Addis Abeba

Do

thumb|View from Mount Entoto Stop by at one of the small (5-7 people) coffee spots / rooms to taste local coffee with tenadam (rue) and have a conversation with locals who hang out there. You can find many of those along the main streets. Price should not be more than 5 birr. Oftentimes you can have local food there too.

Buy

thumb|Fabric for sale in the Mercato

Eat

Food is generally cheap. Make sure you try the national dish injera at least once, since there is no other food like it. It is a yeast-risen flat bread with a unique, slightly spongy texture. It is traditionally made out of teff flour. In making injera, teff flour is mixed with water and allowed to ferment for several days, as with sourdough starter. As a result of this process, injera has a mildly sour taste. It's what the locals eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Most ordinary Ethiopian restaurants have it, and a serving for 2 people with free refills can be as cheap as 15 birr.

Drink

thumb|A glass of tej The national drink of Ethiopia is 'tej', which is brewed from honey. You can also try 'tela' which is similar to beer.

In addition to places listed below, some of the hotels in Sleep have a bar.

Stay safe

thumb|Police officer on a light rail train Addis is safer than most cities in Africa. Gang violence and similar serious activities are unusual. However, you may encounter some pick-pockets and con-artists around and inside Bole Airport, Mercato, Piazza and many other areas. Keep your belongings close, and pay attention to your surroundings. A common tactic is to show you a tray of things to buy with one hand and to try your pocket with the other. The good news is most of these pick-pockets are unarmed and young boys. If they know that you are aware of what they are up to, they may get intimidated and go away. However, some can be quite persistent and even involve older boys. Watch out for the spitting scam which happens in Piazza area. Typically it involves someone "accidentally" spitting on you, offering a handkerchief / tissue to clean it up, trying your pockets while you are distracted by this "accident" and then jumping into a companion's car with your belongings. Someone might also grab your arm and act crazy pretending to kick you as a distraction while his accomplice tries your pockets. As most Ethiopians are very welcoming, there is an infamous scam where young locals "befriend" tourists and invite them over after a nice day together to celebrate a "special holiday". You will get fed a lot of khat leaves, a chewing drug, and have a good time with them, but in the end you will be asked for a tremendous amount of money for the khat as they claim it is a "special" qualit…

Go next

thumb|Crocodile in Awash National Park Adama and Sodere some 120 km to the southeast are popular weekend destinations for locals. The latter is famous for its hot springs. Adama is accessible by bus and train, from there minibuses go to Sodere. Awash National Park, 200 km to the east by road, is a world heritage site where some of the earliest human remains have been found. It's also a good place to see hyenas, and another highlight is the Awash waterfalls. Bahir Dar is 550 km to the north, Ethiopia's third largest city and accessible by bus, car or plane. It's next to Lake Tana, and famous for churches and monasteries on islands in the lake as well as the Blue Nile Falls. From there you can continue to other destinations in Northern Ethiopia such as Gondar and Lalibela. Dire Dawa is an 11-hour train ride east along the new railway to Djibouti (you can fly here too). It's the only other chartered city in the country. A highlight here is Emperor Haile Selassie's Palace. Further 54 kms away from Dire Dawa is the world heritage listed ancient city of Harar, regarded as Islam's fourth holiest city. Melka Awash, with the world heritage listed Paleolithic Melka Kunture excavation sites.

Tiya, the "Stonehenge of Africa" is a world heritage listed ancient burial grounds, 90 km to the south. Accessible by car or bus. Minibus vans depart from Kality Menaharia, take the route that goes to Butajira and get off at Tiya. Note locals may not know Tiya, don't get sold the wrong ticket that …