Adrift in Addis Ababa

It’s been awhile since I posted due to conditions here in the birthplace of humanity.

After traveling by train with my new mate Meriem to Marrakech in the south Morocco and surviving the Ramadan fast in 108-degree heat, I flew overnight to Cairo.

With a 40-minute window to catch the next flight to Sharm El-Sheik, the Egyptian military went above and beyond to usher me through customs, and given I had no local currency yet, they hailed down a taxi and commanded the driver not to charge me for the rush service to the next terminal. Impressive. Once I landed on the Sinai Peninsula at the foot of Mt. Sinai, the military were much less accommodating and I almost came to blows with the taxi driver when negotiating the price to Dahab, about 100km north of Sharm.

Good thing I didn’t try to rent a car…getting through the armed checkpoints was harrowing enough even with a local speaking Arabic on my behalf. Encountering the gorgeous blue of the Red Sea and the white building of my hotel in this spit of paradise, I finally breathed easily again about 18 hours after leaving Morocco.

Although a short stay, two nights in Dahab were the recharge I needed before heading into the horn of Africa. Diving off Sinai was incredible, all that I had hoped for and worth the extra travel. I also got in an interview with a former sharp-shooter and celebrated Ramadan with the hotel staff who were intrigued by my interest in their faith and decorated my room with flowers and the Koran on my last morning.

Flying back to Cairo for a 9-hour layover and whirlwind through the capital was chaotic but great. Made my way by bus and a lot of walking to the Coptic Christian area of the city, then to the Muslim neighborhood (I left my pack at a luggage room in the main train terminal, Ramses, for pennies and it was still there at the end of the day. Not bad). Also sat by the Nile and then went to the highest point in the city, the Tower of Cairo, where I enjoyed panoramic views in the hot afternoon sun.

I have been in Addis Ababa now for almost a week and this leg of the journey deserves a full entry all its own, so for now I’ll say that conditions are extreme, the athletes are incredible, and the food is constant and filling! It is all that I hoped for and more, but also much more challenging than I anticipated.

The highlight: 36 hours of Ethiopian Orthodox wedding. Wow.

As I continue to make my way through rural living in a big city amidst a sea of taxis, mud and generous people, I will get online again when I can. More to come…