Greetings from Addis Ababa

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Greetings from the Taitu Hotel in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where the temperature is well into the 20s and fluffy clouds drift across the sky.

Immediately, this place screams Africa at you. Dust and donkeys; sunshine and heat; very black smiling faces - some in western clothes and others in more colouful local outfits; aid agencies at every turn in shiny 4x4s while the locals pack into dented minibuses.

Our hotel is the oldest in Addis, over 100 years old, and it looks like it hasn't ever been redecorated. The plumbing is certainly original but there is a wonderful terrace were we take breakfast and drinks.

First thing today we went to the bank to change money – just 5 different people needed to handle our transaction.

Then off to the market, having tried to pick-pocket-proof ourselves. Luckily, we met an English speaking local who acted as our guide. He had been brought up by an English doctor who had lived in Addis for 35 years. Without our guide, we would have never found the spice market, the metal market, the mattress market, the funny-white-stuff-ladies-put-on-their-hair market and on and on.

Our wandering around is broken by stops at local coffee shops. The coffee is, of course, wonderful and cheap and propels us to our next encounter with Africa.

Tomorrow we have the joy of a 4:30 am wake up call and an early flight to Lalibella. With luck, we will be sending another postcard from there in a couple of days.

Love, Gill and Alistair

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