ADDIS ABABA IS perhaps one of Africa’s more polarizing cities
“You don’t really need to spend much time in Addis Ababa. It’s chaotic. If you want to get to talk to more people, leave the city.”
Generally, I agree.
Addis Ababa is the sort of city that acts as a gateway to Ethiopia. It’s a big urban hub, and because it’s the hub of Africa’s largest air carrier, it kind of serves as the welcome station to the continent.
When you have a city like that, generally you have locals who are less enthused by visitors, more hustle and crowds, and experiences that are more catered towards foreign visitors than locals.
But if you’ve got the right people with you and a willingness to go deeper, you can go beyond that layer and find the spirit of a place. In the case of Addis Ababa, it was a spirit of sweetness.
I only had a day in town before moving onwards to the Amhara region. I connected with Bule, a guide to Addis, who planned a whole itinerary of marketplaces, museums, and of course, good eats. I made a mistake on my way in, however. I assumed we would be arriving on a Friday evening. The plan was to get a night of sleep and wake up for a day of exploring on Saturday. However… we actually got in on Saturday morning, with barely over an hour to drop our bags off and make it through city traffic to meet up with Bule.
This is Ethiopia
If you couldn’t tell, Ethiopia sure made an impression on me.
It’s easily one of the most fascinating countries I’ve ever been to. Perhaps the most fascinating??
There was such a richness to practically every cultural marker and fine detail. I couldn’t get enough of diving deep into its heritage and uncolonized legacy.
I’ve also been looking forward to releasing my first video from this trip. Here it is!
Day tour of Addis
Our initial rendezvous was at a coffee shop on Cameroon Street… a fitting spot to start some time in Ethiopia. I went ahead and got started with a small cup, figuring I could use the energy boost right off the bat. I wanted to pace myself. I figured there would be plenty of coffee that day. Throughout my trip, coffee would be more of a steady cascade of cups throughout the day, rather than a single fuel stop.
We were joined by a couple of NGO workers from Angola and Mozambique, and then we were off to the marketplace.
The Shola Marketplace was the largest outdoor market in Addis Ababa, where all kinds of crafts and products were exchanged. The most vivid parts happened to be the stands full of spices and grains. Ethiopian cuisine is extremely aromatic and appealing to one’s sense of smell goes beyond the food on the plate. Burning incense and spice for the sake of enjoyment was a widespread practice.
Other vendors sold woven baskets; these were used to keep injera fresh. The sourdough flatbreads accompanied just about every meal. Even more elaborate were the woven table stands that looked a bit like large baskets. These were common gifts for new couples to bless a home. The vendors we came across were extremely friendly and not at all pushy, especially in comparison to similar settings I’ve visited. Their warmth made me think that the reputation for urban unfriendliness is often dealt a bit too soon.
Our next stop was to the National Museum of Ethiopia. I didn’t have a strong sense of what to expect there, but it turned out to be the current resting spot for Lucy– the remains of a human ancestor that was oldest in-tact set of fossils found at the time it was discovered. In Ethiopia in the 70s. I remembered learning about Lucy in the sixth grade, and it was a cool moment to have it sink in that the things I used to see in textbooks and magazines were now my real-life encounters.
I also loved the art and history section of the museum. Bule led us through a couple centuries worth of Ethiopian history in minutes, but did a comprehensive job. An art gallery on the top floor shined some local perspective on the religious and political history of the country and one thing became clear: there was a lot of pride in Ethiopia’s success at warding off Italian invasions, cementing their status as the lone uncolonized country in East Africa.
Bule also let us in on some of Ethiopia’s current challenges. I had been told by numerous people that so much of it came down to retaliatory intimidation of different ethnic groups. Shifts in power came with a desire to “even the score” that ultimately just kept conflict going. Bule shared that he used to work as a professor, but he preferred now working in tourism because he had to make fewer political decisions that could get him in trouble.
The museum worked up an appetite, and though we were told to save room for a food tour in the afternoon, we were quite ready to eat. We took the risk in declaring ourselves hungry. Ethiopia’s portion sizes tend to run incredibly large, so signing ourselves up for a big lunch ahead of a food tour might have put our appetites for the afternoon restaurants in jeopardy.
That said, Ethiopian food is something you rarely regret. Bule brought us to a restaurant by the museum, which happened to be in a converted home that once belonged to an emperor’s daughter. Our first proper meal in Ethiopia was a classic injera spread, accompanied by some of Ethiopia’s lagers. I have yet to find an Ethiopian beer I dislike, but this meal helped me find my favorite: habesha.
Lunch was followed up with some coffee. Temoka is perhaps the most beloved coffee brand in-country, and we visited their flagship store. There they proudly displayed how their initial equipment was all commandeered from Italy.
As the afternoon progressed, we went out to Mount Entoto, the highest point of Addis Ababa. Up top, we got to visit both a church and a park. St. Maryam’s Orthodox Church was my first encounter with the rich religiosity of Ethiopia. I knew that the Tewahido Orthodox Church had a rich legacy throughout the country, but now I had a chance to witness how much devotion believers had on display, fully bowing at the front of the church, kissing its gates.
The park at Mount Entoto was a very relaxed area that featured several monuments and a restaurant. It had such a calm feel, and the crisp air added to it.
Our return to the city set off a food tour, but because of our diminishing energy and limited appetite after our lunch… we were skeptical of how much food we would ultimately have room for. In order, we had:
• Shiro: a creamy paste of stewed lentil served with injera
• Fried tilapia: this one was a surprise. I did not expect to be able to eat a whole fish that afternoon, but it was fried to be so crisp and airy.
• Tibs: Bits of chopped roasted beef that are popular as a snack.
The last of those items was a typical meal you’d have with beers with friends. I decided to replace the beer with Turbo- Ethiopia’s party drink. While the combination of sprite, lager, white wine, and fruit sounds chaotic, it was alright.
Addis Ababa is a blend of traditions, cultures, and histories from all across Ethiopia… a country full of inner diversity. That makes its capital a rich place to explore. I imagine I’ll be back soon enough. It’s a gateway to Africa, after all.