Yesterday marked the Muslim religious celebration of Ramadan. In light of this holy day, all offices and businesses in Addis were closed. Our landlord, Terefe and his wife Yeshi (and their young son Baumlik) decided to take us on a road trip on this holiday to visit some beautiful cities/towns close to Addis.
We went to Sodere where there are hot spring and a large outdoor warm swimming pool. While I did not swim, it was lovely to sit by the pool and enjoy my vanilla and lime ice cream. We also went to visit the hot springs in Sodere and the haunting lake Hora in Nazrit. Lake Hora used to be located by a huge hotel which was recently purchased by an Ethiopian business magnate. However, instead of operating the hotel, the hotel remains closed and the hotel employees have set up a number of small tea stands and make-shift cafes around the lake to raise money and stay employed. Apparently, the owner of the hotel (that is not operational) continues to pay the salaries of these workers operating these tea stands and cafes. The lake is very serene.
We also had lunch at a hotel in Nazrit, stopped at 2 other hotels on the way and had dinner at the Atlas resort near Debrezait. It was a fantastic day and a great way to see the country. Thank you so much Terefe and Yeshi for taking us on this fantastic trip.
Throughout the day, Terefe was on a mission to find me popcorn (because it is my favourite food). Every restaurant that we visited did not have it and he would repeatedly ask where he could get me popcorn. It reminded me a lot of my parents who are much the same. When I was in grade 4, my dad (who is a strict vegetarian) would go from one McDonalds to the next in order to get me all of the Simpsons Happy Meal toys so that I would have the entire set/collection. Terefe and Yeshi have been like parents to us and we are so grateful!
Baumlik was also a source of much joy, laughter and fun yesterday. As a part of his visit to any place, he would go and inspect the washrooms to determine if they are clean. He would only use the washrooms that were really clean. This was so great in that he would give us the review of what to expect in the washrooms at any given place and would tell us which ones to avoid. Knowing my tendency to be a tad bit obsessive about clean facilities, this was very much appreciated.
