I need to get internet cafes addresses for a trip in Ethiopia. List of towns visited below. and would like to hear about any satellite telephone experience in Ethiopia.(and cell phone experience)
Do you have any recommandations/addresses for internet cafes in the following ethiopian towns, if possible not too far from our hotel: Addis Ababa (I am staying at the Ghion hotel), Bahar Dar (Tana hotel), Gondar (Goha hotel), Debark, Axoum (Yeha hotel), Lalibela(Roha hotel).
Any experience to share about using a satellite telephone in Ethiopia (I am hiking for one week in the Simien mountains after Christmas). or using an ATT cell phone?
thanks so much
Adelaide
Reply to this When I travelled through Ethiopia (Gondar, Axum, Lalibela, Addis) in March/April 2009, I found the Internet in general to be the slowest I've encountered anywhere in the world (plus electricity is not necessarily available 24 hours). Barring a major infrastructure upgrade in the last year and a half, you should be prepared for something similar. I don't have any addresses for Internet cafes but your hotels should be able to point you in the right direction. Hope that "helps"!
No idea about phones.
Reply to this Hello Adelaide, I concur with John, very slow Internet in Ethiopia away from Addis Ababa. I was in Ethiopia during July this year and the loading time of pages is still as painfully slow when compared to my 2008 visit. By painful, I would figure on up to five minutes to load even a simple hotmail page.
I have been to all the cities you mention (excepting Axoum) in 2008 and the slowest of them all was in Debark, with Gondar rating very poorly as well. By the time I arrived in Lalibela, I'd given up on any net time at all. If you do need to use the net, you are only going to be able to access very simple pages - if anything you are trying to look at has a flash page, you can forget it.
Cannot comment on satellite phones either, but I do seem to recall seeing a documentary once when people where using them in the Simien mountains. I know that normal phone access is quite limited up there, even for those on Ethiopian sim cards.
Reply to this I'm a fellow Hotmail victim - in my experience, it's easily the worst e-mail provider for travellers because it's so (relatively) slow at the best of times, let alone in Ethiopia. Use Gmail if you can (I never used Yahoo while I was travelling so can't really comment on it). Whatever you're using, try to keep your Inbox as empty as possible, use the simple HTML view (if available), etc. Do a Google search for something like "speed up blahmail" and you should find a whole host of tips relevant to your particular provider.
Reply to this When you are in Addis Ababa you can find high speed internet in some places. The one place that I know and used would be the business center at the Sheraton hotel. Unlike other cafés in Addis which you heard about above the Business Center at Sheraton is totally different and you would be happy with it. Also, you don’t have to stay there to use it, and the fee is not that bad.
Reply to this Agree that Sheraton in Addis does have a great connection, but it is not cheap by local standards (I too was not staying there) and other good options are along Bole Road are cheaper (cannot remember names). Overall, net surfing in Ethiopia is dire.
John, I may need to take your Gmail advice, even though I remain a fan of Hotmail.
Reply to this Sorry for the confusion, Shane - my advice was more aimed at the OP. You're maybe in the same boat as me, where you've used a Hotmail address for donkey's years and changing is just too much effort. I have a Gmail address as a backup, which family and close friends can use if they're getting no response from my Hotmail one.
Reply to this No worries, I wasn't confused by it, I just wanted to note that is a good idea - and any good idea can apply to all readers. You've had much more travel experience through Africa than me, so your suggestions are always considered.
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