Last night I had a dream that I somehow forgot to go to Turkey, and was sad because I didn't check off my sixth continent. Anyways, today would be a big day of narrow alleyways, colourful buildings, old Peugeots, and feeding hyenas. After a few cups of delicious green tea I was off toward the old walled city. As I entered through the Shoa Gate I was in the midst of a frenetic market filled with colourful veggies and colourful women with colourful headscarves. Harar's wall was built during the 16th century and until more than 300 years later the city was off limits to non-Muslims. It was hot, and a bowl of ice cream tempted me before I lost myself in the 368 alleyways of Harar. The walled city, called Jegol, is home to 82 mosques. Here you see one.
The city is often compared to Fez but (even though I've never been) without the tourists. In several hours meandering today I didn't see another foreigner. Various locals approached me, presumably wanting to guide me but I was perfectly content getting lost in the maze of streets and allys. Harar is extremely colourful.
For a couple of hours I lost myself in the upper half of the walled city, snapping photos and people watching. Harar has an abundance of old American vehicles, so it's like Havana meets Marrakesh, only it's in Ethiopia. As I approached the centre of the old town these two guys started harassing me. One of them even tried to touch me, and when I told them to leave me alone they started calling me an "asshole" and a "mother-fucker." A police officer saw and heard them and got involved. Harar's coffee is said to be some of the world's best, so I sat in the shade as I sampled a cup of Harar's fabled tipple. Then I lost myself in the mazes some more before deciding to cool myself off with an Ambo. Children were enjoying my presence and a lady even posed for me (for a small tip) in traditional attire.
My eyes and feet were sore due to the gazing and walking, and I scouted out the spot where the hyenas and hyena man convene at 7:30. I found the spot but then I found something unexpected: a shell of an airplane fuselage that seemed to come straight out of a movie set. Why is it here? This afternoon I was anxious to see the hyenas but before feeding the hyenas I wanted to feed myself. I got pizza and vegetable soup at Fresh Touch but later felt guilty about eating so much. I got lost on the way back to Valerie's house; I just couldn't find the street I walked down earlier. Luckily I saw her as she was taking her son to the playground and pointed me the way home. Having a few cups of green tea I got ready and then set out toward the hungry, drooling hyenas. David, a guide whom I met yesterday met me at the gate of the walled city. He invited me to join in on the hyena feeding last night but I was too tired and I got caught up spending time with Valerie and family. It was dark by the time we got to the hyena man. A large group of Germans were there in addition to various other people. It was my hope that blowing my whistle would get the hyenas to get here sooner but before long, four hyenas emerged from the darkness. The jaws and teeth of a hyena are so strong they can chew straight through bone. With no fear at all the hyena man put a piece of meat on a stick and I bravely fed it to the drooling hyena.
These hyenas are known by name to the hyena men, and they assured us that nobody has ever been bitten by these particular hyenas. Wanting to be even more daring, the hyena man hung a piece of meat over my head and the hyena climbed atop my back to reach it!
After my fill of feeding drooling hyenas, I was drooling for an Ambo. David, incredibly, refused a tip when I offered but he wanted my contact info. As I walked off into the night I made a brief call to my father. I wanted to let him know I'm alright but it's also his 58th birthday! It's not that expensive to call the USA from my mobile phone. When I arrived back at Valerie's place, she was already asleep and Jocia was working on his artwork. Jocia is an interesting fella: rastafarian-esque with Haile Selassie on a coin around his neck, he's a devout Bob Marley fan and is skilled with his art. Earlier today I got a photo of Jocia in his colourful attire.
What a lovely family I'm staying here with! Despite Ethiopia being rigourous and tough I've met some very interesting people and some fabulous CouchSurfers. As I stayed up for awhile I had some more green tea. It's such a joy to stay with such lovely people on my travels.
The next day I would walk a fair bit and have a nice view of the walled city. With a combination of minibuses and hitchhiking and passing a rock in the shape of a penis I ended up in Jijiga, where the Islamic influence is definitely pronounced. Aboard a bus so packed that the driver had to climb through the window to get in, I was off to Somaliland. Wish me luck that I'm back in one piece!
