ADDIS, ABABA ETHIOPIA - Part II

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.

ADDIS, ABABA ETHIOPIA - Part I

At the end of November Salt Investment closed down our facility and gave all of our employees 4 days off to celebrate Eid, the Muslim holiday. John and I decided to go to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, only a 50 minute air flight from Djibouti. The highlight of our trip to Addis was getting to know the family of one of our Salt Investment colleagues - Samuel. Because of problems getting him a visa to get back into Djibouti, Samuel was unable to make the trip home. Illegal immigration from Ethiopia into Djibouti is a huge problem. Even a highly skilled mechanic, like Samuel, needs to have all of the proper documents, or they will not let him return to work in Djibouti.

But, to our suprise, he sent his brother, Amy a University of Addis student, to meet us at our hotel. Then we met Samuel's, wife and two darling daughters, who showered us with gifts, invited us to their home for a full-blown Ethiopian meal complete with injera, and took us shopping the next day in Addis.

Samuel's Aunt performed the traditional Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony for us. Sitting on a low bench in the living room of Samuel's home, she began with green Ethiopian coffee beans and roasted them over a charcoal fire until they were almost black. Then the teenage sister of Samuel's wife Marguesh, pounded the coffee to a fine grind. Samuel's Aunt poured the coffee grounds into an elegant slender black coffee pot and placed hot water inside. She placed the pot back on the smoldering coals and boiled the coffee until you could smell the wonderful aroma. She then gracefully poured the thick, rich coffee into small cups and offered that to us with sugar. Traditionally, the pot is refilled with water (same grounds) three times. Each time the pot is put back onto the hot coals to boil before another round is served. It was absolutely delicious! Without a doubt, the best coffee I have ever had.

The first picture is of Samuel's family. His wife is pregnant, with a baby boy expected in mid-January. The second picture is of Samuel's Aunt roasting the coffee beans and the third picture is John smelling the newly roasted beans. The tradition is for all recipients of the coffee to smell the beans after roasting, before they are ground.