Ini and I are up in the air somewhere above the Atlantic. I just finished a couple movies on the plane, "Blades of Glory" and "Reign Over Me." "Blades" was a lot of fun, but it's hard to keep myself from laughing too loud. It's tough watching comedies on plane flights. "Reign" was a pretty moving film, and I liked Sandler's acting. He really made me feel his pain, and it was a very sad pain.
Anyway, I wasn't quite ready to leave London. I wanted to see so much more. I wanted to see Tower Bridge. I wanted to see Oxford. I wanted to go to that place where Tolkien and Lewis had geeky talks about their fantasy worlds. Does this all mean I'll come back one day? I most surely hope so.
Coming home will be nice, though, but I don't look forward to seeing my room in my apartment. I had to clear everything from the walls because there was going to be some window replacements while I was gone. So everything is all heaped onto my bed and shoved to the far end of the room. Gross! Oh, well.
I'll just forget that for a while and watch another movie. "Amazing Grace," here I come!
7/12/2007
Shopping and the sites (London: Day Two)
Harrod's was nice. Really nice. I bought some tea to bring back to my friends in the States, and Carol took us through the floors to show us all the stuff they sell there. It really ranges from grocery foods to luxury clothes to pets. I loved it, but I could tell Ini wanted to get on with the day.
After all the shopping was done, the three of us went our separate ways to look at London at our own pace. Well...that's not exactly true. Ini and I went together, but as we were taking the Underground, Ini made it on the train and I didn't make it as the door was closing. Not that I minded, and I wasn't really trying to in on time. I just thought it was funny that we got separated. I did make an effort to catch up, and we both headed to the National Museum, but I never saw him again.
I took a few pictures and looked in the museum, but man! paintings are not my thing. Maybe if I was with someone who really enjoyed painters and their work (aka Jon), I probably would have had a much better time. But after a half hour, I was out of there and made my way to Parliament.
Instead of taking the Underground, I just walked. I wanted to look at everything! It was a good distance away, and when I finally got there, there was a protest going on. Funny thing was that it was a protest on issues that were going on in Africa, so I talked with someone from there for a while explaining that I just came from Ethiopia. He was very excited and he ranted about the issues and I asked questions and talked about what I saw in Addis. It was a good talk, but I knew I wouldn't care ten minutes after we parted ways.
And I was right, I went on to taking pictures of Parliament, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey. Oh, man...Westminster Abbey...I practically fell in love with the building. The architecture! The history! I loved all of it! Except maybe the fee to enter it and take a tour. I didn't pay after finding out you couldn't take pictures. Again, if I was with someone (from Torrey) I would have enjoyed the place much more, but that still didn't mean I hardly enjoyed it. I spent a good hour walking around it and taking pictures.
I also went back to Picadilly Square for lunch, and made a trip out to London Bridge. It was very anti-climactic, but I did walk to the middle of it and pictured myself being slashed by Jack the Ripper. Morbid, I know. But I guess that's the fascination I have with both history and lore. Hee hee hee...
There was, however, a pub near London Bridge that I wanted to go eat at. But I just went back to Harrod's to meet back up with Carol and Ini. By this time, it was around 7 PM. Carol showed, but Ini never did, so we went off and ate at the Hard Rock Cafe. "Why there," you ask? Well, it's the very first Hard Rock ever built, so I thought that was pretty iconic. Plus there was this really cute Canadian girl who seated us, so that was nice. Carol teased me a lot, though, but whatever.
Dinner was pretty much the end of the day. We went back to the hotel and called it a night.
After all the shopping was done, the three of us went our separate ways to look at London at our own pace. Well...that's not exactly true. Ini and I went together, but as we were taking the Underground, Ini made it on the train and I didn't make it as the door was closing. Not that I minded, and I wasn't really trying to in on time. I just thought it was funny that we got separated. I did make an effort to catch up, and we both headed to the National Museum, but I never saw him again.
I took a few pictures and looked in the museum, but man! paintings are not my thing. Maybe if I was with someone who really enjoyed painters and their work (aka Jon), I probably would have had a much better time. But after a half hour, I was out of there and made my way to Parliament.
Instead of taking the Underground, I just walked. I wanted to look at everything! It was a good distance away, and when I finally got there, there was a protest going on. Funny thing was that it was a protest on issues that were going on in Africa, so I talked with someone from there for a while explaining that I just came from Ethiopia. He was very excited and he ranted about the issues and I asked questions and talked about what I saw in Addis. It was a good talk, but I knew I wouldn't care ten minutes after we parted ways.
And I was right, I went on to taking pictures of Parliament, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey. Oh, man...Westminster Abbey...I practically fell in love with the building. The architecture! The history! I loved all of it! Except maybe the fee to enter it and take a tour. I didn't pay after finding out you couldn't take pictures. Again, if I was with someone (from Torrey) I would have enjoyed the place much more, but that still didn't mean I hardly enjoyed it. I spent a good hour walking around it and taking pictures.
I also went back to Picadilly Square for lunch, and made a trip out to London Bridge. It was very anti-climactic, but I did walk to the middle of it and pictured myself being slashed by Jack the Ripper. Morbid, I know. But I guess that's the fascination I have with both history and lore. Hee hee hee...
There was, however, a pub near London Bridge that I wanted to go eat at. But I just went back to Harrod's to meet back up with Carol and Ini. By this time, it was around 7 PM. Carol showed, but Ini never did, so we went off and ate at the Hard Rock Cafe. "Why there," you ask? Well, it's the very first Hard Rock ever built, so I thought that was pretty iconic. Plus there was this really cute Canadian girl who seated us, so that was nice. Carol teased me a lot, though, but whatever.
Dinner was pretty much the end of the day. We went back to the hotel and called it a night.
Playing tourist (England: Day Two)
London! London! London!
I'm so glad to be here. It's just nice to be back in a well-developed, highly populated city and out of a third world country. Everything just feels like a luxury after a trip like Ethiopia.
Getting through Customs and baggage claim was no problem. I didn't realize how bad the exchange rate was until I actually exchanged money and found that the pound is worth twice as much as the dollar. Yikes! With that said, everything felt super expensive. Now I know what people from poorer countries feel when they come to visit the States.
Carol navigated us through the airport to the trains and then to our hotel. She already reserved rooms for us, which made it super easy for us. We just have to pay her back when her bill comes in. She gave Ini and I one of the suites, and man! what a nice suite!!! It was incredible, and I giggled quite a lot when Ini and I first walked in. Of course, within minutes our stuff was all over the floor, our laptops were out on the tables, and the TV was on. I love being a guy.
A couple hours of settling in, the three of us met in the lobby and went to walk around. Hyde Park was just across the street, so we took a stroll through there. What an awesome looking park! It was like Central Park in NYC, and nothing like the parks I've been to in California. They gotta have city parks like that in California because they're just way too cool.
After getting enough of the park, we went to eat at Pizza Hut. I know, I know. Our first dinner in England and we chose Pizza Hut. Ini was having some bowel problems, and he needed something a little easier on the stomach, so he got first choice. Not that I minded, I like pizza. Carol also took us to see the Picadilly Circus, which is like the Times Square of London. It's not nearly as majestic as Times Square, but that's alright. We walked around the souvenir shops there and bought stuff. On the way there, we also walked by the Hard Rock Cafe and looked in their store. I saw a really nice shirt that I liked, but got scared away by the price. I'm so cheap.
We finally got back to our hotel around 11:30 or 12. Tomorrow Carol will take us to Harrods, which I guess is like a famous mall here. Shopping time!
I'm so glad to be here. It's just nice to be back in a well-developed, highly populated city and out of a third world country. Everything just feels like a luxury after a trip like Ethiopia.
Getting through Customs and baggage claim was no problem. I didn't realize how bad the exchange rate was until I actually exchanged money and found that the pound is worth twice as much as the dollar. Yikes! With that said, everything felt super expensive. Now I know what people from poorer countries feel when they come to visit the States.
Carol navigated us through the airport to the trains and then to our hotel. She already reserved rooms for us, which made it super easy for us. We just have to pay her back when her bill comes in. She gave Ini and I one of the suites, and man! what a nice suite!!! It was incredible, and I giggled quite a lot when Ini and I first walked in. Of course, within minutes our stuff was all over the floor, our laptops were out on the tables, and the TV was on. I love being a guy.
A couple hours of settling in, the three of us met in the lobby and went to walk around. Hyde Park was just across the street, so we took a stroll through there. What an awesome looking park! It was like Central Park in NYC, and nothing like the parks I've been to in California. They gotta have city parks like that in California because they're just way too cool.
After getting enough of the park, we went to eat at Pizza Hut. I know, I know. Our first dinner in England and we chose Pizza Hut. Ini was having some bowel problems, and he needed something a little easier on the stomach, so he got first choice. Not that I minded, I like pizza. Carol also took us to see the Picadilly Circus, which is like the Times Square of London. It's not nearly as majestic as Times Square, but that's alright. We walked around the souvenir shops there and bought stuff. On the way there, we also walked by the Hard Rock Cafe and looked in their store. I saw a really nice shirt that I liked, but got scared away by the price. I'm so cheap.
We finally got back to our hotel around 11:30 or 12. Tomorrow Carol will take us to Harrods, which I guess is like a famous mall here. Shopping time!
7/10/2007
In transit (Ethiopia: Day Ten)
On the plane now to London. We stopped at Alexandria, Egypt for about 45 minutes. The flight from Addis to Alexandria was around 4-5 hours. We're in the air again, and I don't know how much time has passed, but Ini and I just finished watching "The Land of Women" (no personal monitors; we had no choice); so it's gotta be close to three hours. Probably another hour and a half and we'll touch down.
We were able to do some shopping yesterday afternoon. Will took us to a shop that focused on souvenirs and "authentic" art work. Wood carvings, silver and onyx jewelry, cultural clothing, the works. It was pretty fun. I'm such a dolt when it comes to buying stuff to bring back and give to people as gifts, so I just bought a number of random items and will just have them pick out what they want. Heh...I'm a hack.
Before the shopping, we went to the village where Will grew up. We met his mother, and he showed us his house and gave us a description of his lifestyle before he moved into Dave Hunt's house. Apparently, the kitchen area and toilet was used by neighbors as a communal area. Not much machinery, and everything was damp from the rain. There was a little less than comfortable smell in the air like a leaking septic tank or an unkept public restroom.
The main reason why we were in the area was to get our last shot of a little boy being passed by a "Westerner" who didn't care about anyone but himself and the Bible in his hand. It's a pretty harsh shot, but we're not going for "friendly" in this video. We're going for realism and the hard truth of the spiritual condition of Africa.
After the village and the shopping, we went to Kaldi's for coffee. Kaldi's is the rip off of Starbucks, but this only occurred because Ethiopian government doesn't allow much corporate chains into their country. I haven't seen a McDonald's, Burger King, Apple, and the like in almost two weeks. It's really nice to be segregated from major commercial chains for a while.
We spent a good time at Kaldi's just talking with Bob and Will. It was our last full day with them, and we just wanted to spend time with them before we had to go. We went back to the hotel around 8:30 or 9 PM, bid our last goodbyes to Bob, exchanged business cards and wrote down e-mail addresses, and went back to our rooms to pack. Packing didn't take too much time, we all packed pretty light. It was a trick to find a way to put all our valuables (mainly all our cameras) into one bag because we were counting on them to only let us take one carry-on luggage.
Will picked us up at 5 AM to take us to the airport for our 7:10 AM flight. Once there, we hugged Will goodbye and prepared for the process from the check-in booth to the seat at our departure gate. It didn't take long, only about 30 minutes. The longest and probably most unnerving part was when the guy at Customs wasn't satisfied with my passport photograph. The long hair down to my shoulders and Costco's poor printing job (they stretched my face a little wide) made them question me. I offered them my CA driver's license and further proof. I showed them another picture of me. They asked for my residence card for the U.S. I explained to them that I didn't have one; that I was born in the U.S. and am a native born U.S. citizen. There was lots of frowns from the officer, and there were a lot of shrugs from me. There wasn't much else I could do to reinforce my claims. It wasn't until Carol came up to the officer and vouched for me and said she was my boss. I guess that was a little more convincing because they let me through. Phew! Although, I was a little disappointed that I wasn't taken to some holding room and questioned or something. That would have been an experience.
And so here we are. I can't wait to get to London. Carol said we'll go out to Indian food after we get settled in our hotel rooms. I keep hearing that the Indian food in London is most excellent, so I gotta try it. I don't know what we'll do tomorrow, but there's time to think about that. Right now, I'm just waiting to set foot on UK soil.
We were able to do some shopping yesterday afternoon. Will took us to a shop that focused on souvenirs and "authentic" art work. Wood carvings, silver and onyx jewelry, cultural clothing, the works. It was pretty fun. I'm such a dolt when it comes to buying stuff to bring back and give to people as gifts, so I just bought a number of random items and will just have them pick out what they want. Heh...I'm a hack.
Before the shopping, we went to the village where Will grew up. We met his mother, and he showed us his house and gave us a description of his lifestyle before he moved into Dave Hunt's house. Apparently, the kitchen area and toilet was used by neighbors as a communal area. Not much machinery, and everything was damp from the rain. There was a little less than comfortable smell in the air like a leaking septic tank or an unkept public restroom.
The main reason why we were in the area was to get our last shot of a little boy being passed by a "Westerner" who didn't care about anyone but himself and the Bible in his hand. It's a pretty harsh shot, but we're not going for "friendly" in this video. We're going for realism and the hard truth of the spiritual condition of Africa.
After the village and the shopping, we went to Kaldi's for coffee. Kaldi's is the rip off of Starbucks, but this only occurred because Ethiopian government doesn't allow much corporate chains into their country. I haven't seen a McDonald's, Burger King, Apple, and the like in almost two weeks. It's really nice to be segregated from major commercial chains for a while.
We spent a good time at Kaldi's just talking with Bob and Will. It was our last full day with them, and we just wanted to spend time with them before we had to go. We went back to the hotel around 8:30 or 9 PM, bid our last goodbyes to Bob, exchanged business cards and wrote down e-mail addresses, and went back to our rooms to pack. Packing didn't take too much time, we all packed pretty light. It was a trick to find a way to put all our valuables (mainly all our cameras) into one bag because we were counting on them to only let us take one carry-on luggage.
Will picked us up at 5 AM to take us to the airport for our 7:10 AM flight. Once there, we hugged Will goodbye and prepared for the process from the check-in booth to the seat at our departure gate. It didn't take long, only about 30 minutes. The longest and probably most unnerving part was when the guy at Customs wasn't satisfied with my passport photograph. The long hair down to my shoulders and Costco's poor printing job (they stretched my face a little wide) made them question me. I offered them my CA driver's license and further proof. I showed them another picture of me. They asked for my residence card for the U.S. I explained to them that I didn't have one; that I was born in the U.S. and am a native born U.S. citizen. There was lots of frowns from the officer, and there were a lot of shrugs from me. There wasn't much else I could do to reinforce my claims. It wasn't until Carol came up to the officer and vouched for me and said she was my boss. I guess that was a little more convincing because they let me through. Phew! Although, I was a little disappointed that I wasn't taken to some holding room and questioned or something. That would have been an experience.
And so here we are. I can't wait to get to London. Carol said we'll go out to Indian food after we get settled in our hotel rooms. I keep hearing that the Indian food in London is most excellent, so I gotta try it. I don't know what we'll do tomorrow, but there's time to think about that. Right now, I'm just waiting to set foot on UK soil.
7/09/2007
Wrap up (Ethiopia: Day Nine)
The last couple days have been pretty slow. Just grabbing some last shots and recording the voice over audio at a radio station. Hours were spent writing and then rewriting the script that felt horrifyingly ridiculous, but in the end it resulted in quick and easy recording for Bob. So it paid off.
Now we just gotta get the last quote recorded and a couple more easy shots and we'll be done. I'm hoping that I'll have time to do some shopping and buy trinkets and souvenirs, but we'll see.
Now we just gotta get the last quote recorded and a couple more easy shots and we'll be done. I'm hoping that I'll have time to do some shopping and buy trinkets and souvenirs, but we'll see.
7/07/2007
Happy birthday, Rachel! (Ethiopia: Day Seven)
As you can see, I haven't really kept up with the journal. The last three days felt long. Lots of shooting at a different location everyday - sometimes two different locations. Carol had to sit down with Sam, Fred, and Bob a lot to modify scripts and go over the shot list. Luckily, Ini and I didn't have to sit through those. Sometimes it's nice to just be a cameraman and not have to worry about logistics. I felt bad for Carol, though.
Going through the remote villages was very educational for me. I've seen a lot of it in the Philippines before, but it was still different. It was shocking seeing people gather their water from a muddy water hole or from a brown lake with no way of filtering it. The water didn't flow at all; I just can't imagine drinking and bathing and washing clothes in the same source. Especially when your livestock also share that water. I just feel really lucky to be born and raised in the States under a middle class situation, but I always feel like I should help those who are less fortunate than me.
We are now back in Addis. We got back around 7 or 8 tonight, and then went out to dinner at a touristy restaurant that had cultural music and dancing. It was much fun and entertaining. Tomorrow is a little more shooting but a lot in a radio station where we will record a lot of the script for voice overs. Booooring...but necessary.
The footage we've gotten so far has been really good, and I can't wait to get back home to start editing this sucker.
Going through the remote villages was very educational for me. I've seen a lot of it in the Philippines before, but it was still different. It was shocking seeing people gather their water from a muddy water hole or from a brown lake with no way of filtering it. The water didn't flow at all; I just can't imagine drinking and bathing and washing clothes in the same source. Especially when your livestock also share that water. I just feel really lucky to be born and raised in the States under a middle class situation, but I always feel like I should help those who are less fortunate than me.
We are now back in Addis. We got back around 7 or 8 tonight, and then went out to dinner at a touristy restaurant that had cultural music and dancing. It was much fun and entertaining. Tomorrow is a little more shooting but a lot in a radio station where we will record a lot of the script for voice overs. Booooring...but necessary.
The footage we've gotten so far has been really good, and I can't wait to get back home to start editing this sucker.
7/04/2007
The luxury of coffee and popcorn (Ethiopia: Day Four)
Shooting after lunch at the Hilton wasn't as exciting as I had hoped. We drove around the city and looked for good subjects of poverty, despair, and hopelessness. We did visit other ministry organizations like Hope and SIM, and we spent a little bit of time in the massive marketplace. We got some good shots overall, and the day was fun.
The next morning we packed up all our stuff, checked out of the hotel and made our way out to where we will be "based" when we go out to visit the remote villages. The drive was a good three hours, but that was a lot shorter than I thought. For some reason, I had the idea that it was going to take six to eight. I was very relieved I was wrong. On the road, if we saw a good scene to do some shots, we would stop the car and set up the cameras. One time we even asked if we could shoot a couple farmers plowing their fields with the oxen, and we got some great shots.
Once we got to our destination and checked into the hotel, we had a "quick" lunch and then headed out to a village where the first church planters established a church. Several men who planted churches around the area met us there and welcomed us with hugs and big smiles. We spent a good deal getting shots that fit our script. A lot of the neighbors came out to see what was going on, and we even had to traffic some of them out of the shots because it looked weird.
The highlight of yesterday, though, was after shooting one scene. We were invited to sit down and have coffee with the villagers there, and so we did. We all gathered in small hut and drank coffee. I never thought I'd be in that situation. At least, not so soon in my life. It was very exciting, but it was also incredibly humble. I don't think I have to explain how this was so.
We were done shooting around 6, and got back to the hotel around 8. A little more mellowed out dinner was eaten since half of us were completely exhausted, and then we headed up to our rooms to end the day. Ini, Bob, and I did watch Miami Vice before we went to bed, though. Man, what a snoozer!
The next morning we packed up all our stuff, checked out of the hotel and made our way out to where we will be "based" when we go out to visit the remote villages. The drive was a good three hours, but that was a lot shorter than I thought. For some reason, I had the idea that it was going to take six to eight. I was very relieved I was wrong. On the road, if we saw a good scene to do some shots, we would stop the car and set up the cameras. One time we even asked if we could shoot a couple farmers plowing their fields with the oxen, and we got some great shots.
Once we got to our destination and checked into the hotel, we had a "quick" lunch and then headed out to a village where the first church planters established a church. Several men who planted churches around the area met us there and welcomed us with hugs and big smiles. We spent a good deal getting shots that fit our script. A lot of the neighbors came out to see what was going on, and we even had to traffic some of them out of the shots because it looked weird.
The highlight of yesterday, though, was after shooting one scene. We were invited to sit down and have coffee with the villagers there, and so we did. We all gathered in small hut and drank coffee. I never thought I'd be in that situation. At least, not so soon in my life. It was very exciting, but it was also incredibly humble. I don't think I have to explain how this was so.
We were done shooting around 6, and got back to the hotel around 8. A little more mellowed out dinner was eaten since half of us were completely exhausted, and then we headed up to our rooms to end the day. Ini, Bob, and I did watch Miami Vice before we went to bed, though. Man, what a snoozer!
7/02/2007
From the Hilton (Ethiopia: Day Two)
Woke up around 5:50 AM this morning to shower up and pack the gear and be out the door by 7:30. It's the third day that I've been wearing the same exact clothes, and my socks and boxers are beginning to feel gross. I'm sure you wanted to know about that.
Sam picked us up at 7:30 and we went out to breakfast near the airport where Fred was arriving. My bag also came in, so that was a huge relief. After picking up Fred and checking up on Carol's bag (hasn't come in yet), we headed off to Hilton hotel to talk about script and shot list modifications. Once that is all done, it's off to the streets to gather footage. Today will be long, but it will be a whole lot of fun.
Sam picked us up at 7:30 and we went out to breakfast near the airport where Fred was arriving. My bag also came in, so that was a huge relief. After picking up Fred and checking up on Carol's bag (hasn't come in yet), we headed off to Hilton hotel to talk about script and shot list modifications. Once that is all done, it's off to the streets to gather footage. Today will be long, but it will be a whole lot of fun.
7/01/2007
A walk to remember (Ethiopia: Day One)
Ini and I had no sense of time, so we just guessed when to get up. This was determined when the daylight flooded our room and the heat began to make lying under heavy blankets uncomfortable. Later we estimated that it was around 10:45 in the morning.
We went to a church across the street called International Evangelical Church (IEC), where we walked in half an hour late and found Carol sitting by herself. The service was nice. It had a mid-90's Presbyterian feel to it with worship songs like "Give Thanks With A Grateful Heart" and the people actually dressed up in real long dresses and a collared shirt and some nice slacks. I felt lucky that the only pair of clothes I have right now was something a little more dressy.
We didn't really talk with the congregation much after the service. We just went straight to the hotel and had lunch and talked for a good while. An hour or so later, Sam came by and took us out to a restaurant because he and his wife just flew in and hadn't had lunch yet. Bob and Will came along as well, and we had a good time conversing about a bunch of different things, but it was mostly about ethnic backgrounds and sports.
I guess it's a cultural thing to have coffee after a meal, so we all went to a coffee house and had macchiatos, which is highly favored over there.
Ini and I were feeling pretty adventurous, so him and I decided to walk the streets with our cameras and take pictures. Yeah! Carol thought that was a bad idea fearing we'd get mugged or some pickpocket would snatch our cameras when our defense was down. Sam, Bob, and Will assured that this area was quite safe, but we should probably not be out there past six when it gets dark.
We walked around for about two hours, and it was a blast. Taking pictures here and there, and the people were very welcoming of our cameras. In fact, most of the pictures we took were instigated by the Ethiopians! Ini and I made no protest against that, and we shot pictures with glee. The kids especially loved hamming up to the camera, and treated us like superstars who wanted to shake our hands or give us high-fives.
Again, the area reminded me a lot of the Philippines, but with a bunch of Africans instead of Asians around. Lots of stores right up against the main roads, huts put up wherever there was room, public transporters hanging off vans calling for more riders, and individual food stores all around rather than larger corporate chains. Frankly, I didn't feel endangered much around the people. They were all very friendly and wanted to talk to you...perhaps a little too much.
Dinner time.
We went to a church across the street called International Evangelical Church (IEC), where we walked in half an hour late and found Carol sitting by herself. The service was nice. It had a mid-90's Presbyterian feel to it with worship songs like "Give Thanks With A Grateful Heart" and the people actually dressed up in real long dresses and a collared shirt and some nice slacks. I felt lucky that the only pair of clothes I have right now was something a little more dressy.
We didn't really talk with the congregation much after the service. We just went straight to the hotel and had lunch and talked for a good while. An hour or so later, Sam came by and took us out to a restaurant because he and his wife just flew in and hadn't had lunch yet. Bob and Will came along as well, and we had a good time conversing about a bunch of different things, but it was mostly about ethnic backgrounds and sports.
I guess it's a cultural thing to have coffee after a meal, so we all went to a coffee house and had macchiatos, which is highly favored over there.
Ini and I were feeling pretty adventurous, so him and I decided to walk the streets with our cameras and take pictures. Yeah! Carol thought that was a bad idea fearing we'd get mugged or some pickpocket would snatch our cameras when our defense was down. Sam, Bob, and Will assured that this area was quite safe, but we should probably not be out there past six when it gets dark.
We walked around for about two hours, and it was a blast. Taking pictures here and there, and the people were very welcoming of our cameras. In fact, most of the pictures we took were instigated by the Ethiopians! Ini and I made no protest against that, and we shot pictures with glee. The kids especially loved hamming up to the camera, and treated us like superstars who wanted to shake our hands or give us high-fives.
Again, the area reminded me a lot of the Philippines, but with a bunch of Africans instead of Asians around. Lots of stores right up against the main roads, huts put up wherever there was room, public transporters hanging off vans calling for more riders, and individual food stores all around rather than larger corporate chains. Frankly, I didn't feel endangered much around the people. They were all very friendly and wanted to talk to you...perhaps a little too much.
Dinner time.
Atlantic first (Ethiopia: Day One)
We just got settled into our hotel rooms here in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The trip was incredibly long, but it wasn't terrible. Checking-in had some obstacles, like my hand carries being too heavy (one video camera bag roller bag, and one still camera shoulder bag). I had to explain to the lady that I was carrying thousands of dollars worth of camera equipment, but I still had to move some stuff into my check-in bag. She barely even let me take the shoulder bag as a carry on (you're only allowed one apparently), but she was nice. The flight from San Francisco to London felt really short considering we were flying half way around the world. I watched a couple movies, played some Nintendo DS, and read a little too. Sleeping was also an activity I did a lot.
Of course, our flight was delayed a little, so we had to race to our connecting flight to Addis Ababa. We made it with a half hour to spare. The kind gesture from the nice lady who checked me in from San Francisco backfired in London because they DEFINITELY wouldn't let us take two bags. So we had to check-in one more bag, which was such a hassle. The flight from London wasn't as pleasant as the one from San Francisco. In fact, I didn't enjoy it at all. I sat in between these two nice-looking African people who knew each other and, I think, were traveling together. But they felt it wasn't rude at all to talk to each other at a loud audible in their own language because for about four hours I had to endure non-stop conversations that I couldn't understand at all...and one of them definitely needed a breath mint. I was really peeved about the whole thing, but I didn't want to make things weird and tell them to shut up or to switch seats with me. I can usually just turn music on and sleep through it, but the bad breath was so awful that it would keep me from fully dozing off. Ugh...flight etiquette, people! Flight etiquette!
Anyway, I was very thankful that we had to refuel at Alexandria, Egypt because people actually were stopping there and left their seats open. Needless to say, I moved somewhere else for the rest of the trip. At the end of the flight, I looked over to where they were...still yapping away in their loud, bad breath ways. Tsk tsk...
Customs was short, but baggage claim was anything but short. One of Carol's and my bags did not make it from London to Addis, so we had to report the bags. Hopefully, it will be here by Tuesday morning, but it was pretty much not the way I wanted to end a 20-hour trip. Oh, well. I'll just have to where the same clothes for two days. Oh wait, I already do that.
Once we finally got out of baggage claim, we were met by Bob and Will. Two people with an organization that helps give food and water to the people of Africa, and its in good relations with our organization. They took us to our hotel room where we are now.
Now that is all done, I'm heading to bed with only an estimate of what time it is. There's church in the morning, so hopefully we can wake up for that.
Of course, our flight was delayed a little, so we had to race to our connecting flight to Addis Ababa. We made it with a half hour to spare. The kind gesture from the nice lady who checked me in from San Francisco backfired in London because they DEFINITELY wouldn't let us take two bags. So we had to check-in one more bag, which was such a hassle. The flight from London wasn't as pleasant as the one from San Francisco. In fact, I didn't enjoy it at all. I sat in between these two nice-looking African people who knew each other and, I think, were traveling together. But they felt it wasn't rude at all to talk to each other at a loud audible in their own language because for about four hours I had to endure non-stop conversations that I couldn't understand at all...and one of them definitely needed a breath mint. I was really peeved about the whole thing, but I didn't want to make things weird and tell them to shut up or to switch seats with me. I can usually just turn music on and sleep through it, but the bad breath was so awful that it would keep me from fully dozing off. Ugh...flight etiquette, people! Flight etiquette!
Anyway, I was very thankful that we had to refuel at Alexandria, Egypt because people actually were stopping there and left their seats open. Needless to say, I moved somewhere else for the rest of the trip. At the end of the flight, I looked over to where they were...still yapping away in their loud, bad breath ways. Tsk tsk...
Customs was short, but baggage claim was anything but short. One of Carol's and my bags did not make it from London to Addis, so we had to report the bags. Hopefully, it will be here by Tuesday morning, but it was pretty much not the way I wanted to end a 20-hour trip. Oh, well. I'll just have to where the same clothes for two days. Oh wait, I already do that.
Once we finally got out of baggage claim, we were met by Bob and Will. Two people with an organization that helps give food and water to the people of Africa, and its in good relations with our organization. They took us to our hotel room where we are now.
Now that is all done, I'm heading to bed with only an estimate of what time it is. There's church in the morning, so hopefully we can wake up for that.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
