Kombolcha: A City in Transition
The care points we visit are located in Kombolcha, located about 157 miles northeast of Addis Ababa. The drive here is amazing, as you start in the highlands of Addis, weave through flatlands and then begin a slow ascent into the mountains. As you gain attitude, the air becomes brisker and the hills steeper. Small towns provide a brief change in scenery as people scatter across streets carrying baskets, encouraging livestock, or waving down taxis or buses. During certain times of the year, if you keep an eye out, you can see water cascading down a cliff face. If you're not in a town, you see farmers tending their fields on tiered hillsides, most likely shaped centuries ago. You see kids herding animals, primarily goats and cows. Kids hang out at the doors of their huts. You keep driving higher, being able to see mountain upon mountain for miles and miles. If you're lucky, you'll see baboons playing on a hillside.
About four hours into the drive, there's a tunnel. It's not a long tunnel, short enough that you can see the light at the end but long enough that you need headlights.
When you come out on the other end, the landscape has completely changed. The trees are so close together that you wonder what kind of creature might possibly be able to squeeze in between. There are often baboons perched on the walls on the side of the road. You begin a mostly slow, but at times steep, descent on a winding road with several switchbacks. The temperature rises as the The trees thin out until you are in a desert similar to what you would see in the southwest. There are even prickly pear cacti. For the first time, you see camels hauling produce and other materials. Then, you begin a slow ascent over two to three hours into Kombolcha, which has a climate similar to what you'd find in southern California. There are lots of camels here too.
I've done this drive, back and forth, many times. Two years ago, we started flying one way and then driving back just so the people who hadn't been on the trip had the chance to see the beautiful countryside. Our plans were the same this year, but due to some continued uncertainty about the political climate here, we decided to fly both ways. There are apparently some random checkpoints along the way and we didn't want to take a chance with long delays, especially since one of our team is flying home on Saturday night.
An eight hour drive turns into a 45 minute flight, landing at an airport that is nothing more than an open air two-room cinder block building divided in two. One side of the building is for security and departures and the other side is for arrivals. The runway seems intensely short, and it is kind of alarming to see soldiers armed with rifles patrolling the open fields next to it. The plane stops far away from the terminal and we walk the hundred yards to the terminal. A small vehicle pulls a cart with our luggage to the terminal. Two years ago, a man lugged the cart laden with suitcases without any kind of assistance.
Kombolcha itself is an interesting city. The population is about 100,000. The city center has a traffic circle with dozens of shops alongside. People are walking everywhere, with dozens and dozens of small blue and white three wheeled taxis skirting about, driving between cars and around people, honking horns as they go. Large trucks spewing diesel fumes compete for space on the roads. The common thinking is that the bigger vehicles always get the right of way, but the taxi drivers are strong-willed and usually get their way when competing with the other vehicles. I've been here enough times that I believe I could find my way around the major streets quite easily. However, there are lots of neighborhoods that are warrens of unmarked roads with closely packed houses. Some neighborhoods aren't even approachable by car. Instead, you have to walk along well worn trails, up and down steep hills, over tree roots, and around animal droppings, sometimes for at least half a mile. I don't know how GPS would ever be effective in some parts of this city.
Just to the west of downtown is a river. It's apparent that there are times of the year when the river is quite full, but every time I've been here, there is just a small rivulet running down the middle of the ravine. It's wide and deep enough, though, to be used by people washing clothes or even the occasional man washing himself in all his glory.
There is a lot of construction here. Well-established stores in the center of town have new floors being added on top. Lots that were once empty now have buildings in various stages of construction. There appears to be a new highway west of our hotel. A gleaming factory of some sort next to the airport is new since we were here last. Progress has come to Kombolcha. It's nowhere close to the progress that Addis has made. It's still extremely dusty here, with litter everywhere.
But there's lots of potential. A new train that runs from Addis to Djibouti runs through Kombolcha, which should bring economic opportunities. There is a technical college and university here. I am told that Kombolcha is going to focus on industry, which should bring plenty of jobs.
There are three major religions in Ethiopia; Christian, Greek Orthodox, and Moslem. 70% of the population is moslem. We are often woken at sunrise by the call to prayers from the local mosque. Despite this, people of the three religions peacefully co-exist here. Many of the families in the care points have one parent of one religion and another parent from another religion. There are no tensions between any of them. When we do the feast on the last day, there are three tables for each of the three have different requirements for how the meal can be prepared or what they can eat. The kids, no matter their religion, easily play and talk to each other. And though the care points are housed in churches, there are no restrictions on what religion a child has to be in order to participate in the program.
Because of the political tensions in the country, we have been asked not to wonder around town on our own. Two years ago, Glen and I went for a run up a nearby highway, waving and saying "Selam" along the way. We haven't left the hotel without an Ethiopian with us, which is disappointing. Hopefully on our next visit, we'll be able to venture out and get to know this city that we've come to know so well even more.
About four hours into the drive, there's a tunnel. It's not a long tunnel, short enough that you can see the light at the end but long enough that you need headlights.
When you come out on the other end, the landscape has completely changed. The trees are so close together that you wonder what kind of creature might possibly be able to squeeze in between. There are often baboons perched on the walls on the side of the road. You begin a mostly slow, but at times steep, descent on a winding road with several switchbacks. The temperature rises as the The trees thin out until you are in a desert similar to what you would see in the southwest. There are even prickly pear cacti. For the first time, you see camels hauling produce and other materials. Then, you begin a slow ascent over two to three hours into Kombolcha, which has a climate similar to what you'd find in southern California. There are lots of camels here too.
I've done this drive, back and forth, many times. Two years ago, we started flying one way and then driving back just so the people who hadn't been on the trip had the chance to see the beautiful countryside. Our plans were the same this year, but due to some continued uncertainty about the political climate here, we decided to fly both ways. There are apparently some random checkpoints along the way and we didn't want to take a chance with long delays, especially since one of our team is flying home on Saturday night.
An eight hour drive turns into a 45 minute flight, landing at an airport that is nothing more than an open air two-room cinder block building divided in two. One side of the building is for security and departures and the other side is for arrivals. The runway seems intensely short, and it is kind of alarming to see soldiers armed with rifles patrolling the open fields next to it. The plane stops far away from the terminal and we walk the hundred yards to the terminal. A small vehicle pulls a cart with our luggage to the terminal. Two years ago, a man lugged the cart laden with suitcases without any kind of assistance.
Kombolcha itself is an interesting city. The population is about 100,000. The city center has a traffic circle with dozens of shops alongside. People are walking everywhere, with dozens and dozens of small blue and white three wheeled taxis skirting about, driving between cars and around people, honking horns as they go. Large trucks spewing diesel fumes compete for space on the roads. The common thinking is that the bigger vehicles always get the right of way, but the taxi drivers are strong-willed and usually get their way when competing with the other vehicles. I've been here enough times that I believe I could find my way around the major streets quite easily. However, there are lots of neighborhoods that are warrens of unmarked roads with closely packed houses. Some neighborhoods aren't even approachable by car. Instead, you have to walk along well worn trails, up and down steep hills, over tree roots, and around animal droppings, sometimes for at least half a mile. I don't know how GPS would ever be effective in some parts of this city.
Just to the west of downtown is a river. It's apparent that there are times of the year when the river is quite full, but every time I've been here, there is just a small rivulet running down the middle of the ravine. It's wide and deep enough, though, to be used by people washing clothes or even the occasional man washing himself in all his glory.
There is a lot of construction here. Well-established stores in the center of town have new floors being added on top. Lots that were once empty now have buildings in various stages of construction. There appears to be a new highway west of our hotel. A gleaming factory of some sort next to the airport is new since we were here last. Progress has come to Kombolcha. It's nowhere close to the progress that Addis has made. It's still extremely dusty here, with litter everywhere.
But there's lots of potential. A new train that runs from Addis to Djibouti runs through Kombolcha, which should bring economic opportunities. There is a technical college and university here. I am told that Kombolcha is going to focus on industry, which should bring plenty of jobs.
There are three major religions in Ethiopia; Christian, Greek Orthodox, and Moslem. 70% of the population is moslem. We are often woken at sunrise by the call to prayers from the local mosque. Despite this, people of the three religions peacefully co-exist here. Many of the families in the care points have one parent of one religion and another parent from another religion. There are no tensions between any of them. When we do the feast on the last day, there are three tables for each of the three have different requirements for how the meal can be prepared or what they can eat. The kids, no matter their religion, easily play and talk to each other. And though the care points are housed in churches, there are no restrictions on what religion a child has to be in order to participate in the program.
Because of the political tensions in the country, we have been asked not to wonder around town on our own. Two years ago, Glen and I went for a run up a nearby highway, waving and saying "Selam" along the way. We haven't left the hotel without an Ethiopian with us, which is disappointing. Hopefully on our next visit, we'll be able to venture out and get to know this city that we've come to know so well even more.
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