June 22.2008

I just realized our computer date is a day behind here due to the time
difference. Not a big deal, just an observation. We typically have a brown
out every morning around 7-7:30 and every evening. Last night when we
entered the restaurant there was a brown out but fortunately they had
candles so we could find a table. So we have had our first brown out which
sort of surprised me because it is Sunday and most businesses are closed.
There is very little to do here on Sundays consequently. We are heading
out to a brunch at Lime Tree where we have eaten numerous times. We woke
up to sunshine which is always a treat. There are huge cumulous clouds
hanging over the mountains so we will have rain later today. Being in a
developing country we are always grateful for the little things like being
able to find coffee filters, a little sunshine, a restaurant where we can
eat and not get sick. So far we have been blessed.

Well the brunch was interesting. Let me say simply we are in Ethiopia so
brunch is a lesser affair. But it was nice to have an outing. We walked
over to the adjacent shopping center and found our first decent bookstore.
I have been careful to not read too much for fear of running out of
something to read over the next month. However this store did have the
best selection I have seen. I will be restricted to classics like Faulkner
and Virginia Woolf but I consider that a better option than Clancy. We
bought some pirated CD movies for $3 each. In places like this all that is
available is the pirated copies.

We came back to the hotel and have been reading while awaiting a massage
scheduled at 3 and at 4. I looked out the window when I heard some unusual
noises and watched as a small herd of 25-30 Brahmin cattle were being
herded down the sidewalk. So far I have seen numerous goat herds and a
pack of mules within the city. Not quite like downtown Vancouver.

We headed out for dinner to a place recommended by Lonely Planet (LP). We
couldn't find it so had a backup plan of another restaurant on the same
street. It was a steak house that LP touted as 'perhaps the best steak in
Addis'. If that is so, scary! All the chairs matched which is a good sign.
It was pleasantly lit, another good sign. The menu had lots of choices. I
ordered lemon basil chicken and Ron ordered a NY steak, their most
expensive item. Ron's steak was the largest I have seen here and was oh so
chewy. My chicken was okay but not worth the n return trip to this
restaurant. Win some lose some. Such is the life of an expat trying to
find restaurants in a city that doesn't cater to tourists. The standards
are different when there is a tourist trade. We could eat at the Hilton or
Sheraton every night but that wouldn't be our style. We would prefer to
support local merchants whenever possible and we certainly have been able
to find some good restaurants here so we will persist. After dinner we
came back to the hotel and watched "Iron Man". Unfortunately the subtitles
were in Spanish but the audio was in English. I thoroughly enjoyed Robert
Downey Jr.'s performance. He is a personal hero because he finally got
clean and sober. What a great come back for him.

I forgot to mention that our driver Derge let us rent his extra SIM card
for $20 so I now have a cell phone.