Amber arrived completely exhausted and spouting something about a total of 10 hours of sleep in the preceding 4 days. We had intended on leaving for my town the following day, but knowing that she would likely sleep the entire way and miss all of the amazing sites, we postponed our travel by one day. I should have known better….Amber + Vehicle= SLEEP…always!
I had been so looking forward to Amber's visit as she is the first family member or friend that I've seen in 10 months, but also because it was finally my turn to be the "free-loader." When she served as a PCV in Romania, I was working and subsequently subsidized our adventures together. I can't tell you how great it was to hear her say, "Oh, I'll pay for that."
The greatest luxury that she paid for was a private vehicle to transport us from Addis to my town. What normally is a long, hot, and sometimes harrowing ride was instead a comfortable, smooth-sailing excursion. Our driver was willing to stop anywhere along the way even if it was just to capture "the perfect shot." Now that I've experienced traveling in this manner, how will I ever go back to public transportation!?!
Amber and I treated ourselves to pedicures at the Boston Day Spa in Addis. This place is amazing and revivals any spa in the States. The only difference is the price…wouldn't you love to pay 13USD for a pedicure?!
On the road north. It was great to be able to stop along the way and snap pictures of sights that normally are a blur when traveling by bus.
Amber and I at the edge of the Blue Nile Gorge
This is how Amber spent the majority of our road trip.
Traveling by private vehicle is such a treat!
