Addis Ababa. We spent 6 nights in the Ethiopian capital getting visas (Sudanese and Egyptian) for our onward travel. Addis is a big, sprawling city and without an obvious centre it’s not the easiest city to navigate. Thankfully we had Hailu and his friends to help us. We connected with Hailu through couchsurfing and he graciously offered to host us for our entire time in the city. He, his mum and his friends and neighbours really made our time there memorable.
Hailu and most of the people in his neighbourhood, on the very edge on Addis Ababa, came originally from the slums in the centre of the city but were moved to the new neighbourhood of Hyat when their homes were cleared for new development (Addis is developing fast with new buildings shooting up all over town). They were quite possibly the most generous people I’ve ever met and every day his neighbours would drop by with food or coffee for us to try or invite us round for lunch and more coffee. Hailus mum, whom he lives with, kept us so well fed that I even started to gain some of the weight I’d lost on the rest of the trip. After watching my pitiful attempt she even hand washed all our dirty travel clothes. Not an enviable task!
And then there was more coffee, three cups before bed was the usual routine, thick, dark, rich Ethiopian coffee, in tiny cups. In Ethiopia making coffee is a ritual, it requires time, can’t be rushed. Start by roasting the coffee beans over your charcoal burner on the living room floor, once complete waft the fragrant beans under the noses of your guests as tradition dictates. Next, grind the beans, the standard way is with a mortar and pestle but if you’re fancy, like Hailus family, you can use an electric grinder. The last stage is the heating of the water, addition of the ground coffee and boiling, again over the charcoal. And repeat. Two more times.
Despite the copious amounts of food and coffee to keep us in Hyat we did manage to tear ourselves away and venture into the city for some sightseeing. Mercato, supposedly the biggest market in Africa, the museums, Lucy, the famous pre-human skeleton found in Ethiopia and on display in the national museum, the cloth market and Mount Entoto for great views of the city and a peek in our first Ethiopian Orthodox church (the first of many I expect).
On our final night at Hailus flat we experienced the rather surreal experience of being fed, by hand, by his mother. A sign of respect, we were flattered but probably felt more comfortable once we got to the butchery/restaurant for our thank you meal. I was more sad to leave Hyat than any place we’ve been to so far and I will always think fondly of the week we spent there amongst such wonderful, welcoming, and generous people. But leave I did, and this time on my own as Guilherme was staying in Addis an extra night to meet up with his girlfriend for a week. After sitting on a bus for 11hrs next to a puking three year old I arrived in Bahir Dar on the shores of Lake Tana, source of the Blue Nile.
Only one problem. A big government celebration in town. No hotel rooms available. Luckily, a saviour appeared. Ambelu. ‘Captain might be easier for you to remember’. After trying for hours to find me a hotel room for the night Ambelu offered to host me himself. He explained there wasn’t much space and during our wanderings around town I discovered that Ambelu was putting himself through school and living on his own after his parents died when he was still young, working at the bus station after school to make ends meet.
Ambelu was the perfect host, giving me the bed whilst he slept on the floor (I did protest) and showing me his National Spelling Bee trophy (entitling him to a free trip to D.C., if only he could get a visa) and pictures of his recent trip to Rwanda as part of a young African leaders programme. This guy will go far I’m sure!
After a boat trip on Lake Tana the following day, organised by Ambelu, we said our goodbyes as I checked into a hotel in town, found by Ambelu, for my final night before heading into the mountains.
This leg
Days: 7
Time on public transport: 20hrs30mins
Distance travelled: approx. 560km
Countries visited: 1
Total
Days: 52
Time on public transport: 12days18hrs30mins
Distance travelled: approx. 13,562km
Countries visited: 11
Chris does Cape to Cairo! 