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If you’re planning to go pick up your child, you may be wondering what kinds of things there are to do while in Addis. You’ll probably want to pick up the Lonely Planet Guide to Ethiopia as it is a helpful resource. Some internet places you can visit include:
www.gondarlink.org.uk/guide
www.whatsupaddis.com
www.ethiopiatravel.com
The National Museum is a very popular tourist destination in Addis. This famous museum, close to the University of Addis Ababa Graduate School, houses numerous relics and artifacts showing the history of Ethiopia from prehistoric times to the modern day. Its most famous exhibit is the 3.5 million year old skeleton of “Lucy.”
The Ethnological Museum at Addis Ababa University is another nice museum featuring Ethiopian traditions, culture and rituals. It is housed in the former residence of Emperor Haile Sallasie. You can still see his bedroom and bathroom, which have been preserved.
If you are adopting older children and are a good hiker, you might be interested in visiting the Wasa Michael Church which was built in the 300‘s AD. This is a rock-hewn church near the British Embassy on the north-east side of Addis. The church itself is UP a hill, about an hour’s hike. Many adoptive parents and children have made this hike since it is so close to Addis. At the base of the mountain is a modern church and the trailhead up the “mountain” to the very ruined old rock hewn church Along the trail you can see some small huts and homes, and it is a beautiful walk. Some parents have reported that a ’guard’ is recommended to escort families up the mountain.
If you are interested in shopping, the Mercato is one of the largest “open air” markets in Africa. It is huge and rumored to be teeming with pickpockets. If you decide to go, you’ll want to bring a guide, to help keep an eye out for you, and to help you bargain. If you try to shop on your own, you’ll almost certainly be overcharged. You’ll also want to make sure most of your money is safely stowed away in a money belt.
The Mercato is one place I wanted to go, but decided not to do, since every time I’ve gone I’ve had young children, and just didn’t feel up to the potential hazard of it. The market itself is spread out over many blocks. Parts of it are corrugated shacks, parts are stalls inside large warehouses, and parts are a series of buildings with small shops.
Other places to shop include the Dembel Mall on Bole Road, the shops along Churchill Road, the Haille Salassie department store, and the Piazza in the old Italian section of Addis. The people are very helpful, both on the streets and in the shops.
The Hilton has several gift shops and a small children’s clothing store. The Ghion Hotel also has several gift shops. Hotels are probably not the cheapest places to shop, but I very much enjoyed shopping at the Ghion partly because it was so convenient and and because I didn’t need to call a cab to drive me someplace. A lady at the smaller gift shop at the Ghion was willing to look for specific things for me. She found a traditional dress for my little daughter and charged me only $7 US. This seemed very reasonable to me.
If you feel like swimming, both the Hilton and the Sheraton have nice pools. You do not need to be a hotel guest to use the pool, but there is a fee of about $10 US. You can eat lunch pool-side if you like.
Another outing that I took once was to bring my daughter to the hairdresser to get her hair braided. We found a place in the Mechanissa area near the AAI guesthouse that charged 15 birr (about $2) to get my daughter‘s hair done. Probably the most affordable braid job she’ll have her whole life! Most cab drivers can refer you to salons, as well.
If you go to Addis, be sure to venture outside the walls of the hotel or guesthouse and see a little of the city while you are there. You’ll never forget it! Even though places like the Mercato require a little extra caution, overall I felt very safe while out and about in Addis. I am so glad I went!
Gondarlink.org.uk link is broken. Try this one:
http://www.gondarlink.org.uk/travellers_guide/addis_ababa/addis_ababa.shtml
We took the drive up to Entoto Rd. for a spectacular view of the city.
Take a bus or mini bus to the town of Debre Zeit, a popular weekend getaway resort for people in Addis. The 1h+ ride will take you to serene sorroundings with beautiful volcano lakes perfect for fairly easy hiking. We did this in August 2008.
Who cares about Addis, the woyanes are interested in enriching themselves and their supporters as JELZIN did in Russia. The development of the future capital Makalle is going as planned.The elected mayor is doing his research and I hope his research is also about the problem of Addis and how to solve it.