Ethiopia > Back to Addis, back home

The last real day of the journey has arrived. I take a shower, prepare my luggage for the return flight, and go for breakfast. At exactly half past nine, I drive out of the Langano Vacation Club, heading towards Addis Ababa. At Lake Ziway, one of the seven lakes in the Rift Valley, I briefly step out of the bus. It’s supposed to be a good spot for birdwatching, but instead, I’m greeted by numerous children.

Ethiopia - The unusual speckled mousebird

I see a group of boys swimming in the lake, while others watch over the cattle grazing by the shore. I walk to the water’s edge, firmly declining the repeated requests for pens, money, and candy. Along the road, fish is being sold on a plastic sheet, surrounded by a group of men. The women are busy with fruit. Mostly tomatoes—many still green—are neatly stacked along the roadside, waiting to be sold. I leave them behind. Further along the route, Lia spends the last birr from the common fund on strawberries. They are grown in large plastic greenhouses. I enjoy the strawberries as we continue driving. Our final group lunch is at a charming spot: a restaurant overlooking a small lake surrounded by greenery. It’s the perfect place to eat my sandwich with fries. Around 2:30 p.m., we enter Addis Ababa. The traffic is heavy. Jonas tries to maneuver the bus through, but it barely moves. Over an hour later, we arrive at the Ethnological Museum in the city center.

Ethiopia - Selling tomatoes at Lake Ziway

The museum is housed in the former palace of Haile Selassie, emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. Now it forms part of Addis Ababa University. The collection focuses on the life of Haile Selassie. I recognize many objects I’ve seen during the past weeks of travel. What strikes me is how many of the items on display—like the wooden plow—are still in use today. Overall, I find the building itself more impressive than the collection. I visit Haile Selassie’s old bedroom and the bathrooms of him and his wife. Later, in Churchill Street, I stop by a few souvenir shops clearly aimed at tourists. I buy a bag of Ethiopian roasted coffee beans—fun to try at home. When I return to the bus, another surprise awaits. The local agent has called and invites us for a traditional farewell dinner. Although it’s at the same location as our first evening, it’s still a wonderful way to end the trip with a typical Ethiopian meal.

Ethiopia - The Tomaco coffee shop in Addis Ababa

By 8:45 p.m., I arrive at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa. I say goodbye to Jonas. With his cheerfulness, he really became part of our group. Now he has a few days off before guiding a French group for two weeks. I check in my luggage and proceed to immigration. In line, I discover that my boarding passes are wrong: instead of one for the flight to Frankfurt and one for the connection to Amsterdam, I have two for Amsterdam. I return to the check-in desk, where the correct pass is issued with apologies. I rejoin the immigration line. With my last birr, I buy some water and chocolate. At the next baggage check, my water is confiscated. The security officer asks for the receipt, which I show, but it doesn’t specifically list the water. She seizes it. I watch in disbelief but can do little about it. Without water, I board the plane. Shortly after 11 p.m., the aircraft takes off for Frankfurt, with a stopover scheduled in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. I am quite exhausted after this long final day and try to get some sleep.