If You're Ever in Ethiopia. . .

If you ever take a bus in Ethiopia:

* Wear a skirt if you’re a girl.  On my first long distance bus ride, the bus stopped for our first bathroom break in the middle of a field with no large bushes or rocks.  All 60 people from the bus fanned out and started peeing.  I was looking for somewhere with a little bit of coverage when I noticed that the women were all wearing skirts. Skirts make peeing in public a lot easier. Next time, I’ll wear a skirt!

* Get a window seat.  No matter how hot and stuffy it is on the bus, Ethiopians don’t like to open windows on buses. They think it will make them sick.  Even if you have a window seat, you will end up engaging in a silent battle over opening and closing the window. Persist.

First Level Bus

* Bring Tiger Balm.  This stuff is like magic. Not only does it relieve itchy mosquito bites, but when you are on a smelly bus, rub a little under your nose. That way the other bus passengers vomiting into plastic bags and out the window won’t bother you.

* Bring extra snacks.  My favorite is koro (roasted barley) usually with a few peanuts mixed in. You will feel like you are eating chicken feed, but it is strangely addictive. Trust me, I ate like 10 pounds of it during my time in Ethiopia and got some other folks addicted too. It’s the perfect snack for buses and perfect for sharing with seatmates, which it seems is expected.

Our Second Level Bus Stopped for Lunch

When you are looking for a place to sleep:

* Five dollars can buy a hell of a lot more happiness in Ethiopia than back home. See photos below. The nice one (on the right) was gleaming and brand new. It had wifi and hot, running water that worked. In the less nice one (on the left), I really felt like I was in a prison cell. You can't tell from the photo, but the paint was peeling and the bathroom really looked like it had been lifted from a prison. Plus, I had to tell them any time I needed running water, then a guy would run outside up the roof to open the main spigot to the rainwater tank. It was rather inconvenient.

Tired Lonely Planet listing
This photo actually makes the room 
look a lot nicer than it was

Newly opened hotel for the same price when
shared!The towels were so new
they still had tags

*Share! You get much better value sharing. I have propositioned folks within minutes of meeting them ;) The two rooms pictured were the same price after sharing. The nice one actually had room for a table and chairs, a television, and some more space to the left in addition to the wifi.

* Always remember to ask if the water is working. And try the lights. And if there's supposedly wifi, ask if it's working also. Having something at a hotel and having it work are two different things.

* Learn to embrace the term "bucket shower!"

* Don't be weirded out by the condoms in the nightstand. Apparently, they have them in all of the pensions and hotels. Well, at least at the level I stayed at!

* Avoid any hotel or pension listed in the Ethiopia Lonely Planet. Tourism is booming and new hotels are opening all the time. All of the Lonely Planet places were overpriced and tired looking. There were many places that had opened within the last few months that were fantastic. Look around. Never settle.