During our brief stopover at Addis Ababa airport, I realised my stupidity. Its gleaming, efficient terminal is far ahead of our surly-staffed, filthy airport. Instead of sweaty, uric smells, Addis is redolent with the heavenly aroma of Ethiopian coffee. This is the original Garden of Eden, for the first Man (Homo Erectus) rose to his feet here, I recalled from some old geography and history lessons, and looked with fresh respect at our long-necked Ethiopian stewardesses, whose graceful gazelle-like movements had effectively distracted us from the interior of their plane that seemed held together with string.
