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We left Nairobi today after a series of meetings in the city and I thoroughly experienced “the Jam”—one of the most spectacular and brilliant I have ever seen—messes of cars, busses, taxies, trucks, road construction crews, the occasional donkey, and pedestrians all going in different directions. After the mayhem, we landed in the dark in Ethiopia.
I had these ideas and vivid pictures in my head that Addis Abeba, the capital city, would be this beautiful, and mysterious place full of magic around every corner. I had this impression because on many of the websites about Ethiopia, contained such interesting symbology, for example the University of Addis Ababa Geography department. And I figured the city would be covered with the graceful Amharic script.
There are a few spellings for Addis: Addis Ababa and Addis Abeba depending on what map you look at. My South African friends told me I was crazy about my preconceived ideas, that Addis was going to be just another African city. African cities tend to be, well, from what I had seen in former trips, dusty, crowded with people and litter, and filled with potholes. Not all cities, but many Africans will agree with this description. Addis did not exactly fit this description to me, and I instantly took a liking to the place. Mild sunny climate, the best coffee ever, and magical creatures on the airplanes! What could be better!
My travel companion pointed out that there was an older man with a grey beard wearing a funny hat on our flight. He was quite graceful looking, also donning black robes with purple lining, and that crazy hat. We liked him. I fondly referred to him as “the wizard.” It made us feel special to have such a noble creature in the same airspace as us. I tried to snap a picture of him on the airport shuttle, but I didn’t feel right about it, since he was a man of the church.
 Sign outside the tourism board office.
The airplane parked on the tarmac and I was curious as to why we didn’t get to use the gangways, instead our plane parked on the tarmac and we were crammed on a shuttle. The airport had been recently built, but there was no money for upkeep, so many of the gangways and escalators didn’t work any more. Heaps of interesting people milled around customs waiting for their visas. Many of the people looked like they were wearing desert clothes—loose fighting, light colors—and they had arranged themselves on two rows of uncomfortable plastic chairs bolted to the floor. I half expected to see someone with a camel on a leash. Before I came here, I read in one of my travel books that you can get stuck in customs for hours if you arrive without a visa. Lucky for us, this was the one visa that I obtained from the Embassy before I came. Our driver was waiting for us on the other side of the green channel and greeted us with a large friendly smile.
Driving into Addis from the airport was really interesting. Ethiopia just celebrated the 2000 Millennium on October 12th—yes 7.5 years later than we do because of the calendar they use. The entire city is draped in strings of gold, red, and green lights—on street lamps, down the sides of buildings—and there are flashing 2000 signs everywhere. The city feels much calmer than the chaos of Nairobi, the traffic is smoother, and the people just don't seem to be as stressed out. But I haven't seen it in daylight yet...
My first hour or so in Ethiopia was fantastic, and that all changed when I got to the hotel. My colleagues in Addis over and over told me to book rooms at one of the large and pricey hotels. We decided upon a cheaper option, and one with more character, the Ghion Hotel. The Ghion hotel is a very busy, efficient, and eccentric hotel, filled with ex-pats and Ethiopian travelers.
My first impression of the Ghion Hotel is harsh. To me, it looked like the 1960s barfed all over the building, and not in a “neat vintage-like style.” More like … like the Brady Bunch meets a communist designer: nice wood paneling, carpet with a design that makes you dizzy and slightly nauseous and sort of resembles the remnants of a grape and an apricot making out. The bathroom is very industrial and stern looking, complete with freakish tile and a window that leads into the room next door. To top it all off, donning the windows are a pretty pair of red and gold curtains that have absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the decor. The chairs are covered with grandmas flower pattern: light blue against burgundy felt. The lamp reminds me of a hat sitting on a large fat gold coin. There is a "Cable channel Guide" list in a plastic frame sitting on the desk, yet there is no TV. Strange light switches are abundant, with no apparent use. Oh, and the cord to the lamp, I forgot to mention, is haphazardly tied up with electrical tape, and if I move too quickly, the lamp sort of fades in and out. All in all with the lighting crossed with the decor and atmosphere, I feel like I am in a brothel. Except the phone didn’t work.
 The mix of colors and patterns makes my eyes hurt. By the end of my stay, I loved the Ghion hotel. I enjoyed sitting in the lobby people watching. The gorgeous people with their high cheekbones and honey skin were incredibly pleasant and friendly. Behind the western-style restaurant was the perfect hidden secret—a lovely Ethiopian restaurant with some great inexpensive food. There, servers first come out and wash your hands by pouring water from a pitcher catching it in a bowl. I stuck to vegetarian fare, or “fasting foods.” Ethiopian food consists of stewed lentils and vegetables over a flat dense bread called injera. The stews and injera are served on a large grass basket. The food is eaten by tearing off a piece of injera and scooping the food, no utensils.  The remnants of the delicious food at the Ghion Hotel. The time I spent in Addis was too short, only a few days, but the impressions are lasting. Addis was everything I thought it would be and more. The magic is there, and I would love to return to this fascinating place for a vacation. Many people may think of large-scale humanitarian disaster of 1984-1985 and “We are the World.” What I saw was an interesting mix of Muslim meets Ethiopian Orthodox Christian, mystical religious artwork, graceful and proud people, and an amazing city. Did you know that the original Rastafarians are Ethiopian?
 Next time: Return to Nairobi for safari — airport giraffes and baby elephants.
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