76 Addis Ababa

We arrived to find an astonishingly beautiful modern city rising out of the landscape. Much of the old city is being demolished, making way for modern skyscrapers and apartment buildings.
Traffic flowed fast on well built ring roads, so in no time we reached our hotel, Social House. Rather an odd name for a nice hotel, I thought. Getting Florence (the truck) into the parking area wasn’t so easy for Paul, but with extreme skill he managed to pull it off. First thing we did was take our tents out to dry, so the whole place looked like a disaster zone full of refugees at one point.
We had four nights to spend in Addis Ababa. The main reason was we needed to apply for onward visas, and this wouldn’t necessarily be straightforward. For most of us that meant a trip to the Djibouti Embassy, and then a trip to the Somalialand Embassy, before a return to Djibouti. But for Paul and Liz, our driver and tour leader, involved much more than that. Felt rather sorry for them with all the headaches of sorting out supporting papers, truck permissions and so on.
So when not involved in racing to an embassy, we had time to ourselves. On the first day I went with Grahame, Pat and Monica to the Ethiopian Museum. It was actually a fairly small, well laid out space, although probably a work in progress with more floors to be added. The main reason we came here, of course, was to see Lucy; or at least the remains of Lucy, over three million years old and providing a vital link between the modern humans and their ancestors. While there, a reporter came up to Pat and me, and asked if we would be so kind as to do an interview for TV. Lucy is going traveling to the Czech Republic and he wanted to know our thoughts. Wonder if our interviews will make the cut.
Another day, after visiting the Djibouti Embassy for the first time, I decided to walk from there all the way to a tourist plaza; about 4.5 km. This route enabled me to really get a feel of the modern city that was rising so fast. Apparently a lot of it has happened even in just the last three years, and along the route I walked, there were numerous buildings under construction. Cafes and restaurants everywhere, so I just had to stop for coffee when I saw the Lucy Cafe, and for lunch, I couldn’t turn down a delicious wrap and fries. At just over US$2, the food here is very good value for money.
Along the way I passed under their very modern monorail, which has plans to extend, along with witnessing midday prayers at the St Estifanos Church, where worshipers spill out onto the streets. It is a period of fasting for the church, so prayer sessions are much more important. Then a long walk along a wide boulevard, past the Cuba friendship monument, until I reached the tourist souvenir plaza. It’s an odd looking place with a ramp that spirals upwards in a rectangular sort of way, lined with shops the whole way, most selling exactly the same things. But, I did find a nice T-shirt, and some old banknotes.
The last day saw me heading off in search of the old part of the city. If it even existed any more, as so much has been knocked down. I heard some grumblings amongst the population that they werent happy with the destruction and replacement to such an extent. A little cafe built in 1960 seemed like a good place to stop and have coffee and a chat with some locals.
But then, who should I find, none other than the Ethiopian contact for Oasis Overland. I should say, he found me. I was standing looking at a map of the area when this guy comes up and says “you’re Paul?” I mean, how do you respond to that, when a complete stranger seems to know you, and then proceeds to show you a copy of your passport, passenger list and itinerary. After getting over the shock, I had a great chat, and Biruk even took me to Lunch and then coffee.
Finally on my way again, I found what I had been loking for. An area, just a few hundred meters away from the city centre, where life seemed to step back in time. I found cobblestone streets, buildings made out of wood and clay, and a generally more relaxed vibe. So many kids everywhere and all wanting to chat. Friendly shop owners and people just saying “hello” as they walked past.
My last port of call there was into an actual house. I was beckoned down an small alley and through a steel door. This door marked the entrance into a communal living space shared by maybe 8 families. A very intelligent girl, with an amazing grasp of English, decided she was going to give me a guided tour of the area. This generally meant showing me where all the neighbours lived, where the communal toilet was, and where she lived. All the adults in the space seemed very happy to have me visit. Next, I was invited into the family house, sat down, and given a small glass of tea. I felt just so hnoured to be treated this way. I had a great chat with the girl, Maryamawit, who spoke such good English. Does she have a dream? Yes, she wants to be a pilot.
#oasisoverland #Ethiopia #addisababa