Second Impression

While having drinks at Stockholm, I asked D and A how they were liking Addis Ababa. They both live in Nairobi, Kenya and were just in town for a few days while they renewed their visas. "A" said that he was really enjoying it, except that he had his wallet stolen ten minutes out of the hotel! I was surprised and saddened to hear it, but A seemed to be taking it in stride. He said that in Nairobi, which is much more developed, you have to keep your guard up constantly to avoid any shady characters. But Addis, they both felt, was a small, cosmopolitan city, yet friendly and safe. "Maybe it was the modern airport, the hotel shuttle bus and friendly staff, but I just felt totally safe," he said. As an experienced traveler, A said it was a rookie mistake, "a group of kids came up to us as we were walking along, and I should have known." Luckily, he had put his valuables in the hotel safe and his wallet only had one credit card and some cash. They were able to cancel the card immediately and exchange more cash later, but he said the biggest disappointment was, "I'd really liked that wallet." It's sort of ironic that their very first impression of Addis Ababa was mostly positive, only to have the next impression negate that somewhat. Addis is not a city of violent crime, but petty crime is to be expected in any city, especially in a developing country, and one with as many people in poverty as Ethiopia. They ended up reporting the crime and, with their exceedingly positive attitude, said that it was kind of interesting to spend some time in an Ethiopian police station, and all the officers were friendly and apologetic. The next day they even had plans to go to Merkato, the large market on the west side of the city where one can reportedly buy anything from spices to camels to a left shoe. There are plenty of touts lurking about Merkato, but I guess that meant there was a chance A would be able to buy his wallet back if he found the right stall.