hotel owner..looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool
1) Visa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The Somaliland embassy location I found online was not accurate. It took me and my cabby maybe an hour or more to find the place. THE EMBASSY IS NOT OVER IN BOLE OFF ZIMBABWE ROAD (BY THE IGLOO ICE CREAM). The location is actaully about a 5 minute walk from the popular mall called Edna Mall. I might be able to put a map screen shot, but let me try to describe it. If you are standing at the entrance of Edna mall, on the corner, facing the roundabout, the Somaliland Embassy is maybe 200 meters directly diagonal from you. In order to get there you would go around the roundabout so you are exactly kitty corner from Edna (the opposite side of the the Edna mall entrance. From looking at the map you will be on “Namibia Street” going away from the airport, towards the center of the city. Then from there I think you take your second right onto a small side street and walk like 50 meters and you will see some Embassy signs and will take your first right into a little alley type situation and the house/embassy is right there, second house on the left.
I hope that is not crazy directions, it’s just that I don’t know if I can add images to my post. But just get close to Edna mall and know that it’s directely diagonal from the entrance (crossing the roundaboout) and it’s close to the Swaziland embassy if I remember correctly.
I got to the gate and knocked and waited for a few minutes and got worried, but eventually a guard let me in and told me to go inside the house. Once a woman came she gave me an application, I gave her a passport foto, maybe 70 dollars (in Ethiopian Birr) and she stamped my passport and told me that the Visa expires in 30 days from that day.
BTW…I asked her if I could scoop up a visa at the Wajaale land crossing and she wasn’t sure.
2) Arrival.
I flew from Addis to Hargeisa and flight was quick. About an hour and change. The Somali lady (with a British accent) I was sitting next to on the plane offered to take me in her taxi after we paid our 50 usd or so entry payment.
I could have scooped up a taxi though, there were a few cats waiting around. She was chill though. Turns out she owns a cafe and we stopped there and it was very artsy and had a good chai latte.
I was able to find a hotel close by and it was cool until I woke up and we talked prices finally.
3) Hotels.
That first night at the Guleid Hotel (don’t go there‼!) I wasn’t quoted a price when asked, but since it was pretty ghetto and super small I thought it would be real cheap. That night when walking around I checked prices at a legit hotel called Imperial and found it to be 20 USD so I thought mine was way less.
In the morning, before extending my stay I was able to find the manger at the Guleid and he quoted 35USD‼! I was like no way! When I told him the much nicer Imperial was only 20 USD the owner started trying to give me a little lecture about markets and stuff and I was just done with him. I told him I wouldn’t give him more than 20 USD and I was leaving at 1pm.
(this Guled Hotel owner left California to build and here he is over charging folks..he needs schooling in economics 101)
When I was in my room getting some stuff before leaving to look for a new hotel, the guy comes into my room that has the electricity turned off (i.e. no fan…no light LOL) and he keeps talking to me about the situation. I just looked at him and said, “There is no electricity”. He kept talking and I pointed to the fan and said, “There is no electricity” and just stared at him.
(This cadaan got no fear, does he not know this dude's tribe owns Hargeisa)
He left, I told him I was putting this info on Trip Advisor and Lonely Planet and he comes in my face and tells me not to threaten him.
I said, “How’s that a threat? That’s a fact bruh”. And he left. I took all my money and passport and went off to search for a new hotel.
I am so happy that I made the effort that morning to find the price becasue if I had stayed a few more nights I would have been in for a big shock!
Needles to stay, stay away from the Guleid Hotel. There are so many better options!
One option that I opted for was the Safari Hotel that was close by. It was 26 USD, had a towel (unlike Guleid), had wifi in room (unlike Guleid hotel), had breakfast included and had electrical adapters in all 3 outlets.
I guess the moral of the story is that maybe doing hotel research before you go is smart. Or be willing to check a few options upon arrival
3) Getting to city of Wajaale on Ethiopian border
I had planned to go to the Oriental Hotel and get all the info that i needed, after looking on the internet. But the guy at the counter when I went had limited English and just told me the bus station was far. And I had mixed info from different people. So when I was leaving the Safari looking for a taxi to the bus station and some cat sititng in the lobby offered to take me for 50USD, I said, “Lets do it”. When he said, “Plus 10USD”…I said, “Lets do it”. LOL.
It took about an hour and a half. We passed through maybe 5 checkpoints and although I didn’t have any paperwork he apparently just told them I was leaving and had everythign in order and they let us pass. The checkpoints were pretty low key situaitons, so I wasn’t surprised that they wereren’t tripping.
When we got to the border that guy helped me get through immigration, but it was easy. You could do it solo. Then I walked across the border, got my bags checked on Ethiopian side, stepped into a station and did some border stuff and then walked about 100 meters down the road, asked around and found the mini bus that first went to JigJigga. It cost 80 Birr (about 4 dollars). It took a few hours because of checkpoints leaving the city. We got to JigJigga and I went through a melee but eventually found a tuktuk driver to drive me the one minute to the area where buses were going to Harar.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Being in Somaliland was cool. Desert and Muslim living. Good food (chipatis meng). People were super nice. I felt safe. And I even got to meet a nice lady who is teaching at a universtity out there. Good times!
1) Visa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The Somaliland embassy location I found online was not accurate. It took me and my cabby maybe an hour or more to find the place. THE EMBASSY IS NOT OVER IN BOLE OFF ZIMBABWE ROAD (BY THE IGLOO ICE CREAM). The location is actaully about a 5 minute walk from the popular mall called Edna Mall. I might be able to put a map screen shot, but let me try to describe it. If you are standing at the entrance of Edna mall, on the corner, facing the roundabout, the Somaliland Embassy is maybe 200 meters directly diagonal from you. In order to get there you would go around the roundabout so you are exactly kitty corner from Edna (the opposite side of the the Edna mall entrance. From looking at the map you will be on “Namibia Street” going away from the airport, towards the center of the city. Then from there I think you take your second right onto a small side street and walk like 50 meters and you will see some Embassy signs and will take your first right into a little alley type situation and the house/embassy is right there, second house on the left.
I hope that is not crazy directions, it’s just that I don’t know if I can add images to my post. But just get close to Edna mall and know that it’s directely diagonal from the entrance (crossing the roundaboout) and it’s close to the Swaziland embassy if I remember correctly.
I got to the gate and knocked and waited for a few minutes and got worried, but eventually a guard let me in and told me to go inside the house. Once a woman came she gave me an application, I gave her a passport foto, maybe 70 dollars (in Ethiopian Birr) and she stamped my passport and told me that the Visa expires in 30 days from that day.
BTW…I asked her if I could scoop up a visa at the Wajaale land crossing and she wasn’t sure.
2) Arrival.
I flew from Addis to Hargeisa and flight was quick. About an hour and change. The Somali lady (with a British accent) I was sitting next to on the plane offered to take me in her taxi after we paid our 50 usd or so entry payment.
I could have scooped up a taxi though, there were a few cats waiting around. She was chill though. Turns out she owns a cafe and we stopped there and it was very artsy and had a good chai latte.
I was able to find a hotel close by and it was cool until I woke up and we talked prices finally.
3) Hotels.
That first night at the Guleid Hotel (don’t go there‼!) I wasn’t quoted a price when asked, but since it was pretty ghetto and super small I thought it would be real cheap. That night when walking around I checked prices at a legit hotel called Imperial and found it to be 20 USD so I thought mine was way less.
In the morning, before extending my stay I was able to find the manger at the Guleid and he quoted 35USD‼! I was like no way! When I told him the much nicer Imperial was only 20 USD the owner started trying to give me a little lecture about markets and stuff and I was just done with him. I told him I wouldn’t give him more than 20 USD and I was leaving at 1pm.
(this Guled Hotel owner left California to build and here he is over charging folks..he needs schooling in economics 101)When I was in my room getting some stuff before leaving to look for a new hotel, the guy comes into my room that has the electricity turned off (i.e. no fan…no light LOL) and he keeps talking to me about the situation. I just looked at him and said, “There is no electricity”. He kept talking and I pointed to the fan and said, “There is no electricity” and just stared at him.
(This cadaan got no fear, does he not know this dude's tribe owns Hargeisa)He left, I told him I was putting this info on Trip Advisor and Lonely Planet and he comes in my face and tells me not to threaten him.
I said, “How’s that a threat? That’s a fact bruh”. And he left. I took all my money and passport and went off to search for a new hotel.I am so happy that I made the effort that morning to find the price becasue if I had stayed a few more nights I would have been in for a big shock!
Needles to stay, stay away from the Guleid Hotel. There are so many better options!
One option that I opted for was the Safari Hotel that was close by. It was 26 USD, had a towel (unlike Guleid), had wifi in room (unlike Guleid hotel), had breakfast included and had electrical adapters in all 3 outlets.
I guess the moral of the story is that maybe doing hotel research before you go is smart. Or be willing to check a few options upon arrival
3) Getting to city of Wajaale on Ethiopian border
I had planned to go to the Oriental Hotel and get all the info that i needed, after looking on the internet. But the guy at the counter when I went had limited English and just told me the bus station was far. And I had mixed info from different people. So when I was leaving the Safari looking for a taxi to the bus station and some cat sititng in the lobby offered to take me for 50USD, I said, “Lets do it”. When he said, “Plus 10USD”…I said, “Lets do it”. LOL.
It took about an hour and a half. We passed through maybe 5 checkpoints and although I didn’t have any paperwork he apparently just told them I was leaving and had everythign in order and they let us pass. The checkpoints were pretty low key situaitons, so I wasn’t surprised that they wereren’t tripping.
When we got to the border that guy helped me get through immigration, but it was easy. You could do it solo. Then I walked across the border, got my bags checked on Ethiopian side, stepped into a station and did some border stuff and then walked about 100 meters down the road, asked around and found the mini bus that first went to JigJigga. It cost 80 Birr (about 4 dollars). It took a few hours because of checkpoints leaving the city. We got to JigJigga and I went through a melee but eventually found a tuktuk driver to drive me the one minute to the area where buses were going to Harar.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Being in Somaliland was cool. Desert and Muslim living. Good food (chipatis meng). People were super nice. I felt safe. And I even got to meet a nice lady who is teaching at a universtity out there. Good times!
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