We're here!

All right, there's a LOT to blog about today. I am sitting in the lobby of the Addis View hotel and it is a lovely day. But let me start with Friday night.

Security was relatively painless and checking in was easy enough that after we got our bags on board, we got some dinner and went back to the Oasis lounge to eat.

We boarded our plane to Dubai at 11:00 at night and it was a HUGE plane. Pete is so right, the entertainment system is fantastic. I fiddled around with it for awhile and then realized what I really needed to do was sleep, so I managed to get a bit of shut eye and faded in and out until about 7 in the morning, New York time. Not bad, not bad. They gave us eye masks and dimmed the lights in the cabin (complete with stars on the ceiling) so that we could all fool ourselves. Our seat mate was a nice guy who was flying on to India the next day. It was good to have someone nice sitting there, considering I was stuck in the middle.

Anyway, for those of you thinking of traveling, I would HIGHLY recommend Emirates Air. Their service was great, the food was very yummy (yes, they proved the stereotype of terrible airline food completely wrong) and the people were so nice. When one of the stewardesses found out we were adopting, she brought us a huge bag of puppets and coloring books (which I then forgot on the next flight...darnit) and made me cry. It was so wonderful.

When we arrived in Dubai, we hitched a ride on the shuttle to the hotel and checked in, then decided to grab a quick bite to eat in the restaurant. We grabbed a couple bananas and then hired a cab to take us to Mall of the Emirates, where the ski slope is. We walked around for awhile and watched the skiiers and even had some ice cream. And Dad, the lemon custard ice cream in Dubai is the best I've ever had. We went back to the hotel about 11:00 or so and tried to sleep, but some guy was making lots of noise in the hallway so we didn't get that much.

We got a quick breakfast this morning, then it was off to the airport once more for our flight to Addis Ababa. As we packed up our stuff, we realized we'd lost our camera the night before, so we ended up having to buy a new camera at the airport. Oh well, if that's the only problem we have, it's no big deal.

In the holding area at the airport, we met a single mom and her friend, on their way to pick up a little girl through Hannah's Hope. Hey Sunday!! I hope your time in ET was absolutely fantastic and maybe we'll meet up in the states sometime. It was nice to talk to another mommy-to-be about the weird thoughts we were both having.

We managed to stay awake in the plane by watching James Bond and in no time at all, we were flying over the coast of Eritrea and into Ethiopia. I could see it from the air and I choked up several times. This wild beautiful country, where my son was born, seems so amazing, even just seeing it from the air.

Customs was pretty easy and it didn't take long to get all our luggage (which all arrived!) and find our driver to the hotel. Once there, our first room had two twin beds, which sort of upset me since I'd like to be in the same bed as the hubby. Luckily, they agreed to switch us to another room, which also was a better room. 504, for those of you coming after. It's got a good view. Finagle your way into it. :)

Marc took a short nap while I exchanged some money for birr, managed to send an email, and asked for a hotpot. You've got to ask for them if you don't have one in there. No signs of bedbugs at all, though the beds are really firm. If you like that, you'll be happy.

At about 2:00, I called Duni to find out if there was anything we could do and she told us to call Alazar for a driver. We did and we got a GREAT (not suicidal) driver to pick us up at 3:00 for a trip to the National Museum (tickets were 20 birr) and Trinity Cathedral (Haile Sellasie's burial place). The museum was not what I expected, but since I'm a museum person, that's not surprising. Lucy (the fossil hominid) is there, though currently she's visiting Seattle so we just saw a replica. Yes, that's right...the ONE thing I REALLY wanted to see in ET (beside my son, you sillies) was in the US. *snork* How's that for silliness.

We got a tour of the cathedral, which was great and made me feel quite humble. The tickets were 60 birr for both of us, but completely worth it. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and the conversation was very informative. While we were there, they had prayer time and opened the holy of holies, where the replica of the tablets are kept. The altar is covered in silver and was given by Haile Sellasie, who is also buried there in a huge granite tomb. I would totally recommend that tour to anyone who has the time.

We also stopped by a store for bottled water, so I think we're set. Tonight we plan on eating in the hotel restaurant and tomorrow we meet Sintayehu for the first time! I hope I can sleep!

I think I might be taking a sleeping pill later...I'm exhausted, but there's so much going on I don't want to miss anything.

By the way, Addis weather is lovely. It about 70 degrees and the sun is shining (of course) and it just feels nice to walk around outside. Tomorrow, of course, I'll remember to put on sunscreen.

Signing off until I manage this again!