Well here I am in sunny Addis Ababa. I arrived on a day of protest to mourn the deaths of the Ethiopians killed in Libya in connection with IS/ISIL/ISIS. The streets near my hotel, perhaps as a result of this, are very quiet. I received a travel advisory from the travel agency that booked my flight, once I got here. Since I don't intend to attend any of the protests, I think things are fine.
Because I really don't know what more to say about that, I'll carry on with my post as originally planned. My flight was smooth - thanks to my frequent flying, my silver status with air canada (which gets you nothing!) got me something. My bag was tagged priority and so came out on a different belt (not a big deal when you spend half an hour in the visa line anyway) and I got priority boarding. That was pretty nice I suppose. Although, had I spent more time waiting to board, I might have seen my old Humber classmate who was on the same flight! As it ended up, he only noticed me as we were on the bus to Bole International Airport. He was off to Malawi so we only had a few minutes to catch up. It was a nice surprise though.
I guess I've only been here for four hours and so far I almost accidentally bought 2 kilos of tomatoes (I wanted the 2L water - no excuses on my part), have had a macchiato - which had a heart on the foam, and seen a bunch of familiar faces. The little restaurant next to the hotel has all the same staff - whether they recognize me I don't know but it's kind of nice to recognize them. The owner gave me a quality plastic bag after noticing my 2 2L bottles of water and 3 mangoes were tearing through the one I'd been given during the almost 2kg tomato incident. The USD is strong and so far it seems only the entry visa has gone up in price. Otherwise I've spent $2 on 4L of water, 3 mangoes, a macchiato and an Ambo sparkling water. I haven't yet been called ferenji - it's been all nice welcomes and just happy.
I don't feel the worst but I don't feel the best. Perhaps and afternoon nap...and a work out after I work on my report? So far I'm thinking walking the 4 flights of stairs in Addis altitude counts for my fitness challenge...objections? Didn't think so.
My colleagues picked me up from the airport rather than leaving it in the hands of the hotel guys who last time didn't have a sign and so eventually I gave up and they spent 3 hours waiting...how was that ever going to work? It was nice to be greeted and welcomed by Endris and Aklilu for sure.
Anyway, time to take a crack at that report and/or fall asleep.
I look pretty fresh for coming off a 14 hour flight but I'm too tired to take a photo of myself to prove it.
Because I really don't know what more to say about that, I'll carry on with my post as originally planned. My flight was smooth - thanks to my frequent flying, my silver status with air canada (which gets you nothing!) got me something. My bag was tagged priority and so came out on a different belt (not a big deal when you spend half an hour in the visa line anyway) and I got priority boarding. That was pretty nice I suppose. Although, had I spent more time waiting to board, I might have seen my old Humber classmate who was on the same flight! As it ended up, he only noticed me as we were on the bus to Bole International Airport. He was off to Malawi so we only had a few minutes to catch up. It was a nice surprise though.
I guess I've only been here for four hours and so far I almost accidentally bought 2 kilos of tomatoes (I wanted the 2L water - no excuses on my part), have had a macchiato - which had a heart on the foam, and seen a bunch of familiar faces. The little restaurant next to the hotel has all the same staff - whether they recognize me I don't know but it's kind of nice to recognize them. The owner gave me a quality plastic bag after noticing my 2 2L bottles of water and 3 mangoes were tearing through the one I'd been given during the almost 2kg tomato incident. The USD is strong and so far it seems only the entry visa has gone up in price. Otherwise I've spent $2 on 4L of water, 3 mangoes, a macchiato and an Ambo sparkling water. I haven't yet been called ferenji - it's been all nice welcomes and just happy.
I don't feel the worst but I don't feel the best. Perhaps and afternoon nap...and a work out after I work on my report? So far I'm thinking walking the 4 flights of stairs in Addis altitude counts for my fitness challenge...objections? Didn't think so.
My colleagues picked me up from the airport rather than leaving it in the hands of the hotel guys who last time didn't have a sign and so eventually I gave up and they spent 3 hours waiting...how was that ever going to work? It was nice to be greeted and welcomed by Endris and Aklilu for sure.
Anyway, time to take a crack at that report and/or fall asleep.
I look pretty fresh for coming off a 14 hour flight but I'm too tired to take a photo of myself to prove it.
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