Extreme Ethiopian Experience – Scam

Sometimes when you travel you think you are so experienced that nothing bad can happen to you, that you overcame so many different situations that nothing new can surprise you, that you can read people’s faces and straight away know what kind of person they are, that you see a beginning of the road and you know if it’s safe or not, that you learn all technics the thieves or scammers are using that you will stay safe. Sometimes you think your experience is so great that you are the King of the Travels, you know absolutely everything about travels and the World around you and in that moment you discover how wrong you were! I am not saying I was already on that stage of travel-life but… one week in Ethiopia showed me how much more I need to learn!

Once I was reading the status of my friends on facebook. Extremely experienced travellers that are travelling now for more than 3 years and one day they wrote that their backpack was stolen in Ethiopia. I was totally surprised, firstly by the fact it happened to them (so much experience and got into situation like that?) and secondly that it happened in Ethiopia, country of so friendly, opened and always smiling people. Well… I didn’t need to wait long to understand it and encounter by myself. 

Internet in Addis works… ekhm… pretends to work normally and then in one moment the whole network is down and you as a dreamer, during your shift, need to run through the city looking for some connection to make sure the service you are providing is functioning properly. You contact someone in the office to take a shift for a while and in meantime you close your laptop and run to the nearest taxi and then drive crazily to the nearest hotel to check if internet works there. Normally you need to be very lucky to get it straight away in the first place you entered. Very often it happens that you take a ride along few different places in Addis finally getting a connection after 30-60 minutes. 

One day it happened like that so I end up in Jupiter Hotel for my shift. Later Emma joined me and after my shift we went to the nearest supermarket to do the shopping. When we left it was already dark, around 9pm I guess. We crossed Bole road and was walking slowly back home when group of young boys surrounded us saying: ‘Hi’, ‘Hello’, ‘How are you?’, ‘Where are you going?’, ’10 Birr’, ‘Farangi’ and many other sentences as they are saying quite frequently in Addis towards foreigners. This time I was carrying my backpack (with my laptop inside!) on my back and in one hand a plastic bag with some products bought a minute ago in the supermarket. I kept my second hand on my wallet in one of the pockets just in case someone would like to try to grab it. Emma was walking next to me and we were expecting that they might want to steal something so we tried to watch out. Group of those young guys was trying to make some disruption and noise but fortunately there was some couple passing by and they shouted on them so they escaped. The girl approached me and told that my backpack is open and that they were trying to steal some things out of it. I checked it immediately feeling that my heart is touching already my throat from stress. Luckily they didn’t manage to steal anything but it was sooo close to lose my laptop or at least some shopping. 

We came back home really scared by the whole situation. In the end nothing happened and we thought it was a nice lesson for us. How wrong we were….

Week later, after my shift we decided to go for some Chinese food (Injera is amazing but eating it almost every single day has got some limits!). On the way back (it was again around 9-10pm) we entered some shop to do some basic shopping. This time I didn’t have my backpack with me (and fortunately no Laptop either) so all the shopping we were carrying in the plastic bags. After leaving a shop we saw a group of young guys (again! And very probable the same one!) going towards us. After last experience I knew that they will try to steal again things from us so immediately I put one of my hands into a pocket to keep it on my wallet to make sure nothing bad will happen. I told the same Emma and we were trying to pass by but they surrounded us saying the same phrases as always. I was telling them: ‘No’ and was continuing my walk with one hand on my wallet and second one carrying a plastic bag. We passed them when I told Emma that they probably were trying to steal again something from us. 

‘Haha, not this time, you bastards!’ - I thought. 

‘They didn’t take anything from me. Check your pockets!’ – Emma said. 

‘No worries, I was keeping my hand on my wallet and watching them so I am fine’ – I said. 

How wrong I was… I forgot that I was having my phone in the second pocket!!! Mobile phone with all my notes from my travels. 2-3 years of situations, thoughts and memories written down. More than 120 notes lost forever! Simply because I forgot having my phone in second pocket… When I realized what has just happened I stared to run after them but could find them. They disappear, re-grouped and instead of group of 10 people on the road they were several small groups of 2-3 young guys or single person walking by. Impossible to find the thief! After that I was so depressed but life goes on. I needed to accept my lost and buy new phone because my friend from Poland was going to visit me week later and we were planning to go to the North to visit Danakil Depression (Absolutely highlight point of the whole Ethiopia, if not Africa!). 

And here comes another story! Masterpiece of all scams! 

One day I was walking through Bole road with Emma. In one point some guy started to talk with us. He was wearing a nice white shirt, elegant trousers, was speaking perfect English and seemed to be a very intelligent, helpful and interesting person. His name was Elias at least this is what he said. We were walking down the street for about 30 minutes talking about his work in NGO, stay in Somaliland, some Ethiopian festivals, culture, food and coming Easter. It was very interesting walk, with a lot of beneficial information. At the end we split and he went in his own direction without asking for anything. So we thought: ‘Such a nice and interesting person!’

Few weeks later when I was walking the same street I met him again on the road! I was in hurry, coming back from bus station with information that all seats in the bus to Mek’ele are sold out! What I am going to do now!? How we will get to Mek’ele with my friend? If we not manage to get there on time our visit to Danakil Depression will be impossible. Flight tickets are too expensive now and going by taxi sounds more than crazy! It would definitely ruin our budget as well. (800km from Addis to Mek’ele)

‘Are you a soldier that you are walking so fast?’ – Elias said. I didn’t recognize his voice and was walking further but then he approached me and said that he has this feeling that we had met before. In that moment I recognized him! It was our friend with whom we had a pleasure chat during a walk. 

I told him about my problem with buses to Mek’ele and he immediately offered some help. He called some other guy and promised us a place in the minibus. That was like a message from heaven! We will manage to get to Mek’ele on time and even earlier than we were expecting. 

There were still some hours to arrival of my friend and then to departure of minibus so I invited Elias to Dreamer’s house in Addis. I was packing my things when in meantime he was talking with Emma. After that we went together to the airport to pick up my friend. ‘What a helpful guy! Not only he offered to help me with a bus to Mek’ele but also will go with me to the airport and later on to the bus station to make sure we get our seats’ - I thought.

We were waiting for almost 2 hours at the airport, because the Emirates flight was late. When my friend landed we ran back home quickly to take my things, pay for a tour to Danakil and get to the station. On the way Elias told us that it would be better if we give him money first because then we avoid paying Farangi price (higher price that foreigners are paying for almost everything in Ethiopia, because they are foreigners). By the way paying higher price in Ethiopia is actually quite common also for locals for instance in taxi or minibuses if there is a rain outside. Why? Because is raining outside. Easy, isn’t it? 

But coming back to our case… I knew that a price to Mek’ele is around 450 Birr per person for official bus but when Elias told me that I should pay 740 birr per person I still thought it’s a good price. This is an extra transport, organized on the spot and going by night so higher price sounded reasonable. Moreover we were so thankful for help so we gave him a bottle of excellent polish vodka as a gift.

Elias went with us to the place where people were waiting for a minibus. He introduced us to some people around and told we have still some time. None of us was eating anything for the whole day so we ordered some injera in a local bar. When we were waiting for food Elias told us that he needs to call somewhere and he will be back in a minute. He left and we were waiting for food talking about flight of my friend and other stuffs. Few minutes later Elias called me telling that it takes more time so we can start eating and he will come within 5 minutes. 

15 minutes passed and he was still not back. I texted him telling that injera is getting cold and asking if he is coming back. He responded that he needs just few more minutes and he will be back. In that moment another guy came and told us that we need to go because our bus is leaving. We took our things and went with him. We entered minibus and I called Elias telling him that we are already inside. He told me that it’s ok and we should just tell the driver that 200 birr is a deposit and we should get it back when we get to Mek’ele. I didn’t understand much of it but well… we were sitting in a bus to Mek’ele so everything went as it should! At least this is what we thought.

We started our bus trip and left city. After one hour we got to some gas station in the middle of nowhere where other people joined us. It turned out that every 2 seats were for 3 people so journey won’t be comfortable at all. Actually there was no space at all even for having your legs straight. 740 birr for 16hours drive and seating on the half of the seat didn’t sound to be such a good deal anymore but at least we are on the way! 

And in that moment when I said that to my friend one guy entered to the bus and started to collect money from the people that joined us. Everything was great till the moment he looked at us and told we should pay! 

What???? Pay? For what? We already paid? – We told him in English. But of course he didn’t speak English! Only Amharic, the same as all the other people in the bus. 

And it began. He started to shout on us: ‘Money! Give money!’ 

We kept repeating that we paid, showing on fingers and using some basic words in Amharic trying to explain that we paid money to Elias and he is a friend of the guy from the bus company. 

He still was repeating: ‘money’, ‘450 birr!’, ’now’ and as he was saying those words his face started to change color into red, or maybe even purple sometimes. 

How much??? 450 birr? We paid 740 birr! – We said and when we showed them on fingers that we paid more than 700 birr per person the whole discussion inside of the bus started! And of course we couldn’t understand a word. Then they called some other guy that supposed to understand English. We explained him that we paid 740 birr to Elias but it didn’t work because no one knew Elias there! The whole situation was getting more and more intense and aggressive and in one moment even driver joined it and told to us: ‘Get out!’ 

I need to add it was already middle of night and middle of nowhere so my heart was almost popping out of my chest. The most stressful situation ever. We didn’t know where we were, we didn’t have money in our pockets to pay those 450 birr per person (because we already paid 740 birr to Elias and we didn’t want to carry much money with us). 

The only thing we could have done in that moment was keep repeating we have already paid and not moving from our seats. The guy that was collecting money became aggressive but other passengers helped us to calm him down. The discussion became even more and more intense but this time all passengers took part in it. I was calling Elias trying to get some information from him but he was rejecting my calls! 

‘Elias is rejecting or not answering my calls!’ I told my friend. ‘Do you think he might have scammed us?’

‘He? I don’t think so. He seemed to be a really honest guy’ – my friend said. 

I called Emma and told her about whole situation and asked if she can try to call Elias as well. After a while she told me: ‘He is not answering my calls either. Maybe he is busy or there are some connection issues. I don’t think he could scam you’.

I kept calling him until my phone after around 40 call attempts died. Other passengers were trying to call him as well but without success. Finally the driver decided to turn engine on and we started moving. As I quickly realized we were coming back to Addis!!! That’s absolutely not a solution I was thinking about. 

After an hour we came back to the place we started our trip. New guys came and told the same to us that we need to pay! We told them we don’t have money and we already paid! – How many times I need to repeat the same sentence? – I thought.

New guy, probably from the bus company, told then to the whole bus that everyone needs to leave! And bus is not going anywhere!

Wow, that’s again something totally unexpected! Passengers started to shout and situation became stressful again. After few minutes and repeating we need to leave they finally gave up! They took number to Elias and closed the doors of the bus. Driver started to drive again. We didn’t understand a single word so the only 2 options that came to our minds was that: or we going to the police station to explain it (however it was already midnight) or we going somewhere else! Where? That’s a veeeery good question!

One hour passed and we discovered that we were going again to the same gas station! Holy cow! My blood pressure rose again reaching level of 1200/1000 I guess! However this time bus didn’t stop, there was no aggressive guy shouting on us, there was only an empty road leading us towards Mek’ele and real adventure waiting on Danakil Depression!

And what’s the conclusion of this story: Never give a bottle of the best polish vodka as a gift to some random guy you met on the street in Addis. This might turn him crazy and greedy! ;)

Dreamer's garden in Addis

Construction site in Addis

Goats in action

Ethiopian Orthodox church