Getting ready to go underground

It was only a short time later that the vehicles stopped and we clambered down and made our way to the final part- the cavernous turbine hall that had been carved from the rock, partly by machine and partly by hand. From here a machine was grinding its way up to where the lake would be formed once the dam was closed, hoping at some point to meet the tunnellers coming from the lake. One of the officials we had collected from the camp earlier in the afternoon, having detailed the works in progress kindly switched to English to explain everything to me. It occurred to me during all of this and perhaps in part due to the reaction of the staff, that this would make good trip for school science club- a chance to make things more real than just what’s written in the book.

The turbine hall

This project along with several other similar projects is massively important for Ethiopian development. The irregularity and unreliability of the power supply must be a huge obstacle to progress in so many other areas. The challenge Ethiopia faces at the moment seems to relate to the fears of some of their neighbours that damming the water supplies of so much of East Africa will affect their access to water. Ethiopia seems to be the source of much of this and I speculate that this might be one reason why so much of this hydroelectric project is deep underground.

The staff go underground

Tour completed, photos taken we returned to the cars, which by this point had turned around and took us back blinking into the late-afternoon. A second group went in for the tour and we were given a short talk about the site before slowly beginning the return journey to Negele. By this time I was detecting some dissatisfaction among the staff, partly I suspect because they hadn’t eaten since breakfast and it had already been a long day. I had also been told that it was to be on this occasion that my trainers would be doing their public presentations of projects they had been working on. I think I knew early on that this was never really going to happen and by this point, with everyone keen for food and to get back to Adola I wondered how much it really mattered. The staff had had a good day out and although there may be some different perspectives on how hard they actually work, they do have to work a lot (especially weekends) and a chance to get away from the daily repetitive cycle was definitely a chance for “refreshment”.

Warning signs! Good to see that Chinese English has made it here too!

Back in Negele we went for food, I think all at the same place this time. It was quite an operation and understandably took some time. Tibs again it seemed – it seems that an Ethiopian can eat this 3 times a day, 5 days a week (fasting days Wednesday and Friday). I’m not sure my European pallet is quite ready for that, but it turns out I didn’t need to worry overly as a special dish called ‘Kort’ had been ordered for my culinary delight. I had previously refused this dish, but had said to just order it in future and I’d eat it.

One of my misconceptions of Ethiopia before I came out, albeit one of which I was not really conscious, was that they would eat, for a European, unusual food; you know, insects, lion’s eyeballs and so on. It turns out that they are quite particular about these sort of things, which become clear at the horror on their faces when I told them I had previously eaten horse.   However, one of the things that they do sometimes forget to do is to even show the meat to any kind of heat source and this is the delicacy known as “Kort”.

Yes, I ate meat they forgot to cook

I thought it would be more chewy and I think I was I more concerned about texture than taste. Turns out that it was a bit like eating Turkish delight- texture wise, I mean. It certainly didn’t taste like Turkish delight- that would have been very weird. Actually it didn’t really have much flavour at all. Dutifully, I tried several pieces and the only way to add flavour was to dip it in a mustardy sauce that came with out. I wasn’t disgusted by the experience, but feel no great inclination to repeat it simply because of the lack of flavour to price value. I often jokingly question my colleagues about the raw meat being most expensive because nothing’s been done to it. The reality is that it is the best meat from the animal.

Looking into the valley

Now almost 8pm, it was time to tackle the road back to Adola. Fortunately these days most of it is sealed, but I wasn’t relishing the trip back in the dark. I was certainly relieved to have the “guest” privilege of being able to travel in the college car. It’s much quicker than the bus- especially as I’m not sure Amsala, the driver likes to use anything lower than 4^th gear. We were back in Adola sometime around 9.30pm (It took at least three hours to do this by car on my previous trip back in November). However back in Adola does not equate to back at the college. First we drove around the town to try and find accommodation for the camera crew that had joined us for the day from the Oromo TV channel.

Abraham explains it all

At last that was sorted and we began to head to the college only to have to stop again.  This time one of the buses had been stopped by the police about 5 minutes from the college. The police officer suspected that there was some contraband on the bus (this could be something as mundane as women’s clothes smuggled from Kenya). He was surrounded by angry and, by this time, rather tired college staff. The dean stepped it, I think phoning the local police chief. Two more police arrived on a motorcycle, but my hopes of a quick solution were not fulfilled. Eventually the staff managed to get onto the second bus and return to the college, the stopped bus remaining at the side of the road.

Definitely been a day of adventure and new experiences and a chance to get a small insight into Ethiopian life and culture. A reporter apparently once asked the late Meles Zenawi why the police officers were so well fed in Ethiopia- his tongue in cheek response was “Ask the drivers.”

View from the hill

The buses eventually caught up and disgorged the college masses, but only I after I had had some time to enjoy the relative tranquillity. With the arrival I suddenly became the focus of people’s photographs. I told them that each photo was 50birr, they found it most amusing.

I’m still waiting for the money.

Rather bizarrely most of the people wanting pictures with me were people with whom I had never really spoken or people I don’ think I’d met before – the novelty of the ferenji has probably worn off for most of the teaching staff. Paparazzi moment over, some people were impatient to leave and horns were being blown in the hope to facilitate our onward journey. Clearly I have still not yet adjusted to the Ethiopian ways as I was back down to the car while everyone else continued to mill around the hill top (probably trying to put off continuing the bone shaking transport).

Finally we managed to carry on arriving at the entry to the dam where were stopped at a checkpoint – it seems that it is felt that there is some risk of terrorism (or maybe they have got confused with tourism here too [see previous blog – lost in pronunciation]). Although we had a letter from the zonal office as well as a zonal official with us there seemed to be some reluctance to let us through. Possibly because we were supposed to have been there in the morning and by this point we had crept into the afternoon. Colleagues on the bus had to line up and be searched, but it seemed those of us in the college car were exempt, although I did seem to be an object of curiosity. Some time and several chats on the radio later we were waved on. Everyone was back on the buses and we continued on to the recently built camp for the workers. It was striking how well built the site was, especially in comparison to the college buildings. We had another wait here, once again because we were running so far behind schedule that the officials for the dam had gone for lunch.

Dam under construction

When you can’t understand the language it’s tricky to know what’s going on exactly, but somehow it all came together and we followed an official up to the site of the dam. I have been to see dams before and Itaipu is far larger than the humble offering here, but this was under construction and that made it fascinating in its own right. There was a refreshing lack of health and safety and an opportunity to apply common sense- fortunately I still have some after years of being cotton wooled in Europe. It turns it’s shockingly easy to avoid being hit by the myriad of machinery by maintaining a healthy distance and keeping an eye on what is going on around you- amazing that nothing whatsoever happened to anyone in our group and none of them had any health and safety training.

Just don’t fall down or walk in front of the digger when it’s moving… 

Being on the dam was great and having a passing interest in the world of Physics I put forward some questions about where the turbines and generators were going to be as it was clear that they weren’t going to be at the dam itself. Speculating aloud that it would be good to see these I rather fear that arrangements were made to satisfy the ferenji and we returned to our transport and were taken to the site, several kilometres away despite it starting to get late in the day and really time to start thinking about heading back. It was hard to get too worried about this when there was a fresh buzz of excitement as we collected hard hats and clambered into the backs of several pickup trucks ready to head underground where the turbine hall was being dug out under a mountain.

College staff on the dam

It’s quite a feat of engineering and not something I expected to see in Ethiopia. Many development projects in Ethiopia are currently in progress, particularly with regards to infrastructure and energy development supported by several foreign nations. This particular project is being taken with the support of Chinese workers who appear to have brought the expertise that is still being developed in Ethiopia.

Safety hat- there is a little thought given to this after all!

We descended into the darkness in a buzz of animated conversation, gripping tightly as the vehicle bumped its way along the tunnel …

College trips are a little different here, they’re for the staff and not the students. It is a chance for the staff to go for “refreshment”, although it rather relies on the budget being released. This was done with about a month left in the financial year and so there was a mad rush to spend it all- as seems to happens in other countries with budgets, if you don’t spend it, you lose it.   Consequently, and not unusually for Ethiopia a last minute plan somehow came into fruition and early one chilly morning the staff were standing at the entrance to the college compound waiting for the buses to come and collect them. Being a foreigner I had been given a start time half an hour later than everyone else – I am expected to turn up on time and not the local requisite 30mins to one hour later. I always feel for those colleagues here who actually turn up at the stated time- they must spend a lot of their lives waiting for the latecomers, but seem quite sanguine about it all – maybe it’s the chill of the early mornings that stops the blood running to hot, or perhaps just a more relaxed approach to life.

Dawn crowd awaiting the bus

Naturally the buses arrive considerably later and it gives an indication of why many people here don’t tend to worry too much about hurrying to places. Nevertheless there is a tangible sense of excitement in the air, the like of which I had yet to experience here and I realised that the staff are actually really looking forward to a day out involving a considerable amount of travel, in a standard local bus. Perhaps not the height of comfort, but filled with camaraderie and that’s better than a cushioned seat any day.

View from inside the bus

The staff did seem to end up divided, with support staff on one bus and teaching on the other, which was a shame – it would have been good to have seen a bit more mixing, but it was pleasing that all staff were invited irrespective of status within the college. Loaded up, we pulled out of the college and onto the road, the adventure about to being, only to grind to a halt 10 metres down the road. A hurried conference of management was followed by large flags, one Ethiopian, one Oromo being attached to each of the buses. How close we came to forgetting this essential item I thought as a tried to keep underwraps the disappointment that there had been no effort to get the Sussex flag put up on the bus with the Ferenji. Next time I know to come prepared, although I may need to explain what and where Sussex is – that’s next year’s project sorted.

Our destination was Negele, the principal town of the Guji zone (think Chichester and West Sussex if you want a comparison) or more specifically a dam being built about an hour’s drive from Negele.

One of many stops – note the Ethiopian flag!

The thing about journeys in Ethiopia is that they cannot pass without the prerequisite stops every so many kilometres. There are a plethora of purpose behind these ranging from a horde of teaching a support staff running through a small village to find an Ethiopia delicacy particularly renowned in that area, to a toilet break (mostly just for the boys) to just stopping for the heck of it because the view is sort of nice. Based on the last idea I’d never get anywhere – this area really is stunningly beautiful. Nevertheless we finally made it to Negele where we stopped for breakfast.

Breakfast is one of my favourite meals in Ethiopia because they have this amazing dish called “full”. I was especially looking forward to this as the first time had had it was in Negele. The great horde of Adola College staff emerged from the buses and spread out to find food places; I attached myself to some of them and went with the flow into a place that served nothing but Tibs. Now don’t get me wrong I like Tibs, it’s a fantastic lunch or dinner option, but when you have spent the last three hours dreaming and having Full while being shaken and bounced on unsealed roads there is an avoidable feeling of disappointment when it is not available and a little piece of you starts to question if you can push your colleagues (who by this point are pretty hungry) to moving to a new place. I finally resolved myself to the Tibs, although I refrained from joining my colleagues in the customary accompanying beverage.

Beer for breakfast?

And not just one!

Breakfast done we returned to the buses and drove a little way through the town before stopping again while waiting for an official from the zonal office to join us. Enough time for a shoe shine and coffee before the ferenji was upgraded to the college car. In an awkward moment I felt great disloyalty to the colleagues with whom I had already travelled so far, but felt I could not refuse the courtesy proffered by the Dean of the college. My guilt dissipated rapidly as we drove down the country road to the dam significantly faster than the buses could travel and certainly in much more comfort, even with time to stop and enjoy the view from a hill looking toward the soon to be dammed river.

The road to the dam

Don’t miss part II – to see if we actually make it to our destination!