Back in Addis
For our last meal in Axum we decided to eat at a restaurant just in front of our hotel. For the past few nights it had seemed fairly popular with the locals, and so we found ourselves a bench in one of the huts and ordered fasting food. It was the best Ethiopian meal we had had. The injera was thin and just hinted at the sourness common to the flatbread. When the bill came our meal was the equivalent of $1.50. I thought the waiter had mad a mistake, but he broke down the costs. It had been our best meal and our most inexpensive.
At the airport we ran into Yee. He had missed the morning flight due to a miscommunication with his driver. Once we got to Addis, we shared a cab into the city center. Addis seemed suddenly changed. The cab drove up Bole road past resaurants and shopping centers. The streets bustled with life. After three weeks of small towns and villages, the comparative modernity of Addis caught me completely by surprise.
We made arrangements with Yee to have dinner together and then parted. We checked into the hotel and made arrangements to fly to Dire Dawa en route to Harar. That night we met Yee at Ristorante Castelli, known as the best restaurant in Addis Ababa. We took a cab up to the Piazza and walked off of the somewhat downtrodden streets into a luxurious Italian restaurant. Bill Clinton had eaten there, and pictures of celebrities adorned the walls of the lobby. The food was fantastic, and we finished our meal off with ice cream, the first I had had in almost a month.
We walked Yee back to his hotel. The area reminded me a little of Tijuana. Music blared out dark bars promising easy women. Some looked empty, and some threatened to spill out onto the street. Yee said that there was a trendy coffee shop nearby and he showed it to us in case we would be interested. He walked us to a cab near his hotel and bid us goodnight. We wished him safe journey and wound our way back to the center of town.
The next day we went to the St. George Cathedral and Museum. A deacon sold us our tickets, then closed the ticket booth to lead us into the octagonal church. He pointed out the various murals and then bade us sit down while he demonstrated the various songs and dances that make up a church service. He played the drums, he chanted while dancing from side to side. He sang and kept time with a sistrum. It was one of the most educational demonstrations of the church since we had arrived in the country, and I was mesmerized.
Leaving the church, the deacon led us to a bell tower in the back. There, he led us quickly through the church museum, briefly describing the costumes, crosses, and illuminated manuscripts. When the tour was over, he told us we could climb the tower if we so liked. We did, but found that barriers had been erected at the top, cutting the city and church from view.
For lunch we took a cab to the Asni Gallery for their vegetarian buffet. It wasn't open yet for the season, but the proprietor was expecting some guests for brunch. She invited us to stay and we looked around the exhibit of contemporary Ethiopian art. I saw a statue I liked by Etiye Dima Poulson. Upon inquiring, I learned it had already been sold.
Lunch was fantastic. The greens were incredibly fresh, and it was a welcome respite from the local cuisine. I hate two platefuls before I was sated. A group of French people from the embassy had arrived, and other small groups with children joined us on the verandah. I chatted with Konjit as we were about to leave and told her to contact me if she was looking for design help in the future.
From the gallery, we took a minibus back to St. George Cathedral and asked how to get to the Mercato, the biggest open air market in East Africa. Another minibus took us the short hop to get there. People warned us to look after our valuables and then we were off. Soon we were engulfed. A man began to follow us asking if we were looking for silver. We dodged this way and that hoping to lose him. Others asked us if we were interested in the spice market. Near the bus station, we found the new market. On one end, stalls sold souvenirs gathered from around the country. We found little we felt like spending money on.
Back at the hotel I went for a swim. The water was warm, and steam rose off the surface of the pool. The water was too warm to swim laps and so I let myself float gently in the water. My body relaxed in the warm bath; the night air felt cold upon my face.
