Rising out of the rubble
Addis seems very much a city in transition. It's changed dramatically since I first came here at the end of 2002 on holiday. There were signs of construction and development then but that's nothing compared to now. The whole city is littered with cranes and building sitesÂ…huge, shiny, glass-fronted buildings are springing up all over the place...most of them seem to be empty but they are still there.
The area we live in (around the Atlas Hotel) wasn't too affected by all this until a few weeks ago when a nearby bridge, which connects us to the city, was closed. It's being widened to make room for the scores of beaten-up Lada taxis and the ever-increasing number of huge, flash cars which hurtle around the city streets. Bulldozers moved in along with teams of 'ninjas' - anonymous, dusty women covered up from head to toe so you can't even see their faces. The 'ninjas' seem to do most of the hard graft - they have to smash up huge rocks and cart heavy loads of rubble backwards and forwards.
Two days ago the building work was extended and we got home to find the entire street at the bottom of our road completely destroyed. There are enormous gaping holes where there was asphalt. Most of the stalls and shops along the route have simply been dug up..who knows what's happened to the owners and where they are supposed to go and earn a living now.
I'm ashamed to admit we were outraged when we woke up on Sunday morning without electricity, water and an internet connection. But I suppose that's the price of development.
