What kinds of things can you buy in Ethiopia??

I’m on a short (amazing) break, have heard that the markets in Ethiopia are fabulous but I’ve fallen in love with so many things I’ve seen here in my first stop of Rwanda (mostly heavy looking stools and a table - not the best for traveling around with?!) but anyway, so I need to know how much space I should save…

From just glimpsing the airport whilst in transit on my way here it seems that Ethiopia has lovely fabrics but what else – can anyone please help ??

Thanks!

Heather

Once you experience a traditional coffee ceremony you will want to buy one of these great ethiopian coffee pots. I use mine all the time and even find myself roasting fresh yergacheffe beans from time to time. There are also some really nice blankets that you see people in the highlands wearing and even some little handmade guitars (not sure what they acutally call them). I always find it best to buy something that reminds me of my experience in a country rather than what is popular.

Make sure you buy a woven stand to place your coffee pot on. Their bottoms are rounded, to sit in the coals and don't sit well on a table. I had to make a ring of tin foil to use my pot on the stove (electric)

I also bought green beans to be able to re-create the experience, they aren't that easy to find here. and I loved the bedspreads. traditional pattern and you use it all the time.
Terri

artwork, buy it in the mercato. i bought these incredible queen of sheba on material paintings. had them framed at home. blows everyone away. bargain hard, that is part of the buying experience.

If you are into crosses and silver generally you will see some fabulous jewelery but mainly crosses both big and small.

Are you only in Addis? I didn't go to the Mercato myself, but if I assume things from all over the country are available there, buy a Harari basket! I also like the little religious paintings inside carved wooden boxes...not sure a better way to describe. If I'd had room I would have loved an agelgil (injera basket). Coffee is a great and inexpensive souvenir.

But my favorite has been the jewelry. I think the crosses are both chunkier and cheaper in Lalibela, but I was advised by a local to wait for Addis where the artisans are better. By the time I got to Addis I didn't want to spend my final day and a half frantically shopping so I only went to the jewelry shops in the Piazza where some local girls suggested, rather than the Mercato or Churchill Road as a expat guy suggested.

Much harder to find the good stuff (while in Lalibela it was all jumping out at me) but am very happy with the ones I ended up with. In Addis all cross pendants looked shiny, thin and too new...I wanted the heavy darkened old ones in Lalibela. Oh well! Managed to find some anyway and also fell in love with one of the shiny new ones! I'm actually wearing it in this picture but it might be hard to make out the amazing detail.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/naugastyle/2293174756/

Bizarre...I've tried it a couple different ways and the link is simply not showing up even though I'm not doing anything different! Oh well, trust me, the jewelry is awesome :).

Edited by: naugastyle

hi pposey, not sure if you are female/male, but here are some non-gender specific suggestions. here is a long answer.

Before you even think about buying, I hope you know how to bargain hard.

Coffee, get lots of it!!! A lot cheaper than buying it in Starbucks!! Roasted or unroasted. I like the unroasted beans because its fresher when you roast it yourself and your house will smell great. (be careful with the smoke detector though.)

Jewelry, especially silver. Gold is ridiculously expensive these days so unless you see something that you absolutely have to have (really!!) don't buy any. Hand-woven cotton fabrics are fantastic with embroidery (shirts, dresses, etc), and crosses (metal, wood, and printed or embroidered on textile). T-shirts with Ethiopian Art. For wood furniture you should probably get them in Rwanda. Quality and workmanship would probably be better there. If you live anywhere where you have cold winters, you MUST get a "gabbi" from Ethiopia. Its a hand-woven 100% cotton blanket/throw that you can use as a regular blanket or just to put on while you watch TV or read. It gets softer with age/washing and is, in my humble opinion, the best thing you can get in Ethiopia. I’m sure you can’t find one Ethiopian/Eritrean who doesn’t have one...myself included :-) Its cheap, around US$10–$12, lasts forever, and even comes with embroidery on the ends or just plain. You will not regret this buy, whether you are a man or a woman. They make scarves of the same material too in several different colors. Fantastic gifts for family/friends or for yourself. There are tons of cheap/inexpensive art that you can get and frame it once you get home. Not sure what you can get in Rwanda but Ethiopian art is typically different from art from most African countries.

You can also get some hand-made baskets. They can be used for decoration or functional (serving food) and come in all sizes.

If you have space, get a small clay pot/pan. Make sure it is “prepared” for cooking. There is usually a process that clay pots go through before they are used for cooking. The process is called “mamwashet” in Amharic. Its usually done by the person who buys the pots after they get it home. Maybe they can explain the process to you and you can do it. Its VERY simple. Or send me IM and I will tell you. You can use the pots on a gas stove or coal fire when you get home. Makes anything you cook in it delicious. Its cheap in Ethiopia. Just make sure you check it thoroughly for cracks and chips.

Pretty much everything you buy in Ethiopia is hand-made. Just bargain well and if you go to Merkato, be extra careful about your pockets/bag. And have fun taking in the chaos…it’s a fascinating place.

hi pposey, not sure if you are female/male, but here are some non-gender specific suggestions. here is a long answer.

Before you even think about buying, I hope you know how to bargain hard.

Coffee, get lots of it!!! A lot cheaper than buying it in Starbucks!! Roasted or unroasted. I like the unroasted beans because its fresher when you roast it yourself and your house will smell great. (be careful with the smoke detector though.)

Jewelry, especially silver. Gold is ridiculously expensive these days so unless you see something that you absolutely have to have (really!!) don't buy any. Hand-woven cotton fabrics are fantastic with embroidery (shirts, dresses, etc), and crosses (metal, wood, and printed or embroidered on textile). T-shirts with Ethiopian Art. For wood furniture you should probably get them in Rwanda. Quality and workmanship would probably be better there. If you live anywhere where you have cold winters, you MUST get a "gabbi" from Ethiopia. Its a hand-woven 100% cotton blanket/throw that you can use as a regular blanket or just to put on while you watch TV or read. It gets softer with age/washing and is, in my humble opinion, the best thing you can get in Ethiopia. I’m sure you can’t find one Ethiopian/Eritrean who doesn’t have one...myself included :-) Its cheap, around US$10–$12, lasts forever, and even comes with embroidery on the ends or just plain. You will not regret this buy, whether you are a man or a woman. They make scarves of the same material too in several different colors. Fantastic gifts for family/friends or for yourself. There are tons of cheap/inexpensive art that you can get and frame it once you get home. Not sure what you can get in Rwanda but Ethiopian art is typically different from art from most African countries.

You can also get some hand-made baskets. They can be used for decoration or functional (serving food) and come in all sizes.

If you have space, get a small clay pot/pan. Make sure it is “prepared” for cooking. There is usually a process that clay pots go through before they are used for cooking. The process is called “mamwashet” in Amharic. Its usually done by the person who buys the pots after they get it home. Maybe they can explain the process to you and you can do it. Its VERY simple. Or send me a message and I will tell you. You can use the pots on a gas stove or coal fire when you get home. Makes anything you cook in it delicious. Its cheap in Ethiopia. Just make sure you check it thoroughly for cracks and chips.

Pretty much everything you buy in Ethiopia is hand-made. Just bargain well and if you go to Merkato, be extra careful about your pockets/bag. And have fun taking in the chaos…it’s a fascinating place.

sorry, my pc was frozen and I sent my reply twice. oops!!