Road Trip: Wachele, Ethiopia

     After three long months of staying in Hargeisa, I finally had the opportunity to leave the city. My Dad's eldest brother, Ibrahim, lives in Dira Dawa, Ethiopia. As I've never met any of my Dad's brothers, I was extremely excited to take a road trip and meet my Uncle and his son, Mohamud, half way at the Ethiopian-Somaliland border. My cousin and I left early in the morning, picked up snacks at the gas station, and began the 300 km journey from Hargeisa to Wachele.

     One of the biggest surprises during this trip were the impromptu pit stops every few hundred kilometres. At the first pit stop, a young officer asked my cousin if we could drive a young woman and her newborn baby to a nearby city. At another pit stop, a 'cop' asked for my license. After telling him I didn't have one (I never bothered to apply for a Somaliland Driver's permit), we had to pay a $5 US fine in order to pass through. At another pit stop, a young man, who claimed to be a police officer, shouted through the driver's window that the young lady (referring to me) come out of the car. I entered a small, dark tent and another cop asked to see my camera. I handed it over, clearly aware that the officer had no idea how to use the device. He asked me a few questions, handed over the camera, and said I could leave.

     A short while later, we finally arrived in Wachele. While waiting for my Uncle to arrive, we walked around the outside shops and prayed in a mosque.

These workers search for mines, planted during civil the war, in rural areas of Somaliland.

Local schools in the small city of Araabsiyo, Somaliland.

Vendors sell their goods, including fresh fruits, at pit stops.They come right up to the car windows and hold their merchandise through the windows, shouting prices.