such a bahgin
Frommer's publishes a monthly Global Price Index.
And, on this month's version, Addis Ababa tops the list as the spot where your dollar will get you the most!
Here's what they report:
- Movie ticket: $1.68
- Bus fare: 5¢
- Cup of regular coffee: 22¢
- Bottle of local beer in a bar: St. George, 44¢
- Moderate, three-star hotel room for two: $44.91
- Moderate, three-course dinner for one, without alcohol and tip: $10.10
- $1= 8.90 Ethiopia Birr
Yes, it takes 20 hours of flight time to get there, and flights are many thousands of dollars (for coach), BUT once you are there, for the price of one Starbuck's latte, you can drink gallons of coffee and local beer. Just please, not all at once.
The hotel price quoted above is a bit misleading - Addis has two NICE hotels (big $$) and many low-end hotels which are in pretty sorry shape for first-world standards. Not much in between. I've heard from a lot of people who have been, and who have done lots of research, and I've never heard of a moderate, three-star, hotel room... i'm planning on shelling out for the Hilton or the Sheraton (the 2 nice hotels), which will be a big chunk of the expense. But, whatever! We're talking 44-cent beer, people. :-)
4 comments:
44 cent beer... gotta love it. Can't wait to try it, I loved the local beers in southern Africa. They were a similar price - way way less than bottled water, that's for sure. Er, not that I *always* drank beer instead of water...
the first time we went to a nice restaurant for lunch in Addis, Sintayehu ordered a fasting plate for the four of us, plus Ambo, and bottled water and coffee service. If we finished something on the fasting plate (and really seemed to enjoy it) Sintayehu asked the wait staff to bring more. I was a little anxious about the bill--i hadn't seen a menu or prices, and we of course had planned to pay the check. Total with tip--less than 15.00 for 4 people to have the most fabulous lunch in the loveliest lunch spot. Crazy, crazy!
What about a guest house? I always worry about thes things, the ethics etc but I do see the need for a safe, easy place to stay and bond. I'd be there in an instant if I could!!
special family,
are you asking about staying in a guest house (as opposed to a hotel?) we stayed in our agency's guesthouse and loved the experience. it was not hotel-like by any means--more like cabin camping, but we loved the staff, the food and our ability to get to know a few Ethiopians a little better in the process.
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