Addis in a word: Original.

Chance of Hooking up: 4 / 5
Quality of Girls: 4 / 5
Nightlife: 4 / 5
Smoking tolerance: 4 / 5

City guide ratings explained

Costs €$£

Bachelor’s budget: $30 per day.

Beer: $.60 – $2 for a beer.
Bed: Private rooms from $10.
Bud: $5-25 for 5 grams.
Food: $2  for an injera meal.
Other Costs: The only thing not cheap in Addis are taxis. Negotiate hard. You shouldn’t pay more than 100 Birr ($5) to get anywhere.

Currency Conversion

Overview 

Think herds of goat beside sky scrappers, cheap beer, great weed, amazing coffee, delicious food, jazz cafés and beautiful women. Coffee was first cultivated in Ethiopia and it was the only country not colonized in the scramble for Africa. Addis is the SHIT! Welcome to the capital of one my favourite countries in the world. I’ve visited twice now and it was just as good the second time! The city is currently undergoing a massive re-development, with new roads and skyscappers popping up everywhere. It’s changing fast, so now is the perfect time to visit.

But I should warn you: poverty is everywhere. Ethiopia is even consider poor by AFRICAN standards. You will be approached pretty much everyday by kids, cripples, and old homeless souls… but you don’t get nearly as much hassle as you do in other African countries like Djibouti, Ghana, etc.

The Girls

Appearance: Ethiopians (especially the Amharas and the northern tribes) are considered by many to be the best looking in all of  Africa. With light olive skin, small noses, cute features and slamming slim bodies – they can leave you paralyzed. The way to describe their look would be a mix between Arabic Gulf and East African, if that’s makes any sense. The average standard is so-so, but the top tier you see at night are in a league of their own. You really can’t do these girls justice looking on the net, you just gotta see it to believe it. As one of my friends remarked, “The girls here aren’t just hot. They’re light-yourself-on-fire-super-plasma hot.” You can a better idea of the look by clicking here.

Demographics:  Addis Ababa has an estimated total population of 4 million or so, with a couple hundred thousand more women than men. (Surplus, yeah!) The largest groups include the Amhara (47.04%), Oromo (19.51%), Gurage (16.34%), Tigray (6.18%). The Amhara and the Tigray are the hottest tribes, while the Oromo look more Kenyan.

Attitudes: Ethiopians are quite friendly towards foreigners. But be warned, prostitution is endemic and you will often be shoring. Most working girls will pretend they’re ‘hair dressers’ to western men. Nightclubs are generally riddled with hookers, but some places cater to a small middle class and well off Ethiopians girls. Girls are very approachable everywhere during the day.

Gaming Strategy: It’s pretty easy to pull here, but the language barrier can sometimes be a problem. They’re are basically three tiers of girls you will deal with a night. The first are the dirt poor, mediocre street/bar chicks in the shitty bars (like the ones on Mike Layland Street). Avoid like the plague. Then they’re are the ‘classier’ shoring spots like Memos, with super-high quality pros and semi-pros, and some normal girls. These girls have a bit of cash and shoring is pretty easy. The quality is really the best you’ll see. Then, they’re are the nicer, upper class venues that cater for wealthy locals and expats. Quality is decent, but it’s a little tougher to pull. Some venues, like H20, have a great mixed crowed and offer the best of both worlds.

The Dirt

Accommodation: I recommend you stay in the Bole area, nearby the Atlas hotel. There’s where a lot of the action is. Martin’s cozy place is a great budget option with a small bar, cool owner and a relaxed vibe, and if you want to bang you can get a short-term room in the place across the road which is girl friendly (and also serves great food).

Getting High: Look no further than the comment section. There are even phone numbers you can call and you’ll be high within 30 minutes of arriving in the city! Aw-yeah! Dexter Jay drove to me and sorted us out with some good stuff within 30 minutes. His number is 913-95-87-23. We paid $20-25 for 5 grams or so. That’s expensive by Addis standards, buy you’re paying for a service. He’ll come to you, he’s legit, and you’ll get your stuff quick without hassle. One piece I’d advice I’d give before coming here is that you must bring plenty of rolling paper since there is no cigarette paper or blunts.

The Nightlife

Addis has loads of cool bars and is pretty safe to walk around at night. The local dancing is great – it’s all in the shoulders! Here’s the full spectrum of bars in the city.

The Mike Leyland Strip

By midnight on the weekends, this becomes one (if not THE) wildest strip in all of Africa. Think Ethiopian Puckett with bars made of scrap metal overflowing with toothless hookers. This is the ultimate bar crawl to warm up for a night. The beer is dirt cheap, the girls are good fun (but I DON’T advise bringing them home).

Memos

About 10 notches up from Layland is Memos (although that’s still not saying much). This will be your go-to spot for easy girls. Most are freelancers, yes, but they can be shored easily enough.The good thing about this place is that is packed every single night with more girls than guys, and the quality can be seriously high. Recommended if you’re in the city mid-week.

Stockholm Bar

This place is really the place you want to pull. The girls here are good looking, but more importantly, they’re not destitute hookers. These are pamper hotties with iPhones. It can be a bit cliquish and a bit of a walk, but it’s still the best place around for picking up. Great option. Website here.

H20

This nightlclub is right at the start at Layland in the Yoly hotel. Come here after you’ve worked the strip. It’s busy every night except Monday when it’s closed. It attracts every type of girl,  from rich chicks, expats to hot hoes, and the entrance fee keeps out the dodgy ones. Facebook here.

My Addis Experience

I’ve been to Addis twice and freaking love the place. I hooked up each time and kept the standards high. My first experience you can read in detail in my book. She looked like an Ethiopian Rihanna. The second time I shored a slim hottie from Memos, as did my friend Dan. I would have loved to have stayed for longer! I’ll be back.

Other Resources

Why not check out more cheeky City Guides?

For more info or if you have any questions on Muscat…

Addis Ababa Discussion Thread

How to pick up an Ethiopian girl in America by Roosh

For those of you who don’t know, Shashamane is to Rastafari what Mecca is to Islam. The word “Ras” comes from the Amharic word “head” or “duke”, and the word “Tarfari” being the pre-regal name of Emperor Haile Selassie 1 of Ethiopia, said to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ or Jah. The movement may have started in Jamaica in the 30′s, but it’s spirtual heartland was here. We were on a dreadlock holiday, on a diet of reggae and ganja. The city resembled a dusty wasteland, but it proved a worthwhile stop on our way to Nairobi. “You want fire?” could be hear at every street corner. We indulged, and got more than we bargined for.

The morning we were due to leave, we had prearranged to meet a young boy, eager to make a few bucks. Determined not to get ripped off, I got an Ethiopian we befriended to accompany me to the transaction; his name was Ali. We met the boy on the street, carrying a large black sack. The three of us retreated into a discrete wooden shed adjacent to the bus station.

Ali (whipering in my ear): “How much do you want?”

Me: “Whatever 60 Birr ($4.50) will get me..” I figured it would get me about a handful, enough to do the journey to Kenya.

Ali: “No problem, do you have a bag?”

I produced a plastic shopping bag and handed it over. Ali spoke to the boy in Amharic. The boy opened his sack. The smell of fresh, tantalising bud entered my nostrils. Ali took a handful and smiled.

Ali: “Looks Good, eh?”

Me: “Dehna! (good)”

He shoved it in the plastic bag. Then he went for the sack again, this time with both hands. My eyes lit up. He shoved in our bag and kept going – again, and again, and again. I was speechless. The boy just looked on as if it was worthless. Ali squashed the weed to make extra room. It got to the point where the bag was bursting at the seams. Ali looked up and smiled.

Ali: “That’s about a kilo. Is that enough? ”

Me: “Eh… I think so”. Trembling, I struggled to get the bag in my rucksack.

The Boy: “Tip?”. I took out my pocket change.

Ali: “No, give him 20 birr (about $1.50), it’s plenty.”

Rendered dumb, Ali removed the money from my hand and offered the boy his measly commission. He nodded his head and departed, gleefully scampering down the street. Ali and I left the shed and head towards the bus. Danny was on board, waiting in anticipation.

Danny: “How much did he give you? Was 60 enough?”

Still in shock, I couldn’t find the words. I just opened my backpack and let him see for myself. Danny’s jaw descended; his pupils flooded; it was love at first sight. Once he laid eyes on that bag, I knew they would be inseparable. Subsequently, that meant we were about to smuggle a kilo of marijuana into Kenya…

Step 1) Buy a kilo of weed in Ethiopia for less than $5.

Step 2) Take an 18 hour ride on top of an armed convey to Nairobi and bribe the guards at the Kenyan border.

Step 3) Arrive in Nairobi, then get stoned and go on safari

Step 4) Go to Uganda (they don’t check the bus)

Step 5) Get stoned and go white water rafting. YEAH!!

Step 6) After that, get stoned and decide to go into North Kivu, an active warzone in the Congo! YEAH!!

Step 7) Arrive in the Congo and realise you’re a idiot… Why are you in the Congo? This was such a bad idea. I mean, you could get killed… don’t spend too long here. Travel through the jungle bribing the various militia with cigarettes and booze hoping they don’t slice you open…

Step 8 ) Get to the UN protected area of Goma, PHEW! (bribe the guards so they don’t find your stash)

Step 9) Realise there’s no electricity here and pay for a bed in the local brothel with your cheap-ass Ethiopian weed. It’s good currency here.

Step 10) Wake up, get stoned and decide it was more fun outside the UN proctected area.

Step 11) Get to your nearest Pymgy tribe and celebrate a local wedding! WAY HAY!

Step 12) Illegally enter Rwanda (with the weed)

Step 13) Get on a plane to Kilimanjaro (they probably don’t check the machines)

Step 14) Go to Zanzibar (distract the bag inspector) and sell some of the weed to the rastas – who sell to the tourists. Now you gotz money!

Step 15) Get stoned on a train to Zambia (hell give the train attendant a blow!)

Step 16) Get stoned and bungee jump over Victoria falls!

.Step 17) Get sto…. wha…  hey what happened all the weed?