Weekend break in the lake region
When residents of Addis want to escape the city, they usually go to Lake Langano, one of a number of lakes in the so-called middle rift valley. Langano is particularly … Continue reading
The land of Rastafarians
I am in Shashemene, about 250 kms south of Addis, a town famous for its Rastafarian community. It was emperor Selassie who granted land in that region to African descendants … Continue reading
A budding textile industry
Ethiopia has a long tradition of working with textiles, particularly for traditional clothing and household decoration. In my quest for discovering the city, I went on an (organised) tour of … Continue reading
Struggling with communications
As we learn to live with power cuts, we also struggle with notoriously bad communications. Ethiopia is known for that. Fixed line phones, mobiles and the internet do not function … Continue reading
Breakfast out, while waiting for the end of the power cut
I finally went to Piassa (from the Italian word piazza), one of the oldest area in Addis, and maybe the only one which still has old buildings dating from the … Continue reading
A country of religious festivals
Religion plays an important role in Ethiopia. Many days on the Orthodox calendar are a national holiday, and from an outsider’s prospective, it seems that the secular is easily mixed … Continue reading
The largest market in Africa
I had heard a lot about Merkato, the biggest open-air market in Addis Ababa and Africa. Many stories circulate about it; it is known for being a stronghold for pickpockets, … Continue reading
Getting used to a new way of living…
A lot in Addis happens behind barb wired walls and guarded gates, and that’s something we have to get used to. In many places, we have to go through thorough … Continue reading
Discovering the food
We’ve hardly cooked since we moved here. As we’re still waiting for our container (which may take another month), we currently have to use very basic kitchen tools, which include … Continue reading
A house in Addis
We live in an area called Old Airport because that’s where the airport used to be before it moved south of the city to Bole. It is considered as one of … Continue reading
Salambo in Addis 