Jan 21, 2009

Ethiopia things that go!


Airline to Ethiopia-tickets $1,700 a piece, for my Knight and I, with a $300 baby lapseat on the return trip.

This blog with the help of Emily (The Learning Never Stops) raised nearly $2,200 dollars!


Loading up, almost ready to GO!



Addis Ababa airport at night



Cute little cars, hey?



One of our rented vans



All of our luggage going on the roof-7 families traveled together on this flight!
*what a blessing to travel with others on the journey-*I thought I wouldn't like this, but I grew to love each of these families deeply!

**we were told not to let anyone help us with our bags....unless we had birr to give them for a tip** We exchanged $200 American dollars at the airport...and later more at our hotel, to cover expenses.


one of the many cars we passed on the way to our hotel in Addis (short a sound-short i sound)
Capitol of Ethiopia....Addis Ababa, or as many call it just plain Addis


From the inside window of our van...which is headed to the Union Hotel




They pack these vans, no seat belts, at least not in any of ours. Babies and children just are held or plunk down in their own spot on the vinyl seats. I think we saw 2 traffic lights in all of the city. Otherwise it is just beep and GO!



One of the zillions of blue and white vehicles-most vehicles on the road are this same mix of colors, good gig for the manufacturer


The driving is like none I have ever seen before, I question whether a license is required, or whether having a car and knowing how to use the horn is sufficient in Addis.
Thankfully, we never needed one of these!

8 comments:

Ron & Maria said...

The pics are great! Can't wait to go! We got our word, it's UNofficial but it's good!
Happy you're home!
Hope everyone is healthy.
Maria

Annie Chase said...

I love seeing all these pictures of Addis. I've had LONG conversations with my two ethiopian roommates about Ethiopia and the country versus Addis and what everything is like. The pictures bring to life their stories as well as yours. I'm intrigued!

Stephanie said...

Thanks for sharing the pictures! The driving and horn usage sounds a lot like it was when we took our mission trip to Bolivia!

Also, would it be too much to ask more specifics about how much you spent while in-country? We're just trying to get an idea on how much we should come up with before we go. You can email me at cominghomesewhappy@yahoo.com if you feel comfortable sharing. Thanks. :-)

jody said...

So glad you are home safely-and what a BEAUTY you brought back with you!!!! I cannot wait till it is our turn! Thanks for sharinga part of your trip with us still waiting to get to our little ones :)

Amrita said...

It is very interesting to see how westerners view conditions in the third world countries.

Close to home this is.

Good post Kimmie.

javamamma said...

Horns and lights and cars 4 lanes wide in a 2 lane road is what my husband had to live through in India these past weeks!

Definitely glad you made it safely through the ground travel! :)

Shonni said...

Sounds so much like Liberia. I love seeing the pictures!

A. said...

"I question whether a license is required, or whether having a car and knowing how to use the horn is sufficient in Addis."

Lol, sounds like Boston!

Allison

Blog Widget by LinkWithin