For us, Ethiopia lacked the “WOW” factor that we look for in each country and I believe that the reason is because we had too little time to travel throughout the whole. We had one week from entering until our scheduled flight from Bole International in the capital, on the 29th of December, which left us with too little time to move around to different locations.
We did have enough time on our hands to experience a downside to Addis, and that was the fact that we had gotten too used to Addis itself, reason being; we outnumbered our preferred number of days in this particular city. On the upside; we made up for lack of rest with plenty of sleep throughout this week.
We lodged at the Wutma Hotel, situated round the Piazza part of town. With smallish rooms and warm water, it was a good enough establishment for the week gone by. This area houses a few of the budget hotels, which aren’t great, but aren’t too bad either. Wutma is situated a short walk from the mini buses which takes you into the Bole Road area, which is where the convenient stores, restaurants and banks can be found.
On our first day in Addis we went exploring, and visited the National Museum and passed a few other sights which form part of the Ethiopian history. Unfortunately one is rarely allowed to photograph some of the sights, and we rather played it safe than to be stuck with a hefty fine. We ended up taking pictures of what we ate and drank, because as with so many aspects of their traditions, we found their food and drink quite different but tasty! Wednesdays and Fridays are fasting days and we left those to savour up other food sorts such as Indian and the good old Pizza at the New York eatery.
Even though their Christmas is celebrated in January, and this coming New Year, strangely enough, is the year of 2002 or 2003 (we couldn’t figure it out), the spirit of Christmas was present throughout the city. They cater for Ethiopia, but just as well for the rest of the globe with “European Christmas” and “European Time”. I think that we as foreigners provide just as much amusement for them as they do for us, but we still can’t get our minds round there time or calendar months. It is quite absurd!
We are satisfied that we visited Ethiopia, and regard it as an achievement when considering what we went through to get here.
With that we tick the box and move forth to Egypt for a combination of historical background, some World Wonders and seaside fun!
See you soon!
Accommodation rates: Wutma Hotel in Addis Ababa: 100 Birr per self contained double room per night.
Tip of the Day:
If possible try to avoid using the taxi’s completely and stick to going round by mini bus. The mini bus services are much cheaper, and they cover every part of town.
The Dashen Bank does accept visa cards, so it is possible for one to make cash withdrawals at a 2.5% service charge per transaction.
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