HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: Getting inked for the 2nd time
BUMMER OF THE DAY: A mysterious lump has appeared on my leg
WORD OF THE DAY: TATTOO
PURCHASE OF THE DAY: My tattoo for 30AUD
Z and I woke at 10am. Man Ethiopians know how to party that is for sure. We missed the free breakfast so we still ordered and for 2 omelets, 2 juices and 2 teas it cost 3.50AUD. No big deal. I feel a little dodgy but my main concern is a massive mysterious bump that has appeared on my left leg just above my knee. Z asked if maybe I fell over last night and don’t remember, which on a big night I could see that happening but I was just drink last night and know I didn’t fall over. It also wasn’t bruised, there was a red mark and the bump which is about as big as an egg but longer and it hurt like hell. I was thinking maybe an insect bite, but I couldn’t see a mark around the area indicating a bite so I actually have no idea on what it is. I will keep an eye on it over the next few days. Z was sweet and wanted to take me straight to the hospital but I don’t think it is quite that serious at the moment.
We got in touch with Minalu just after lunch and he made his way to the hotel at 12.30pm and we drove to a shopping mall where both the guys had heard of a good tattooist. There were 2 tattoo studios in the complex and one was closed and the other had a note on the door to call, so we did and 10 minutes later the tattoo artist arrived and before we knew it we were inside and talking tats. I knew I wanted to get Zeme’s name on my wrist and he knew that he wanted a cross and he was getting my initial ‘B’ in the design. Minalu got a vision at 5am in the morning and he wanted to get the lion that is on the Ethiopian birr coins which looks cool. The tattoo artist was Ethiopian born, but moved to Texas, USA when he was a boy and has only moved back in the last 10 years, and originally his shop was called American Tattoo. The shop was clean, it was modern and I didn’t have an issue with the cleanliness he also had movie center where we could watch a movie while we all got ‘inked’ You hear all these horror stories of dirty shops and used needles but I did know that much to make sure that the needle was fresh from the packet and if he did that then I knew I was in good hands.
The most difficult part of my tattoo was getting the font right. The thing with too many options if that it makes the decision that much harder to make. The very first font I liked, but the Z didn’t quite look like a Z. So we tried it in lower case and then other font Z’s and other fonts till I went back to the original one and said I actually like it. He said in a round-about kind of way if things didn’t work out it is better to have a disguised letter than such an out there Z. This didn’t worry me and I know how crazy this is going to look to other people. This is going to be with me till the day I die, but in a way I can’t put into words I know that this is right and I had absolutely no second thoughts what so ever. It was like it was my destiny and I know that sounds corny but so be it, it is how it feels. Zeme picked a cross off the wall that looked amazing and then poor Minalu, hung-over like a bastard, couldn’t decide on the lions that he was shown and at the last minute said he would like to think about it a bit more. CHICKEN!!! Brock brock brock…. CHICKEN. <maybe it was all the alcohol talking last night. In hindsight it wasn’t a bad thing for timing that he was going to ‘think’ about it as we didn’t leave there till after 7pm with just the 2 of us being done.
So we had to come back in an hour so he could prepare the stencils. So we dropped chicken, um... I mean Minalu at a friend’s place, and we went and picked up Chombe so he could be witness to our inking. We kept on hassling him last night as well, but he said this afternoon that his family said no, so he has to abide by their wishes. Great excuse and what can you say to that?
The shopping center is like something you would find back home. There were around 30 specialty shops over 3 floors. So they do have these kind of shops here, I wonder how many more they have. Not that I’m expecting to shop much when I move here, that is part of the reason why I don’t want to go home. We are such a wasteful society and I don’t want to get stuck back in that cycle again. There aren’t that many white faces to the places that we have gone to but I guess that I will just have to toughen up and get used to that idea. I am still trying to learn the culture and what is appropriate and not appropriate in public, especially with acts of affection with Zeme. It is pretty much discouraged to hold hands and certainly no kissing in public. There are times where this is acceptable, like at the club, but to open flaunt it is a big no and especially as I am white. I have a lot to learn but hopefully I’ll get there.
Able was back at 4.30pm and we were ready to rock and roll. As mine was the quickest I decided to go first. As I sat and he prepared around me, a new cover went on the pillow and he showed me the needle still in its packet before opening it and attaching it to the machine. I was 100% confident that I was in good hands. It took us 3 goes to get the font in the right place, and it was a little larger than I had imagined but seeing the purple stencil on my arm I was really happy with it all. The pain was a little more than what I remembered, but it was like someone pinching you really hard constantly for 25 minutes. The finished product looked amazing and both Z and I were very happy. I had a little bit of blood but I just got inked in Ethiopia!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Zeme’s tat took just under 1.5 hours and his looks amazing as well. Able has done a great job on both of us. Z doesn’t want a photo to be put on Facebook till it has all healed and looking its best. He is a bit of a photo Nazi like that, and I have to say the best bit is the letter B at the bottom of the cross and even when he has on a sleeve shirt I will always be poking out and seen. That I do like. In total my tattoo cost 30AUD and Zeme’s was 100AUD which for the size I think is a bargain as my tattoo I got done at home was 90AUD.
WE GOT INKED IN ETHIOPIA AND I LOVE MY TATTOO!!
On the way home I had to do an ATM stop as I needed to get cash for the car hire for the next 2 weeks. Even though we got a discount, the downside of the hire was that they didn’t accept credit card, so I had to pull out cash. Generally this wouldn’t be a problem, but the Addis ATM’s only let you withdraw a certain amount each time, so I had to make 5 withdrawals to get the amount I needed and I just knew that this would flag my card at Travelex and low and behold by the time we got home there was an email from them telling me my card has been suspended till I get in touch with them. Their fraud department is pretty cool as I have had to deal with them on 2 other instances for a similar thing. If I can’t ring them, they ask for a number they can contact me on and a convenient time. So I emailed them back with the details and will get it sorted tomorrow. It is a system in place to protect my money so you can’t get mad at them for the inconvenience.
Dinner was a hotel meal before dropping Chombe off at home at 9.30pm. The poor bugger has to go to work tomorrow. Sucker!!!! We’ll see you in 2 weeks pal. Z and I have arranged a dinner with Minalu, Lemma, Chombe and Getch as my farewell dinner but let’s not think about that just yet.
My leg had not improved during the day and if anything it has gotten a lot worse. It is now really painful to walk, so I will just monitor it over the next few days. Zeme suggested some cream and I remembered I had a tube of Paraderm which covers a variety of bites, stings, burns and itches. It can’t make it any worse and I also pumped some Nurofen to try and get some of the swelling down. It is really strange to say the least and the bump when the leg is bent is massive.
So another day in Addis ends and we head out of the city tomorrow. I’m looking forward to hitting the road and experiencing the north which is supposed to be very different from the south.
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