Week end 2

Saturday morning, week 2


The plan today was to rent an old Mercedes 4 wheels drive to go 300 km out of the city to go see some crazy waterfalls. But no. We were supposed to get the car at 6am. But no car. So we have been wondering for a while what to do…We ended up deciding to stay in Addis, go get a pedicure, go to the swimming pool (with hot springs water) and probably the cinema…but who knows what we are going to end up doing? It is another rainy day here so we’ll see.


Sunday evening

As you noticed, I started to write Saturday but I didn’t really finish. Electricity cut. Actually, we are part of the privileged one here. We have a generator. So even when no electricity in the area, we have some on the evening, but we don’t start it during the day. Anyway, I didn’t have battery to continue. The electricity of the city is divided by “area”. Not every one can use it at the same time, especially during the rainy season. So it is one day on, one day off. One day on, one day off.

We had a really nice week end in Addis finally. We went to have breakfast in a very small place very charming, where the food was excellent. Actually, it is funny because in Addis, qouazi all the shops and restaurant, even the smaller are totally over staffed. For example, the one we went in yesterday is only a very very small room, with two tables and I think there were four or five to work! It is always like this. Interesting.
Then, we decided to go to the pedicure. Then we became totally absorbed by the “menu” of the services. Full massage, aroma massage, facial, stone massage, Moroccan bath… and all this for really amazing prices. So we got done our pedicures (first time in my life! It is so really so nice, I just loved it. I have baby feet!); then we wanted to be “waxed”. But no electricity in this area, nor in the two or three other areas we called. The people of the salon helped us find another place where we could do it! So amazingly nice. Not Parisian style like “no we are the only one in town to do that, come back tomorrow”. Adorable. So we found a place then met James at the swimming pool as we didn’t want to join us in our pedicurish-waxish-girlish activities.)
The swimming pool was immense. It is inside of a fancy hotel, the Ghion Hotel. We had good time. It was amazingly cold, we had to change ourselves in the “cottages”, sort of round “balconies without house” (Tim you see…) with absolutely no where to hide to get changed. There was also a bunch of people hanging around observing the ones swimming. It was funny to have observers. Then, after freezing our asses long enough, and shared one towel for three, we were totally starving and headed to the Chinese restaurant next door. Unfortunately, it was closed.
We finally reached the place just before I fainted from hunger. We order almost everything, ate half and took away the rests in nice doggie bags. Very good food but damm why Chinese cut the chicken with all the bones? Seriously it is weird to chew them!) . Totally food drunk. We walked a bit to reach the cinema which allowed us to see a very funny scene. Actually I think principal actor didn’t have so much fun. Few fareingi (étrangers) were walking on the road in front of us, probably heading to a party to have their Saturday night fever. For some unexplainable reasons, one of the guy went to walk on the sidewalk. He kind of jumped on it… actually not on but in. it was not hard. It was just a very deep-muddy-disgustant-stinky area of thick water/mud. Hum nice! So surprised, he bounced on his feet in the mud before realizing he only had to go back on the road, wet shoes and awful feeling. It was funny for us but poor guy, I think he directly went back home and had his saturday night fever in hos shower with a soap! It least it is what I would have done!
We went to the cinema the, saw the shittiest movie of all(most) all time! “buy borrow steal” don’t go to see it, it was too bad. Not even acceptable for an excessive-Chinese-food digestion.
Today, Jyesha (it is actually spelled this way!) and I went back to the salon (already addicted!) and we had a Moroccan bath. Steam bath + black soap+ amazing body scrubing+ hair washing+mud+massage= 2 hours of happiness. Then just had a slow motion sunday.played badminton, volley ball and football in the courtyard. Had a great time.

That was my week end. Quiet and nice!
Ho and Friday evening after visiting houses with my boss ( good experience to see how people live…and how UN people live!) I met James in this look-like german bar who has its one beer, we had some very cheap giraffe with Ethiopian friends from James’s work. We met up with Jyesha in a salsa bar, nice and funny.

Have to tell you about my work but now it is getting late and I am tired from all the sport!
So good night