transportation

Although this isn’t something the first thing that struck me when I first left the airport, I think the first thing to say is that there are no addresses in Mekelle. It is a relatively large city, the second largest city in Ethiopia after the capitol, Addis Ababa, and home to around 200,000 people. There are paved streets (which were apparently installed in the last 2 years by the Chinese government), but there are no street names and thus no way of directing people to a particular location. For example, we were near the downtown area with some OB/GYN residents getting coffee after lunch yesterday, and we walked by this restaurant called “Pizza Jerry.” The residents pointed it out and said “we have been wanting to go back there but we couldn’t find it!” It is hard for me to imagine directions without the premise of street names, but it seems like everyone gets around just fine.

The next thing I should explain is our main transportation, the bajaj. A bajaj is similar to the tuktuks found in Asia and India, I am told, but it is essentially the motor and wheels of a moped with a metal car built around the structure. Inside, the driver sits in the front and steers like you would with a motorcycle, and the passengers sit in the back row. You can fit 3 people in the back, maximum, but it is a tight fit! The bajajs basically function as an American taxi does, except there are no meters – you must ask for the price to your destination, negotiate, and determine the price before the driver takes you there. We are obviously foreign so we are often charged more, but we still pay somewhere between 25-35 birr for three of us to ride downtown, which is about $1.50. 

There is another form of public transportation which are called taxis here. It is a larger van that has 4 rows of seats. They pile about 13-15 people in the van and drop you off at predetermined destinations. It costs 1.5 birr per person, so 7 cents. We’ve only taken a taxi once, and it was an interesting experience because we were told to ask for “ketema” to get to downtown, but we ended up in a place that was more like the local market, with rows of shops selling spices and flour and necessities – we looked very out of place (although that’s really nothing new I guess). Also, we had variable opinions of the taxi depending on who we sat next to…

Wealthier people here own cars like you would see in Europe. One resident, Dr. Ismael, told me he is preparing to get his driver’s license in anticipation of being able to afford a car as an attending. The most desirable cars, according to him, are Toyotas. In order to obtain a license, you have to attend a month long course and then take a written and practical exam. There are also 5 levels of driver’s licenses depending on what type of vehicle you would like to drive. A “landrover,” which is basically defined as a truck or a Bronco type vehicle, is level 3 and requires a higher certification, level 3. I think tour buses, etc are part of levels 4-5. Ismael wants to get a level 1-3 license so that he can drive between cities. There are sedans here, but those are really only appropriate for driving within town, and would not be adequate for driving in between cities. Also, you can’t buy a personal car in blue because that is the color of the bajajs and taxis!! 

We walk back and forth from the hospital, but otherwise we take bajajs everywhere. We are weak (I’m blaming it all on the fact I’m still getting used to the altitude!) and also directionally challenged foreigners!

Oh and I completely forgot to mention that there are also many horse-drawn carts and goats being herded through the streets. Oh, and random donkeys wandering around!