The line for Ethiopian Airlines going to Addis Ababa did not look promising. Chaos ensued when the flight was called for boarding. One of the passengers was asking people in line if they could carry a bag for her. It was chocolate for her kids and she was over the limit so she couldnt bring them into the plane. I had a layover in Addis Ababa before my flight to Cairo. I intentionally chose this long layover because I learned that if you had a layover in Adis with Ethiopian Airlines thats longer than eight hours, theyll give you a hotel room in the city. A visa is required for Filipinos to enter Ethiopia but I read somewhere that if its just a layover thats less than 24 hours, there would be no need for a visa. I prayed for it to be true. Upon checking in for the flight, the ground crew gave me and my friend Hazel our hotel vouchers. I was ecstatic! One of my goals in life is to see a bit of every continent in the world. My destination was Egypt, which is Africa. But for some reason, its not Africa enough for me, so
I wanted to go to Ethiopia, even just for a layover. The flight attendants of Ethiopian Airlines were some of the most beautiful women Ive ever seen in my life. They looked like models walking down the runway.
There was a Filipino woman fully clad in black Abaya and Burka who was traveling back to the Philippines from Saudi in the airport at Adis. She didnt speak much English and couldnt understand why the plane offboarded in Adis. So I explained to her that she had a connecting flight in Adis for twelve hours and that she could leave the airport and use the hotel voucher given to her. She looked so worried but followed my advice. We fell in line at the counter that gives passes for long layovers to be exempt from the visa requirement. After getting our passes we went to the exit. I was told that I had the wrong pass. My friend hazel already got past immigration and was waving at me. I had to get back to the booth to get the right card. I was pissed off but had to reign it in for the fear of not being granted the privilege
of entering Ethiopia without a visa. I was given the right card and set foot in Africa for the first time! I was so excited. The Filipino woman in Abaya looked so lost. I helped her get to the shuttle that would take her to her hotel, which was different from ours. I told her she must ensure shes back at the airport before her flight. I was doubtful shed be able to manage that as she well so I wished her luck. Staying in the airport wouldnt have been a better option as the airport was very chaotic with no clear indication of where one must go.
We were brought to one of the better hotels, the Ramada. Not only did we get a hotel room, but the voucher also included a buffet at the hotel! It was a large room and one of the most luxurious ones Ive been in. Im a backpacker with a very limited budget so I never stay in hotels on my own when traveling. I went to the bathroom to refresh before going to the buffet. I dried my face with the towel and wondered why it was rough. I
looked up Ramada Addis Ababa while waiting for my flight in Dubai so I knew it was a hotel so I expected more. Turns out the towel was actually a rug, and I used it to dry my face! Thats how clueless I was about fancy hotels. Take me to a hostel and Id know my way around. The buffet was great! Im vegan so I couldnt eat everything but there were plenty of options for me. I didnt know anything about Ethiopian food but it didnt look like I had any because I stuck to the ones that look vegan, which were mostly salads.
Since we were getting so much from Ethiopia for nothing, Hazel and I decided to give back a little by spending some money there. We asked the concierge about hiring a tour guide. He brought us outside and called a driver. It wasnt a taxi but a car. He said to pay the driver $60 to $70. There wasnt much to see in Addis. We went to a couple of museums and learned a little bit about their history.
