First impressions

Here are a couple of memories from flying through Addis.

This amazing view on the morning, fog-covered outskirts of Addis Ababa gave me the first glimpse of the African continent.

Right after touchdown, our aircraft strolled past this curious scene.

I found these five workers hilarious. They stood on the same spot for five minutes while our aircraft waited to park. Then they moved five steps, looking equally confused, and waited again.

Another interesting experience was waiting in the small terminal with several hundred other travelers from all over Africa. To kill time, I tried guessing where many of them were from judging from their many different attires and languages.

I have to admit that I was a little surprised to see the little TV screen in the middle of the terminal, showing a 90s work-out show with white, half-naked men and women hopping around. Expecting Ethiopians to be more conservative, it struck me as something that was perhaps being shown to accommodate the many Americans passing through the terminal.

I also noticed that creating neat lines while boarding an airplane was almost a taboo. People were cutting lines here and there, pushing and shoving one another, but nobody seemed to be complaining. Definitely a difference from the strict Americans, systematically calling out rows and color-coded tickets to board the plane.