so I suspect tomorrow he will be cycling around Awassa, while I will be content to stay poolside. I could do some touring with Robel while Paul and Sacha are at the Regional office, but for now I'll just play it by ear.
The trip as predicted took closer to 4.5 hrs. We took the 3 lane toll highway which is newly opened, from the outskirts of Addis to Mojo. It's a distance of around 50 kms and continues on to Adama. The approach to the highway is slow, dusty and crowded. It reminds me a bit of the Pickering approach from the 401 to the 407, minus the pedestrians, cows and goats. You waste so much time getting to the highway that you begin questioning whether it was worth it. The 407 in my experience is definitely worth it despite the extra expense. The toll here is considered expensive (35 birr or @ $1.75) and traffic is minimal, but if only the approaches and exits could be improved.
We arrived at the Haile Resort and were greeted by 5 Star service; a very nice hotel by any standard. The resort lies on the shores of Lake Hawassa and the view from our balcony was very picturesque. The gardens are pretty and while enjoying the comfortable chairs scattered throughout you are offered another view of the lake. There is a large outdoor infinity pool and a children's wading pool. As soon as the sun sets, however, the mosquitoes come out and they are not to be trifled with. The elevation of Addis affords little intrusion from mosquitoes, but once you leave Addis you are advised to take your malaria pills. We did! Our room was equally impressive from the terracotta tiled floor, matching accessories, comfortable bed (for once!!), large bathroom and sliding doors leading out to a balcony. Even the flat screen TV (decent size) offered pretty good channel selection. And the WIFI worked perfectly, whether you were in your room or comfortably seated in the lounge. The hotel also had Spa services, numerous stores (notably, nice Ethiopian leather goods!) and a good restaurant. Al in all this was a very nice Hotel and our 2 nights there were very comfortable indeed.
The next day Paul and Sacha went to their meeting at the Regional office. Greg didn't go cycling, but had scheduled a tennis game to play. Awassa is warmer than Addis, but it's still very comfortable. It doesn't have the extreme heat of Afar. Temperatures in Afar, while we were enjoying 26 - 28 C were closer to 45 C. I spent the morning enjoying the warm sunshine and sitting in the beautiful gardens. Around 1 pm Robel came and picked up Greg and I and we joined Paul, Sacha and Seleshe (Regional Leader) for lunch. Yummy lamb tibs (like spare ribs) and bread and injera, followed by some traditional coffee.
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| Haile Resort, Awassa |
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| View down the driveway |
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| Pretty entrance |
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| View from our balcony |
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| Pool, too green for my liking! |
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| Lake Awassa in the background |
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| Beautiful garden and trees |
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| There are hippos out there, but I didn't see any! |
The rest of the day, after finishing off lunch with a visit to a local 'coffee' shop, was spent relaxing in the picturesque gardens of the Haile Resort and in their comfortable lounge. I was revelling in the uninterrupted WIFI service. WIFI in Ethiopia is often the source of much frustration. At our home we had been without WIFI for the past few weeks, despite a barrage of calls from Meseret (Paul's Admin). It would seem that Customer Service in Ethiopia is not 'job number 1'. It doesn't carry the same weight as it does in North America. I recall not so long ago when Blackberry went down for 1 day. They fell all over themselves to provide 'compensation' for the inconvenience. Not so in Ethiopia! You can complain, and in fact, Ethio Tel encourages you to register your complaint, but it doesn't seem to do any good. Service comes back on its own time line. Paul said to Meseret that we were considering not paying Ethio Tel seeing as we were not receiving the service we were paying for. She looked shocked that Paul would even suggest such a course of action. Nope, just keep paying because it actually could be worse? I wonder about that!
Staying at the Haile was a relaxing interlude and reaffirmed my belief that there is such a thing as 5 Star Hotels in Ethiopia. After my visit to Afar I was in doubt, but no longer after two nights at the Haile. Paul and I are going to Paradise Lodge in Arba Minch for Christmas, so I'm hoping all the hype about that place is true and 5 or 4 Star prevails.
We were up early the next morning as both Paul and Sacha had meetings in Addis. We drove back a different way, avoiding the new super highway, in favour of a more scenic drive. Driving because of the 'quality' of roads in Ethiopia isn't the most relaxing, but it's always an adventure. Roads are equally shared by vehicles, pedestrians and livestock. Driving in Ethiopia provides a whole new dimension to the term 'defensive driving'. You really never know what is going to come at you, so being alert and aware are your constant companions. Fortunately on these long trips we have a driver, Robel, who makes it look so easy. He does such an amazing and competent job that all that is left for us passengers is to enjoy the spectacular view. We arrived home, early afternoon which gave me ample time to drive to the Italian Bakery to pick up a cake I had ordered for Mickey's pre-christening dinner with Aynalem, Baraket, her mum, Temesgen and of course Baby Mickey.
See next Blog for details on Mickey's christening.
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