GETAWAYS FROM THIS INFERNAL CITY
The quiet roads, the beautiful scenery, the spectacular lake, comfortable rooms are definitely a gateway from Addis Ababa.
These days, the dusty roads of Addis, the cars honking, the concrete jungle, are becoming too much for people to handle. Due to that people like Natan Ayele can't wait for Friday in order to get out of the city. “Thank God it is Friday,” he says. Usually, his destination is Hawassa, which is located some 270 km south of Addis. Going to the Haile Resort relaxes him and traveling gives him freedom. Whether it is going to a quiet restaurant or staying at home, Addis is the last place he wants to spend his weekends.
Haile Resort is a place where he sits for hours reflecting and reading. He sometimes takes a friend to enjoy the weekend with.
Usually, when people go out of the city they tend to drink more. However, he opposes the idea of intoxication. Rather, he just sits by the pool and might have a couple of glasses of wine. It is not only Hawassa; he also he likes to go to Kuriftu in Bishoftu.
He plans his trips on Thursdays and selects who he wants to go with. If it is far, he goes there by plane. Otherwise, he drives.
Even though he does not want to reveal how much he spends on his weekends he believes that money is here to serve people. Apart from expensive lodges and resorts he sometimes goes to national parks.
Looking at the booming construction in the city many complain and want to get away from the city to be with nature and find solitude.
Back in olden days, Addis Ababa was covered with huts and trees. Now the population of Addis Ababa is growing, estimated at more than three million. In the city the scorching sun is felt: and there are shades, parks, open spaces to enjoy the quality of life.
To escape from all that many go to the resorts, lodges that are found outside Addis. And for travelers there are many resorts such as the Kuriftu Resort and Spa.
Facing a Crater Lake, Kuriftu puts many in a very calm state of mind. Here people can swim, have massage service, view the lake, and be prepared to be overwhelmed with the type and the variety of food the place can offer.
Whether one is a child or not the waitresses actually salute the guests with a respect which is actually given to a senior person, according to Ethiopian culture. Fasil Assefa, 29, just got back from Kuriftu and still feels refreshed.
His trip was a family getaway. First they stopped at Dukem to eat raw meat and tibis (fried minced meat). After reaching Kuriftu they went to their rooms and went to have a steam bath, Swedish massage and after relaxing they headed to the city to walk.
After having dinner they chatted for a little bit and slept early. Sunday was reserved for swimming, playing different games and since there were children the game zones made them hype.
Even though he does this with different family members usually his preference is going out with a group of friends who share his interest. He usually goes out at least once every couple of weeks to Bishoftu or Sullulta and if there is a special occasion such as holidays like Timket he heads to Gondar.
If they go to Sululta they head to Yaya village to play football. After that the relaxation continues. Their journey usually starts on Saturday, enjoying the landscape and the view of the roadside.
Sometimes they stop to take pictures. If it is with friends it is always about their interest and adventure and seeing more places. Usually they rent a car and sometimes the price goes up to 1,000 birr per person. If it is Kuriftu they pay USD 92 for a double bed. All in all they pay up to 3000 birr per head, which is a bit stiff for them. So they find what he calls decent pensions with a price up to 300 birr. Since he is an artist, he only goes out after 5pm to enjoy nature for inspiration.
When he is with his friends he drinks but, according to him, this is not excessive, rather only a couple for the sake of passing time. They go out to dance, preferably to the Azmari bets. He enjoys listening to the Azmari's lyrics which features their shrewd sense of humor. For him being around water is what he wants to do; with Hawassa and Bahir Dar being his favorite destinations.
Many of the city dwellers do not go out of the city. Still there are those who go to Dukem and Sululta to eat raw meat and to drink tej (local wine made of honey). There are even those who actually take public transport and head to Suluta to enjoy tej. Now Sululta is becoming a center for restaurants that serve raw meat and tej.
Most of the resorts are exclusive and charge money even to enter the place. Most of the lakes are surrounded with the resorts which might not be affordable by many people with some charging more than one thousand birr per night to stay. Those who can afford have membership in those places and it is their usual hangout spot. Frehiwot Belay and her family are members of African Vacation Club and she has bought a house in Langano and usually rents it for people.
Firehiwot, who works for the UN, does not pay entrance money if she goes to Kuriftu. She also has a discount but she only goes there if there are meetings or company retreats. She is not really concerned about going out of town. Rather, she enjoys Addis.
She goes to Langano every now and then with family and says these are not even real beaches, adding that people have to go to Mombasa, Zanzibar, or Seychelles to know what real beaches are. For many, going to those places is once in a life time opportunity. Nowadays, people save money for their honeymoon and go to some of the resorts located on the coast of the Indian Ocean.
Paradise lodge, which is found in Arba Minch, says they are going to change this with the special package they offer. The place was founded eight years ago and during that time there were not many resorts.
Their main focus is attracting tourists and also offering a weekend getaway package for anyone who is interested. They offer different types of rooms, including VIP rooms and suites.
According to Tesfa Teshome, Paradise Lodge's advisor and Omo Tour and Car Rental tour operation manager, the place is eco-friendly with solar light in the room. Now in the process of expanding and opening other branches in different cities, he says that Ethiopia has a lot to offer.
The package differs from taking people on a road trip to Butajira, Melka Kuntire, Konso, Abiyata and Shala. Within that there is a boat trip and taking a tour of crocodile farm, fish market and ostrich farm.
Apart from that, tourists get to interact with local people. Even though he believes the diplomatic community is their main customer, Ethiopians in the diaspora and local customers are also growing in number.
Apart from other activities, mountain trekking is one that is becoming very popular. He believes this is a place for those who are looking for a secluded area.
Even though the cost differs according to the different packages, on average it costs from 3,500-7,000 birr. Especially on the weekends, many people demand flights and more than 80 percent of their rooms are occupied.
This might be the exotic places for people like Yohannes Desta, 25, who rather prefers to go to Adama, another booming city some 100 km south-east of Addis. Usually, he has friends who drive and on Friday they call each other to hit the road.
They drive slowly taking a break everywhere while chewing khat. At least it takes them three hours to be in Adama. After arriving at their destination, they rent a guest house.
Adama is a town known for live music but Yohannes and his friends head to Sefer and beer court to listen to DJ music and hit the booze.
Their Saturdays also pass that way and their Sunday is reserved for eating raw meat at Yilma Butchery. The place is their usual destination. They drink fashko, a.k.a. Turbo (a mix of wine, beer and soda) and laugh while enjoying their weekend. He says it is not expensive, costing them 1,000-1,500 birr per person. On the road back to Addis, he says that all of his friends are “refreshed”, adding that they “can't wait till the next outing comes”.
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