A trip to my(his) roots

[Johnny B]

After a quick flight to Frankfurt and a real German Buz, flight LH1930 to Addis abeba was announced and i Jonathan Hassan Bravo was on it , despite what seemed to be 3 or 4 Ethiopians and a Somali girl who was eager coversing me i was in full swing with my own worries of what was waiting, one'd think a grown up person and a man of my clibre would of be more excited than worried, but that was not the case, Johhny last vissited east Africa as a Kid from Uppsala 22 years ago.

 

On my last trip my old man and fam was with me and Djibouti was the distination, 'Jabal' to be exact, Somalia was a nation and dad was on a political goodbye trip to his friends from the mamasen Gang.

 

This time i was on my own, and as i was of the right clan combination of the H clan i'd draw the carpet under any given circumstances Addis abeba and it's ethiopians was no match for Johnny.

 

Little did i know of the security situation inside Somalia so the choice to land in Addis abeba was given, beeing on root to (Ruun nirgood),a tiny town in mid-shabelle, my father's birthplace maybe,i'd be more secure to land in Mogadishu and drive through the huge clan's semi-savanah landscape, but Atheer hassan Dahir's hisbul-islam and Al-shabab fruitless attempt to topple president Sharif in Mogadishu are to hazardous for my safety, therfore Addis-Abeba.

 

It's 6:30 morning , i'm curiously glued to my window, recording every glimpse of Addis abeba from the sky , dispite the clouds i could see some buildings from my windows till that Somali girl showed up again and asked me if i'd a Taxi and freinds or relatives waiting in German, i did book a hotel but i'd to take my *** there as picking guests is not part of the service, Not wanting to send the wrong signal i politely told her that i was only staying in Addis 2 to 4 days depending on how my Car and driver could get ready for my journey inside Somalia, and that i'd be happy if she could arrange us a Taxi so we could atleast take a freindly goodbeye.

 

After paying 20 dollars and filling a wierd from that required even my seat nr on the flight i was infront of a female immagiration officer whom i knowingly choosen her queue because she was quicker than the others, having slept nothing, i looked awful but for a reason or another she was smiling at me telling me welcome to Addis abeba, after grapping my red pass with a weird stampel of weird alphabet i doubted for a minute if the Ethiopian intelligense service were giving me a bite here or maybe i was too tired and wildley imaginative.

 

After screening my luggage for the last time i was outside the Airport among a sea of yelling Taxi drivers and if it was not for the Somali girl from Köln on my flight i'd pick that elderly Taxi driver with the tie, but but, you know Somali girls... just because we'd the same flight all of a suuden,she was running my short life in Addis .

 

Good morning Addis ....

[Che -Guevara]

This sounds like bad copy of NGONGE's trip to Africa and the perverse obsession with a Somali girl doesn't make any more appealing..what grand entrance to the motherland

 

Mr.NGONGE...Add some xawaashi to this narrative :cool:

[nuune]

^^^^ indeed xawaash badan, iyo kistoo cusbo ah

 

 

Waryaa Johny, illeen kaa waayey Spanga Ringkbey, waaba nin Addis dhax joogaa.

 

 

You must have enjoyed the taxi ride to da city or to the hotel you were going to stay, qaabkaaga aan ka garanaa Bole Mikeel oo ah meesha Soomaalida ugu badan tagi meysid, halkaas hoteel baa ku yaalo la yiraahdo BBC HOTEL, nice conenient with Somalis all the corners.

 

 

Have fun, and write bal wax la akhrin karo oo xaraarto leh, gabadhaa aad nagu wareeriseyna naga daa

[Malika]

I wonder in what state our Johnny was when he was writing this..Nevertheless,a m anticipating to read all about his journey through clan's semi Savannah..

[Fabregas]

Have fun, Be careful and don't talk to strangers or Alshabab.

[Daandurreey]

Well, well well ... Johhny-B is finally back to his Ethiopian roots.

[Baluug]

Originally posted by Johnny B:

Jonathan Hassan Bravo

Well at least you have a Muslim middle name

 

Originally posted by Johnny B:

as i was of the right clan combination of the H clan

We must be related somehow.

[Johnny B]

Cadaan, we sure are related.

 

Too many things do i feel to share but for this thread, i recommend everybody to have a trip to Somalia , despite the security situation.

[Buuxo]

^Take the time and give us more details.

 

My trip to Somalia is finalised,I can't wait.

[Valenteenah.]

^ I'm sure you'll have a great time, Insha'Allah.

 

 

Johnny, are you back now? Tell us a bit more, dear.

[NGONGE]

^^ They married him off to a pretty sixteen year old who has been beating the hell out of him for the past month or so. He is back now and has filed a divorce case in a Swedish court.

[N.O.R.F]

^See how he didn't tell us beforehand

 

Must have felt awkward.

[Ibtisam]

JB went to Somalia :eek: :eek: :eek: No way!!!?

[Johnny B]

As you've noticed I'm too stressed to this moment to digest some of the impacts this journey had on me,

yet, some friends' demand on some details has to be somehow met, though i may not bring forth the wanted details, this might suffice.

 

After having talked to Atheer Muse Duale in Djibouti and being assured that my car and driver were sent and would be in Addis the next evening , all i'd to worry about was what Ifraax Caddood Ghelle ( a friend's sister and my only real connection in Addis ), from Qbri daharre would have to say ,regarding my alternative route in case my original route through Jigjiga/Hargeisa/Bur ao/ Growe turned impossible, though deeply i was more interested in what she had to say regarding life for the ordinary people in Qabri dahhare so i got some real first hand msg to pass to my friend in the US.

I thanked Ifraax for the inside info and promised her to be her guest in Addis by the time i get back.

 

I've known Atheer Muse from my childhood, a close friend to my old man who was professor at Djiboutis technical school by then.though i haven't seem recent pictures of him i could sense the change of Age in his voice, That young and humorous Soviet Union educated professor was gone, now he sounded old and tired, like 'Farbror' ( Atheer ) Knut Larsson from Hisingen in Ghothenberg.

 

Aisha the Somali girl from Germany was disappointed on me as i showed no burning desire in partaking of some adventures she so wanted to share with me during my stay in Addis,and after being dragged into a Somali restaurant of no cutlery at Pole Mikaeal and got swarmed over and victimized by the sophisticated beggars at Pole, i had no choice but decline joining her on more adventures, because i found her abusing the universal friendship of 'having had the same flight'.

 

 

Atheer Harbi Ali is originally from Alisabeh but knows the roads in both Ethiopia and Somalia as he knows the map of his bedroom, he is in his late 40s , early 50s but looks older, having got my Hotel name from atheer Muse he was waiting for me in the lounge the next morning , After greeting him by shaking his hand he forced me in a cosmical hug as he was telling me , " heeeeeeeej, nin weyn baad noqotee, kii yaraa eega ".

I've no memory of him , but as it turned out he was there in Shibis / Mogadishu when i was a one year old.

 

Now that my car was here i'd not much to do in Addis except register me in our Embassy in Addis and leave my passport there as my journey inside Somalia needed no documents, partly , it is my country ( is it ? ) , partly it is everybody's country, since there is no Somali authority that is for all Somalis.

 

The first thing you as a Scandinavian notice in Addis is the Taxis, most if not all the Taxi cars are old LADA, you be reminded of the 80s RAUTJÄRVI in Finland, SATANA VITU.

In contrast though, the Finish are more like the Somalis in character , a bit aggressive and russhy, unlike the Ethiopians who are more like the Swedes in SMÅLAND.

 

The next day , Both the car and atheer Harbi were ready and since i don't drink water except mineral bottled water, i suggested 2 dozens of HIGHLANDER mineral water.

First Harar, then Jigjiga / Wachale, Hargeisa ... Here i come ( where is Jacaylbaro when u need him ).

Though i very much wanted to see Borama, we'd no time, so Borama is on my next visit list. .............. to b continued.

[Som@li]

Pics mate, Enjoy your trip