Ethiopia Take 1: Taxi!

As we stepped out of the safety of the confines of the airport we faced a wall of dark faces with a tang of trepidation. We stood out like two bobbing apples, easy targets for the zealous taxi masters. Encouraged by the first taxi representative we gladly followed behind making small talk along the way. It was late, dark and somewhat cool – almost cold. We arrived at the car park, it reminded me of ‘Scrapheap challenge’, and after a double take I realized that this was the taxi fleet (a total of 3 cars). Some of which were semi operational. Taking a deep breath, I forced my way forward preparing for the journey ahead, thinking the worst was behind us. We were then introduced to a cute kid - soon found out he was our taxi driver probably not much older than 16. Broad smile and hands ready to load our luggage into the taxi he ushered us to the yellow rattletrap. With slight reluctance we seated ourselves, Aims in the back and me in the front next to the driver - we sat quietly optimistic looking forward to a good night’s rest at the hotel.

Doing a quick 22 point check, I instantly realized this car was not road worthy; I reached for the seat belt to find it missing. I then tried to open the window to clear the windscreen from condensation – no handle. Using a napkin I cleared the windscreen giving me and the driver some visibility.

Slightly embarrassed and with a laugh our driver requested in Amharic for a push-start from the other drivers standing around. With a couple of jolts the car fired up and we were away.

Straining up the hill at 25 km/h and firing only on two cylinders the taxi narrowly made it to the top reaching the car park exit at the airport. The rest of the journey to the hotel was interestingly the same; every hill seemed to be a challenge for the ol’ jalopy. The headlights flickered slightly making it virtually impossible to see what was ahead. Our driver having an upbeat personality and charm made the trip to the hotel somewhat an enjoyable escapade.

We made it to the hotel without incident and the whole experience only cost us $10. The best taxi ride in the world.