Chapter 49 Countries of Contrast

"I worked my way up from nothing to a state of extreme poverty."-  Groucho Marx

Time: July 19, 2016

Place:  Starting in Ethiopia and flying to Qatar in the Persian Gulf

I awoke this morning to the smell of sewer gas in my 12 dollar a night guest house. It was nothing new. The water didn't work either. Bathing, flushing the toilet and washing some clothes in the room would all be done with buckets of cold water, water that I would have to go fetch from the cistern myself. I had a companion last night as well , I think. 

A lizard, or more likely a mouse. I was too tired to investigate. 

17 hours later, everything changed.  

I found myself on board one of the most state of the art airlines, Qatar airways "Dream Liner". Somehow Karma struck quickly from this morning and I was asked to approach the flight desk where I was given a free upgrade to business class. I had gone from rank poverty to pure luxury in a single day, but always in the same dirty old construction boots and torn jeans. If I had a towel the size of a circus tent I couldn't have wiped the grin off of my face. 

Business class on Qatar Airways has you blushing with embarrassment from the outstanding service. Champagne pre take off is served. Each passenger is given their own cubical with remote control chair which even reclines perfectly flat for sleeping. A dinner menu and all the drinks you can swallow accompanies a monitor with scores of movies to watch, internet and other bells and whistles to enjoy. 

Stepping off the plane at Doha into the 110 degree heat is something that you can just never prepare enough for. From the cool 60 degree temperatures in the Addis mountain morning to now a scorching 110 was like walking into a blast furnace. 

The second day I walked the 4 mile length of the Corniche. For an hour an a half the sun pummelled me in the 115 degree heat where there were no shadows or buildings to hide within. It drains you to walk under such condition. Yes, its nothing less than dangerous. 

So I did what any other red blooded American would do. I spent the day in an air conditioned shopping mall and the attached cinema. It was bliss. Indeed, I spent the better part of 4 days rocking back and forth between the punishing heat and etherial air conditioning.

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This now concludes this trip and this blog. I hope it has given any followers deeper insights into Ethiopia, Somaliland and Qatar. 

The world is a far safer place than many give it credit for as you hopefully seen by my venturing into northern Somalia. Media in the United States, inherently pro-American, paint a skewed picture of the world we live in. The world is filled with loving, kind people and arabs and muslims are no exception. 

Remember, your mother had it all wrong. ALWAYS get into a strange vehicle with people you don't know. Because you just never know how far down the rabbit hole they will take you! 

The End

Photos and Blog by Garrett Fulton

A view of the cubicles each person gets in business class on Qatar Airways.

My cubicle. Movies, laptop and Brut Champagne. I was so tired I fell asleep with a glass of Port wine in my hand.

Airplane engines??? Nooo...just me snoring...

The beautiful Qatar flag, like a saw blade, flutters on a Dow in the harbor of Doha.

I was blistering hot by 1 hour into my walk and snapped a quick shot of the north harbor skyline.

Arabic is a gorgeous language to see but horrible to listen to.

The Falcon Souk. Qataris take their falconeering seriously. This is a shop where they can see the birds and watch them perform. 

Chapter 48 Blog Soup

"If it was raining soup, the Irish would go out with forks."- Brendan Behan

Time: June, 2016

Place: Jinka, Ethiopia and elsewhere 

There were many videos that I couldn't upload in Ethiopia as the internet was so bad it was as good as non-existant. This first video is recorded as church was getting out after St. Michaels day. Lalo and I are on top of the jeep.

Below are a few videos I quickly shot with my phone or Go Pro. They are not good but give a few insights into Ethiopia.

This is a typical Ethiopian overland bus. I took about a dozen 10 hour long rides like this, and bus rides of lesser duration as well. The trips are simply punishing. There are no toilets on board. The bus stops usually every 5 hours for a toilet stop which is just pulling off on the side of the road by the trees. Bring toilet paper and watch for snakes.  The roads can be so bad that people vomit from the  motion sickness. They keep plastic bags on board just for such occasions. Chickens, produce, baggage and people fill the bus to overcapacity. You are always so glad to disembark, only to face a crowd who want to sell you confection, a taxi ride or accommodation at a guest house. A long day of travel is exhausting. 

Chapter 47 Dogs

Place: Harar, Ethiopia, Outside the walled city of Harar by the city garbage dump

Time: July 6, 2016

"Dogs in the night roaming. Dogs in the night, rabid, foaming."-   Jim Morrison/ The Doors

Out side the ancient city of Harar’s walls a strange symbiotic relationship takes place every night. For many decades every evening, wild hyenas come to a given spot  to be fed by one of the locals meat scraps. Although completely wild, they have become used to this relationship for generations. When the locals discovered they could actually make money off of tourists by bringing them to this feeding, it became one more thing for travelers to see and do on their Ethiopian bucket list. 

A few photos and a video below.

(The camera and video camera were shared by both Sherif and I. In the black of darkness, we did a horrible job of both, unable to see what we were doing, and the camera couldn't handle such low light situations. I think you will get the jist however.

Its a very strange feeling to have Africa's second largest predator on your back. Those claws and paws feel- primal.
A hyenas jaws have such and incredible bite force that they easily crush bones. They are the ultimate african scavenger.

I made sure my zipper was up.

The feeding master feeds the wild hyenas.

Chapter 46 Back alley Bruce Lees

Place:  Back in Harar, Ethiopia on my return route to Addis Ababa.

Time: July 14-16, 2016

Having to back track, I found myself once again in Harar with a bit of time to kill until the next available bus back to Addis Ababa, where I would fly out to continue my adventure in Doha, Qatar in the Persian Gulf.

I was getting seriously burned out on photography, but managed a couple solid days of shooting either way.

This is a video I shot with my buddy Abeti. You will see he is trying not to laugh and wreck the video but he can't contain himself. We eventually climbed into a Tuk-Tuk and the driver gets stuck between a truck and sacks of produce. Eventually, typical African chaos ensues and everyone is giving advice and direction. We eventually get free and motor down the main street of the old city of Harar.

I can't even tell you how impressed I was by these girls. They spoke great english, had incredible personalities and were so mature for their age. It left me speechless. They must have some amazing parents.

This kid is a natural. Look for him on "Jerry Springer" Africa version.

I was photographing Harari doors when this guy saw me through the door crack and beckoned me in. He is absolutely wiped out from chewing Chat, an intoxicating plant.

This guy, Solomon, approached me on the street and told me he had seen me on Television last night.
"You are famous all through Ethiopia now" he told me. Indeed. I had been interviewed  television the night before during an Islamic celebration at the end of Ramadan. He will try to send me a link to my interview.  Solomon and I hung out for the morning together.

As soon as I raised my camera, all the kids broke out into immaculate KUNG-FU. Clearly I was no match for these Black Bruce Lees of the Back Alleys of Harar.!!!
What is that telephone number for the Harari Police again?

I faced my own death with quiet ,calm resolve.

Outside the city gates of old Harar, seen barely visible at the very top. I don't think I have been anywhere more colourful than this 4th most Holy City in Islam.

"Surprise" your girlfriend and take her here to pick out her wedding ring. She'll never forget the occasion.

Solomon gets photo bombed by a goat. (Solomon is on the right)

My worst haircut Ever was in Cape Coast Ghana by a guy who repaired shoes AND cut hair. The correction haircut took place one week later in Accra, Ghana which was equally bad. I just finally had to have it shaved off.

I love cats, kids and blacks. This photo works for me on all levels.

A valuable insight into Ethiopia

Chapter 45 Searching in vain

Place:  Hargeisa, Somaliland

Time:  July 10, 2016

If you recall from the beginning of the blog, I was motivated to travel to Somaliland solely after a ride by a Minneapolis taxi cab driver who urged me to go.  Once there I was to look for his uncle who was the owner of the Italian Hotel in Hargeisa. It was a mission I committed myself to. 

Arriving in Hargeisa, Northern Somalia however, I found out that the Italian Hotel was no longer in business. It had closed down a couple years back. With only the owners first name to go off of, I knew that it could be a long arduous search to find Mohammed’s uncle, the former owner, in a big city. It could easily gobble up a day or two in the search. So I abandon trying to find this “William” wherever he might be. 

I have to conclude that the taxi driver in Minneapolis didn't keep good contact with his uncle or he would have known that his relative’s hotel had long since closed down. 

 I tried.

Chapter 44 Beaches and Burkas

Place:  Barbera, (Coast of Somaliland on the Gulf of Aden)

Time: July 12, 2016

"Smell the sea, and feel the sky.
Let your soul and spirit fly."-       Van Morrison

If your idea of a good beach experience includes babes in Bikinis, boom boxes banging out music, bonfires, deck chairs, showers to wash the salt off, hotdogs on the grill and copious quantities of alcohol to wash it down with, then the northern coast of Somaliland might not be the vacation to book for you. 

Beach dress in this conservative muslim country has the women looking like they rolled over in the morning sheets and went for a stroll on the strand. Alcohol is of course strictly banned in the Koran. There are no stands selling confection.  Pork hot dogs will instantly land you on God’s black list and possibly an eternal place in Hell, and the beach itself, if you overlook all the windblown plastic bags and debris, would remind you more of a good place to stage a military beachhead, than somewhere to grab a tan and catch up on that latest Tom Clancy novel. 

Still, I was blessed with very good company that day. I met Zikreah and Burkhad and we headed out to see the ocean together.

As the guys splashed around in the gulf of Aden, I played photographer. All the while I couldn't help but think that this stretch of water around the Somali coast was one of the most dangerous in the world for pirating. 

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Behind the Scenes:  I estimate that my concrete block guest house was about 115 degrees  Fahrenheit from the sun hammering on it all day. It was so hot that after drinking 2 gallons of water I hadn't pissed a drop. I finally went outside at 10 pm and slept the night away on raw concrete which was preferable to being in doors. Fortunately the dry desert heat meant that there were no mosquitoes.

Burkhed on the left and Zakariye on the right. I hung out with these guys for the day.

My name in Arabic. I fail to see how he can fit the words "Great" and "Magnificent" into such small script.

Notice the sand in the bottom right hand corner.  Zakariye has a great acting ability to make it look like he is getting hit by the tsunami of the century.

Girls at the beach. You will never see them more undressed unless you marry them, not an impossibility considering Islam allows you to have 5 wives. 

Strange how Budweiser never decided to film any of its commercials here...

Chapter 43 Crossing into Somalia

Place:  Somaliland (Northern Somalia)

Time: July 10, 2016

"A woman once drove me to drink. I never had a chance to thank her."- W.C. Fields

I had expected northern Somalia to be a land of  darkened doorways, littered with guns and reeking of fear and distrust. A place of thorn scarred camels, tattered turbans and dirty teeth. No matter what it had to throw at me, I was ready- ready for everything but pleasant surprise. 

I found instead Somaliland to be a vibrant, friendly, happy place. It was a country that seemed to police itself based solely on the excellent character of those who inhabited it. Instead of machine gun alley, I was assaulted at every turn by shout outs from the locals. “Hello!”, “How are you?” , 

“Welcome!” , “Where are you from?”, “What is your name?” “Can I help you?”. 

Yes, everywhere I went, people went out of their way to be accommodating and kind. Endless smiles and waves, countless offers of assistance and good will. For them to see a white westerner walking the streets with them with pack on back, was indeed rare occasion. 

Somaliland  broke away from Somalia and declared its independence from its home country after the terrible civil war in 1990. To its incredible credit, it has maintained peace and stability for the last 25 years ,but still the worlds communities refuse to recognise it as its own country, even though they now have their own currency, their own military and their own flag. For the worlds nations, it is still “Somalia”.

I didn't feel much like pulling out my camera while there. It didn't feel like a place for photography, and there didn't seem to be much worth shooting anywise.  I was the only white person I saw in 5 days who was traveling through the country.

A few photos below….

This is what you wake up to every morning at around 4:30 am if you are in an Islamic country. 

Competing minaretes throughout the city all drone with morning prayer. Finally, the mosque closest to me over powers them. 

I crossed the border with these three wonderful chaps from Ethiopia. Left to Right:
Zinew, an Ethiopian Doctor who is working in Somaliland.  Fikru, who is a health lecturer from Ethiopia, and "Mickey" a civil engineer who is working in Ethiopia.
I wound up hanging out with Zinew for a couple days and hope to keep in contact with all these wonderful guys.

View of one minaret of scores around my guest house. Somaliland is solid Islam.

The locals celebrate their independence everywhere with dates and their flag.

This explains Africa in a nutshell.
Ill give my electrician Tony a call from EFS and have him sort out this wiring pronto.

(This photo taken by Fikru)
We just crossed into Somaliland and are getting our passports stamped.
I snuck 3 beers into this Islamic country- IN MY STOMACH!!!...Hahhahaa....the fools will never look for them in there!!!
Shown here with the only pair of jeans I have with me, with a hole in the crotch. I wash them every 2 weeks whether I need to or not....

I changed $ 50 dollars and get back 350,000 Somaliland Schillings. I was going to buy the entire country until I found out that my guest house room for the night cost 27,000 shillings.