Business in Addis

Business in Addis

July 18^th 2013

Addis Ababa, Central Ethiopia.

The bustling streets surrounding the Merkato in central Addis.

Welcome to the beating heart of Ethiopia, the capital of the African Union, a city that to most is their gateway to the great “Horn of Africa”. For me, this city signifies the middle point of my overland journey to Mount Kilimanjaro.

The staff at my Cozy lil guest house in Addis.

I remember thinking when I first set out on my trip that I would need to cancel my planned excursions to Somaliland and Djibouti, but the more I pondered on my long bus rides in Sudan, and with the sudden discovery of how cheap domestic flight travel is in Ethiopia, I came to a revelation, JUST TRY! Why not right?

It's Business Time.

Addis gave me an opportunity, arriving here ahead of schedule because of the domestic flight advantage I set to work. My tasks, get a VISA for Somaliland, get a flight to the east of the country, and make a move.

The first task proved to be quite an adventure, but what is ever so simple when trying to go to nations that do not officially exist?

I went jogging my first night in Addis, wandering through the maze of embassies in search of the sign that says “Somaliland”, but it proved harder to find than one might imagine, and well google searching the building did not help either, it seems they have moved numerous times in the last few years. Asking for local help, also quite priceless, as Ethiopians tend to be a very helpful bunch, we found this embassy even more elusive. I kept getting led to the “Somalia” embassy, and despite my thirst for adventure, a flight into Mogadishu is still something I am not quite ready for, maybe one day, but not on this trip, and an overland down to the “Mog” is quite frankly, suicide.

The river that snakes through Addis.

Needless to say, the next morning, with a bit of help from a fine gentlemen who had grown up in Ohio, and spoke with one of the finest mid-western American accents, we trans versed the embassy district, asked directions from the local Somali refugee population, and found it! Hidden down some back alley behind the Japanese embassy, SUCCESS! I felt like Henry Morten Stanley in search of Dr. Livingstone, except I was only looking for an embassy, lol.

I knocked on the gate, and after about five minutes of pounding some fella answered the door and led me in. I said “VISA OFFICE”, he nodded and smiled. The women working at the office were all to kind, but seemed quite tired, as they were surely participating in Ramadan, a common practice in the Muslim world, but not common here for the vast majority of Ethiopians, as Christianity is still the dominant faith. The ladies gave me the forms, I filled them out, paid 40 dollars, sat in the next room and had some tea, five minutes later, there it was, my VISA to Somaliland.

One of the many fine churches that dot the landscape of Addis.

I felt like I was on top of the moon that morning and I ran back to my hotel, celebrated with an ice cold beer and went about exploring the city. I stopped at the Hilton Hotel, booked my flights to Harar, and a return ticket from Jijiga, a city just on the edge of Somaliland, where upon returning from that country I will fly back to Addis.

Canadian cafe in Addis, I LOVE IT!

The city was bustling with excitement, people from all walks of life buying, selling, shouting, moving around, sitting at cafes, taking in the cool mountain air of the capital. I met a bunch of fantastic European volunteers at my hotel. It seems Ethiopia, next to Ghana and Uganda is a hot bed for volunteers and NGO’s. I gathered some fantastic info from these folks and cannot wait to continue my journey further afield into Ethiopia and onwards to Kenya.

The rise of the African continent. T.I.A.

I awoke the next day and boarded a plane bound for Harar, the Eastern regional hub of Ethiopia, a city that is shrouded in history. This trip just keeps getting better!

Harar bound!

Addis has been a success, and the journey continues to grow with excitement.

Next up, Harar, and the road to Somalia!

Cheers,

William Delaney