If you're bringing home a baby, you may be wondering how to navigate hotel rooms and baby bottles. Remember, even in the nicest hotel the water coming out of the tap is most likely unsafe to drink. And even the nicest of babies will likely be asking for bottles at all hours of day and night.

There are several things that make bottle-making easier in Ethiopia. First of all, most traveling parents find the kind of bottles with the drop-in liners to be the very easiest. This makes bottle washing much simpler, since basically all you are washing is the nipple.

The drop-in liners... more

I found an interesting post on a blog called Jessica's Rants. Jessica is an American woman working in Addis and living at the Hilton. She talks about observing the many adoptive families who now stay at the Hilton while in Ethiopia picking up their children. If you plan to stay at the Hilton, you'll probably enjoy her observations.

She mentions getting sick twice from eating at the Hilton. A few years back, the Hilton breakfast buffet had a reputation for causing stomach woes, but I hadn't... more

A reader emailed me because she was wondering how to handle her money when she was in Ethiopia. It's a good question. Adoption travel to a third world country is a bit different than a trip to Hawaii, and the typical money 'rules' are a little different.

You will most likely not be able to change money until you get to Ethiopia, as none of the other airports have birr, as far as I have been able to find out. You will need to bring your US money mostly in cash. $50 bills are best, and they need to be 1997 or newer, with very little wear or wrinkles. Contact your bank at least a week ahead of your trip for help in gathering new money. If the money is too worn, many... more

I just got a frustrated email from my sister who is currently in Ethiopia picking up her incredibly gorgeous 6 month old baby boy. It seems that her luggage is stuck in Washington D.C. She's trying to figure out how to get them to send it on to Addis, and she's having a hard time calling out of Ethiopia. I contact her travel agent for her, who hopefully will be able to help her straighten things out.

But her email reminded me of a question that comes up over and over again when families are preparing to travel to Ethiopia: what about phone calls? I wrote awhile back about ... more

I found this interesting story in the New York Times about some of the traditional restaurants in Addis.

Danielle Pergament writes:

On a trip to Addis Ababa last year, I became increasingly intrigued with the cuisine. Everywhere — from dingy streets to polished hotels — I saw people of every age, class and occupation eating the same food and embracing the same traditions. The food is a source of national pride, and a daily reminder of this country’s history.

There are no appetizers or desserts... more

One of the things that I regret about my time in Ethiopia is that I did not know much Amharic. I learned how to say 'thank you', and 'OK', and 'what's your name?' - and that's about it. I've seen a few lists here and there, and even shared some phrases with you. But I was delighted by the thoroughness of today's post on the Ethiopian Adoption Travelogue. It contains LOTS of Amharic phrases complete with pronunciation. Print it... more

Many people wonder if they will be able to bring a computer with them to Ethiopia, and what the best way is to navigate writing home from the internet cafes. My experience both times when we were in Ethiopia was that the internet there is terribly, painfully s-l-o-w.

If you are thinking of taking photos and uploading them, don't imagine effortlessly sending large numbers of photos. Uploading a photo will take awhile, and you will probably want to significantly reduce the quality of each photo before sending it to speed the transmission. I 'lost' my internet connection frequently in the midst of trying to send emails.

Another challenge is just keeping your head together... more

One of our evenings in Ethiopia we decided to go with another adoptive family and eat dinner at the traditional restaurant at the Ghion Hotel. The restaurant is a big round building with a grass roof. We were shown to a group of seats gathered around a ‘table’ for dinner.

The tables actually are just big flat baskets complete with attached pedestals to raise them a couple feet off the ground. We sat in chairs all around this basket-- it felt very cozy. We were very close to an upraised area which I assumed was where the dancing would occur.

We ordered doro wat (chicken stew) and a beef... more

No advice about travel would be complete without mentioning the traffic in Addis. The vast majority of vehicles in Addis consist of 3 types: blue cabs, blue minibuses, and huge yellow and orange public buses. Very infrequently do any of these types of transportation have seatbelts.

Horn-honking is an integral part of driving in Addis. There are as many lanes in the road as will fit cars at any given moment. Minibuses stop anywhere, helter-skelter, causing drivers to detour around them. Then other drivers to detour around THEM, with horn-honking being the accepted way to say, ‘I’m coming through.'

... more

One of the things I enjoyed most in Ethiopia was the shopping. I am a penny-pincher at heart, and had no trouble finding lots of bargains while there. The traditional dresses my little girls are modeling in this picture can be found for $10-$15.

The background fabric in both pictures is a large tablecloth that came with 12 napkins and cost around $40. Other textiles available include gorgeous hand-woven headscarves which come in stunning colors and patterns and are often worn by Ethiopian women.

Other things that are affordable include baskets (in the $3-$10 range for... more