United States of America Consular Report on Ethiopia:
Still civil unrest in many portions of the country. Hijackings commonplace on less frequented roads. Embassy advises U.S. citizens to avoid travel after 5 p.m. and to use only major thoroughfares.

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I never intended on visiting Ethiopia. It was no where on my list of the many countries I wanted to visit and experience. On my tour of East Africa, I was planning on flying from Kenya or Uganda up to Cairo where the pyramids, Red Sea, and SCUBA diving would provide ample opportunity for history, adventure, and hordes of Spanish babes in two piece bikinis (wearing only one piece) on the beach. Fortunately, my plan was flexible.

My friend, Trent, who I had been traveling with for the previous month, was fully committed to his mission: Cape Town to Cairo overland. Ethiopia is obviously a must considering that route and the impossibility (and, indeed, undesirability) of obtaining a Sudanese visa. So, I decided to continue on with him and give Ethiopia a few weeks. Unfortunately, overland was not practical. A severe Ebola outbreak and very serious flooding in Northern Kenya made land transportation foolhardy. So, after an adventurous visit to the mountain gorillas in Parc de Volcans in Uganda, we decided to fly Ethiopian air from Kampala to Addis Ababa.

Our last night in Kampala was a completely surreal experience that doesn’t bear repeating. Suffice to say that when our taxi broke down and the driver yelled "you push" about 3 kilometers from the airport, our hangovers were not at all pleased. The two hour flight arrived in Addis without incident.