Sipping Strong Coffee in Addis Ababa

Ethiopians take their coffee seriously. It is one of the few African coffee growing countries that appreciates a good cup of coffee as much as the international marketplace. Coffee shops line the streets. The mercado sells bulk coffee. Restaurants offer coffee in the traditional way, brewed in clay pots with spices. You wake to the aroma of many households roasting their own coffee beans for breakfast coffee. It's an exotic place. Coffee sold in bulk at the Mercado Brewing coffee... Adding spices Grinding coffee the old-fashioned way

My Trip to Arusha

For those of you that know my itinerary, you're saying to yourself, "I didn't know he was going to Arusha." Neither did I. On approach to Nairobi from Dar es Salaam, airport lights went out so they diverted the plane to Killamonjaro. After hours in the airport, they decided to put us up in a hotel for the night. So at midnight they load us into buses for the hour drive to Arusha for the "nearest" hotel. I think someone must have a deal going with the airline. Then it was back up at 3am for the drive back to catch the 6am flight. I'm a little cranky, and tired. On the plus side, it was a beautiful view of Mount Killamonjaro from the airplane. p.s. The gardens around Dar es Salaam are filled with a profusion of tropical flowers. I didn't get out to see too much more with the 95+ degrees and equal humidity.

Return to Africa

I barely made it back to the States from my October trip, when a call came asking me whether I could return in December. Word got out about some coaching training we did in Rwanda. Now, other teams were interested. Let's see, December in the tropics or rainy Puget Sound. Yes, I believe I can make that happen. This will be a whirlwind trip of two trans-continental flights, four countries, four workshops and 30+ coaching sessions in two weeks. Watch my blog. I will try to keep it updated with a few postings.

Street Scenes

People ask me all the time what Africa is like. Before I came, I wondered as well. Where would I stay? What will day-to-day be like? What will we eat? With my ideas shaped by countless documentaries, I had a distorted view of living in Africa. While pictures can only begin to tell the story. Here are a few street scenes of everyday living. Riding the bus in southwestern Ethiopia Dealing with street traffic Main street in rural Kenya Going to market in Jimma, Ethiopia

Celebrating coffee

After days of training it was time to celebrate... and in Jimma, coffee becomes a part of the celebration. We arrive to the office arranged in a traditional coffee setting (note the round pot) and a customary snack of chollo (toasted barley). The floor is strewn with long blades of a special grass and incense burns. The smell of incense mingles with roasted coffee. It makes for a mix of tradition without ceremony. Outside they are roasting lamb, two to be exact. Rather than on a spit as I imagined, the lamb is already butchered and various parts are cooked according to a preferred method. Here, a large wok-like fry pan is used for large pieces of meat. In the background you can see a pot used for a mix of organ meats (none for me, thanks). Rather than a spit-fired roasting method, a spit-like serving method carries meat to each diner. As the server comes by, you point at the piece(s) you want and they cut it to order. As you sink your teeth into the meat you taste a spiced oil (perhaps ghee) used to season the meat before cooking.

Addis Mercado

The Addis Mercado is reported to be the largest open air marketplace in Africa. A prime spot for a firsthand Addis experience. A sprawling bustle of activity, smells, noise and shops. Much more than a destination for tourist trinkets, this place has everything... food, mops, clothes, plumbing, you name it. Most of which we did not need to see. While taking in the experience was the main attraction. We also had a few destinations in mind. We ask our taxi driver where the spices are sold. He dutifully warns us of dangerous elements lurking in the market. It's best not to wander unescorted. Thanking him for the tip, at the same time we felt fine traveling in two's with few valuables. Soon, his "friend" appears telling us of the dangers of the marketplace. We should be escorted to points of interest. So our self-appointed "guide" helped us navigate. Somehow it felt like the more likely danger is the marketplace guide scam. In the end, we never would have found the spices, green coffee or requisite trinkets.

Good, Good News

Ken found out he has a card reader... and he figured out how to use it. So yes, there will be pictures with the blog entries after all.