Photos of Addis Ababa

The past two weeks I have shown various parts of Ethiopia. I want to make sure not to focus just on the poverty but also on the beauty and the people. I hope these pictures will show a little bit of what we saw each day.

 [On a side note- Gene and I had a competition over who could take better pictures of everyday life in Addis- I have to say many of these pictures Gene took- apparently he is a better photographer than I (insert groan from the looser) ]

Every morning when I woke up at 5am this woman next to the guest house was already up and cleaning for the day. I noticed these women are such hard workers and take so much care for their families.

Road construction outside the Yebsabi Guest House
 

How they do construction- no scaffolding, just some wood sticks.

 

 

Shoe shiners- in Addis the roads are muddy and dirty and shoes are very expensive and

so you will see shoe shiners on every street corner trying to make a living.

 

Street cleaners, Gene kept trying to get more pictures, they wear these really neat hats.

Sheep- aka dinner!

 

A woman selling roasted corn while feeding her baby.

These women are all over the city. We bought corn often and then gave it to one of the shoe cleaners or someone begging. The women stay out there from early morning until past dark, day after day hoping to be self sufficient.

A store front in Bole, where we stayed which is like the upper class shopping district.

Many of the clothes were really nice knock offs from Asia.

(I did refrain from shopping for a new outfit though!)

 

Two more shoe shiners, I can image this would have been our Nati...

 

The upscale downtown high rises by a round about.

 

 

Selling bundles of coal, one of the methods of cooking in ET.

 



Another woman selling corn and potatoes.

 

Unloading Coke bottles.

 

 

One of the girls by the post office stores (outside tourist shops) that was trying to sell gum.

 

An up close of some of the kids. Each one tries to sell you gum or asks for food. Whenever we had a chance we gave them food. Some have families and some do not. There is  a man with a big stick that tries to chase the kids off so they don't interfear with the stores business.

 

 Traffic.

There are no stop signs or lights, only round-a-bouts and a few

traffic policemen here and there.

 

 

 

 Children playing soccer

 

 

 

Women working at a construction site. EHE said this was

one of the better paying jobs for women.

 

An orthodox butcher. This is how all the meat is bought.

 

 

A home in Addis

What can I say???

- This Is Africa

 

These pictures remind me- I need Africa more than it needs Me.


And just a little plug---
Our next blog post will have VIDEO of us and a cutie pie!!!!