addis ababa: where the air hums with broken chords and coffee fumes
okay, so i've been in addis ababa for three days now and i still don't know if i love it or if it's about to pull a fast one on me. i came here with a battered guitar and a dream of playing for spare change in the mercato, but turns out the mercato is less "charming market" and more "human avalanche with excellent spices." i just checked and it's 25.16 degrees celsius right now with humidity at 61%, which means my fingers are sliding all over the fretboard like they're on a greasy pan. feels like 25.32? yeah, that's the number, but it feels like i'm marinating in a bowl of lentil soup that's just below body temperature.
the first day, i set up near st. george's cathedral and was immediately shooed by a priest who said "no music during prayer" but then came back during his break and requested "knocking on heaven's door." classic addis. someone told me that the best street performing spot is actually around the ethiopian national theatre, but i heard from a waiter at a cafe called kaldi that the police crack down on buskers there after 6pm. so i've been hopping between the piassa area and the university of addis ababa grounds. if you tire of the city chaos, the hills of entoto are a bus ride away, but i'm not here for the views-i'm here for the loose change in tourists' pockets. i've been scouring tripadvisor for hidden gems, but most of it is about museums and hotels. what i need is a forum for "where can i play my ukelele without getting arrested?" i found a thread on the addis ababa expat board where some guy said he played at the ghion hotel lobby and made 200 birr in an hour. according to yelp, the injera at messob is overrated, but the one at lebab is where the locals go. i haven't tried it yet because i'm saving every penny for strings and bus fare.
the vibe here is... chaotic but warm. i was setting up my amp yesterday and a kid came over, started dancing, and then his mom gave me 10 birr and said "you play like an angel but your guitar is out of tune." i took it as a compliment. i heard that the coffee at tomoca is the real deal, but the lines are insane. i went at 7am and it was already a cluster of students and business suits. got my macchiato, stood on the sidewalk, and played "wonderwall" while people hurried past. made about 30 birr.
also, the pressure is 1014 hpa, which my weather app says is normal, but i swear the air feels thicker here. like it's holding its breath. humidity at 61% is nothing compared to the sweat that drips into my eyes when i'm trying to hit the high notes. i'm thinking of moving on to northern ethiopia soon-someone warned me that the bus to gondar is a "rollercoaster of death" but also that the mountains there are breathtaking. maybe i'll trade the city noise for some peace and maybe a few tourists who actually stop to listen. for now, i'm keeping my guitar tuned to drop d because standard tuning fights with the humidity. and i'm learning amharic phrases like "thank you" and "sorry for the noise." anyway, if you're in addis and hear a off-key rendition of "hey there delilah" coming from a corner near the post office, that's me. tip if you can, i'm basically a professional beggar with a degree in music theory.
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