This video could have been produced by the Addis Ababa tourist board – in fact it might have been. It only shows one side of Addis, and Addis is clearly not representative of the reality of life in much of Ethiopia. But it does provide some balance to the nearly always negative views that one [...]
Browsing Posts published in November, 2009
A couple of contrasting nights out this week. Wednesday night – at the request of one of the folks I was going out with – I found myself at the Sheraton, the poshest hotel in Addis by some considerable distance. It was quite an experience – probably the poshest hotel I’ve been to with the [...]
I’ve had a great weekend. Yesterday I met a couple of (new) friends for lunch at the Lime Tree, one of the main Addis hang-outs for expats (ferengi) and – as the guidebook says – “trendy locals”. Then I went to a birthday party. Then I spent the evening watching Arsenal lose and carb-loading!
Since coming across Graham Hancock’s “Lords of Poverty” in the lobby of the Hilton the other day, I had had a nagging feeling – not just about staying at the Hilton, but about Graham Hancock. The name rang a bell … I was thinking pyramids, nazca lines, atlantis. As one does.
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
Today is my last day of working for ODI; at least until next June. It’s been … an experience. On the upside, I’ve been involved in some very interesting pieces of work on accountability and governance, and on policy coherence. I’ve learned a lot and have worked with some great people both at ODI and at the [...]
