Addis Ababa

Sorry to post a bit out of order but as you know, the signal was tough for a while.  

While we were only in Addis Ababa for three days before departing for Mabret's village, we had some fun and saw interesting things.  We also chilled out a bit at the beautiful Hilton in Addis.

It is worthy of mention that Addis sits almost 8,000 feet above sea level and we could absolutely feel it for the first 48 hours. 

The city has all the hallmarks of a fast moving developing area.  Crazy traffic patterns, lots of people and semi-organized chaos. Albeit semi-organized in a foreign language.

As the safari was hectic, our first order of business was chillaxin.

Because we had learned about "Lucy" at the Olduvai Gorge Museum in Tanzania, the boys were particularly excited to meet her.   You may ask who this Lucy woman is.  

Lucy is a fossilized skeleton of an early hominid and is preserved at the Ethiopian National Museum in Addis Ababa.  Perhaps the most familiar of all early hominids, "Lucy" lived in eastern Africa more than three million years ago.  Members  of her species ventured down from the trees and into the grassy woodlands along the edges of forests, where they walked on two limbs instead of four.  Studies of this skeleton have shown that Lucy walked upright, like modern humans.  However, rounded and extended rib cages, short legs and small brains resembled those of apes.  

Discovered in Ethiopia by scientists in 1974, Lucy was named after the Beatles' song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," which the researchers listened to as they celebrated on the night of their remarkable discovery.  The find was remarkable because usually only fossil fragments are found, and only rarely are skulls or ribs uncovered intact.  Therefore, this discovery was celebrated by scientists worldwide and provided an overwhelming amount of historical data.  Lucy is estimated to have lived 3.2 million years ago.  Scientists believe that Lucy was approximately 3' 7" and weighed about 65 pounds.

While a museum is not always the first choice of a 10 and almost 9 year old boy, Roman and Mabret really enjoyed seeing the Lucy Exhibit.

While at the museum, Mabret and Roman met a group of students from Addis who were on a school trip. The students were anxious to use their English skills and had many questions about the United States for the boys.  And, of course, there was much excitement. 

We also visited St. George's Cathedral.  The Cathedral was the site of the crowning of Emperor Haile Selassie, perhaps the best known leader of Ethiopia, in 1930.  The unique octagon shape sets the structure apart and adds to its character.  

The cathedral sits high above central Addis and offers a beautiful view of the city. 

We also took in some traditional Ethiopian dancing and music along with great Ethiopian food.

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