Dubai - Days 55-56

My last full day in Dubai was spent walking around the historic part of the city. BUT before I talk about that, I need to continue with the previous night.

I mentioned that my host and I were going out for drinks. It was initiated by another girl on couchsurfing who had contacted Girish two years ago and never showed up. This time however, she made it to Dubai and was renting an apartment and looking for a job. So we managed to all go out together to a placed called "Barasti" on Jumeirah Beach. The girl, Sabine, was hilarious from the get-go and of course everything is funnier with a French accent. We had a terrific time chatting and watching an Arab dance-off straight out of the "Step Up" movies. We didn't leave until 3:30am and by then Girish was completely hammered. His famous last words in the club were, "I'm going to stop drinking because I feel like I'm about to cross the edge." Well...20 minutes later he crossed that edge. We took a cab back to the neighborhood and I had to drive his Jeep back to the apartment. I'm not often around drunk people because most of my friends prefer sober fun, but I discovered that night that drunk adults are like little kids. At one point he almost threw a tantrum cuz he thought someone stole his Jeep :)

He felt so bad the next day that he volunteered to drop me off at my destination on his way to IKEA. I spent the day walking about the Dubai Creek area with Bur Dubai and Deira on the two banks. It was really interesting to see how Dubai started as a little fishing and trade village, and also the traditional architecture. The government has invested substantially in restoring some of the prominent landmarks and heritage sights. The added bonus was that most of the points of interest were free or really cheap admission. I walked around the gold souq, spice souq, and perfume souq as well as hit up an old school and a few old Arab homes.

The last thing I did in Dubai was buy a replacement phone. No budget for an iPhone but this one will do.

Noon flight the next day to Cairo from Dubai via Doha with Qatar Air, which I must say was probably the nicest airline I've flown with. Super clean, terrific service, gorgeous crew, and an amazing onboard entertainment system. I don't normally say this but I wished the flight didn't end so soon.

I'm in Cairo now and have been exploring the city for the past couple of days and a bit behind on my blogging. But I will try to hit an internet cafe again soon to catch up.

Dubai - Days 52-54

Dubai is ridiculous. I think coming here from the US would have been a shock, but coming from Ethiopia absolutely has my head spinning. The contrast is actually giving me a headache.

In Ethiopia, there were beggars almost every few meters and everything was dusty and falling apart. Macchiatos cost 50 cents and public transportation was minibus jalopies. A 4 hour flight and sleepless night later, I was in Dubai. The city is spotless and everything seems as if it was built yesterday. The public transportation system is undoubtedly the easiest and most intuitive I've encountered. Stops are announced in Arabic and English along with display on the monitors. Piece of cake finding my host's place :)

I'm staying with a Indian guy who has been working and living in Dubai for the past six years. He has a nice apartment on the west side of Dubai that's pretty accessible by bus and metro, but it takes at least 30 minutes to get to the city center. The first couple of days I basically mall hopped and saw some of the major sights around the center of town. Day one was spent walking about Dubai Marina, the Mall of the Emirates, and Jumeirah with its 7 star Burj al-Arab hotel. About half of the day was spent looking skyward at all the highrises. There's still construction everywhere and new buildings being erected - each one taller, quirkier, and shinier than the next. The Mall of the Emirates and also the Dubai Mall, which I visited on day two, are like indoor, air conditioned mini-cities. Indoor ski, park, ice rink, aquarium, etc...you name it and they have it. It's amazing to see the extravagance and wealth here. Despite all the modernity and wealth, there's something almost insincere and intangible about the city. Even looking at the skyline from my host's apartment - these massive clusters of skyscrapers just rise up out of the desert like a mirage, especially with the glistening glass. Nobody pays you any attention (which is a nice change from Africa) so you glide through feeling somewhat disconnected from the culture. Can't quite put it in words but you definitely feel like a "visitor" in this country.

Anyway, I went to the Burj Al Arab and they wouldn't let me in. Not just me; they wouldn't let anyone in without a restaurant/bar reservation. I was politely handed a list of restaurants and the associated charges. I think the cheapest was a $25 hookah/sheesha experience. Also, the tickets to go up the Burj Khalifa (the world's tallest building) were sold out until Tuesday. Fail.

Today, my third day in Dubai, I went for a LONG ride with my host and the Harley Davidson Club of Dubai. He mentioned his plans the previous night and I shamelessly invited myself along, but he was really excited that I expressed interest so I didn't feel so bad. We arrived at the meetup point at 6:30am, had coffee and left a bit after 7am with about 45 riders. Rode East through five of the Emirates and arrived before 10am at Cove Rotana Resort for a super fancy breakfast buffet before heading back individually. My host, Girish, took me back via a different route through the dessert and also stopped in Sharjah for a quick break. Then we rode back to Dubai and stopped at a french bistro at the Jumeirah Beach Walk for lunch. Amazing day and I'm broke. We're going out for drinks tonight too...

Lalibela - Days 48-51

I'm back in Addis for the afternoon after having spent 3 full days in Lalibela. Tonight I fly out to Dubai :)

Spending a few days in Lalibela was exactly what I needed after the mayhem of Addis. And I'm super thankful to have found a good deal on a roundtrip flight; otherwise I would have spent 2 whole days on the bus. 45 minute flight = 2 day bus trip. I was having trouble comprehending the math until I saw the landscape from the air - mountains as far as the eye can see. I'm amazed they were even able to find a plot of flat land for the landing strip.

Lalibela is dubbed the "Holy Land" of Ethiopia and was actually created as a second Jerusalem outside of Israel by King Lalibela. It is the main reason for my visit to Ethiopia. The village has 11 rock hewn churches in the city carved and entirely freed from the mountains. Some people call it Little Petra or something similar to that, but it differs in that several of the churches are entirely detached from the mountains (freestanding) rather than having just the facade carved from the mountains. Quite spectacular!

I arrived mid-morning on Saturday and found a guesthouse to settle in. After a quick nap (to escape the noon heat), I visited the weekly Saturday market. Africa, in many aspects, reminds me of China a decade ago. This particular market was very similar to those I visited a kid whenever I went to see my grandma in the countryside. It was buzzing with mules and people selling vegetables, raw honey, second hand clothing, etc... I could only take about 20 minute of that before the stench and flies got to me. I then went to the ticket office to buy my pass to the churches. The ticket (350 Birr or $20) is valid for four days and allows free access to any of the 11 churches. Geographically, the churches are in three locations - two groups and a stand alone St. George. I visited one of the groups and ran into a deacon who offered to show me around since there were some hidden tunnels and underground passages. I was wary after the incident in Addis but decided to take a gamble, and it paid off. He turned out to be a really nice guy and told me to come back the next day before dawn to experience the mass.

So based on his advice, I woke up at 5:30am and hiked to the churches before daylight to see the service. Thank the deacon I sacrificed some sleep because it was an inspirational sight. Before I arrived at the church, I could hear the priests chanting and saw the town's folk all wrapped in white cloth heading toward the various churches. This is just one example of how Ethiopia has preserved tradition. Seeing hundreds of white specks scattered throughout the barren landscape was like being transported to another time. I met the deacon and saw all the rest of the churches by 10am.

Monday was another early start. I hired a mule to ride up to the to top of a nearby mountain to visit yet another church/monastery. The church itself was meh but the view was spectacular. I was debating whether to hike up or be touristy and ride the mule, and I can say 1000% that I made the right decision. Lalibela town sits at an altitude of 2800 meters and the mountain is over 4000 meters. Even on mule, it was almost 2 hours of steady uphill hike. Had I walked, I'm sure it would have taken me over 3 hours. There were parts where it was too steep and I had to walk up by foot...and I felt like my lungs were on fire. The old grandpa guiding the mule barely even broke a sweat. Needless to say, he got my respect and a generous tip.

Now I'm back in Addis trying to catch up on some email and Couchsurfing messages. Oh yea, I'm also caught up on my Glee episodes :) Off to get my share of fresh avocado juice and macchiato while I can still afford it.

Addis Ababa - Days 45-47

Who knew when I came to Addis that I'd be here for an entire week * sigh*

As promised, the phone mishap had some new developments, but don't get excited...I still have no phone.

So I had the email address of one of the thieves' friends, whom I also met at the coffee/chat bar. I emailed him to say his friends Abraham and Yonas stole my phone and asked him to please help me if possible. I didn't expect to hear from him but he responded quite shocked and said he doesn't know them well but would revisit the chat bar to see if he can run into them again. Fastforward 2 days, he gives my new local cell phone number to Abraham (I borrowed someone's phone for the remainder of my time in Ethiopia).

Two days ago, during the afternoon, I actually receive a call from Abraham! He claims that Yonas told him to steal the phone and that he merely wants the money I owe him back. However, Yonas wants 3500 Birr ($200) for the phone. I don't like being extorted. After he said that I actually laughed out loud. Sure, to him the phone is worth more than that, but it was a freebie for me to begin with. The only thing I'm really devastated about is all my music. What am I supposed to do from now on on my 10+ hour bus rides?

Still, I played along and asked him if we can meet to do the exchange and agree on a place and time. We decided that same evening, 7:30pm, at a popular cafe that I've been to a couple of times. I promptly call my cop friend and tell him this new development and he said he will be there with another cop in plain clothes and with concealed weapons.

I get there at 7pm, the cops arrive around 7:20pm, and Abraham is still yet to show when 7:30pm rolls around. His number is inconsistent to say the least. Sometimes no one answers, sometimes it's turned off, and occasionally he's in the mood to talk. He said he's afraid to come and ask if I'm alone. I said I'm already at the cafe waiting by myself and I have the money. Another 25 minutes pass and he's still not there so I call again. He texts back that we should wait until I come back from my trip to the north but he "promises" to give me my phone. So we waited around for an hour for nothing, and I felt horrible for wasting other people's time.

After I get back to John's home that evening around 9pm, Abraham calls again and says he's sorry for not coming but he was scared. But he again "promises" to meet me again the next day. I didn't think he'd show but agreed anyway since we had to go into town anyway. This time we decide on noon at the same place. I call him that morning and his phone number was canceled so I basically figured he wouldn't show but John and I swing by around 12:15pm anyway to see if by some miracle he was waiting. No big surprise, he wasn't there and I didn't even bother waiting.

So that's that. On a positive note, I purchased my roundtrip flight to Lalibela yesterday at a third of the price I found online. Apparently it's substantially cheaper to purchase domestic tickets at the airline office here. So now I can afford to fly both ways instead of taking a rickety old bus for two whole days. 3/3 -3/6 will be spend in Lalibela and then I will fly to Dubai on the 3/6 evening.

Ethiopia has definitely been the most memorable country so far, but I'm not sure if I want to come back...

Addis Ababa - Days 40-44

It's been a whirlwind in Addis that's for sure.

I'm staying with a family friend here so it's been nice having some kind of 'anchor' even though they live a LONG ways out of the city center.

Day 1: Uneventful. Arrived really early in the morning and waited for the guy, John, to pick me up from the airport. Napped and ate and saw a tiny bit of the city.

Day 2: Uneventful. Went for a little drive in the city but was mainly home the whole day. I basically tag along with John when he runs errands.

Day 3: Quite eventful. It started out the good kind of interesting. John dropped me off at a main transportation hub so I could catch a minibus taxi to the Addis Ababa University area. I was walking toward the Ethnological Museum when this guy struck up conversation and offered to walk with me to the museum. I should have just ignored him but he was quite knowledgeable and I was guarding my things carefully so I didn't see the harm is just chatting. WRONG. Anyway, we parted ways at the museum and decided to meet up for lunch at this very old and authentic restaurant, which turned out to be really delicious. For like $5, I got a huge portion of injera (a soft, spongy pancake made from fermented batter) with a variety of meats and a bottle of tej (honey wine). It was seriously HUGE and I ate about 1/5 of it - ME. But Yonas (my new thief friend) told me that is the smallest thing on the menu and intended for one person. Ethiopians sure can eat.

After lunch I stayed with Yonas and met up with a few of his friends for coffee and chat (the plant, not the verb). It's also called khat or qat and is a plant that supposedly brings on a high when you chew enough of it. I know I know...I shouldn't do drugged, especially when I'm abroad, but it's not a drug and I had very very little of it. No euphoria for me. So basically we sit and chew and drink coffee and talk for like three hours and everyone was having a good time. Then the bill comes and I have a minor stroke. In a country where nothing I saw was over $10...the bill for three of us was the equivalent of $180, which means my portion was $60 and I had about...$7 on me. Lesson #1: ALWAYS ask the price even if it looks super cheap. So I said I don't have the money on me but I can pay them back and I think that's when they started plotting to steal my phone... They were still really nice about it and said don't worry, I can get the money later. But they wanted to follow me to where I live to get the money and that triggered an alarm. I said we can exchange contact info and I will give them the money later, but I was scheduled to leave that night to another city and won't be back for a week. Looking back, I understand why they freaked out, especially since they live in a country where one's word really doesn't mean anything. So naive of me.

They seemed "fine" with that idea and we decided to wait at a restaurant while I figured out when my bus was leaving. John called and said the bus was arranged and he would come and fetch me, so I tried to explain to him exactly where we were. I then gave he phone to Abraham, Yonas' friend, to have him explain and that's when he took off with my phone. He didn't run at first but just got up to "ask the waitress" and after 10 seconds I realized I made a huge mistake and both of them were nowhere in sight. The best part? I had to pay for their beers as well.

The restaurant people stepped in to help and to make a long story short, we went to the police station to file a report. Normally I would just call it a lost cause but I had pictures of the two guys from earlier and thought it might be worth a shot. Cross my fingers. I understand why they stole my phone but it's worth a lot more than $60 damn it!

Day 4: So anyway, yesterday I printed out the pics and took it to the police station. The two guys at the restaurant had to return and give their witness statements as well. Super nice guys (I think).

Day 5: Last night I was supposed to catch a 2am minibus to Bahir Dar (about 10 hours north) and I get sick. The whole day my stomach was cramping and by dinner time I was throwing up and by evening I was running a fever. Midnight was round 2 of throwing up so I and everyone decided I shouldn't go quite yet. Therefore, I'm still here in Addis trying to return to 100%.

Stay tuned...hopefully I will have some interesting updates for you as this saga plays out.

Nairobi - Days 37-39

I had typed up this long update on my phone and lost it all! ^*+!*•*$@!

So I had intended to breeze through Nairobi on my way to Addis, but due to my procrastination, I could only get a flight for Friday. Three full days in Nairobi. It turned out to be a blessing because I met some rad people and got to unwind a bit. The city is nicer than I expected. The main boulevards are wide, there is enough green space, and it offers many of the modern conveniences and diversity that the other cities have lacked. Plus I had my first truly hot shower since South Africa.

In terms of sightseeing, I spent some time at the national museum and also the national archives. Saw tons of tribal artifacts and also numerous dead animals. There was one room with thousands of dead stuffed birds...a bit unnerving. But the highlight was probably the bones of prehistoric humanoids discovered in the region. We all know Africa is the cradle of mankind and they really advertise this fact.

In addition to the museums I have met some of the most amazing people here. Back in Zanzibar I met an American dude on the ferry. He is a journalist:/photographer based in Nairobi. Jonathan Kalan -look him up! So I emailed him to see if he could locate a couch for me and he definitely came through. I ended up staying with two girls named Renee and Poppy. Renee is an administrator at an art collective and Poppy is a 16 year old Kenyan-Brit on a gap year. Their extended circle is ridiculous and a who's who of awesomeness. There is a team of guerilla filmmakers making a documentary on camel milk, a TEd fellow, a cofounder of Sandbox (network of super connectors), cofounder of Kickstart, etc... I just hope some of their brilliance and ingenuity rubs off on me.

I leave for Addis tonight at 3:30am and will take the airport bus and hang out there for 7 hours... But I'm first meeting another girl I met in Zanzibar for dinner.

I've been told there is nothing in Addis or Ethiopia in general; we shall see. At least there is authentic Ethiopian food and coffee so i should be quite content.

Sidenote: I watched "The Vow" in the theater last night haha. Nothing life changing but a pleasant distraction and reminder of home.

Arusha-Days 35-36

My last couple of days in Arusha were spent with my "African brothers," the guides I met and hung out with before I left for safari.

I had mentioned I wanted to see Mt. Kilimanjaro so they offered to accompany me and take me to a closer "viewpoint" accessible via minibus taxi. My homework was to pray for clear skies but it turned out to be a miserably cloudy day. Still, they were optimistic so we went anyway. But I suspect they must have known because they brought along pot and lit up while we waited for the clouds to part. And the viewpoint turned out to be a field by the side of the dusty road. So there we were, two pot smoking Arushanites and a mzungu (foreigner) sitting under the tree waiting for Kili to appear.

No luck but we did experience an epic sandstorm. The horizon started turning yellow and it grew into a giant dust cloud and moved towards us until the sky was yellow.

I was scheduled to leave for Nairobi the next day around 1pm but one of the guys came to my guesthouse at 8:30am and said, "Pack your stuff; it's clear, we're going to see that stupid mountain!" So we relived the first day but this time without the mary jane and devil dust. Score.

If anyone would like to go on safari or climb Kili, let me know and I will put you in contact with these awesome guys- Beka and Chriss. They are trying to venture out on and establish their own company do support would be much appreciated! Plus they know how to have a good time and will introduce you to some local African food and liquor :)