Urbanity Gives Way to Rurality

Our first stop was at a restaurant called "The Lime Tree," a spot which catered to Westerners in a newly erected building.  There we met with Daniel, an Ethiopian who works as a coordinator for Wycliffe Bible translators.  Over burgers and pizza, he explained to us that although the Bible has long been available in Ethiopia's most common languages, such as Amharic, the country has over seventy different languages, and his team is working to translate many of the different versions (NIV, NLT, The Message, etc.) into these many languages.

Following lunch, it was time to head south of Addis Ababa on a three hour journey to Butajira en route to a community/organization called Project Mercy in Yeteban.

Butajira labeled as "Butajera" slightly southwest of Addis Ababa

Meskel Square, one of the main venues for special events in Addis

Ethiopian National Theater

Haile Selassie and former Prime Minister Meles Zenawi

Even Ethiopia has Johnny Walker

Urban Ethiopia and rural Ethiopia were essentially two different worlds.  Whereas the city was densely populated with people and high-rises, the countryside had a more pastoral feel.  Blue skies full of white, billowing clouds filled the horizon, meeting the rolling green hills below.  The air, too, no longer smelled of ash and fuel, though it did occasionally smell of livestock and manure.

Thatched huts lined the sides of the road, occasionally giving way to expansive vistas and magnificent landscapes.  Animals took the right of way on the highway, and many a cow, goat, and horse calmly crossed the road, oblivious of the cars quickly approaching them.  These cars would be forced to a screeching halt in order to avoid damage to the bovine (or caprine or equine) traveler.  In Ethiopia, apparently, animals have legal protection- any driver who hits an animal in the road (except for dogs because apparently no one cares about dogs) is subject to a fine.

Perhaps one of the most memorable moments of the journey was the sight of a few young children, no older than five years old, grinning from ear-to-ear clapping and doing a dance akin to the Party Rock anthem shuffle as they saw our car approaching.  The lasting memory of such unadulterated joy left smiles on our faces for long after.

 Young boys leading their blind grandfather around- something we hope to find out more about on this trip

As night fell, we stopped at a hotel in Butajira for dinner before continuing onward to Project Mercy for the night.