The Road to Debre Birhan

By Mark C. Hale

 After two days of planning for a month of teacher orientation at the Hilton in Addis, yesterday we headed two-and-a-half hours north and about 85 kilometers to Debre Birhan and the school.

The main road from Addis to Debre Birhan is well maintained and we were able to drive at a good rate of speed as we slowly climbed up another two thousand feet to 9,300 feet of elevation. The only slow downs are in the tiny villages where they have installed speedbumps and where police check points are located. Both are easy to manage with an experienced driver. 

It's a beautiful drive this time of year because everything is so green.








The rainy season in Ethiopia begins in mid to late June and continues through September. The road from the main highway to the school is marginal in the dry season. In the rainy season, it is impassable. So, we had to park at the highway, hire baggage carriers from amongst the locals and make the short 1km walk to the school. 



But, before we began our trek, we headed into town for some lunch. I had the pasta, which wasn't too bad. The Italians made a contribution!     

(Left to right - Tesfaye, Hannah, Nebil, Claudia)




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