Making the trip to Addis with us was our friend and colleague, Koffi and his girlfriend, Seaman. We were able to share some good adventures with them. They introduced us to the fascinating nightlife of Addis and to the traditional dances of Ethiopia.
Ethiopia has a rich political, cultural and religious history. It is the only African country never to have been colonized. It has more than 80 unique ethnic, cultural and linguistic groups. It is the oldest Christian nation in the world, other than Armenia. Over 50% of the population is Ethiopian Orthodox. Amharic is the predominant language, but English is also spoken.
Addis itself is a bustling, smoggy city of 8 million people. It is clean by African standards and safe. It is much cooler than Djibouti and many Djiboutians find respite in Addis during the terribly hot months of the summer - especially July and August. There are 1985 vintage blue and white taxis to take you anywhere you want to go. We hired a driver for the day to take us up to Mt. Entoto, the tallest mountain above Addis. Addis is at 7500 feet elevation and Mt. Entoto is at 10,500 feet. It was difficult to catch your breath at this altitue. But, we experienced panoramic views of Addis and the surrounding farm land. Eucalyptus trees dominate the landscape and were brought in to provide firewood. Daily, poor women from Addis, walk up to the top of Mt. Entoto, harvest the eucalyptus, bundle it and carry the bundles on their backs down to Addis. An amazing sight to see.
Mt. Entoto is the site of the modest palace of Menelik II - stone structures with thatched roofs and many monastaries. There we visited the Old Stone Church, an Ethiopian Orthodox Church with 8 floor-to-ceiling panels of 120 year old murals inside it's octagonal walls. The many scenes depicted the life and works of Christ. The colors were brilliant.
One of the most intriqueing places we visited in Addis was the Ethnological Museum housed in the original home of Emperor Haile Selassie on the campus of the University College of Addis. Inside we were able to explore the many cultures of Ethiopia, its musical instruments and crafts. Weaving and silver jewelry are Ehiopia's prize art forms.
One morning we visited the Merkato, the largest open air maket in the world. It was a bustling place, teeming with activity and one could easily have gotten lost or been pickpocketed there. We bought a couple of items there and then, Amy, our personal guide took us to the Piazza, a quieter shopping area where we found beautiful silver jewelry and woven goods.
We look forward to returning to Ethiopia and exploring other parts of this beautiful country.
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