i flew into an industrial city called dire dawa, built about 100 years ago to service the addis ababa to djibouti railway, which runs through it. i made a beeline in a very old, sputtering taxi to the minibus station, where i jumped in one headed to harar. along the route, absolutely everyone was chewing and carrying huge bundles of qat, a stimulant plant very prevalent in this part of the world.
at one point the minibus was pulled off to the side of the road by some local vigilantes, and everyone was told to get off. they tried to elicit a bribe for each of the many bundles of qat on the bus, which people tried to resist paying until fists started flying. then the police showed up, and there was more yelling and pushing, and it looked like the police ended up getting some of the bribe too. what do i know though, i was just standing there watching. never did i feel endangered. once all that was done, it was on to harar!