My favourite hobby is travelling. So far I have been to 52 countries. I just enjoy meeting people fr...
My favourite hobby is travelling. So far I have been to 52 countries. I just enjoy meeting people from different cultures and being in different surroundings. I am an independent traveller and I do not like package holidays.
Member since:04.02.2001
Reviews:1
Members who trust:2
If you are interested in a totally different experience, why not Ethiopia? We went to Ethiopia because it is an unusual destination, not many tourists, and has some unique history. When we arrived in Addis Ababa I got the shakes from the altitude (over 2,000 metres) but soon acclimatised. The altitude gives the capital city a very mild climate.
The hotel we stayed in was called the Gedera and was surprisingly comfortable for the $15US a night we paid. The room was tidy with hot water and cable tv, and breakfast was included. Staff were friendly and helpful. There are a number of other hotels in the same price range, but if you want to spend more then you could stay at the lushous SheratonHotel. But the hotel looks like an oasis of luxury surrounded by the poverty of shanty towns.
Its easy to get around Addis Abeba. We had a taxi for the whole day at $2US per hour. He took us to the some of the main tourist attractions.
Although there is a significant Muslim presence in the capital, people are mainly Ethiopian Orthodox, and St Georges church is a busy place of worship. There is an interesting museum attached to it, containing many items from the coronation of Haile Selassie which took place in the church. It holds precious and ancient bibles and other religious relics including beautiful Ethiopian crosses. The church itself is octagonal and the interior walls are covered with spectacular murals.
We visited the National Museum which looks like a 1960's communist style building, but holds many artifacts of Ethiopian history, as well as famous art works and also Lucy, the hominid discovered in the 1970's and found to be 3.5 million years old. However, the skeleton we saw was a replica, the original being kept safe elsewhere in the museum.
The Holy Trinity church is worth visiting. It is large and magnificent with beautiful stained glass windows. Haile Selassie had it build to commerorate the end of the Italian occupation. His throne is still there and his remains were recently placed in a tomb that had been prepared for him there.
Another place not to be missed is one of the biggest markets in Africa. It has everything that you would desire. But you have to be careful of people approaching you to be your guide for the day. We did finally accept the assistance of one to get the others off our back. As a guide he was well spoken, informative and not imposing. When we parted we gave him a few dollars for his trouble.
There is lots more to see in and around Addis Ababa, too much to go into here.
Ethiopian cuisine is a wonderful experience. Meat, vegetable and sauce dishes (some spicier then others) are served on a large round platter covered in a sour dough made from the daf grain called injera. A very good restaurant to try for Ethiopian food, is the Finfine Adarash Hotel. It is very traditional and beautiful decorated in an Ethiopian style. Another good restaurant is the Blue Tops, this one is Italian. It has fantastic Italian food, we were especially impressed with the ice cream, vodka flavoured. They served dinner with a lovely Ethiopian red wine. The hardest thing to deal with Addis Ababa (and the rest of Ethiopia) is the poverty. Beggars are constantly approaching you and are very persistant.
Overall, Addis Ababa is an interesting destination, with relaxed and friendly people, and a nice atmosphere. We also went to other parts of Ethiopia on our trip and on a whole found Ethiopia a wonderful place to visit.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Really helped to get an impression of what it would be like to go there. Very helpful as it is a place that a lot of people would be afraid to go to.
Disillusioned 18.09.2001 22:35
This made very interesting reading as my school has very close links with a school in Ethiopia (in Gondar???) Cheers, James.
mikeydred 21.02.2001 16:56
See Ciao, are up to their spelling errors again. Brilliant first op. This is a good example of how to write a destination / city op. Look forward to many more.
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
very helpful by (100%):
