Addis Ababa (New Flower): Heather Hendrickson’s Experience in Ethiopia’s Capital City

The city of Addis Ababa is a thriving metropolis over 5 million people and full of western influences, from the ultra modern airport to the out of control urban housing boom and extensive freeway construction under the supervision of a large Chinese corporation. As we drove from the airport to the hotel I was struck by the people’s western style of dress mostly blue jeans and US style t-shirts. The other striking factor was the heavy smog that is a result of no vehicle emissions control. The city is situated at 7,500 feet (about one mile high) and I noticed the dryness of the air, the arid landscape and absence of tall trees.
Our group stayed in the city of Addis and traveled daily to the Selamta family houses in the outer eastern suburb. Each day proved to be an adventure as we drove the streets full of lorries, taxis, large buses, small buses, cows, goats, sheep and innumerable pedestrians. Like any developing city all of life can be seen on the streets from beggars to well dressed businessmen and women along with shanties built by people too poor to live anywhere else. Many of the street people arrive from the country areas and have no work or family to support them. We had a van and driver to transport us on our daily excursions and I would not suggest renting a car and driving in the city. I never could work out who had the right of way at the intersections and corners!
We stayed at the Hotel Ghion originally built by Haile Selaisse to house his summer guests. The Hotel has traditional Ethiopian charm and its greatest blessing is the wonderful gardens that surround the complex. The gardens filtered the city noise and smog along with providing homes for some of Ethiopia’s endemic birds. Each time we entered or departed from the compound a group of armed military guards spoke to our driver and inspected our vehicle. Often times the large parking lot in front of the hotel filled with UN vehicles and their African drivers and the scene reminded me of the horrific movie Hotel Rwanda. The Ethiopian government runs the Hotel Ghion which is moderately priced compared to the palatial Sheraton at $400.00 a night and the fancy Hilton at $300.00 a night and all of this in a country where the average Ethiopian earns less than $800.00 US a year and thousands remain hungry.