This story is dedicated to the Ethiopian people.
It´s not an easy life there, but they are so eager
The trip in one word:
ENTHUSIASTIC
"Oh, yes, there is a theme here also today, Africa!"
أهلا و سهلا, Selam and Hello, dear readers,
it´s December right now, a new month, new travels:
Thanx also this time to:
http://www.gcmap.com/
Wednesday, 04.12.2013
FRA (Flughafen Frankfurt)
ADD (Addis Ababa Bole International Airport)
Service ET 707 operated by Ethiopian Airlines
Scheduled: 21.35 // 07.35
Here we see all the checked airlines with Ethiopian Airlines as a new entry at no. 176:
AIRLINES CHECKED auf einer größeren Karte anzeigen
And the plane types recorded are also here:
PLANE TYPES RECORDED auf einer größeren Karte anzeigen
The early 200 visited airports:
Visited airports auf einer größeren Karte anzeigen
And the further examples
with ADD counted as no. 285:
Visited Airports II auf einer größeren Karte anzeigen
The visited countries, just for the case with Ethiopia and no. 61:
VISITED COUNTRIES auf einer größeren Karte anzeigen
And the final Tripreporter 2013 map:
TRIPREPORTER 2013 auf einer größeren Karte anzeigen
Here is 2014, at least till now:
TRIPREPORTER 2014 auf einer größeren Karte anzeigen
There is this overnight service with the late evening departure ex FRA on offer.
Theoretically with not that expensive connecting flights from the homebase, but with odd times to say the least.
Who flies 30 minutes for FRA in the early morning to spend the whole day there till departure in the evening?.
Well, who knows!.
But there is also Germany´s highly reliable Deutsche Bahn and with the Rail and Fly service announced by Ethiopian this seems like the perfect way to reach FRA not that early but also hopefully not to late for the flight in the evening.
Well, with a little help from my friends at Opodo.de, joke, it´s simply the only ticket dealer who offered these combi and way cheaper than by the airline itself. The fare included the Rail and Fly part is close to the flight only fare, 395.00
Euro´s fixed as a one way ticket.
Yes, modern equipment is on schedule, but the modern times doesn´t arrived with the web systems, so it seems. No OLCI available ex FRA, well, a call for ET´s FRA office helps and secured me the seat of choice. At least I hope so.
Ok, the car knows the way for STR´s P0 well, start in the late afternoon. And nowadays I´am absolutely out of any continuity with the departure times, at least that´s what the car told me not that really amused. Where is the system with the early morning departures as in the past?. Calm down!.
The DB ticket is taken a day prior from the SSK not far from my office what works swiftly.
Certainly somewhat special to enter the airport terminal only to leave it again downstairs for the subway station.
Ok, on the S-Bahn for the Hauptbahnhof and further by the ICE for FRA airport.
Check-In, no luggage as usual, is swiftly done with a nice woman at the counter.
She reseats me from the last row just a little bit more in front, but also blocks the whole three seats for me, well done. Nice service here.
"No bags, ah, I´am sure you have you´re stuff in Addis?".
"Well, if you say so!".
The very same swift way at passport check and security.
I don´t want to talk about a deserted airport, but it´s definitely not the busiest time here at FRA.
For a view to the screen. According to the flightnumber I´am looking forward to a 707 at the gate!
Ok, this looks like certainly up-to-date at gate B43
Now here we have ET-AOO, the only one without an individual name and also the 787 like on schedule
Just the second leg on the 787 for me
A pretty new bird it is, delivered at 31.07.2013
The newest example from 5 in the fleet
There are no stories to show here
And yes, it´s a new entry to the log
But wait, after these exhausting picture job I need a break. Up the stairs for the lounge and just by surprise, in comparison to the other LH places here, I feel lonely!
Freshed up for more pictures, isn´t it?
Yes, that looks like for sure somewhat exotic
Close up, isn´t it?
And just by no suprise, the nice woman at the desk told me about it, there are just a few pax around the gate for boarding. Mostly on the vacationeer track.
40% is the load in the end, western and african pax well mixed
9.30 pm what means "Ethiopian" run´s short ahead to schedule.
5.55 hours for Africa from the 4000 meters runway "One-Eight".
Light rain and 2 degrees, definitely time to go now from the "Flughafen Frankfurt am Main".
Seat 34L and three for me as expected.
Cabin and the legroom is good, different green and clean so far fabrics
Cockpit crew is from Ethiopia, the "Aropelaane Aberaari", ok the pilot, with a really detailed welcome in an experienced style right after departure and once again later on short during approach.
Routing is MUC-LJU-DBV-TIA-Patras-Crete-Abu Simbel-Lake Tana at 39000 till 41000 feet.
Safety and Selamta!
There is really an 787 with an working IFE!
Everything well explained and modern style design
If there is a working map on offer, no way to miss!
Africa on schedule by Ethiopian Jets!
FA serving my seat is a young, well built, not that large Ethiopian woman, ever smiling, oh yes, really nice!.
No, no chix, but vegs and pasta for me
You should do what you should do during a nightflight, isn´t it?. Up again just for the shorty breakfast muffin close to approach into "Addis Ababa Bole International Airport"
Touchdown at the 4604 meters "Two-Five-Right", 06.00 am.
What, are you sure, this is 1.35 hours ahead to schedule?. Well, so it is, the 787 is a fast plane!. 10 degrees and a
gorgeous clear african sky, nothing to see than clear blue and the upcoming sun
For sure a nice experience to stay the night this way
Bye now, see you again, who knows?
And onwards for the immigration experience. What means a couple of meters to walk, down some stairs, in the queue for some minutes, talking with an american guy not really sure about he´s good to catch a visa, my visa form is printed and prepared and the picture, too, cash on the counter, 17.00 Euro´s, a piece of paper back to my hands from a relaxed official or at least it looks like this way,
for the next counter to catch a new stamp in my passport from a not so relaxed middle aged woman and here I´am in Ethiopia. All in not more than 15 minutes.
Lucky me, definitely not that complicated like some website told me, Visa-Upon-Arrival only in exceptional cases
And I´am way to early for the pre-arranged hotel pick up.
What is really special to notice is my body´s reaction immediatelly after arrival in Ethiopia. Not that much sleep during the night, Addis Ababa, the new flower, is located at an altitude of more than 2300 meters or 7500 feet and it feels like walking against a wall, everything works slower than standard. And it´s fresh here, looking forward to the sun!.
A short call and the guy´s arrived.
Early Check-In at the Tizeze Hotel is matched with the hotels manager by mail, my room is prepared and also breakfast is good for me
Certainly a nice place to spend the night, ahem, the day in Addis
Clear blue sky, I told you, for a view around from my room
Exotic scenery, isn´t it?
And ready now for the late breakfast
For a view from the rooftop
Close to the airport it is
So what to do now?.
The hotels manager, who also welcomed me is a busy guy, definitely.
He knows about my short stay and offered me a daytrip managed by the hotel to see as much from Addis as possible.
Me in a bus, ok, a small one, for the whole day?. No, this isn´t the way for me, certainly not.
But there is a good idea upcoming. And just a call and not that long thereafter there is this young guy, Johnny, working as a personal guide and his car, an you never know how old Lada and drives off the beaten track. And just to let you know, this was definitely the perfect idea
So, Johnny asked me where I like to go, we talked and fixed a flexible schedule for the day and off we go
The bus depot Addis style and up to date Mercedes equipment
The Lada asks for some water from time to time and me, too!
Fresh twice, bananas and the latest colours from the designers office!
You need a tyre or just some air?
Are you sure?
Up for the Entoto mountain and be sure, we are faster than the donkeys, but not that much faster!
Transport by Fiat/Iveco, yes, the italian history is good to notice or by human carrier?
Tough job it is
Above the city dust
Where a group of women, barefoot, trust me, doing some roadwork and carrying stones.
And as the people here are, Johnny has some jokes and these young woman speaks just a little bit english.
We talked and it was really impressive.
She is proud about the job, it´s a good job and she earns some money what is definitely better than lots of other women here in Ethiopia
Well targeted to bring in some water!
Donkey trans
Back for the city with the latest cars around!
And the roads are well maintained
Next step, the Mercato, Africa´s largest marketplace where you can buy everything, simply everything if you have the money, souls and human beings included.
And I was of the opinion that slavery is long gone?
Fresh fruits
Pesticide, sure, that´s what we need everyday
Vegs, just by coincidence close to the pesticide shop
The place to go for some new teeth!
Everything orderly and organized Africa style!
What about a new suit?. The dressmakers corner!
Shoemaker´s alley
Perfectly well signed and easy to locate for every western traveller, the busstop!
And now I understand why Johnny told me that there is no safe way to visit the Mercato for the western traveller alone. You may come back, but lucky you, when you have some cloths around you´re body remaining
Public transport Addis style
The appliances corner
The chinese presence is massive here. Europe, take care
Any idea why they call it the danger in blue?
Cool guys and working women
How to load you´re truck, you know, Africa style!
And this is one of the most emotional experiences around the day. There are two young women, crippled, no feet. In our world they have a wheelchair. Not here.
They slide on the butt at the floor and believe me, they are smiling
So enough Mercato for the time being. The National Museum it is right now.
And also here, Johnny told me to wait some minutes till he is back with a young woman, Hannah, just by surprise, english speaking and my personal guide now for the museum, whether I want to or not!
This is "Lucy". Not that really fresh looking, but well, who know´s how you look like in 3.2 million years?. The most intact female skeleton on the way from the ape to the human being
Some different local ethnics
Exotic flowers in the garden
And trees, too
Well, I´am close to sure that Russia was around the last trip and not also this time?
The museums garden
And up we are again
The University is just around the corner
And the park is much more exotic
Haile Sellassie, here we are
The entrance with lots of students around
And the exotic colours
Something red under the blue sky
The Holy Trinity Cathedral is perfectly located on the way
Is this really Ethiopia?
Looks much more like Portugal
But well, it is Addis!
The cemetery
Ok, now I´am sure, this is Addis with the danger in blue!
And an angel with golden skin is flying by
Back for the hotel in the afternoon.
Bye now to my nice guide for the day, Johnny and
from one minute to the other it´s dark outside.
Something to eat and freshing up now
Prior to the shuttle for the airport and another night on a plane, well, Tripreporter´s duties!
Take care,
more to come, hopefully.
The Tripreporter
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