Wheels of Addis

My new guide to Ethiopia has finally been delivered. It’s only a few weeks late, but it was worth the wait. What it lacks in pictures, it certainly packs in stats.

Here are some interesting titbits:

“Don’t leave home without… flea powder for cheap hotel beds and for socks when visiting remote churches”

“Just like your first kiss, your first taste of injera is an experience you’ll never forget. It’s the national staple and the base for almost every meal…. Just like your first kiss, most first impressions of injera are not too positive. The overwhelmingly sour taste can be enough to make some people retch.” (Check - see post about my first Ethiopian dinner below)

“Tape worms - these parasites are relatively common in Ethiopia. Eating traditional food like kitfo and tere sega (raw meat dishes) in rural areas is usually the cause. Consider having your stool checked when you get home”

“Though not exactly a respected profession, prostitution is considered a perfectly valid means of making a living… Outside the city, men should be warned that almost all women in bars are prostitutes.”

So I’ll be the first to admit that my guide book hasn’t yet been well thumbed, but I have somehow managed to hone right in on the salient details. I’m pretty sure there is some nice stuff in there too, I’ll have to keep you posted on that. In the meantime, sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite… I mean it.