Back to Mekele

After lunch we are treated to the beautiful drive that Scott had anticipated when we were leaving Mekele. The road from Adigrat has been paved to this point. Part of a massive construction project by a Chinese firm. We start climbing some very serious mountains. On our first days drive Scott had shared his “guess the altitude” game with us. I solidly whooped Dan in the first round. After that, knowing that he couldn’t excel, he pretended that he didn’t care. He would give flagrantly wrong answers in order to express his disinterest, but I knew it was eating him up inside. At any rate, the GPS regained our attention during this ride. The valley had been at about 5,800 feet. The highest point on our drive back to Mekele was a shade over 10,000 feet.
The road climbs up the switchbacks on one side of a ridge, come over the top, ride along the other side of the ridge and then descend on the next series. The pavement eventually gave way to packed dirt. It was bumpier, but the curves were regulating the speed more than the surface. I am, of course, completely unable to describe how beautiful it is, but I can say that it was the prettiest drive I’ve ever been on.

We descend into Mekele, drive past the cement plant and back to our hotel. We drop our bags in the same rooms and walk over to the REST offices. Dan heads out with Yasoo to do some gift shopping while Scott and I have a wrap-up meeting. We’re very happy with the REST work and Scott has told me that they are one of the best partners. I want to make sure that we take advantage of their skills to improve our ability to document our water projects. We agree to give them several GPS units and digital cameras so that it’s easier for them to prove the wells. We emphasize that the more information we get, the easier it is for us to raise more money.
Afterwards Scott and I walk back to the hotel. On the way we pass a girl selling cactus fruit for 1 birr each. We each get one. She slices off each end, then makes an incision from end-to-end, then peels the skin off. We walk up the hill to the hotel with the fruit in hand. It is sweet and flavorful, but it has large seeds and they’re annoying to spit out. As soon as we’re out of sight Scott chucks his into the bushes and I follow suit.

We have dinner at a hotel near the REST offices. It is the most formal restaurant we’ve been to since Addis. There is some pretense of western food, but the prices top out at $4 for an entrée. The REST team gives us each an Ethiopian outfit consisting of white pants, a long white shirt, white sandals and a wood staff. It’s a very nice gesture. After dinner, Dan stays to have a drink with Solomon. Scott and I walk back to the hotel.