Our man in Addis had himself an Epiphany

So much coronavirus going by...

Today is Timkat ጥምቀት, the Ethiopian Orthodox celebration of the Epiphany, the day when Jesus was baptized in the River Jordan. Here in Ethiopia the celebration lasts three days (yesterday, today and tomorrow), and involves processions featuring much dancing and singing (see below). Celebrations begin on January 18, with models of the Ark of the Covenant (known as a tabot ታቦት) wrapped in cloth and silk, and then taken from churches to rivers or other bodies of water. Mass starts in the early hours of the 19th, as my family and I can attest - none of us got much sleep last night due to the amplified sermons and singing being broadcast throughout the neighborhood. Apparently participants will submerge themselves in water on this day, though I would hope they didn't do so in any of the filthy streams flowing through this area. Celebrants will dress in white, and partake in Timkat feasts with their families. The festival concludes on the 20th when the tabot is returned to its hiding places in the churches, and my daughter and I have to return to school and work (though I'll be teleworking tomorrow and Thursday), respectively.

Preparations in our neighborhood started more than a week ago, when green, red and yellow banners (the colors of the Ethiopian flag) were strung over the street. A group of young men stood outside our house for several days extorting shaking down asking for donations from passing motorists, though most drivers seemed to ignore them (as did we):

Preparations could be seen throughout the city, like these mock churches erected in the middle of a traffic roundabout:

What would be the equivalent of a high street in our area had its preparations set up by mid-afternoon yesterday:

The procession began just before dinner time. Last year we were in the thick of things, but this year, for obvious reasons, I watched from the (hoped-for) safety of our third-floor balcony:

I wasn't taking any chances despite being above the fray:

Today after lunch I set out on foot in search of any Timkat-related festivities. At first social distancing was easy to maintain, at least on Lesotho Street:

However, once I turned onto South Africa Street, there were noticeably more people walking around:

There turned out to be a full-on procession moving along Seychelles Street - the photo below was as close as I dared to get (there were no people behind me). Not wanting to be part of a superspreader event, I detoured through several quiet residential areas in order to bypass the throng and reach home safely (I hope):

So the last time I posted, the girls had just arrived in Ethiopia from Taiwan, and had started their mandatory two-week quarantine at home. Our first day out as a family once they had finished was to the local "China market", where we had lunch:

Shu-E spent a lot of time and money afterward shopping for essentials:

Not on the shopping list:

Our first post-quarantine father-daughter lunch date was at Sishu, at Amber's request. The mural below is on the building opposite the restaurant's entrance:

It wasn't very busy on the Saturday afternoon we were there, probably a combination of the coronavirus pandemic, and the difficulty of reaching the restaurant due to the ongoing road project that has made Pushkin Street a mess (we live close enough to walk there):

The burgers at Sishu are good, but I suspect the real reason my daughter likes to go there is so she can order the lime iced tea:

Later that same weekend the family lunched at the Ari Rang Korean Restaurant. In addition to eating there, the missus likes to buy the tofu they serve (豆腐 being very hard to find in Addis Ababa አዲስ አበባ):

Digging into the bibimbap:

Not on the menu:

Ari Rang has a second branch nearby, where there's an attached bakery. This was apparently for sale there:

On another occasion I took Amber to Temsalet Kitchen, a local Ethiopian eatery. Here, my daughter's favorite is the ice macchiato:

For dessert we bought some treats at the Miss Donut café, then headed home, where Shu-E was brewing up some Taiwanese tea:

Eating out has been the extent of our family leisure activities, a reflection of the ongoing COVID-19 situation, which has been dire in Ethiopia (as it has in many places). Though official numbers here are not alarmingly high, the actual extent of the virus is suspected to be much more virulent. Many people don't wear masks, and large groups of people gather in local eateries (not the restaurants we've been patronizing). And as you can see from the above Timkat-related videos, people here don't seem to be too concerned with catching (and spreading) the virus. 

In a probably futile attempt at getting some exercise and losing some weight, I have dusted off my Trek bike and gone riding a few times, though on my first outing since the girls returned I suffered a devastating flat tire and had to push the bike 3.4 kilometers (2.1 miles) to get home. Later, I would have to push it another 1.9 kilometers (1.2 miles) to a local bike shop to get both inner tubes replaced as I discovered the bike was too big to fit in the trunk of our car (and I have no clue as to how to remove the tires). Though I've gone riding since, I have to wonder if it's worth the trouble, for the following reasons:

1. The altitude. Our house already sits at an elevation of 2289 meters (7510 feet), and there are a lot of hills in the city (for example, just driving to work results in a gain in altitude of 274 meters/899 feet). It isn't much fun having to huff and puff uphill while battling cars and fumes (see next). On the other hand, returning home can be a breeze.

2. The air. Because road conditions on side streets are often poor (even in affluent neighborhoods), I'm often forced to use main roads. In addition to the constant dust in the air (outside of the rainy season), this means I have to battle some noxious exhaust clouds spewing from buses, cars, minivans and trucks.

3. The security situation. Although I haven't encountered any incidents so far, I wouldn't want to be the victim of anything a long way from home.

4. A long way from home. Meaning I'm leery of venturing too far in case I end up with another flat or puncture. I don't have a kit, and even if I did, I don't know how to use one.

Modeling my vintage 3Rensho 三連勝 jersey...which highlights my beer gut:

Moringa soda, surprisingly refreshing:

Fighting the traffic:

The shop that replaced the inner tubes in both my tires (that's my Trek parked in front). So far, so good...:

There are a lot of hawks in our neighborhood - we often find the remains of their kills in our driveway. This particular bird of prey likes to survey its domain from our neighbor's roof:

While out walking one afternoon...something I'm advised against due to the worsening crime situation, but which I persist in doing because I'm an idiot a tough hombre...actually, the situation in our area isn't as bad as in other parts of the city, plus I only go out in the daytime. I'm also bigger than the average Ethiopian, which I know wouldn't help much if I was set upon by a gang, but...anyway, I was out one time and passed by this camel nonchalantly relaxing on the other side of a fence:

2021 was greeted in our neighborhood on January 1 by the sounds of...silence, because according to the Ethiopian calendar the new year began last September 11. As I write this, it's January 11, 2013:

Addis is in the midst of a building boom, and there are some interesting architectural examples under construction, like these two near our residence:

A neighborhood hair salon:

On the day of the Orthodox Christmas (January 7), I took a long walk that passed by the three largest Orthodox churches in our area. If there were any special ceremonies being held that day, they were long over by the time I passed by. Bulgaria St. Michael Church ቡልጋሪያ ሚካኤል ቤ/ክርስቲያን on Fitawrari Damtew Street:

Walking by the large African Union complex:

Bisrate Gebreal, on South Africa Street:

The Addis Ababa Equestrian Stables in the foreground, with a plane coming in to land at Bole International Airport ቦሌ አለምአቀፍ አየር ማረፊያ in the background. I often see arriving flights from our balcony:

In the grounds of Mekanissa Abo Church on Lesotho Street:

The realities of life in a developing country:

My daughter took these photos while we were driving to and from the embassy swimming pool last weekend. This is the Al-Aqsa Mosque:

Driving around the 6 Kilo Square 6 ኪሎ አደባባይ traffic circle:

I'll end this post with the sounds of Timkat, one taken from my balcony a couple of hours ago...:

...and the other just now. My wish for Timkat is that I can get some sleep tonight: