Advice for soon to be travelers to Ethiopia

Recommended Items:

Carmex - its dry and warm

Visine, sudafed - for smog

Baby carrier - baby bjorn or equivalent

Vitamin C / Airborne packets - boost immune system/vitamins

Technology:

Hilton internet was expensive $20/day and was only fast late at night otherwise it was dial up speed and barely useable (could have been b/c of the African conference that was going on when we were there)

IChat / AOL works

Gmail / yahoo mail works and you can email a post to your blog

Skype & Blogger/blogspot works IF you VPN into a US network otherwise they don't work

Gift ideas:

Belay - Splenda, the only Ethiopian in the whole country to drink splenda with his coffee, and they don't sell it there

Travis & Joanna - Anything Texas/Mexican food: salsa, flour/corn tortillas, bbq sauce

Orphanages - Kolfe Boys desperately desire books, also if you have room gently used shoes look like they are in great need.  I suggest spending the money on the extra baggage, I have seen some buy tupperware bins (zip tied to lock them) to put stuff in rather than bags, this seems like a great idea. 

We also brought smarties to give to the random kids that came up to us asking for money/food (it breaks your heart).   This was ok.  We desperately wanted to give the random kids money, but once someone sees you hand out money all of a sudden you are asked by people all over.  One thing we did toward the end of the trip (wish I started sooner) is go to the fruit stands (they are all over the place) and buy all of their bananas.  Bananas only cost 3 birr per kilo or about $0.15 / lb so you can fill up your arms with bananas for a few bucks.  We would pass out all the bananas to anyone nearby.  I much preferred doing this to giving money or candy to the select few.  Also it helps the fruit stand owner as well.