Hanging in Addis

With nothing planned for the day I went for breakfast and just ended up having coffee as nothing excited me enough to break my no breakfast rule. But I got chatting to an Australian girl who had just come off the tour that I start tomorrow. She loved it and gave me some pointers so  I’m now doubly excited. 

Coffee finished I headed off in the opposite direction to what I had previously done just ambling, watching people with no plan in mind. 

I soon come to an area with, with the exception of the crumbling footpaths, could almost be a first world street. Simple shops, nicer blue and white cabs, lovely hotels and a few ‘Malls’ but not as we know them. As with most the areas I had been in the footpaths were diabolical, even worse than those in Buenos Aires, but here there was an excuse. There is an amazing amount of construction happening and the broken footpaths are mainly around the construction sites. At home we have ramps or alternate surfaces; here they don’t so the place looks like a war zone. 

The hotel is in the area called Bole, out towards the airport, and is the home to many of the Embassies and ex pats; the sort of area I usually avoid but here it brings a sort or normality in which I am very comfortable. 

I stopped to check out the grounds of the Medhane Alem Cathedral, a beautiful structure that looked more like the typical cross shaped Orthodox churches. Many people were praying outside but I didn’t see anyone enter so kept my distance. 

Around the cathedral is something I guess you would call a park except it was full of long grass and apart from a few patches of flowers with no garden to speak of. It is far drier here than in Rwanda and it shows in the grey rather than green vegetation and the browny dust that is everywhere. 

Wandering on I realised I was close to a restaurant I had read much about and although it was only 11am I thought I would check it out. Yod Abyssinia was open for service and I was shown to a seat in a large beautifully decorated room ready to house probably a couple of hundred guests. This place has traditional entertainment at night so a tourist haunt but guaranteed good food. 

Once seated they brought round a some liquid soap and a big jug of water so I could wash my hands over a metal bowl. How lovely. Hands washed I looked for a towel which was not forthcoming but they had bought me an ample supply of serviettes so all good. 

Soon my BBQ beef filet ‘on fire’ arrived. The same sort of deal I had the other day but no comparison. This was soft tender beef filet that had been braised with lots of onion and huge chunks of garlic. How could it not be good. It was accompanied by two types of injera. One made white white flour and the other with black. Both delicious and far more subtle in taste. Read more here Injera. Also on my serving platter was a wee bowl with mustard, cinammon and chilli sauce. I am not a mustard fan but the meat dipped into the cinammon and the chilli was good enough to make me dribble. I’d say almost orgasm material but I havent had one of those in a while so not sure what it really means. Anyway it was damn good and I was sad when I was so full I couldn’t eat any more. 

Lunch done I headed ‘home’ but somewhere along the line ended up in an unfamiliar area that was downright grotty. People were scruffy, footpaths were non existent, sewer smells pervaded and it wasn’t nice at all. But before turning back I spied a stadium and stopped to take photos. A young woman took offence and started screaming until I showed her that I had indeed taken a photo of the stadium and not her. She was fine after that and gave me the thumbs up. What she didnt realise that I had secretly taken photos of the mess alongside the stadium as well. 

Correct road found and I made my way back to the hotel via the banana cake coffee shop. 

We had our tour introduction at 6:00pm where I met all the other participants. Names already forgotten but 2 kiwi women, 1 Canadian women plus 3 from the UK, an Australian couple and two guys from Australia plus someone MIA. With the exception of one of the UK women we are all retirees and they seem like a good bunch. The young UK woman works for Intrepid and is along taking photos for them. 

Dinner was at the same Turkish as I went to last night and again I had a great meal. Kofte this time, tender, tasty and beautifully presented. I was really impressed by the waitress who bought us each our own bill having remembered exactly what each of us had ordered. Impressive. 

Bags packed and I’m ready for my adventure. Roll on Omo Valley.