Ok, I believe that this is the last question I have left from my “Questions” post. Please feel free to post a comment with a question any time though…this was a lot of fun!

Angela asked, “Aside from any places that may have personal significance to our children, what are some must-see places when visiting Ethiopia to pick-up the kids?”

I am afraid that I don’t have a ton of advice on this one… On both of our trips to Addis, our total and almost complete focus was on our new children, and we did not do a whole lot of site-seeing.

There are lots of “sites” that you can see just driving around in Addis…different historical markers and places that any driver worth his salt will point out to you. There are several museums in Addis that a lot of families visit (although I have heard that many of the kids get bored). I have also heard that quite a few families have enjoyed going to the “Lion Zoo” in the middle of Addis…it is cheap to get in and has about 15 lions. (This is the zoo that was recently in the news for poisoning two of the rare Abyssinian lion cubs, because they could not afford to care for them.)

The Crowne Hotel is a "touristy" place that many families go while in Addis. It is a buffet restaurant in a traditional "hut" looking building. The buffet has all sorts of Ethiopian foods, which is especially nice with newly adopted children that you are still trying to figure out what they will eat! They can just point at what they want. While you eat, there are wonderful dancers who change costumes over and over and do traditional dances from all different regions of Ethiopia. It is a nice night out and Benjamin really enjoyed it. Many of the adoption agencies arrange a group dinner at the Crowne Hotel.

But I wouldn’t put any of those things in the “must see” category… I think they are better off in the “fun to see if you need something to do” category.

For me, the “must sees” in Ethiopia are your child’s orphanage (if possible), the place of your child’s birth (if possible) and some shopping. I would also add “get out of Addis” to that list.

Seeing your child’s orphanage is obviously important, so if this is at all possible (I only know of one agency who does not allow this right now) I highly recommend you spend as much time as you can there. Getting to see where you child has been sleeping and eating and playing and the people that he or she has been living with is just priceless and very helpful in helping your child adjust to his or her new life. Take pictures, play with the other children…get a feel of the life your child has been living.

Some kids get very nervous being back at their orphanage after being placed with you and some love going back to visit, so you will have to play it by ear some depending on your child, but this is a great opportunity.

Many adoptive parents also get to go and visit the town where their child was born, and often times even some members of the child’s birth family. This is not an experience I would pass up. The information and pictures that can be gotten are invaluable, and while the trip can often be long and grueling depending on where your child is from, I don’t know any adoptive family who made the trip and regretted it. Many adoptive families make this trip before their child is placed with them so they don’t have to bring the child or leave them behind for a long period of time after being united. We did bring Ben with us on the seven hour (round trip) journey to and from Assala, and it was a wonderful experience for all of us.

If you don’t travel out of Addis to see your child’s place of birth or for any other reason, then I add “get out of Addis” to the list of must sees. You don’t have to travel very far out of Addis to realize that there is a very different feel to Ethiopia outside of the capital city. The countryside is truly beautiful as are the people, and you can’t truly experience Ethiopia if you never leave Addis.

Ethiopia is full of beautiful and historical landmarks and sites, but most of them involve a good deal of travel, which wouldn’t be practical with a newly adopted child. Some adoptive parents do arrive in Ethiopia early and travel about the country before receiving their child, which I think would be amazing if you could arrange it and be gone from home that long. There are lots of good travel guides out there that could give you ideas of places and sites to visit.

Last I will add shopping. I am not a big shopper, but I think bringing home Ethiopian handicrafts and souvenirs for your child and your home is important. You can get a whole lot of stuff for not very much money, and there are many beautiful things to buy…wood carvings, scarves, traditional dresses and outfits, jewelry, t-shirts, leather items, linens, CD’s, coffee, etc. We did not brave the Mercato (huge outdoor market) but I do really like Church Hill Rd. You can ask any taxi driver and they will know where it is. It is a good compromise between the market and more expensive shops. Most of the items are high quality, the prices are negotiable and not marked up as much as many other places and there is just about anything you could ask for all in one row of shops.

Mostly though, if you are just going to Ethiopia for the standard one week adoption trip, you will be amazed how fast it goes. You get your child, you have an Embassy appointment, you have some sort of farewell party…and throughout all that you are getting to know your new child and dealing with their adjustment issues and your own jetlag and emotions (and sometimes stomach troubles!)…the week goes by quickly!

We spent a lot of time just enjoying being with Benjamin and Belane…playing on play grounds, going for walks, spending quiet time together reading, coloring, cuddling, etc. Belane especially got very nervous any time we went “out”, so we spent a lot of time in the hotel and in our room where she was comfortable.

I look forward to going back to Ethiopia one day with the kids when they are older and seeing lots of places and things that we didn’t see on our adoption trips.

Any of you other experienced traveling parents have suggestions on places to visit in Addis?

Thanks for the great question Angela. :)