Playing soccer with Ethiopian children in Addis Ababa. |
After booking my flight, I decided to reach out to a few friends that have either traveled there before or have lived there while working in diplomatic missions and/or NGOs. It turns out some of my friends in the foregoing classification were traveling there the same weekend that I planned. Score.
My excitement grew. So much so, that I hardly slept. After making it to the plane and undergoing the flight departure exercises before take-off, I fell asleep and woke up 3 hours later in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Addis is a place that is noticeably underdeveloped compared many other places in the world, but such underdevelopment did not takeaway from its special charm. The people are incredibly friendly, warm, and hospitable. I lowered my usual guard and socialized more than I usually do.
Rather than living in one of the touristy hotels such as the Sheraton, I decided to live as close to the local population and its people as much as possible. Who wants to be that guy who remained couped-up in some luxury hotel away from the people taking very rehearsed tours and living in a very controlled environment? See, if you're heading to Africa, go to Africa the right way and meet the people directly away from the trappings of most tourism spots.
Local neighborhood in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Photo taken by Jamar Johnson. |
During my second day, more of my friends arrived. But before meeting them, I decided that I wanted to visit the mountainside (Mount Entoto) to catch the sunset from the highest peak of the City of Addis Ababa. The views were breath-taking and peaceful.
Mount Entoto, the highest peak in Addis Ababa. Photos taken by Jamar Johnson. |
Hanging out with friends in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. |
Eventually, I grew tired and decided to head back to the compound and rest. Before dozing off, I decided to check Facebook. I was rather surprised to see more than 15 messages from friends asking if I was alright. Snarkily, I replied to a buddy of mine, "What, am I supposed to be dead or something?" He then sent me a link to click on and said that my building was fire. Then it registered: had I not booked a flight to Addis, I would have been asleep during the fire which affected a large majority of my building. Close call. I replied to all of my friends informing them that I was alright and out of harm's way.
Fire in the Torch Tower, Dubai Marina. |
In closing, I had a great time in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It's a place I can certainly see myself visiting again. In fact, the trip might have saved my life.