Ethiopia-Bound

We sat in traffic all the way to Dulles, but still had time to spare at the airport. Our flight was a chartered Ethiopian Airlines 767. As part of the United State Delegation to the Leon H. Sullivan Summit, the people on board the airplane were a little different than your typical commercial flight. They were all chatty, fun, and friendly, getting to know each other and networking even before takeoff. There were no grouchy, stressed out businessmen who just wanted to get home or haggard parents with screaming children. People stood up and walked around introducing themselves and chatting while waiting for a bathroom. In addition to Andrew Young, Chris Tucker was also aboard and traveling with us to Ethiopia and Tanzania. After re-fueling in Rome, we arrived in Addis Ababa, the capitol of Ethiopia, where were were greeted by dignitaries and officials and given roses as we de-planed.

Because of our delegation status we were given a lot of liberties by the Ethiopian Government. There were no serious customs inspections or declaration forms, we were just whisked onto buses and taken to our hotels (the Addis Hilton and Jupiter Hotel) with a police escort. The drive through town was a little startling. Slums and shanty towns were interspersed with commercial buildings and banks. Armed military personnel were stationed every few blocks, and the hotel was gated and guarded. This wasn't your typical vacation.

That's not to say Addis was all bad that first night. We had dinner at an amazing little cultural restaurant which was themed like a grotto on the inside. Cave elements and torches welcomed us and wine and hors d'oeuvres were promptly placed in our hands. The spicy Ethiopian food was awesome, if a little bit spicy - and the entertainment (live band and dancers) was phenomenal, engaging the audience in dances and song. It was all excitingly different for me.