Into Her Hands
Trip Start
Feb 04, 2008
1
3
9
Trip End
Feb 18, 2008
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Customs was a breeze. It was as if they were hurrying us into the country. We found Maurice an hour after we cleared immigration. He was sporting French braids, but otherwise hadn't changed a bit. He helped us get a taxi and get to a few hotels. We got in late and most of them had filled up. We refused a tiny $3 single and a $50 deluxe. Around midnight we found the 3B Hotel near the university with a good bed and bath for $4 per night. We would find out later its $4 per 8-hour use. They served us great injera with fresh potato salad everyday.
We got our bearings after a long sunrise. We also got fruit: bananas, oranges, pineapple and mango. Later along the way, we would slurp up our share of papaya, soursop, cazhmir, pomegranates and sugarcane.
Finding food, water and a telephone is easy enough. All the restaurants and kiosks have them. I tried calling Dr. Abate, but couldn't seem to get him on the phone, so I went to the university to meet him in person. I found him on campus between offices. The first person I asked for Dr. Abate's office was Dr. Abate. He took me to his office and told me repeatedly about the next day's schedule when he would show Annie and I the university biology lab, and his wife's company, Africa Mushrooms, PLC.
