May 30, 2009

We arrived back in Addis about noon. The original plan was to stay at the Catholic Guest House for another night but after our terrible experience there at the outset of our trip, we couldn’t even consider it. Instead we booked in at the Global Hotel which older mid-range hotel. The rooms are really large, the hot water works and we even have free broadband internet use! I had my first hot bath since arriving in Ethiopia and it was marvellous!

We booked a taxi and driver for the afternoon and did errands. We met with the representative from Paradise Lodge in Arba Mench in southern Ethiopia where we are planning to drive to in the third week of June. This is one of the few places in Ethiopia where we may actually see some wildlife like zebra, crocodiles, hippos and maybe a few baboons. Unfortunately, the lions, elephants and giraffes disappeared from Ethiopia during the Communist years so we won’t be seeing any of the really “big stuff”.

We needed to get to an ATM to do some banking. ATM’s are almost unheard of in Ethiopia and even rare in Addis but they are the only way we can access our funds back in Canada. In our ATM search, we ended up at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Addis. What an amazing place! We had to walk into the compound since they do not allow lowly Ethiopian taxis to enter. It’s like leaving one world for another. Suddenly the squalor and chaos of Ethiopia is replaced by luxury and opulence like I’ve seldom seen. They say that this particular hotel rates up there with the best in the world. It was overwhelming, especially considering the crumbling shacks and hungry people on the other side of the compound wall. The kids were very impressed with the wall but weren’t so sure the whole concept rang true considering the immense need that is so evident in this country.

We did some grocery shopping and then went to our favourite restaurant in Addis where you can actually get ice cream! It was a nice end to our short holiday.