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Home » Ethiopia » What I Did in Addis Ababa
EthiopiaEthiopian Airlines

What I Did in Addis Ababa

Matthew Klint Posted onOctober 20, 2017November 14, 2023 10 Comments

I hate to even write this, but I ended up seeing a lot less of Addis Ababa than I originally planned. Blame jetlag and my weak stomach.

Sunday night I flew from Burbank to San Francisco to Chicago, then connected to Toronto Thursday morning. I got no sleep.

At the Park Hyatt Toronto, I slept for only five hours because I had too much work to accomplish before my 13-hour flight to Addis Ababa on Ethiopian Airlines without internet. Both Award Expert and Live and Let’s Fly require internet, so I was up before 5am getting everything sorted before the 11am flight.

The plan was to catch up on sleep on the flight to ADD, but unfortunately the morning departure coupled with the lack of lie-flat seating made sleep very difficult. When the plane landed in Addis, I had managed no sleep on the flight and was exhausted.

I proceeded to the transit counter to pick-up my hotel voucher and 20 minutes later was on my way to the Hilton. Upon arrival at the Hilton, I had some breakfast…then crashed.

a red carpeted area with a sign and a poster

a lobby with a table and chairs

a room with a bed and a couch and a lamp

Six hours later I awoke, by alarm, and almost rolled over and went back to sleep. But my stomach would not let me. The Ethiopian food was very spicy onboard the Toronto to Addis flight and frankly not something I ever eat at home. It seems it will take some acclimation to get my stomach used to it. I spent an extended period in the bathroom…

The day was passing fast. Emails were coming in by the dozens. Blog posts needed to be edited and formatted. Sighing, I made the choice to remain in the hotel room. After answering every client and prepping my blog, I only had a few hours left before my next flight.

I worked out, had dinner, and returned to the airport. I had to photograph the lounge and try to be the first onboard my flight to Bangkok to capture pictures of the cabin.

The only part of Addis Ababa I saw ended up being the view from my room—

Addis Ababa One Day

and the drive to/from the airport.

CONCLUSION

I’m sad that I essentially saw nothing during my 17-hour layover in Addis Ababa. At the same time, I have no regrets over what I did. I needed the sleep and the work had to get done. This was not vacation…I travel far too often to justify going sightseeing when there remains critical unfinished work.

So, I’ll have to come back…

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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10 Comments

  1. Ben Reply
    October 20, 2017 at 7:47 am

    Booooooooo……

  2. jasdou Reply
    October 20, 2017 at 8:11 am

    I am sure all of us who travel for business can relate!

    One time, I was going to Paris to see some clients. I didn’t even see the tip of the Eiffel Tower because all my meetings were outside the city center. When I came back, my friends couldn’t believe I didn’t seize the opportunity to “visit more”. And that is very representative of most business trip I take.

    • Thomas Reply
      October 20, 2017 at 2:34 pm

      I have been to Addis Ababa twice in ten months, I loved it, I also spent time at the lavish Hilton.

  3. Eric Reply
    October 20, 2017 at 10:17 am

    Completely sympathize. Happens all too often when we travel for business. You’ll get back sometime.

  4. MDT Reply
    October 20, 2017 at 12:40 pm

    If you need an extra hand to help you some times, let me know. I’m glad to help so we can see you have a good time in the destinations you head out to!

  5. MFK Reply
    October 20, 2017 at 3:26 pm

    Do return to see the city and other parts of the country. I found it to be a wonderful place, especially Lalibela. I enjoyed the food too, but it can be spicy 🙂

  6. JoeMart Reply
    October 20, 2017 at 3:49 pm

    You missed the happy hour by the Hilton pool where you can meet people from all around the world. Listening to the Azmaris belting songs in a Kanzachis area bar. Souvenirs from the Mercato for the family at home.

    • Matthew Reply
      October 21, 2017 at 11:12 am

      I’m sorry I missed it. I did have a chat with an UN Aid worker which I’ll include in my trip report.

  7. Tim Reply
    October 21, 2017 at 4:15 am

    I don’t understand why most western journalists are so fake and have no empathy whatsoever when they go abroad and do photojournalism!!! In most cases,they don’t show the true image of the country they are reporting about!!! Addis Ababa and Ethiopia in general is a wonderful,amazing and mysterious country that’s unparalleled by no country throughout the world!!! This journalist could show the beautiful and vibrant part of fast growing Addis but instead he chose to show just the slum part of this wonderful city!!! What a disgrace!!!

    • Matthew Reply
      October 21, 2017 at 7:10 am

      Oh my word, the Ethiopian propaganda squad is getting tiresome.

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