Ethiopia... there were some nice points... but a lot sucked.

My farewell to Addis pretty much sums it up. A donkey knocked me across the road, 2 different guys hit me for attention & then a nice lady wouldn't accept money for a spool of tread.

Same deal next day to Awasa. Needed the police to get a fair price for a sliver of a seat in the back of a hot, crowded bus. But had the cutest, most precocious 3yr climb on my lap, fix my hair & feed me. And when she left... she turned & said "Chow farangi [foreigner]." Oh, & the bus, decided not to go all the way to our destination. Had to find another bus - but some guy from the first bus paid for 2nd ticket.

And Awasa... supposedly a quaint, lakeside town with a good, cheap hotel with satellite TV. I'm dying for news. But the satellite was broke, the hotel double priced, even with the guy from the bus negotiating... & this guy got scary mad I wouldn't have dinner with him. Ate at the hotel by myself, in a corner, facing the wall & still got harassed by so many overly aggressive guys... was pissed & spent the night in my room killing DOZENS of cockroaches. Made the 5am bus out of town the next day.

Next town, Dila. Even worse. A $3 hotel wanted $10 & wouldn't budge below $7. Then tried a $5 hotel, they too wanted $10 & wouldn't go below $8. They finally admitted there's a different price for foreigners. Oh, & planned to change money in the last town, had only $15 left & needed a $6 bus ticket to Kenya. Finally found a $5 room, which probably shoulda been $2, with a smelly hole of a toilet on the other side of the hotel. But only one cockroach.

And that town was even worse. Men weren't as aggressive, (maybe 'cause I didn't have a lick of makeup on & made my hair as ugly as possible) but everyone yelled "You! You! You! Money! Money! Money!" And one old man grabbed my still healing wrist really hard & insisted I give him money. Didn't!

Again, spent the night in my room, pissed at the town... eating ramie noodles 'cause I had no money. But also cleaned my suitcase... it's finally light enough to wear as a backpack!!!! (It's got wheels & backpack straps.) Normally give things I toss to hotel staff... this time took a knife & destroyed everything rather than leave a crumb for that crummy town.

4:15am next morning, huge backpack on my back, little one on my chest, flashlight in one hand & pepperspray in the other, slugged up & down a hill to the bus station for a 5am bus to the border.

Had bought my ticket the day before... & the driver liked me & assigned me seat #1 next to him. When I get to the bus, he shouts "#1!" Then after I climb a ladder to the roof of the bus to tie my bag on top, everyone below starts chanting "#1 Strong! #1 Strong!" And the driver was really nice, bought me breakfast & did a special bathroom stop for me.

Admittedly didn't see much of Ethiopia... but enough to say don't do it on your own. People in the south suck. Tourists who'd gone north said they'd had rocks thrown at them. Ethiopia's probably wonderful if you go on a package tour & see the beauty of the place & only deal with locals who've been prescreened by a tour agency.