Exploring Addis Ababa

What a terrible breakfast at the hotel. It's really quite primitive. To be more accurate, I guess you could say it's Ethiopian breakfast. Africa's largest outdoor market is called Mercato. You can buy just about anything there. But you have to watch your pockets in this area, as there are quite a few pickpockets around. Plus, we’re pretty easy to spot. Our pale faces stand out like a beacon! We didn’t buy anything at Mercato. Everything looked a bit worn down. Mercato doesn’t really offer much that interests tourists. Instead, we headed over to the Friendship shopping center. Sure, it’s not exactly a super modern mall, but it’s what Ethiopia has to offer. On the other hand, Addis has some great options for massages and beauty treatments at pretty affordable prices. Right next to Friendship is Boston Day Spa. A massage costs 125 birr, and a hot stone massage is 400 birr. This is where the wealthy Ethiopians come to pamper themselves. Ethiopia is also very proud of its coffee. They discovered coffee here, so there are some pretty nice coffee shops where the trendier young Ethiopians hang out. Kadifs Coffee Shop looks a lot like Starbucks... We enjoyed a moccamint, even though we’re not big coffee drinkers. Ethiopia is world-renowned for its coffee, which was discovered by a shepherd who noticed his sheep getting hyperactive after eating from a certain plant. Addis is modern in a few limited spots, but out the windows, you can see the terribly poor people begging or lying down and sleeping by the roadside. If we stop at a red light in a taxi, beggars immediately come up and knock on the window. The country is more expensive than expected due to high inflation. Transportation costs have skyrocketed because of gas prices. But food is still incredibly cheap. Addis offers restaurants serving food from India, China, Italy, and the Middle East. We chose an Indian place—Bombay Brasseria.