In the airport parking area, we watched our van driver and a few young men as they loaded all our bags onto a small rack on top of the van. It truly looked like one of those safari shows you see on the Discovery Channel...two guys on the ground hoisting things up to one on top, who then piled them, not so gracefully, but efficiently, nonetheless, one on top of the other. The final step was to crisscross rope across, over, under, and through all the bags so that each one was secure.
We then squeezed ourselves into every available seat and space in the van, and one or two of us rode with Mesfin, and we were off to our hotel. As we drove through Bore on the outskirts of Addis Ababa, and the area where the airport is actually located, we began to get a real feel for life in this Ethiopian city. It was as if everything was in motion. Traffic....cars, vans, trucks, buses, all vying for space on every road and in every intersection; people....walking everywhere...on sidewalks, along roadways, sometimes IN the roads; animals...dogs in the median and along the side of the road, a herd of goats being shepherded up a side street, a couple of donkeys being led down the sidewalk, a man walking a single goat on a leash; the energy of the city was now evident, prominent, in your face.
Also immediately evident was the different architecture, signage, posted billboards, the small shack-like store fronts with merchandise spilling out onto the streets, and of course, the extreme diversity of the people’s modes of dress; That old adage, “we ain’t in Kansas anymore, Dorothy” popped into my head! I also realized once again how clothing often defines and classifies us. Even in this society, it was often obvious who were the haves and who were the have-nots. It was also clear from the clothing that different indigenous cultures were also represented here. Colors of clothing, the ways that certain articles were wrapped, headdresses, etc., collectively seemed to be indicators of some people’s origins.
I began snapping pictures out the window of the van as we drove along, hoping to catch even a few shots of this new and foreign (to me) city bustle. One picture I have yet to get, but would love for everyone back home to see is that of these small trucks with wooden side racks on them, which carry huge amounts of fruits...melons, bananas, just loaded!
So, eventually, we reached the hotel, the Ras Amba, which is perched on the hillside, and which is reached via the steep, ruddy alleyway behind the building. It’s a nice little place, older, not posh, by any means, but pleasant. Is it like a place in the states? No, not much. It has plywood built in wardrobes, sconce-type light fixtures, none of which are still hanging upright, water-damaged ceilings, and loose doorknobs and locks. The bathrooms in the rooms have broken tiles, water-stained ceilings and walls, broken leaky pipes, and ours has a semi-permanent puddle on one end of the room. But the rooms are fairly clean, the people are nice, and all we need are a place to sleep comfortably and be able to bathe. And after some of the sites we’ve seen, even on this short trip from the airport, I am very thankful for what we have.
We got our room assignments, and everyone headed off with their gear to get everything put away, and freshen up a bit. We then followed our leader up to the 3rd floor where there was this beautiful little terrace, complete with tables, chairs, etc., and an incredible view of the city skyline below. I have to admit I was pleased to hear the younger folks say that they were very winded after walking up the stairs! Turns out that even at 8000 feet, the air is much thinner, and it can really magnify any exertion.
We ordered coffee and milk, and a few ordered breakfast. Coffee is thick and dark, like espresso, and oxygenated so that it is almost frothy. Milk is served steamed and frothy, and the combination is absolutely delicious! We had a bit of a pep talk about trying to keep going so that we could all get acclimatized and push through our potential jet-lag. We all agreed to meet again in the lobby about noon to head out for some lunch.
Mesfin had a driver and a van meet us at the hotel and transport us all over to the Blue Top restaurant for lunch. We enjoyed ordering fairly western food for our first meal in the city. After a tasty lunch, we began working our way back, but stopped, as planned, at the National Museum of Ethiopia. We had a very nice young man who gave us a tour through the exhibits. There were art work, artifacts from local excavations, regalia and furniture from different imperial regimes, and of course, the replicas of the skeleton of “Lucy”, the first Australopithecus Afarensis remains found in the Rift Valley. Turns out the original are actually on exhibit in the U.S.!
After the museum tour, we continued walking back to our hotel through the busy streets. Again, the whole area was teeming with people and traffic, and I remember thinking what sensory overload this experience is. Sight, sound, smell...it is so hard to explain!
When we returned to our hotel, we went to our respective rooms and rested for a period. I took advantage of that time to shower and wash off the day’s dust and sweat. We met Mesfin once again at about 7 pm, and piled into the van and Mesfin’s vehicle, and headed off to a restaurant called 2000 Habesha Cultural Restaurant. Great place! There were short stools and chairs that I presume had been created locally by artisans. Short tables centered various seating groups and provide the place for food and drink. This place had a full buffet type menu of traditional Ethiopian food. To add to its appeal, if also had a traditional band playing native music. And to add even FURTHER appeal, there were dancers who appeared and reappeared, each time with a costume changed, and demonstrating a new and culturally or tribally different dance. It was very exciting to watch.
Our driver waited at the restaurant for us and transported us back to the hotel, where all of the group, once again, headed for the terrace for a discussion of our day’s activities, and a briefing about plans for the next. Following that, I headed off to my room to try once again to connect to the internet on the wireless network. The service is a bit sketchy, so I am having some minor difficulties getting my blogs uploaded. I will also take this opportunity to apologize for any mistakes you may find. Our day was so busy, and it is when I am my most tired that I seem to have time to update the blog sites.
We then squeezed ourselves into every available seat and space in the van, and one or two of us rode with Mesfin, and we were off to our hotel. As we drove through Bore on the outskirts of Addis Ababa, and the area where the airport is actually located, we began to get a real feel for life in this Ethiopian city. It was as if everything was in motion. Traffic....cars, vans, trucks, buses, all vying for space on every road and in every intersection; people....walking everywhere...on sidewalks, along roadways, sometimes IN the roads; animals...dogs in the median and along the side of the road, a herd of goats being shepherded up a side street, a couple of donkeys being led down the sidewalk, a man walking a single goat on a leash; the energy of the city was now evident, prominent, in your face.
Also immediately evident was the different architecture, signage, posted billboards, the small shack-like store fronts with merchandise spilling out onto the streets, and of course, the extreme diversity of the people’s modes of dress; That old adage, “we ain’t in Kansas anymore, Dorothy” popped into my head! I also realized once again how clothing often defines and classifies us. Even in this society, it was often obvious who were the haves and who were the have-nots. It was also clear from the clothing that different indigenous cultures were also represented here. Colors of clothing, the ways that certain articles were wrapped, headdresses, etc., collectively seemed to be indicators of some people’s origins.
I began snapping pictures out the window of the van as we drove along, hoping to catch even a few shots of this new and foreign (to me) city bustle. One picture I have yet to get, but would love for everyone back home to see is that of these small trucks with wooden side racks on them, which carry huge amounts of fruits...melons, bananas, just loaded!
We got our room assignments, and everyone headed off with their gear to get everything put away, and freshen up a bit. We then followed our leader up to the 3rd floor where there was this beautiful little terrace, complete with tables, chairs, etc., and an incredible view of the city skyline below. I have to admit I was pleased to hear the younger folks say that they were very winded after walking up the stairs! Turns out that even at 8000 feet, the air is much thinner, and it can really magnify any exertion.
Mesfin had a driver and a van meet us at the hotel and transport us all over to the Blue Top restaurant for lunch. We enjoyed ordering fairly western food for our first meal in the city. After a tasty lunch, we began working our way back, but stopped, as planned, at the National Museum of Ethiopia. We had a very nice young man who gave us a tour through the exhibits. There were art work, artifacts from local excavations, regalia and furniture from different imperial regimes, and of course, the replicas of the skeleton of “Lucy”, the first Australopithecus Afarensis remains found in the Rift Valley. Turns out the original are actually on exhibit in the U.S.!After the museum tour, we continued walking back to our hotel through the busy streets. Again, the whole area was teeming with people and traffic, and I remember thinking what sensory overload this experience is. Sight, sound, smell...it is so hard to explain!
Our driver waited at the restaurant for us and transported us back to the hotel, where all of the group, once again, headed for the terrace for a discussion of our day’s activities, and a briefing about plans for the next. Following that, I headed off to my room to try once again to connect to the internet on the wireless network. The service is a bit sketchy, so I am having some minor difficulties getting my blogs uploaded. I will also take this opportunity to apologize for any mistakes you may find. Our day was so busy, and it is when I am my most tired that I seem to have time to update the blog sites.
No comments:
Post a Comment