After we left Kabaina our drivers picked us up at the Care Center. Fekadu had invited us to his home for a traditional Ethiopian lunch and coffee ceremony. This was another highlight of our trip. Fekadu’s mother had prepared an amazing lunch. We washed our hands in a basin with a pitcher of water. They explained that this was the traditional way to wash even if a family has a sink and water.
I cannot say enough good things about the meal. It was delicious. Nick even liked the injera and he is not a big fan of injera. There was so much food. After we ate Fekadu’s mom lit incense (part of the coffee ceremony that is preformed up to three times a day). She had roasted the beans and crushed them using a mortar and pestle. We were told that traditionally each person would drink three small cups of coffee (and there is a very good reason Ethiopia is known for its coffee!) but I was so full I could only drink two.
We were honored to be guests in their home and we very much enjoyed the conversation. Fekadu’s mother was a wonderful hostess.
After lunch, Joel took us to see the Holy Trinity Cathedral. The church was built by Ethiopia’s last king, King Lalibela. The king, his wife, and children all entombed inside the church building. The priest at the church was also very friendly and answered our questions about the beautiful building. Outside the church is a cemetery of many famous Ethiopians.
We found a tree in the cemetery that looks like a tree on the bottom but has leaves like a cactus. This was a new one for us. After the tour, Joel dropped us off to rest for a few hours (having another child is a little bit draining!).
Fekadu and Joel picked us up around 6:30 to take us to Yod Abyssina, a traditional Ethiopian restaurant. We all decided to eat off the buffet and I stuck close to Fekadu when I was getting my food since he seems to be the least adventurous eater of the two. The food was good, the coffee was great, and I am getting much better at eating with my hand. Nick was excited to find a fork on the buffet.
While we ate we enjoyed traditional singing and dancing from different areas of Ethiopia. There were some neck moves that looked like they could cause permanent injury! It was a definitely the first and only touristy place we ate on this trip but it dancing was a lot of fun.
We got back to Addis View Hotel, where we are staying around 9:30. Nick and I went upstairs to pack and went back to the lobby to meet another family from our agency. We said hi to Holly and Dave, gave them formula to take to the orphanage they would be visiting for a few days, and headed upstairs to spend our last night in Addis.
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