Monday, May 09, 2011

Back to Addis Ababa


We set off at ten in the morning on the long road to Addis Ababa, avoiding donkeys, cows, camels and goats on the way, going through a sand storm, followed by a rain storm, finally arriving at the Comboni Sisters convent well past 6 in the evening.


We had stopped by for lunch at a country club, which was so posh, it seemed quite incongruous in the middle of its simpler surroundings. The lunch was good, however, as was the company. Fr. Joseph drove us the 10 hours it took us to reach Addis. You'd never say this was a 65 year old man!


In the night, we decided to go to a local restaurant and ended up at the Yod Abyssinia (Abyssinia was the old name for Ethiopia) where we, quite literally, dug into traditional Ethiopian food. That's assorted food items heaped over the local bread called Injera. Everybody eats from a common plate, breaking off bits of Injera and scooping up whatever is placed on top.


They presented dances from various tribes and one, in particular, was simply awesome with its energy. The dancers galloped like horses and the speed with which they moved may have put the horses to shame. The video here (this one isn't mine) would illustrate.

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