With some family members set to visit Ethiopia after a long absence, I dug up the passage below I wrote last year upon returning to the United States after a year in Ethiopia. I am reprinting it here in the hopes that some of you who are planning trips to Ethiopia may find it useful. Your contributions are also welcome on some of the fun things to do in Ethiopia. Send it to ethioguide@yahoo.com or use the form below. Thanks.

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Things To Do In Addis
January 29, 2001

Ethio-Americans sometimes breeze into Addis for a couple of weeks and return complaining that there was nothing to do in town. Unlike many places in the world, Addis does take a while to get to know, especially since there is a dearth of publications that provide a guide to the city. (Since this was written, What's Up Addis has come on the scene.)

So here is my scattershot attempt to let you know about some of things you should check out:

Lunches at the ASNI Gallery on Thursdays and Saturdays starting around 1 p.m. Gallery owners Konjit and Alula Pankhurst serve delicious (Ethiopian) vegetarian dishes in a rambling old house they saved from the wrecking ball. You're bound to run into any number of interesting folks while there. The last time I was there superstar chef Marcus Samuelsson was having a photo shoot for a profile in Gourmet Magazine. Of course, it would be nice while you're there to check out the artwork by several Ethiopian artists and maybe buy some. The place is very family friendly with a little playground in the garden. The Pankhurst's little boy Henock, is always running around so feel free to take your little ones. I did. Location: Near the French Embassy, turn right after the Total gas station, take the unpaved road to the end.

In my last month in Addis, I discovered Tacana, a small eatery behind the Mega House building. It's the kind of place you might expect in D.C.'s Adams Morgan or NY's Village. Bright colored walls, art by local painters on the wall, cutlery made by locals with local material. A bunch of little wonderful touches. Tacana serves delicious Ethiopian food and you can find fasting food there every day, not just on fasting days. One of the two woman owners claims her chocolate mousse cake is "the best in town." Since I am not a big fan of dessert, I haven't sampled much in town, but Tacana's was excellent. Most of all I liked Tacana because it's the the kind of place where you can go alone for a quick lunch by yourself. Not a lot of places like that in Addis. (By the way, I thought Tacana was an Italian word, but one of the owners told me it's an acronym for names of the owners and their kids.)

Habesha Restaurant on Bole Road also serves good Ethiopian food. Major bonus: wonderful vocalists perform as you eat dinner. The sound is never overwhelming. It's always just right. It's a nice place to take a visitor to the city. (They also serve lunch.)

For excellent Italian food, check out El Camineto near Bole Homes. Tip courtesy of my friend Belay: Check out their lunch special. Excellent food at a good price.

That reminds me, if you can find somebody with a pass to take you, check out the Delegate's Dinning room at the UN/ECA. Fresh, delicious food for only 30 birr. A glass of wine, or other types of drink, come with the meal. I practically lived there.

For a spectacular view of Addis, Top View Restaurant is not to be missed. The eatery is managed by the same people who brought you Blue Tops restaurant at Amest Kil.
Castelli Restaurant in Piassa has been there through Haile Selassie, Mengistu and our new guys. It's run by an old Italian family many of whose members were born in Ethiopia and speak perfect Amharic. Many people rave about it. Neil Henry, a journalism prof. at Berkeley who was in Addis about five months ago told me that he thinks it's the best Italian restaurant in Africa. That's saying something since Neil was, in his earlier reincarnation, a correspondent for the Washington Post in Africa and saw a lot of the continent. I love the salad bar at Castelli.

One of the little known gems about life in Addis is the Ethiopian Wildlife Society. You become a member for 50 birr a year and then you can go to all the interesting trips they take around the country. They rent buses from the National Tourist Organization, load 20-30 people, and take off. Not only do they go to places such as Langano, but they also take off for Gambella and other equally far off places around the country. A week in Gambella may cost you 300 to 400 birr.

More Addis favorites:

Photo developing: Photo Filimon opposite Mega House on Bole Road. Helpful staff, excellent developing and printing. I especially like they way they print with frames. Tel. 51-08-17

Bazaar: the NGO bazaar on the last Saturday of each month at the International Evangelical Church near the Sar Beits.

Photo copy place: Procolor opposite Novis Supermarket on Bole Road

Bookstore: Bookworld, near the Cathedral School.

Plants: Angels, near Fantu Restaurant on Bole Road

Habesha libs: Shero Meda

Ice: on Bole Road, the turn off to the Rwandan Embassy.

Live music: The Coffee House on Sunday nights. Buffet De Lagarre, Villa Verde

Best expat hangout: the Silver Bullet.

Favorite hangout: SOHO

Supermarket: Fantu on Bole Road.

Graphic Designers: Misrak of MCBS and Fekade.

Lunch (almost) out of town: Selam Children's Village, on the CMC Road, near the Civil Service College.

The best ravioli under 20 birr; Jerusalem Restaurant, near Stadium.

The best looking women on the planet: at the Gas Light (and anywhere else your eyes happen to rest in Ethiopia.)

The best coffee house: Le Notre, opposite the back door to the Hilton. A Paris pastry shop complete with couches, delicious pizza, a sweets lover's genet.

The best swimming pool: Hilton, hands down. There is nothing I love than swimming at the Hilton in a mist-shrouded pool as the sun goes down.

The best quick getaway out of town: Family Restaurant in Debre Zeit.

The best mille feuille: the Hilton Pastry.

Sunday afternoon hangout with a playground for the kids: the newly built playground at the Sheraton addis. Runner up: Addis Ababa Golf Club, Old Airport, opposite the Lion Supermarket.

Newspapers: Fortune for business, Addis Admas and the Reporter for general news. Runners up: Ruh and Eletawii Addis.

Massage: Hilton

Best spot for people watching: Balcony seat at City Café on Bole Road.

Women's hair stylist: Eurostyle, opposite Bambis Supermarket.

Fruit Juices: Saye Pastry, Bole Road

Thai Restaurant: Mai Thai, on Bole Road.

Flowers: Meskel Flowers, at the Hilton and other locations.

Laundromat: Indod, near Urael Church

Film Festivals: Alliance Francais

Horseback riding for kids: Addis Golf Club

Sunday school for kids: IAC, near the OAU

After reading my entry of my favorite things to do in Addis, Eliab Tarkghen writes:
"You raised a good point about Ethiopians who visit Addis and only enjoy the nightlife. There are tons of other stuff that one can do. In fact, in my brief stay in Addis, I run out time before I run out of things to do. So here is my brief list of things one should check out beside the famous nightlife.

Selassie Church. (Located behind the parliament) This Church is built by Atse Haile Selassie to commemorate his return from exile and to honor
the Arbgnas who fought during the Ethio-Italian War. This is a perfect place to spend an afternoon. The guide is great (at least the one I got). You
will see the resting place of Atse Haileselasse and his wife, plus learn a great deal about the church architecture and paintings. Must see.

Amest-Kilo Museum: Most people know Blue Top restaurant, but few people know the National Museum of Ethiopia is across it. Although in dire
need of updating, the museum is still a place to visit. It contains the famous Lucy bones, and other artifacts about Ethiopia. I didn't have a guide when I visited the place, but I heard there are guides. It will probably take you about 2 hours to visit the museum without guide. After visiting the museum you can have a good lunch in the Gojo Bet located within the museum.
Addis Ababa University Ethiopian Studies Museum: A very rich, and well-documented museum. You will find a wealth of information, and
artifacts. This is a great place to visit if you are a guru or want to become one about Ethiopian history. Addis Ababa Museum: I didn't have a time to go there, but I heard it is a good one. Check it out.

Lion Zoo: I didn't go inside (to protest the high price for my video camera), but it would be a good place to check out if they change their policy of charging too much for a video camera.

FelWeha: You don't have to drive all the way to Sodere to enjoy the volcanic hot springs. Right in the middle of Addis is FelWeha, where many
Ethiopians spend their Sat/Sun afternoon enjoying the hot bath. Very relaxing. Take a good magazine with you; the wait is about an hour in a good day.

Mazgaja (City Hall): Being a city hall you would find the Master Plan of Addis Ababa in Mazgaja. If you ask kindly you may be able to gaze at the current Master plan of Addis. Aside from being a city hall, Mazgaja has a small library and a theater. How about checking out some great books (say Asdenaki Tarik by Paolus Ngogno) and catch a traditional show at the theater.

Addis Abeba Stadium: If you are a soccer fan and miss the old rivalry between St. George and Coffee, how about stopping by the Addis Stadium. Games are usually held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The rivalry and the fans are still there. You will find fans singing Rickie Martin "GOAL GOAL" song, and popping firecrackers whenever their team scores a goal. It is an experience you will never forget.

Legaher Train Station. This is a historic building. It is an experience to observe many traders and city dwellers go on their daily activities. Stop there and observe, and wonder how the place was about 100 years ago, if you are lucky you would see a train go by. Also a great view for photographers to capture the famous Churchill Godana Picture. If you decide to head toward the City Hall, there are many stopping places in the middle between Legaher and City Hall.

Once you fulfill your desire of seeing the city and culturally updating yourself, how about stopping by the several orphanages in Addis. Although, not a tourist attractions, these places should be visited to encourage our brothers and sisters who are taking care of the many orphaned kids. I would like to take this opportunity to express my great admiration for the International Ethiopian Student Association members who took their time and donated financial and other resources to these orphanages. Great job guys.

Last but not least:

In Addis (actually everywhere in Ethiopia) it seems there is a conspiracy to deny tourists from taking pictures and videos. Many gatekeepers would tell you, taking pictures and videotaping is prohibited. It does not matter what the place is or what function it has. For example I was stopped from video taping Tana Gebeya in Merkato without any explanation. If not denied then in most places you would be asked an extra fee for your camera in addition to the entrance fee. Some places are just plain ludicrous, like the Lion Zoo where you would be asked to pay 250 Birr in addition to the entrance fee, if you want to video tape it. I believe this would discourage people from visiting many beautiful places, and authorities should look into revising the communist attitude about cameras. In fact pictures and videotapes are free advertisements for these places. Family and friends who see the pictures or videos would tend to visit these places than other unknown places."

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