A day in the life of Magnus

Sooo... it's been said about me that I can be a little absent minded from time to time, particularly when I'm stressed or am juggling a lot of balls at the same time. This of course is absolute nonsense - I'll tell you about the last 24 hours of my life and let you be the judge.

Yesterday I had a lot going on. Tal (who had been visiting) was leaving. I was trying to secure an apartment (picked one out, love it, still waiting for the confirmation - it's in the Marina in a building called "Al Sahab", which I have no idea what means, but my money would be on something about a view, or sea, or water, or beach... but anyone who speaks Arabic [oh hi Flora!] or knows of a functional Arabic-in-the-latin-alphabet-to-English dictionary feel free to chip in!) I had about 50 different paper trails to follow up on, anything from TV license transfers in England to work permit issues in Dubai. I had to pack for Ethiopia and pick up a number of medical supplies (Eugene and I just learned that there's a cholera epidemic in the country... so lots of rehydration sachets and antibiotics). There was souvenier shopping for Tal's family and friends. I had to return the rental car and dress up nice for the Skyview Bar at one of the World's most famous hotels, the Burj al Arab. On top of everything, I was exhausted after an amazing Roger Waters concert the night before. You get the picture.

I started the day by figuring out that my ticket to Ethiopia had disappeared on me, which was rather unfortunate. That led to adding another to-do to the to-do list: calling Ethiopian Airlines. Unfortunately picking up the phone is optional among Ethiopian companies, and that option is apparently rarely exercised, so I never did get through to them. While packing my bags I managed to misplace my wallet while sitting in a chair, which led to Tal and I embarking on a frantic 45 minute search of the five foot radius around me - I hadn't left that space! After eventually locating my wallet inside my waterproof first aid pack (of course) I got lost in Dubai for 45 minutes or so while trying to get to my company's office to drop off some paperwork. After everything was finally taken care of, and we had downed a couple of cocktails in Dubai's most exclusive bar (we weren't actually too impressed), we headed to the airport to catch our respective flights. I found out that unlike the rest of the world Ethiopian Airlines can't reissue my ticket without five or six days notice, so I had to buy a new ticket and then dive into the bureaucratic process to get the original ticket refunded once here in Addis Ababa. The guys liked me, though, so they upgraded me to the front of the plane. After this, I go into the bathroom to change out of my posh clothes and into backpacking gear, which turned out to be a rather horrific experience, in between the fact that there was piss everywhere, a guy was getting repeatedly and violently sick in the stall next to me, and apparently that bathroom was the only place where the airport staff could get away with smoking, and five of them were doing exactly that. Flustered, I half-ran out of the bathroom, said goodbye to Tal, checked in, went through passport control and headed towards the gate - before realising that I'd left my wallet in that pleasant bathroom (yes, that was the second time I'd lost it that day). Rushing to security I found out that a kind hearted passenger had returned it to the security, but not before some other kind-hearted passenger had helped themselves to the foreign currency in my wallet. Still, I was ecstatic... who cares about $50 when it could have been all my cards and ID at the beginning of a backpacking trip to Africa? I slept like a baby on a plane packed with smugglers and their wares - after all, my friends at Ethiopian Airlines had hooked me up with business class (the smuggler thing is a long story, but basically two thirds of the passengers on the plane were traders from across Africa who were returning from Dubai where they had filled massive boxes with maybe 100kg of cell phones, electronics etc, and paying the overweight/bribing the Ethiopian Airlines station manager as well as the customs officers back home on arrival, because it's much cheaper than sending it by freight and having to pay tolls - I haven't come across that much blatant smuggling since the Paraguay-Brazil border).

On arrival, I discovered that I'd been misinformed by the Ethiopian Embassy in London, and Icelandic citizens couldn't actually enter the country without first getting a visa. I had asked for that in writing, but they never got back to me... and I'm now facing deportation. Through a mixture of sweet talking and persuasion I managed to talk my way through that problem 'just this once', and they agreed to give me a visa for the duration of my stay. But then I remembered why I'd carried that $50 with me - to actually pay for the visa. No problem, I thought, I'll just go to the bank and get it from there. At this point the Africa factor kicked in... the phone lines were down for the whole terminal, so all banks were offline, and I couldn't take any money out. So... essentially I didn't have the money I needed to pay for that visa I wasn't eligible for.

At this point I went and found a guy I'd befriended while standing in line and waiting for Ethiopian Airlines in Dubai while surrounded by smugglers . He turns out to be from Malawi, living in Dubai, and more than happy to lend me the $20 I needed for the visa, and I avoided deportation and/or having to wait 36 hours in immigration until Eugene arrived. As a result, I think I've made a new friend in Dubai...

Have since been chilling in Addis Ababa. It's been outstanding entertainment so far. Already in the airport building I saw a crew of ten cleaners in neon pink overalls that was clinging to/hanging off the dozens of round white beams supporting the ceiling(which apparently needed dusting), about ten meters (35 feet for the metrically challenged) off the floor - mind you, with no form of safety harness, nets etc whatsoever. I had my first power cut, and learned that the government had decided to shut off all sms services as they felt the flow of information was getting a little bit too effective for their liking (according to a mobile phone saleswoman). I stepped into one of the Russian built Lada taxis that roam the streets here, asked for the city centre, and was dropped at the newly opened but rather modest "Friendship Shopping Centre" (note the contrast in naming traditions and ambition/ego with Dubaian projects like, say, "The World"), and stepped out to see an identical Lada lose its front wheel as it passed by me. Keeping in mind the cholera epidemic I decided to ask for the best restaurant in the area, and was directed to the pinnacle of Friendship (OK, fourth floor). There I found a beautiful place on a terrace overlooking the city, scannned the Ethiopian food section of the menu and found that none of it came remotely close to ringing any bells, so I ordered the most expensive dish, which came to $3. Beautiful meal, amazing views, and a good local brew called St George's.

Thus passed a day in the life of Magnus. Yes, I certainly deserve the absent minded digs - even if I've gotten better through the years and days like this one are now the exception. But I've also needed to develop a great capacity for getting myself out of trouble... God knows I've had the practise! Plus, it's always interesting...