Cairo, Egypt. Desert. 97°F. Sunny.
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Highlands. 67°F. Rainy.
That essentially sums up my first impression of Ethiopia. I'll blame my surprise on ignorance, but every part of me thought Ethiopia would be either hot and dry, like Egypt, or hot and humid, like what I naively assumed East Africa to be. The contrast with Cairo goes further. Even with more people living on the streets, there is much less hassling. And much less aggressive hassling at that. One "no, thank you" is enough and stares are at least often accompanied by smiles or greetings.
In other news, I figure I should give some info on the countries we visit, especially since I knew close to nothing before planning this trip.
Ethiopia. Officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Capital: Addis Ababa. Population: 84,320,987. The second-most populous country in Africa as well as the most populous land-locked country in the world. Official language: Amharic. GDP per capita: $360. Most popular religion: Christianity. Interesting facts: One of the oldest sites of human existence. Rumored to be the resting place of the Ark of the Covenant.
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| Possible Jackie Chan impressions. |
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| Seeing animals on the street always gets me excited. This was a special moment I captured. |
