Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, has an altitude between about 7,000 and 9,000 feet, with Mt. Entoto standing over it. The altitude gives it a cool, pleasant climate. The rainy season comes mainly in the summer, but a few last rains were still there when we arrived at the end of October. The first picture is taken from our window in the Ghion Hotel. In the second picture, out front, Arleta looks over some of the hotel grounds. These beautiful grounds are somewhat of an island in the bustling city of so many people and so many automobiles. The tourist guide of 40 years ago calls it a "sprawling city of half a million people." Today the population is around 7 million! Forty years ago, I drove the streets of Addis Ababa with no problem at all. Today, with the great number of cars and people all together in the streets, I was very happy to have a driver who knew the area and who knew how to handle a car in the midst of the tumult.









A third picture was taken from Mt. Entoto, looking out over a portion of the city. It looks quite cloudy and damp, since we had just had a rain.








We drove down the street through the Mercato, one of the larger market areas in Africa. It was suggested that it would not be wise to move through that great crowd of people with a camera, so I took a few shots out the window of the car.












At a calmer place at some distance, we did stop and visit some of the shops. Notice the typical clothes for sale, and the baskets. That is Jose at the right of the picture. To the left, a woman is heating water over a small charcoal heater.