Our Trip to Ethiopia

April 19,2009, Sunday

Arrived in Addis Ababa at 8:00 PM after a very, very long flight!  It was dark so we could not see the city or mountains only the lights.  We stood in line for two hours waiting to get our Visa.  When we made it to the front we found out why it was taking so long.  Four people were working on the visas and doing the writing by hand with carbon sheets... no crime in that but, the line was not in order!  You met the first person who took your name and passport, passed it to the 3rd or 4th person in their line who passed it back to the 2nd and then you payed the 4th person all the while following your passport up and down the line bumping into the other people in line?  While waiting in line we met other couples traveling here, like us, for adoption.  

When we finally made it through the visa line and customs and picked up our luggage we met Tesfu, our driver.  He was standing outside the Luggage pick up with a sign that said Childrens Hope International.  We were very impressed with how very nice, polite and clean he looked.

The ride back to the House of Hope (HOH) was interesting.  Many people were out on the streets.  Tesfu said it was a Holy Day.  This is their Easter.

As Tesfu turned down the last road to the HOH I thought "anyone could have picked us up!"  "How do we know that Tesfu is really from the HOH?"  There were no street lights and the roads were all under construction.  The road to the HOH was worse than a cow path.  You could have lost a car in some of the holes!

It turned out Tesfu was real and he did take us to the House of Hope.  The HOH is gated.  Tesfu brought us to our room and showed us where the bathroom was.  I took Tylenol PM and slept all night.