From Thursday (16 Jan 2014) to Friday (17 Jan 2014)

From Thursday (16 Jan 2014) to Friday  (17 Jan 2014)
Thursday night, Friday morning -  when to get to Hartsfield Airport?
We have a 5:45 AM flight on Friday. Thursday is a blur of preparation: eat the last food in the fridge (except for a forgotten cup of milk), spray the clothes with Permethrin, shopped for a luggage lock and chain, etc.

It is agreed - take the 11:30PM 30 bus to the MARTA station, then the train to the airport (a bird in the hand....). Sleep in the airport atrium (under the watchful eyes of a large Fernbank Museum dinosaur - is it roaring?  No, there is airport construction).  Wait until the airline personnel and TSA manned security gates reopen at 4:00 AM. Fly to Washington DC Dulles to meet our Ethiopian Airlines plane.

Surprise, at the DC arport, we are already in Ethiopia!

Why does Ethiopian fly from Dulles, rather than New York or some other city.  Because Washington DC metro area has 150000 to 250000 Ethiopians, more than any other non-Ethiopian city in the world (except possibly Nairobi).  The airport workers, from high to low, contain a high proportion of Ethiopians.

We <heart> Ethiopian Airlines! Excellent servce, lovely shelf beds for tiny babies and little kids (such well-mannered kids, too). OK airline food. Carol stays awake during the flight to watch "The Butler" (too much histrionics) and "Jobs". Then a wide selection of music. The plane was about 2/3 full.  Mike does some real sleeping.  Amazingly, if you ask the flight personnel for "macciatos," a small coffee with cream on the top, they will make one on the spot.

We arrive in Addis at 6:30 AM local (22:30 Eastern time), one hour early.