There’s never a dull moment when you’re traveling in Zambia! Constantly dodging the never-ending potholes, coming upon multiple police road-blocks that force you to prove your car insurance and valid driver’s license, and unnecessary traffic that’s simply caused because there just aren’t enough roads. The list could go on and on, and I have plenty of stories worth telling of traveling within Zambia. But through several different experiences I’ve found that difficult traveling stories are common for the rest of Africa as well, and not just Zambia.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, I was forced to leave Zambia in a hurry several weeks ago because the United States embassy in Zambia warned us that if I didn’t leave soon, I would be forced to stay in Zambia for possibly 4-6 more months. As most of you already can imagine, traveling during a time like that is pretty intense and I’d like to share my experience with you. This was an experience that I faced by alone because my family was unable to leave Africa at the same time as me.
Starting Off
My journey began on a Monday afternoon in late March. After already flying from Ndola to Malawi, I was pretty tired when I reached Addis Ababa in Ethiopia at about 8:30 pm. Because of the virus, the airport was a mess of passengers being questioned and airport workers running around trying to keep things organized. One thing that I noticed almost as soon as I got off the plane was that the Ethiopians’ accents were so strong I could barely understand them, and wearing masks certainly didn’t help with this issue at all. It took me nearly 2 hours to get into the right line, get through immigration, have my temperature taken, and print my hotel voucher which was supposed to be included in the airline ticket. With my 12 hour layover, my parents and I thought that it would be a good idea for me to get a hotel for the night so that I could get some much needed rest before my 18 hour flight the following day. The promised hotel was supposed to be right across the street from the airport, and it had good reviews and recommendations from several people that we personally know. Once I got through all the lines, I ended up at the airport exit with a very large group of people all waiting to go to this hotel. To my disappointment, earlier that day the government of Ethiopia had announced that all transit passengers were required to stay at this particular hotel, and so I was not too surprised that, after waiting around for nearly 30 more minutes, the hotel was actually completely booked for the night.
This is where I met my guardian angel, so to speak. I know that God had us cross paths for a reason because I needed her and she needed me and without each other I believe that we would have ended up in a far more dangerous situation. I am not sure what I would have done without her! Her name was Obi and she was an RN from New York City, traveling abroad and heading to Newark New Jersey the next day just like I was. As we spoke to one another, we decided that we’d stick together during our stay in Ethiopia, and I’m so glad that we did!
Once we heard that the hotel was full, we were told to wait outside the airport near some busses. Obi and I had our papers taken by an airport worker and we waiting next to the bus for 20 more minutes or so. By this time, it was getting close to 10:30 pm and I was starting to second-guess my decision of leaving the airport at all. Just then, we were given back our papers and told to board the busses because the airline had found another hotel for us and would be taking us there. Obi and I sat together on the bus, feeling a little nervous that this other hotel was nearly 20 minutes away from the airport. We were both ready to get on the plane to leave Africa at this point because of all the borders closing so fast. With new laws being put in place each day all over Africa and more and more borders, airlines, and airports being shut down, we weren’t even completely certain that the next day we’d even be able to leave Ethiopia. I was just trusting that God would work it out for me since He made it possible for me to get out of Zambia when I did.
The Unforgettable Hotel
When we arrived at the hotel, everything seemed fine. The lobby was fairly decent and even though it looked old, I just wanted to get some sleep. After being asked to pay $69 and refusing since the cost was supposed to be included in my ticket, I was finally given a room key and was able to go to my room. This is when things got scarier. As I entered my room I knew something was wrong. My mom and dad have always taught me to trust my first instinct, and in this moment my body immediately started telling me “danger”. The room was old and dirty and unsecure. The windows were wide open and could easily allow a person to climb through them because I was on the ground floor. There was also a partially drunk water bottle and a pair of shoes in the room. It felt like someone was there with me, watching me, which was extra creepy because the room key was like a legitimate house key, and I knew that if I needed to get out fast, I couldn’t. I checked the room to see if anyone else was in there, but as far as I know, it was empty. I was able to call my dad for a few minutes at this point because although the WIFI wasn’t working, I still had a bit of talk-time left from Zambia. I told my dad that I wanted to go back to the airport because I felt unsafe, and then I headed to the front desk to ask them if they could take me back. There were several other women there, including Obi, who wanted to leave as well. Although we begged the hotel staff to call anything, even a taxi, to take us to the airport, they refused and told us that in Addis Ababa there is a curfew that prevents people from moving around after a certain time and that it would be unsafe for us to leave at this point. I was reminded that Ethiopia is a Muslim country and so thing were not safe there for women at nighttime. So, we grudgingly returned to our rooms.
After I propped some furniture in front of my door, I was able to contact my parents again and tell them that I was still scared but was being forced to stay there whether I liked it or not. Then my phone lost service and I was unable to contact them again. I knew that I would never get to sleep, so I was trying to figure out what I was going to do for the next 5 hours since there were no outlets to charge my phone or my computer. Suddenly, someone started banging on my door. By this time, it was 11:30 pm and I didn’t want to open my door. I went and listened and looked through the peep hole, and it turned out to be a man saying something about reception. I assumed he was referring to getting a wifi code or something, but I was scared to open my door because it didn’t easily lock. As I listened at the door, I heard him knocking on several other doors and so I finally got the courage up to go talk to him. He approached me and told me that I was needed at the front desk, so I followed him down the hall back to the lobby and when I got there, the lady behind the desk informed me that I had to leave the hotel right away.
Because of the language barrier, all these conversations were really intense and took quite a bit of time to materialize. I asked them why I needed to leave and the lady told me that if I didn’t leave right away, I was going to be quarantined in Ethiopia for 14 days! I ran to Obi’s room immediately and told her what was going on. She later told me that the man had knocked on her door as well, but she had not opened it because she was afraid that he was just trying to lure her out to hurt her or kidnap her. After we grabbed our carryon luggage, we went back to the lobby and were escorted to a bus. At this point there were only four of us leaving, and we were all women.
A Scary Experience
I felt so much relief as I was on that bus, knowing that I was going back to the airport….or was I? The thought hadn’t crossed my mind until that particular moment, about 5 minutes into our bus ride. Suddenly, I realized that we weren’t going the same way that we came and that all of us on the bus were women. Why would they only take four of us? I shared my concern with Obi and we started to panic, especially when Obi pointed out to me that this was a Muslim nation.
Right when we started pondering this idea, the bus suddenly turned down a dark alley and then stopped in a parking lot that was empty except for only one other vehicle. In that moment I realized that I could be getting kidnapped, and I was absolutely terrified. The male driver and the other man in the passenger side got out, opened our door, and told us to get out. I firmly demanded why they had not taken us to the airport, and Obi and I refused to leave the vehicle until we had an explanation. After about 15 minutes of several phone calls and trying to communicate, they finally were able to explain to us that they had taken us to a hotel that was an approved hotel for transit passengers who didn’t want to be quarantined. To my delight, this hotel turned out to be a lot nicer. Even though it was nearly 1:00 am, it was secure and clean, it had wifi, I was able to call my parents, and I was also able to sleep for a few hours. We later on learned that the government had closed the airport to anyone staying in it overnight because of the virus, and so I had no option but to try to get to a hotel anyway.
Homeward Bound!
The next morning after my ordeal in Addis Ababa, the hotel shuttle was punctual, the lines at the airport were short, and Obi and I made it to our gate by about 7:15 am. I can’t describe the relief that I felt when I stepped into the airplane that would take me to the United States!
I know that God was watching me because nothing bad happened, except for a possible theft of $100 which I didn’t realize until I arrived at my final destination. I can’t be certain that it was taken in Ethiopia, but it seems likely that it happened at some point in that hotel because that’s the only time someone saw me with money, and the money was certainly missing. As my sister told me later on, at least it was only $100 and not me! I am thankful for how God took care of me by allowing me to find Obi and to get back to the United States without any other hiccups. To this day I still believe that something terrible would have happened if I had stayed in that first hotel for 6 more hours like I was initially supposed to, and I am so thankful God got me out of that place when He did!
If you'd like to hear me tell this experience "in person", feel free to head on over to my podcast (located on my homepage) and listen to it there!