Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa
There are plenty of people in the Ethiopian capital - of the 5 million bodies who live here, 3 million have arrived since the 1991 revolution. The city was only founded in 1887, and was nearly abandoned due to lack of fuel wood until the introduction of eucalypts to the area. It's a huge, sprawling place, with very few street signs, although the main shopping strip, Churchill Ave, is labelled.
The city's Ethnographic Museum is well worth the price of admission. Its two main sections on local crafts and on regions and peoples make it an ideal place to start learning about Ethiopia's rich ethnic diversity. It also has an impressive array of religious crosses, triptychs and murals, as well as Haile Selassies's bedroom and bathroom. The National Museum is much smaller, but it does have the fossils of 3.5-million-year-old 'Lucy', perhaps our earliest ancestor. It is ranked among the most important sub-Saharan museums in Africa.
Africa Hall is the headquarters of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, and was designed as a monument to African independence. Its huge, richly coloured stained-glass windows, by Ethiopian artist Afewerk Tekle, portray the history and diversity of Africa's peoples. If you'd like to see more of Tekle's work, visit the Giorgis Cathedral, built in 1896 to commemorate Ethiopia's victory over the invading Italians. Addis Ababa's Mercato is the largest market in East Africa. It's a sprawling mess of open-air stalls, where you can buy everything from vegetables to gold jewellery - keep an eye out for pickpockets.
Many cheap hotels in Addis Ababa are a combination of noisy street bar, brothel and a few double rooms, though some are surprisingly well kept. Expect to pay two to four times the local rate. Most hotels are around the Piazza, where you'll also find a bunch of cheap cafes and bars. Although the Italians were only here five years, you'll find good Italian eateries all over the city.