Rogue Chemist — Outta the lab and into the entropic jungle

The city of squeaky clean shoes

It turns out I was very wrong in assuming that a cozy room would automatically lead to quality sleep. For the third night in a row, I tossed and turned, falling asleep in a few short intervals before having to “wake up” at 4 am to board the bus to Addis half an hour later.

Resting bitch face

Since I was beginning to feel better from the tinidazole, my ambition for another mini-adventure (likely my last before returning to Addis Ababa) started to resurface.

Setting up shop: accommodation tips to keep you safe and sane

Choosing accommodations where both you and your belongings are safe from theft or other potential harm should be the bare minimum criteria each traveler has, whether backpacking or staying at a five-star hotel.

Lord of the flies

At this point in my journey, I was happy to finally be immersed in nature and to stay in one place for more than two days. Bonga was quickly shaping up to be the highlight of my trip, but there was one small pest that plagued the town and provoked my patience.

Kafa: the birthplace of buna

I won’t lie: coffee was a large part of my incentive to visit the Kafa region, which is situated in the stunning southwest of Ethiopia.

Bumming it in Jimma

One week into my trip, I felt like I had more or less adapted to traveling in Ethiopia. My previous frustrations in Ambo dissolved into nothing more than a blip in my memory.

Escape from Ambo

My stomach started to grumble in that familiar, ominous way after my hike in Wenchi, and a restless sleep (interrupted by quality toilet time) didn’t offer much relief. I was hoping to get away with not getting sick (like I somehow managed to pull off in India), but those hopes were quickly dashed four days into my trip.

Mounting moodiness at Mount Wenchi

When it came time to leave Addis early Tuesday morning, Michael, en route to work, dropped me off at Piazza around 5:30 am to catch a minibus for Asco Bus Station on the edge of the city.

A crashless course in Addis Ababa

As far as first impressions go, Addis Ababa has the coolest-sounding name of any place I’ve ever visited. Pronounced “add-iss ab-uh-buh” in English, it means “New Flower” in Amharigna (Amharic), Ethiopia’s official language. (There are around 70 different languages spoken throughout the country!)

Do the Ethiopian time warp

Ethiopia doesn’t exactly scream “fun family vacation” (or fun solo vacation, for that matter) to many Westerners. Instead, mental images of a poverty-stricken nation pop up thanks to those guilt-inducing World Vision commercials. No doubt this is the default mental image people associate with most places in Africa if they have never visited the continent.