A Visit to Dreamland

We took a little trip out of Addis to see the countryside. We were told we were going to the lake. After all kinds of advice not to get in the water, which was not part of the plan anyway, we headed out. It was a very interesting trip, it was a short drive, maybe 30 minutes. The landscape was very similar to central Washington.

When we got to the lake, the public access was fenced off. They charged us 4 birr per person to enter. There was a snack shack, a play area, and a trail that went along the lake. We headed off on the trail. It ended by this really cool tree. I was tempted to climb it and jump in, but the stories of the parasites that burrow into your ear kept me safely on the trail. The other deterrent to leaving the trail was the very healthy cactus.

We spent an hour or so at the lake. After our girls got kicked off of the toys, in two languages, we decided it was time to head out and find lunch. We were taken to a restaurant on the edge of another lake. It was rumored to have American food. It was pretty close, and they had good beer too. They also had some pretty spectacular Ethiopian food, the t'ibs looked particularly yummy. The view was also stellar. The only real drawback was the random cats that were wandering around under the tables. There was enough on the menu to make all of the girls happy, American and Ethiopian. We all enjoyed seeing something outside of our compound walls. If you happen to be traveling to Addis anytime soon, I recommend a trip to Dreamland.