National Hotel Addis Ababa

... to South Africa (on the plus side, this made visas/immigration/customs absurdly speedy!). I checked into my hotel, right in the center of Addis Ababa (which is huge...3.5 million people).  I was digging through my bag trying to find toothpaste when ...

... for tomorrow's meeting hall and food, then rendezvousd with our new driver, Tom. We spent four hours touring lively Addis Ababa, lunching near the city university and Orthodox cathedral. We toured the former palace of deposed Emperor Haille ...

Addis Ababa is a pretty gritty city to begin with. That image is not improved by arriving at 3am and the taxi cruises (literally cruises, as the car has no gas pedal) through the absolute worst streets available. Prostitutes are the order of the day and ...

... museum, in the former palace of Haile Selassie, but now part of the University. After that we went to the National museum that houses a replica of Lucy - the oldest hominid ever found.  Later on we (I was traveling with a ...

... arrangements complete, we spent the balance of the afternoon visiting the one obligatory item on our docket for Addis Ababa – visiting our Aunt Lucy at the National Museum. Named after the Beatles song, “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” ...

... our teeth, we dreamed of a better tomorrow. Start: Adenium Campsite, Awassa, ETH. 14:00 End: Ithegue Taitu Hotel, Addis Ababa. 20:00 Distance Traveled: a little over 150 km, can't remember exact distance Road Conditions: traffic jams and mad ...

... was wet and cold here and I was surrounded by lots of unwashed people and noise (albeit Tigranian noise). Went to the Ethiopian National Museum.  Met a chick there called Lucy.  Quite fit, but a lot older than she looked and she's got lots ...

... street side coffee shop and they paid for it and made everything seem legit. They then explained to me how on this day it was a national holiday and they wanted to invite me to eat some traditional food and try Chat which is a leaf that you put in your ...

... hospitality of which Ethiopia is known.  I came to discover that one of the men was a curator and historian at the national museum I had visited earlier in the day.  They attentively guided me through the proper selection of food and etiquette ...

... attend the conference, again another almost 2 day drive by Landcruiser through some wonderfully remote areas, described by National Geographic Magazine as "the cruelest place on the planet".  The Afar people are fantastically appreciative of the ...

... . It was Sunday and there were many people around. I spent time walking around these places and then past the two national parliaments. From here I headed south to the monastery and St. Gabriel's. Apparently, the monastery is the prime minister’s ...

Where to start!? After having spent three full days in Addis Ababa I've decided to wipe the slate clean of all preconceptions and set forth on my Ethiopia travels with an open mind. My experiences here so far have been only good (to very good... to ...

I went to the National Museum and Ethnological Museum in the Addis Ababa University Campus. Those places aren't too bad. I saw the plaster moldings of Lucy which were quite impressive. But other than that, there isn't much to see here and so I'm very ...

... for dessert, divine! And another bonus, there was no yelling or banging at night. Just Matt sleeptalking. Start: Wanza Hotel, Addis Ababa, ETH. End: Wanza Hotel, Addis Ababa, ETH. Distance Traveled: 0 km Road Conditions: - Temperature: ...

... about the archeological discoveries of Ethiopia. Fascinating! After a quick and expensive high tea at the Sheraton Hotel, an oasis of luxury in Addis, we then joined Deratu for dinner at a cultural restaurant where we were treated to a feast of ...

... the Lake to take some photos before the truck left.  Saw a really nice saddle-billed stork beside the lake. Drove to Addis Ababa, the capital, having lunch prior to reaching the city outskirts.  Passed through the towns of Ziway and Debre ...

... Ethiopia was good."   Strengths: -Cheap -Very modern airport -Lots of coffee -Seems quite safe -The countryside surrounding Addis Ababa is quite beautiful -Perfect temperature Weaknesses -Fume-filled air -Not that much to see (unless you like ...

March 22 - April 24 2010 Route Traveled Ethiopia Addis Ababa - Shashemene - Dodola - Dinsho - Shashemene - Nazret - Harar - Addis Ababa - Bahir Dar - Gonder - Debark - Aksum - Mekele - Woldia - Lalibela - Dessie - Addis Ababa "If you say your gonna go, ...

... a post to the Ethiopian bus system after this one. Its just that unique!! So, to start at the beginning... We left Addis Ababa early on the morning of the 11th. In the Toyota Landcruiser was Alicia and Arnold, an American couple driving from ...

... , fear, or ignorance that can exist in all of us. I think I am the better for facing it.*) I spent two days in Addis Ababa, mostly walking around, getting stared at, and trying (almost always in vain) to check my email. It appears the entire internet ...