Trip South - The Roads/Roadside

I was repeatedly told the road to Hossana is full of potholes and very rough.  After 2 hours of cruising down a nicely paved highway, I thought, “Just where do these people live that they think this is not a nice road?  Buncha hoity-toity snobs!”  About 2 hours and 15 minutes into the ride, the nicely paved highway ended abruptly.  And I soon tried to retract my harsh judgments of the hoity-toity snobs.

There is a goal for a nicely paved road to run from Addis to the far South within a year.  To do so, the construction companies apparently decided to start building from both ends.  One end is Addis, the other is somewhere near Awash National Park, home of the natural springs and a touristy area. 

It seems the highway construction project is being led by a contracting company from China.  Pure secondhand info, but that’s what I was told.  One of the main differences between American and Ethiopian construction:  In America, 9 guys stand around and supervise one guy do his specific task.  They have an alternative mode of completing the same task.  See photo of supervisor from the highway below.

 

While there was some heavy machinery, labor is in abundance.  And, jobs are needed.  There were a lot of people doing manual work on the roads. 

 

The huge rocks can be wheelbarrowed to rock crushers for use in the roads.  Note:  HEY, Shirley Jones give me a call.  I know where your family’s bus is!

 

This is a glimpse of a moderate pothole.

 

This is the texture of an actual road surface.  At this point, the drivers had actually created a new road on the shoulder because it was too rough for travel.

 

And, this is a wide-laned area in the Rift area.  ”Just like big American roads, right?”  Yup, assuming you live in a town with a population less than 5,000.

The scene below was a more common view out the front window.  And, no, the animals don’t respond to honking. After several hours of Lekeneh honking at the animals, it became entertainment.  It was like he was playing Chicken with whatever/whoever the road obstruction was. 

• Lekeneh vs the donkey.  Who will win? The donkey.
• Lekeneh vs the cow.  Who will win? The cow…without a doubt.  They were in NO hurry to get out of the way.
• Lekeneh vs the goats.  Who will win? The goats.
• Lekeneh vs the women walking to market.  Who will win? It was a tie (some moved, some didn’t).
• Lekeneh vs the toddler standing by the edge of the highway.  Who will win? The toddler. (Phew!!)

 

Of course there are waysides just like in America, too.  This is a gas station in Arboro.

 

And this is the rest area at a gas station in Sheshemane.

Might not be the ideal resting spot, but probably a bit more comfy than some of those “airport lounges.”