LHR - ADD

The next few postings will clear a backlog - it proved impossible to access the blogspot site in Ethiopia - maybe blocked for the same reason press censorship is imposed? I tried to keep a daily diary within the extremely busy schedule and many thousands of miles of travel by air and (rather bumpy) road!

Tuesday 25th / Wednesday 26th September
Our exit from the non-obviously organized chaos of high density population movement was suitably rushed as Sam’s brother had hooked us up with a senior aviation industry official with connections to the Department of International Development (DifID). The ten minute introduction necessitated a train stop from Terminal 4, a fast trot through the rabbit warrens that connect terminals 1, 2 and 3 then a cell phone guided ‘landing’ at the correct office block outside terminal 2. With all our luggage on impossible to steer trolleys in the midst of the small country on school holidays size population of Heathrow on a busy Wednesday of course! Including the heavy stuff (books, laptop and digital camera for Degan School Library, clothes etc) we won’t be bringing back, but for the moment have to create the illusion of squeezing into the allowed number of bags and kilos. The senior official turns out to be a fellow Scot (substitute an accent for a handshake!) and promises to try and arrange a meeting when we get back to London if we can send him few enough words to communicate the purpose. Dash back through the warrens, jump the train to T4, empty water bottles, squish the hand baggage into one piece each and we’re away! In the good seats again, though not quite horizontal this time, as it’s a smaller aircraft.


Its dark by the time we land in Beirut. An expanse of inky rippling water edged on two sides by low-rise city lights sprinkled on gently rising hills. A quick stop and most of the passengers get off. Then on to Addis, an hour late for a 2.20am arrival.


This is such a contrast to my last arrival in Africa - Niarobi in 1974. That was early morning. The heat at the top of the steps felt like it came straight from the engines, which of course it didn’t. Descent into un-organized chaos of landing cards, queues, lights, noise, with a slight hangover from one free bourbon and coke too many. Thirty years on its a totally different experience. Step off an airbridge onto the cool marble floors of a new and orderly building designed to bring the tourists the economy needs and the country deserves. This stunningly beautiful land is where the roots of the human race have been traced to and museums hold evidence of that long and amazing history. Churches date back to1000BC and have survived to tell the tale, along with the remnants of a few other ancient civilizations, (Egypt, Zimbabwe) across this recently troubled continent. But now it’s the start of the 3rd Millenium and celebrations will last six months. The calendar here has thirteen months and is out of synch with the Gregorian system that much of the world adopted. Here, the Millenium turned on 11th September 2007, as someone remarked, giving the benefit of hindsight to the fears associated with Y2K.

Visa processing is efficient, orderly, cheaper and easier than expected. Outside, in the surprisingly cool air of the early morning Sam’s friend is waiting, welcoming to drive through the almost deserted capital to our modest and friendly hotel. We have to wake up the night watchman to open the high corrugated iron gates and the receptionist to check us in. The booking was not quite right and only one room is ready. Sam is stoic and offers to wait tl the promised hour of 7am when his room will become available. In fact its after 10, by which time I have slept for a good 3 hours, drifting off to the sounds of a rooster disturbed by our comings and goings, a very scrawny cat that thinks it must be breakfast time and the muezzin calling the faithful to morning prayer.