We made our flight from Entebbe on time, which is good in part because I had already gotten a nasty text from the girl in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, who I had contracted to do a cooking class for us during our layover. Apparently, she thought we were going to be getting there this morning and that we stood her up. I'm kinda confused why she thought I told her we were getting in late at night, asking if she could do the class and coffee ceremony that late at night. But, oh well. One thing I have learned is that putting "am" and "pm" doesn't really mean anything to many non-English or Latin-based language speakers. I'll know better next time. There was also question about whether the transit visa the airline would purchase for us included the ability to go into town, so I had made sure we could be picked up from the hotel instead of the airport. But, once I responded and let her know we would be there tonight, she was better and said her husband would be there to pick us up when we arrived. It turns out that our visa only allowed transit between the airport and the hotel. But, the hotel didn't care and helped me communicate with the provider about where to find us. The Ethiopian Airlines Skyline Hotel has multiple towers, but it is a nice hotel for an overnight layover, especially since the airline arranges the transit visa and the hotel room.
For those who are curious, yes, I'm aware going to a foreign country and being picked up by a stranger to be taken to a private home can be dangerous. But, life can be dangerous. Some things you can do to make these types of activities safer is to book them through the national resellers, like Viator/Trip Advisor. Those resellers don't vet the tour providers or do background checks, but reviews will clue you about whether the providers are legitimate or shady. While I didn't book through the national reseller, that is where I found them. And they had good reviews. Also, when I'm travelling, my family has a detailed itinerary and knows when I'm doing something a little less safe and they can track my movements if I don't check in when expected.
However, a cooking class and coffee ceremony late at night turned out not to be a great idea, especially when the provider didn't understand it was late at night instead of the morning. The woman who was supposed to be giving the class wasn't able to do it, as she had to be up early in the morning. So, she had a friend provide the class, and this friend didn't speak English. The provider's husband was there and he spoke English, but he wasn't really all that familiar with all the things the lady cooking was doing. We know some of the spices she used on the dishes that were cooking on the stove, but mostly we got oil, onions, chili powder, cumin, salt, and whatever else you want to put in it (like chickpea sauce, lentils, potatoes, chicken, or whatever).
We did get to try our hand at Injera, Ethiopian tortillas. I kind of expected to learn how to make the batter, too, but it was already mixed up. He was very vague about what was in it, so I'm assuming it was a box mix or something similar. It looks pretty simple. Just pour the batter in a spiral without leaving holes...
After it cooks for a while, lift an edge, slide the large trivet under it, and pick it up. Easy right?
On mine, you can see where I had to pour extra batter to fill in the holes I left. Also, you can see where it broke when I tried to slide the trivet under it. She had to take it up for me!
When dinner was cooked, it was amazing! And they gave us some spices, which were not mentioned during the class, so I hope I can figure out what to do with them. I've already used berbere spice in my lentil stew, but I'm not sure what to do with the one that I apparently lost the sticker for (so I don't even know what it is), or the mitmita. Suggestions are welcome. Ethipian food is delicious, though!
The coffee was also delicious, but the ceremony was lacking. I would assume the whole ceremony would be done if we had our class at an earlier hour. The layout was beautiful.
We started with raw, green coffee beans over a charcoal fire.
They were roasted until very, very dark. The house was uncomfortably smoky by then, even with the front and back doors open.
Then steeped in an urn of water
until ready to be poured into cups. It was very, very good!
After our coffee, the provider got us back to our hotel sometime a little after midnight or so. This left very little time to sleep, and my bag with my night stuff was checked through. So, I just swiped the toiletries, slept in the buff, and got up the next morning putting my same clothes on. The offered toiletries were only soap, shampoo, and conditioner and didn't include toothpaste or toothbrush, so my breath just had to stink.
The breakfast buffet was interesting. I think it was leftovers from the night before and bread. The french fries were so hard I couldn't bite through some of them! But, the bus got us back to the airport and we made our flight to Madagascar.
When we got to Antananarivo, Madagascar, the capital city, we were met by our tour guide. Since we had some time, we decided to visit the Queen's Palace before going to our hotel. It is a lovely place and grounds, but pictures are not allowed inside. I recommend seeing the Queen's Palace early in your trip to Madagascar, as it gives you a background of the historically significant happenings that impacted the culture. It also helps describe some of the more important things in each part of the country.
Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world, but only if you consider Australia to be a continent and not an island. In size, it ranks behind Greenland, New Guinea, and Borneo. There is evidence that Madagascar wasn't visited or inhabited by humans until much later than most other places, with some evidence suggesting that human settlement didn't begin on the island until just 1,300 years ago. This is one major reason there is so much diversity in the island's indemic animal and plant life. Also, because the first inhabitants were from Indonesia and Malasia, the Malagasy people don't consider themselves true Africans, but identify more with the Indo-Pacific peoples. The delayed arrival of humans also explains why even the oral history doesn't show the first monarch to have arrived until the 1300s, supposedly sent down by God, himself, and quite possibly the model for King Julien. The Queen's Palace covers the history of the known and verified history of the Merina monarchy, from the uniting of all the tribes of Madagascar until the French Protectorate was forced in 1896. I'm still not sure why the French needed to protect the island from any country other than the French. The only other significant wars I can find at the time was between Britain and Zanzibar.
Here are some pictures of the exterior and surroundings for you to enjoy.
These canons were purchased from the British at a cost of 50 slaves each
These white buildings cover the remains of the queens
This historical teachings go from the earliest settlers from Malaysia and Indonesia to the immigration of people from the African continent and trade and hostile engagements. It includes the attempts to repel the French and the issues with the French Protectorate status that dissolved the monarchy. It's definitely an interesting tour.
After touring the castle, we stopped at an ATM so I could get local cash (Ariary) and then went to the hotel for the evening, where I was finally able to shower and brush my teeth!
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