Addis Ababa Warnings and Dangers

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This is know locally as "Fird Biet". You will be approached on the street by a nice looking gentleman or even a kid. They tell you that the local community are putting on a Cultural Show and they would like to invite you. There will be traditional dancing, including the snake dance, by dancers in authentic costumes. It sounds great doesn’t it? Well, it’s a scam. A complete fraud and criminal enterprise. I used to watch one man, who looked like a school teacher, work the streets near a tourist hotel everyday. There is a teenager who works outside the Sheraton who runs away now when he sees me. Why? Because I know and now – so do you. I learned this from someone who once worked this scam.

How does it work? They take you somewhere and a few dances are performed. You are offered drinks. You are then asked at the end for $100 per person or even more. Because they kept their end of the bargain you have to pay. Not paying could become violent.

Never, ever go to a ‘Cultural Show’. If you eat at a good Ethiopian restaurant you will get traditional dancing for free. If you are approached, just say “Fird Bet” and they disappear quickly.

By the way the term means something like an appearace in criminal court.

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It can get very hot in Ethiopia, but don’t think for a minute that you can open a window on a bus or in a taxi to cool down. Ethiopians have a fear of disease being caught by air blowing in through open windows. Shared taxis are not too bad as the side door is often open. Large busses and small taxis can be a real problem though. Click on the picture. Its where a handle was so you could roll down the window. Mr. Taxi driver removed them so you can’t! A lot of taxis do this. If it is really warm look inside a taxi first. No handles = no ride.

These are available but not quite visible in most streets in Addis but mostly in under-developed roads. If you think you can have fun with them by giving them false promises or touching their bodies, you are absolutely mistaken. These girls can turn violent and wild. They scream and will attack you with whatever is in their hands, until you give them some money. If you pass by them and one of them says ‘Hello’ to you, simply say ‘Hello’ and walk away unless, of course you have decided to have a real fun.

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Amazingly, Piazza Area together with Bole Road, are the cleanest areas in Addis. Nevertheless, it is more than other areas in Addis which are inflicted with beggars and crooks. It is in Piazza that most cheap hotels are located, starting with the National Hotel (not be confused with the National Hotel off Haile Bebre Silase St. ), Etege Taitu, Florida, Oslo and many more. These hotels are not worth a penny. If you want to enjoy Addis and have a comfortable stay there, you need to go for medium range or above hotels. All these cheap hotels lack the basic means of comfort and hygiene.

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For the time being, it is advisable to avoid all hotels located on Debre Zeit and Meskel Flower roads, starting from Concorde, Hawi, Global and some more. There are massive road and sewage construction there which makes your life miserable. In the daytime, it is almost impossible to walk; there are rubbles, stones and pits which are absolutely horrible for passers-by. At night, there are no street lamps and the roads look dangerous. In other parts of Addis, another type of construction is under way: luxurious villas for middle-class Ethiopians, hotels and shopping centers. It seems that the global economic crisis has no effect on the development projects in Addis.

There are four sources of bother for tourists in Addis:
1-Beggars who are mostly seen in Piazza area and Bole Road.
2-Homeless kids who will follow you to brush your shoes
3-Unemployed youths who gather near cafes and crossroads
4-And finally the fake guides, these are the crooks and the most dangerous ones in Addis. Often they are will dressed and you will immediately know them when they say: ‘ remember me? I know your hotel.’ Beware of these crooks. Do not look into their eyes and smile to them. If you do, then you are glued down. It is difficult to get rid of these but luckily and thanks to the Ethiopian government, there are security guards every where in Addis. Moreover, there is a law, as one Ethiopian friend told me, by which any local who intends to harass, steal or attack tourists is imprisoned for six months.

Addis Ababa is a safe place to be for tourists. I had no problems walking around in the streets there. Even in the night. The locals say Mercato is dangerous, but I felt safe there. No attempt of pick pockets.

Generally the local people were polite against me. I had only one incident when some guys tried to fool me into a fake culture show. It happened in a backstreet close to Bole road.

You may have been warned against the police in Africa. Their low salary makes it easier to be corrupt and take advantage of the tourists.

BUT the Ethiopian police are different. They may look dangerous with their Kalashnikov guns, but they are polite and willing to help if you got problems. And they don't steel from tourists.