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Ethiopia:
Addis Ababa Bicycle Africa / Ibike Tours |
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Most journeys in Ethiopia start in Addis Ababa. From there, depending what kind of mix of experiences you want, you can choose one of the roads that radiate out from the Capital and head northeast, southeast, south, southwest, west or northwest. Addis Ababa, itself, has undergone a radical transformation in the new millennium: new highways circumnavigate the city; there are new buildings and construction cranes on the skyline in almost every direction;, the Chinese are building a commuter rail system; and the economy is becoming more vibrant. It's not very photogenic, but a few snapshot start to give a sense of the city. |
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Welcome is the message that greets you as you exit Bole International Airport. | ||
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Traffic can be fierce
in Addis Ababa. During commute times it can take hours to get across
the city by vehicle -- it is faster on a bicycle but you don't see many.
One of the product of the intense congestion is a serious air pollution problem. To help move people faster the Addis Ababa commuter rail system is under construction (2014) (left). The system is being engineered by the Chinese, but there were numerous headlines about technical mistakes and constructions delays. The system began operations in Oct 2015
(right). Chances are, even when fully operational, it will be good for the
people who use it, but won't change traffic congestion very much. |
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The oldest part of modern Addis is Piazza. It took a lot of its current form when the Italians annexed the country between 1936 and 1941. Just above Piazza are a traffic circle dominated by Menelik II. Menelik II proclaimed Addis Ababa (new flower) the capital of Ethiopia in 1889 and began laying the foundation of a modern state. In 1903, telephones and electricity were installed in Addis Ababa. His army went on to defeat the Italians at Adwa, in 1896, protecting Ethiopian Independence for a while longer. |
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I like the Piazza area because it has a lot of historical character and a variety of businesses in a relatively small area. This is a shopping arcade with clothing boutiques, jewelry stores, music shops, cafes, restaurants, assorted emporiums, et cetera. |
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 Looking down Churchill Ave
from Piazza (left), the haze is thick enough to begin
to obscure the view beyond a few blocks. If the air were clear the monument
would be visible.In the digital age, the old Piazza Post Office (right) is pretty quiet. Much of the
building seems to have been leased out to other businesses, but you can still
buy stamps there. |
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 The older retail / commercial streets in Piazza
(left) have a human scale and some character. But Addis Ababa is a city in
transition, so it is very likely that
within a few years, these buildings will be knocked down to make way for more
austere
multi-story replacements.Off the commercial streets the land use is primarily
residential and there are a few more trees. Here a Jacaranda tree is in bloom on a back road in Piazza
(right). |
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This snapshot of
life (left) is intriguing because on the first two stories of the buildings are men's
clothing stores with their wares display on manikins -- these are
not real people. There is a school on the third story where the boys break come out on the balcony
for some fresh air, stinking poses similar to the manikins. (Right) Across the streets is another row of men's clothing stores, also displaying there wares with rows of manikins outside on the sidewalk. This must be the men's fashion district. |
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 A side street -- predominately residential -- has been populated on
one side with kiosks selling dry goods (left). Again, it has more
vegetation than the main arterials.Another side street is lined with book sellers (right). |
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This is the nicest
corrugated metal fence I have ever seen (left). It has been very
artistically painted to look like
a bamboo fence. The formal and informal economies mix with street vendors selling tomatoes and bananas (right) in Piazza, not far from the jewelry district. |
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 Variations of mustard yellow seems to be
the color of choice on this :Italian era stone and brick building, in Piazza
(far left). In a before and after: The same corner a year later, only the bottom
levels of yellow brick show (near left). A long row of one story buildings
have been knock down and salvaged to make way for Addis's building boom. |
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  Some
larger Italian era building in Piazza where shades of pea green have been added to the pallet. |
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   A
multi-use
and residential Italian era building (left), in Piazza. Bay windows and
balconies give it texture and character. |
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 The Greek Orthodox Church
(left) in Piazza is a
reminder that the district was not only home to a large number of Italians, but also the center of a substantial Greek community that
resided in the Piazza area until the Derg took power. There is also an Armenian
Orthodox Church (right) which looks like it dates from about the same era.
With the churches come shop specializing in clothing and accessories associated
with the orthodox church. |
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  Stores in the
"jewelry district", in Piazza, were active. It seemed
like almost everyone had a customer inside examining the display cases of
sparkling accessories. |
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  Expressing the
cosmopolitan side of Addis Ababa are the Che Bar (left) and Oslo Cafe
(right). Unbranded coffee shop are the norm and ubiquitous, but the
branded are beginning to make an appearance.This is even more grandly demonstrated by the massive Sheraton, Elilly International, Radisson
Blu, Intercontinental, Hilton and similar hotels. |
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  Addis
Ababa can't compare to Havana with its fleet of 1950's automobiles, but the
Ethiopian are managing to keep a lot of 1980's era cars still running. In this
category are Russian built Ladas that are use as taxis, and candy-colored
Volkswagen beetles that are mostly in private ownership. The Volkswagen beetle
has a dubious role in Ethiopia history as the vehicle that Emperor Haile
Salassie was unceremoniously trundled into the back seat of as he was overthrown
by the Derg and whisked from the palace on his final trip. |
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 The oldest hotel in Addis Ababa is the
Itegue Taitu, which was built in 1898 (Ethiopian Calendar) (1905 Gregorian
Calendar). Taitu Betul (1851 – 1918), an Ethiopian Empress and the wife of
Emperor Menelek II, established this hotel to provide guests a place to rest and
dine. Parts of it show its age
more than others, but it is hanging in there. There seems to have been a stronger effort to maintain
the main floor of the older building that serves as the restaurant. Even
if you don't stay there, it is worth a visit to soak up its charm and partake of
the excellent Ethiopian vegetarian lunch buffet, which is served daily. |
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 Beyond
Piazza there is more to see as the city is expanding in every direction except
to the
north, which is bounded by Entoto Hill.
On a knoll, halfway up the hill is Egziabher Ab Betekristian (Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church) (left). Lower down the hill is a brilliant new blue
mosque (right). |
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Clustered around King
George VI Street are a number of notable attractions: The Federal Supreme Court of Ethiopia (left). The entrance to the Archbishop's house is flanked by two huge birds (right). |
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The main campus of Addis Ababa University used to be the palace complex so it is surrounded by a wall that is periodically interrupted by ornate gates. |
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On the west side of the main campus of Addis Ababa University is the palace and formal gardens of former Emperor Haile Salaisse. The palace is now the Ethiopian Studies department of the University and houses the Ethnology Museum. The museum has information on many of the ethnic groups in Ethiopia and some of their customs. There is a large exhibit on musical instruments and religious art, and you can walk through the living quarters of the last Emperor and his wife. |
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 (2014) The monument
in the traffic circle on King George VI Street was shrouded in scaffolding. I will have to return
next year to find the answer to the mystery of what is hidden.(2015) The
unveiled monolith includes a Lion of Judah and scenes of battle but
there is no easy to find plagued explaining the event(s) it memorializes. It is
probably part of dozens of memorial recently erected in towns around the country
to commemorate the liberation war that toppled the Derg in 1991. |
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 It
your timing is right, you can catch Christmas on the streets of Addis Ababa.
This is not the one or two months of aggressive commercialism that you find in
North America. About ten days before Christmas, which the Orthodox Church
celebrates on January 7, pop-up Christmas store blossom on the sidewalks of
Addis Ababa. Most of the items for sale are decorative. |
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Time to leave. Even
though you can count on one hand the number of Ethiopians you see bicycling on
most days, it is not a bad bicycling experience, if you miss rush hour and take
some secondary roads.
Having said that it is an even better bicycling experience as you travel out into the countryside, where it can be sublime. Read on....................... |
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 Hwy 2 (webpages under construction) |
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Hwy 3 (toward the Nile River, Bahar Dar and Gondar) |
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Hwy 6 (webpage under construction) |
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