West of Djibouti

Mention the town of Shashamane to a resident of Ethiopia, and he or she will inevitably mention the Rastafarian population there.  It seems that in the 1950s, Emperor Haile Selassie (formerly known as Ras Tafari) designated 500 acres of his land for use by Rastafarians from Jamaica.  These Rastafarians, who basically revered Haile Selassie as God, settled in and established what would become modern-day Shashamane.  One plausible explanation for the high rates of crime in the town is that Rastafarians believe in the spiritual use of marijuana, the use of which could lead normally peaceful people into violent acts.

In the midst of this Rastafarian community sits one of Ethiopia's few schools for the blind.  At the Shashamane school, visually impaired children complete their primary education, with some eventually going on to become lawyers.  It's a pretty remarkable feat considering the fact that many blind Ethiopians are kept inside 24/7 by their families to the point that their muscles waste away and atrophy due to disuse.

the dining hall at Shashamane School for the Blind

canes for the students

handiwork made by the blind students

All is not perfect at the school- behavioral problems are especially pronounced because of students' frustration with their visual limitations.  Still, the students are able to accomplish an enormous amount, and even play soccer during their free time with a ball wrapped in a plastic bag (so they can hear it).

The school had ended for the summer by the time we arrived, and all the students had left for vacation, save for one young girl named Bantu.  After touring the school, we packed Bantu and her belongings in with us for the car ride back to Addis.

Along the four hour ride back to the capital, we made another pit stop, this time at the Kuriftu Resort in Debre Zeyit.  Entrance to the resort required the purchase of a buffet and kayaking package, so we made our way to the buffet line, where all-you-can-eat pasta, beef roast, and brownies [the first and so far last time I've seen brownies in Ethiopia] were served up to diners while Rihanna and country music played from the speakers overhead.  With the help of a waitress, Bantu loaded her plate up with injeera, the Ethiopian sour pancake-like bread.  Nearby, some Arab women in burkas ate their fill of brownies and trifle, while at another table, a group of Westerners chatted while their adopted Ethiopian children raced each other around the table.

After filling ourselves, we hopped in kayaks and paddled around the lake, with Joey taking Bantu on her first ever kayak ride.

The wealthy owner of the Kuriftu resort is said to be half Arab, half Ethiopian, and as we headed out, I spotted a prominently displayed picture of him with a certain infamous personality.

 The owner of the resort with everyone's favorite ex-Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi

As we exited the Kuriftu resort and with it the town of Debre Zeyit, we merged onto the highway leading westward out of Djibouti.  This highway was populated with big rigs transporting shipped goods from the ports of Djibouti all the way to the Ethiopian capital of Addis.  As our pace slowed due to the traffic caused by these trucks, the music of "Gangnam Style" and Justin Bieber playing on Ethiopian radio carried us into the night.