Dakata Rock

Originally uploaded by CharlesFred.

I am being asked by the flickr site to say whether this photo might offend. Ummm.....

What do you think?

Anyway, I came here by myself yesterday, taking public transport with the idea that the bus drived would take me the 7 kms (it was in fact 3) down from Babile to the famous Dakata Rocks (there are two like this). Of course, he would receive 100 Birr for this (Eur 10).

Well, I ended up in a siuation I really had no control over. He took me down, while a peanut-seling boy jumped in for the ride. After about two minutes, the bus driver was telling me to get back in to go back to the village while the peanut seller wanted me to climb the rocks on the OTHER side of the valley, so I could sit down and he could take a photo of me???

I ended up shouting and swearing at the both of them and told them I would climb to the top of these rocks and would go back once I was finished. We found a local shepherd to take us up, past the prickly cacti and bushes and it was indeed a wonderful sight, even though the mad bus driver kept on yelling at us to get back down and into the bus.

Once in the village it became clear why he was in such a rush, becaus ehe would have to queue up to be able to take people back to Harar.... well he shouldn't have taken my money of he couldn't spare the time.

Back in the village the peeanut seller took me around the very colourful market and we stopped for some more camel's milk.. GOOD STUFF!!!!!