When I got back from Istanbul in November 2023, I was ready to wrap up the year… that was, until we got another call! *drumroll* We had to be in Ethiopia the week leading up to Christmas. Although I’ve transited through the capital Addis Ababa several times, this would be my first actual visit to the country. Ethiopia is located in the ‘Horn of Africa’ in East Africa and surrounded by six countries – Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, South Sudan and Sudan. With 129 million people, it is the 2nd-most populous country in Africa, following Nigeria. As one of the oldest civilisations in the world, Ethiopia is rich and diverse in culture and history with varied landscapes, deserts, volcanoes, highlands, and the famous rock-hewn churches. It is home to several elite athletes who have dominated the world athletic stage for decades, pushing boundaries, breaking records, and inspiring the world. Once again, I packed my pink shoes and blue, black and white Botswana socks. It was time to run in the Land of the Elites! 

Interesting Facts about Running in Bishoftu

The High Altitude. After landing in Addis Ababa, we were transported about 48km away to a town called Bishoftu. Formally known as Debre Zeyit, Bishoftu sits at an elevation of 1,920m (6,300 ft) above sea level. For context, Gaborone is 1000m above sea level, so this was a big change for me. I felt the difference just walking around the resort. Not surprisingly, my first 5km run was tough and I felt winded. But it was exhilarating. I don’t know whether it was because of the thin air or just the fact I was running in the country of legends like Abebe Bikila, Haile Gebrselassie and Kenenisa Bekele. I managed two more runs that week, including an 8km one, and I felt so happy and strong.

Horse Carts. On my runs, I shared the road with several buses, tuk-tuks, cars, dogs and horse carts. Although I’m familiar with donkey carts in Botswana, this mode of transport is only ever used in village settings or cattle posts and carts are driven by men. I was surprised to see so many horse carts in a relatively big town and many of them driven by women! I later read that Ethiopia has a very high level of equine ownership, with over 2.2 million horses, 8.8 million donkeys, and 0.4 million mules. There are around one million donkey carts and 250,000 horse carts in different parts of the country.

Crater Lakes. The town is located within the Bishoftu volcanic field with five crater lakes. We were staying at the sprawling Kuriftu Resort and Spa which hugs the north shore of one of the smaller lakes, Lake Kuriftu. So, I ended all my runs looking across this crater lake.

Random Family Connection. As my dad and husband are veterinarians, I always notice vet clinics/ hospitals when I travel. So, I was excited to run past the National Veterinary Institute. It was established in 1964 with 40 employees under the Ministry of Agriculture, with technical assistance from the French Veterinary Mission in Ethiopia. Apparently, it is one of the most well-known veterinary vaccine producing institutions in Africa. However, the reason I’ve included this in the blog is when I got home, my dad revealed that he had participated in a workshop there in the 1990s when Bishoftu was still called Debre Zeyit. How cool is that?!

Coffee Culture. Ethiopia is widely recognized as the birthplace of coffee, and my Ethiopian colleagues shared just what a critical role coffee plays in their culture. There are several unique varieties of beans and flavours as well as diverse coffee processing methods. Ethiopia is still home to some of the oldest and most revered coffee trees in the world. Every morning after my runs, I got to experience the traditional coffee ceremony that is an important part of daily life. The ceremony involves roasting, grinding, and brewing the coffee in a specially designed pot called a jebena. This ceremony is seen as a way to bring people together and I felt so privileged to be a part of this.

With the rush to get back home in time for Christmas, we left as soon as our work was done so we didn’t get to experience any other aspects of Ethiopia’s rich culture and history. This makes me even more grateful that I got to run a few times and get a feel of the place. Oh, one last interesting fact, Ethiopia runs on different dates! The Ethiopian Calendar has 13 months and is over seven years behind the Gregorian calendar. So, even if I visited Ethiopia in 2023 using our calendar, it was only 2016 there! I know right, so cool!

I hope you enjoyed running with me in Bishoftu! What surprised you about my experience? What would you have enjoyed seeing? Have you ever visited Ethiopia? Have you visited a place with a different calendar?

I’m joining two fabulous runners, Kim from Running on the Fly and Deborah from Confessions from a Mother Runner for their link up – the “Weekly Run Down”.