Ethiopia Reprise: Last Night in Addis

March 5 was my last night in Addis… it was a fun night!

Lynda, Gordon, Frederick, and I met Brutawit, one of Richard’s Ethiopian sister-in-law’s, for dinner at this great place called Saba (or Sheeba, like the queen). Besides excellent traditional habesha food and conversation, the place had Wollo dancing with theater mixed in. Gordon was the first to join the dancers.

Habesha is the word Ethiopians use to refer to themselves. It literally means “mixture” as in mixture between white and black.

Gordon Dancing at Saba Restaurant, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Dancers at Saba Restaurant, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Dancers at Saba Restaurant, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Will, Brutawit, Lynda, Gordon at Saba Restaurant, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Brutawit at Saba Restaurant, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Dancers at Saba Restaurant, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Dancers at Saba Restaurant, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Dancers at Saba Restaurant, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Dancers at Saba Restaurant, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Coffee Ceremony Lady at Saba Restaurant, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Dancers at Saba Restaurant, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Dancers at Saba Restaurant, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Frederick and Dancers at Saba Restaurant, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Dancers at Saba Restaurant, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Painting of Ethiopian Alphabet at Saba Restaurant in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Painting at Saba Restaurant in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Paintings at Saba Restaurant in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Paintings at Saba Restaurant in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Brutawit, Lynda, Gordon at Saba Restaurant, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Frederick, Lynda, Gordon at Saba Restaurant, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Almost all of us ended up dancing, forcefed in the traditional way by one of the dancers, and generally having a good time. The dinner ended with a coffee ceremony. On the ride home, Frederick gave Brutawit and I both a bar of Belgian chocolate. I arrived at Richard’s place and he and I chatted a bit more before we slept and all too early the next morning Tamir picked me up to take me to the airport for a flight to Axum.

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