Lily of the Valley Hotel

For most of the expedition (except the first and last night) we stayed at the Lily of the Valley Hotel. It's in a city named Shashamene, which is about a 15 minute car ride to Kersa Illala. The hotel was very nice for Ethiopian standards. It is run by a husband and wife from Brooklyn, NY (but born in Trinidad). The staff there were very nice and the hotel had everything we needed.

The restaurant: we had to order breakfast the night before...so it wouldn't take so long...and also put our dinner order in after breakfast. I would usually have spaghetti for dinner, scrambled eggs or porridge for breakfast. Once I found something that didn't make me sick...I just stuck with it!

The internet: They had one computer with dial up. I tried to get on every night, but some nights were no good...slow connection, power goes out, etc. It was frustrating, but I didn't expect any computer, so it was a nice bonus! I mostly used facebook to communicate with John and others. I google chatted with John too. That was almost as good as talking on the phone!

The room: Cost about $25/night. Sweet deal! I was pleasantly surprised with the rooms. Nice beds and a small bathroom. My roommate Miriam was wonderful. The only thing that was annoying was the water in the shower didn't drain...so by the end I was shin deep in water!

Overall...excellent hotel accommodations for rural Ethiopia! It was a nice escape after a long day.

My room. We were told to bring a sheet soaked in permethrin (insecticide/insect repellent) and our own pillow case to help guard against mosquito's and bed bugs. Unfortunately I did bring home some friends (bed bugs)...just some itchy bumps on my legs. Nothing too severe.

View of the street from the hotel rooftop.