My little bag is packed. I’m now ready for my first official vacation, since my arrival, in Ethiopia, last June. And, yes, I’ve only packed the one small backpack. Serving in the military (Air Force) at a young age is hard to shake. I’m a really good packer.

Today, I arrived in Addis Ababa and grabbed lunch at Merano, a new Mexican restaurant in the former Steams Coffee Shop. The restaurant is near Kings Hotel.

Next, I used the Ride app to get to my hotel. After checking in (and reserving a seat on the shuttle bus to the airport for tomorrow) I walked around, printed my boarding pass, and sat by the pool, with a cold one. The cold one was an apple tart with ice cream.

The tart was followed by a toe in a lukewarm whirlpool and then twenty minutes in a small sauna. Now, the wait. Tomorrow, I’ll get up early and make my way to the airport and then the adventure will begin.

See you there! –GGT