all drive Toyota Land Cruisers. Not the ones that were typically sold in the U.S. but they sort of looked like older models. The station wagon and pickup versions are both popular and all are diesel and naturally aspirated. No computers, turbochargers, automatic transmissions or anything that can't be repaired with basic tools. Diesel Toyota crew cab trucks with really short beds also seem to be pretty popular. When we asked about the going rate for a used Land Cruiser, I was floored by the answer... $48K USD! I guess the import taxes are horrendous on anything brought into the country.

This is in a more rural area about 150 km northeast of Addis Ababa and there were very few vehicles of any kind. The cart was the most common form of wheeled transportation. The reality is, most people walked anywhere they needed to go. There were a lot of donkeys carrying plastic water jugs and bags of grain. Goats and oxen seemed to wander the roads freely. I don't know how people manage to keep track of their livestock.

Out here, I saw my first camel that wasn't in a zoo. They seemed to be able to carry much larger loads than the donkeys though there weren't very many of them. They must be more expensive. Once we ventured off of the main road, we encountered very few vehicles and very little pavement. When we arrived at the small rural church, the right torsion bar mount had broken and the radiator had sprung a leak. The driver did get both fixed by that evening but it may indicate how rough the road was.

This is back in downtown Bahir Dar with horse drawn carts delivering 55 gallon drums of something. Beautiful paved roads and located on the largest lake in Ethiopia. On any of the roads, all of the vehicles are mixed. Carts, bicycles, motorcycles, trucks, buses, etc. Lots of horns honking but no anger. I don't know if it was cultural or not but even with the crazy traffic, I never saw anyone loose their temper. 

16 comments:

  1. Wow, great shots. It looks so warm and arid. Did your body go into shock getting back to Alaska?

    I can't believe the price of a used Land Cruiser. We really are spoiled in this country and take so many modern amenities for granted.

    Looking forward to seeing and hearing more.

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    1. Yes, it was about 90°F most afternoons and until the last afternoon, we didn't see a single cloud. It has been pretty warm back home in Fairbanks so it wasn't too much of a shock.

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  2. Wonderful photos - Sounds like North Americans could take some "road rage" lessons. Can't wait for the further adventures. (PS is that oil in the drums...is it the price of hay that has sent the gas prices hurtling here this week?)

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    1. I think the drums were empty. They didn't look like they were tied on well enough to have much in them. The price of fuel down there is the same as it is around here except it amounts to a 1 1/2 days wage for a laborer.

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  3. Richard:

    your horn honking is sort of like in China. Everyone honks their horn, if your horn doesn't work then you can't drive. There is no anger, just honk and blast your way into traffic.

    I like you observations and look forward to more photos

    bob
    Riding the Wet Coast

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    1. I think that you are right about the honking. No anger just a light reminder...

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  4. Richard I look forward to seeing more pictures, sounds like quite an adventure.

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  5. Wonderful post. It's so easy to forget the rest of the world can be so different from a little spot on the earth. I think I'd be overwhelmed in the traffic.

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    1. After a couple of days, it felt like we were there a long time. Everything that was going on back home seemed like a distant memory.

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  6. Richard, thank you for taking me on this journey. I have never been there, and it is fascinating to see how different life in this part of the world is.

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    1. Life is completely different here than in North America. There is a lot of poverty but there is a huge disparity between the poor and the wealthy and they could be neighbors.

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  7. And the pictures begin....yay!

    Good stuff to begin with Richard....did you ever spot any old sidecar rigs?

    Dom

    Redleg's Rides

    Colorado Motorcycle Travel Examiner

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    1. I didn't see a single sidecar rig (disappointed) and actually, very few motorcycles. Most individuals could not afford any sort of motorized vehicles. Even a small bike would be a huge proportion of the average persons income.

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  8. I had to chuckle at your observation that a camel might be more expensive than a donkey. :). I've only seen the Ethiopia in the Long Way Down. They have a different agenda. I like seeing your more community oriented images.

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