Damu Hotel Addis Ababa

... discoveries, including the famous oldest hominid "Lucy"; then drive up to Mt. Entoto, the highest part of the capital, where you will have a panoramic view over the town of Addis Ababa; a drive down to the biggest open air market in East Africa called Mercato. Overnight at Ghion Hotel or Similar. (4*)

Day 2, MON, 16 NOV: Morning drive to Langnao on the way passes through the dramatic Rift ...

... Our walk continues up the steep hill, suddenly we come across an orthodox Ethiopian church. These octagonal structures dot both cities and the countryside in abundant numbers. From a nearby mud hut we glimpse the priest’s simple robes. He beckons us to come closer 'Selam, please come into our house and have some food’.

‘Ameseghinalehu, thank you’ we reply but decline the kind offer this time.

‘Ishee, ok’ he replies, smiles and waves us ...

... Town.

We were happy to accept the free accomodations, so we grabbed our bags, got our passports stamped "Ethiopia" and headed to the hotel. When we arrived there was a delicious Ethiopian lunch waiting for us. We enjoyed it, and then decided to take a little nap. A bonus of the free hotel was that we each got our own room!

6 hours later we woke up. Sarah's first thought was that we had missed dinner ...

... be an alternative, i.e. an enhanced bus service for tourists willing to pay a little extra for better service. Bus travel need not be so Biblical. There is, but it seems no one knows about it, not Lonely Planet nor my ex-pat NGO friends at least. Dragging my tail back to Addis unannounced and ahead of schedule I decide to stay in a hotel rather than impose on my friends. I need to see another side of Addis ...

... prend un peu peur. Mais bon, difficile de reculer. Alors on fait comme tout le monde, on se découpe soi-même quelques morceaux hyper tendres et on prie le ciel. Puis on s'embarque dans un minibus bondé (**** la politique de sécurité), et on rejoint le Fendika, un des azmari bet les plus connus d'Addis. Dans ce petit bar typique au décor de bambou et de pailles, des chanteurs traditionnels reprennent les chansons locales les plus connues et des danseurs ...

Ethiopia 7 - 13 MarchI am now in the cradle of civilization - Ethiopia - the land of Salem and Lucy (the first humans baby and adult) and Haile Sellasse who embraced Rastafarianism and welcomed all Africans home - as long as you have your visa of course we can only take Pan-Africanism so far.  The first night was a bit wobbly as I arrived at midnight and slept in this flea pit - may I say that I draw the line at cock roaches - they may have survived every civilization ...

... et la saturation n'est jamais très loin. Alors soit on sort (quand on connait des gens), soit on s'enferme dans sa chambre comme une autiste, soit on prend son mal en patience. Et puis travailler en équipe, ça veut dire aussi et surtout dépendre des autres, moi qui ait souvent fait cavalier seul. Là, il faut s'adapter au rythme de chacun et réorganiser son agenda constamment. Beaucoup d'apprentissages en perspective donc. Voilà pour les infos. Je vous embrasse fort.

L'avion atterrit à l'aube, avec une heure d'avance sur le timing. A la sortie de l'aéroport, il y a une odeur, une luminosité, une brume sur les collines verdoyantes du rift qui semblent me donner la bienvenue. Le taxi me raconte d'un air enjoué que cette année, Timkat, c'était encore mieux que l'an passé. Bon, ça va maintenant. Arrivée à la guesthouse juste à temps pour le petit déjeuner. Ça fait bizarre de se ...

... looking old settee. Just off this is a smallish room where the whole family sleeps. The landlord rents out all of the other homes, which are basically one bedroom houses made from mud. The rain creates small ravines and streams through the compound. Windows and doors are made from sacks. we were advised to wear shoes rather than sandals due to the possibility of needles from the medication that many are on every day to keep HIV under control. Beline ...

Safely made it to Ethiopia, although my backpack did not! Jari and I met up with Richelle (Rahel as she is known here) for some delicious Indian food. An interesting choice for our first night here I know, but there are two full weeks of injera and wat ahead! Got settled into Richelle's fantastic apartment and headed out the next morning to help with her community project in Gedam Sefer at the Bethlehem ...