Day 1 - Saturday, May 31 - Reaching Addis Ababa

After a long journey we finally reach Addis Ababa. The airport is spectacularly decorated with red, yellow and green lights symbolising the Ethiopian flag. The country has just celebrated its millennium (the year 2000 according to the Ethiopian Calendar). It's 10pm but the city is still full of energy. We see numerous bridal cortèges in the streets - Saturday nights are apparently the best time to throw wedding parties.

We meet our guide, Sami. He will become an essential part of our team and, most importantly, he is a very good and safe driver.

The vibes of the city are contagious, and we decide to explore Addis' nightlife. We visit a traditional Ethiopian café, with a band singing to the tune of traditional instruments. The musicians make jokes about the clients - unfortunately in Ethiopia's language, Amharic - and everyone explodes with laughter. This type of evening is called "Azmare Meshet." We were mesmerised by the singer's velvety voice.

Day 2 - Sunday, June 1 - Going south to Shashemene

Time to start working! We drive four hours south of Addis to the city of Shashemene to visit a "stabilisation centre" set up by the NGO Doctors Without Borders to treat malnourished children. Drought has destroyed the first season's harvest in the region, causing extreme food shortages. Even though it has been raining for a almost a week, the rains came too late and the damage is done. It's hard to believe that people are still hungry while everywhere around us is so green. We are later told that this area is called the "green desert" because of its splendid nature - despite the lack of crops.

Day 3 - Monday, June 2 - Shashemene's malnutrition centre and market

We return to visit the children we met yesterday. Luckily there have been no deaths at the centre, but hunger and other health complications make the children vulnerable and weak. Doctors are doing their best to treat them, and we are impressed by the different treating methods. They give new patients first nutritional liquids, then therapeutic food.

We visit the city's market, and realize the gravity of the situation when we are informed of the prices of grain. Food prices continue to increase week after week, and we notice many buyers hesitating before asking for a portion of corn or teff, a local cereal used to make the Ethiopian bread called injara.

The market itself is vast. As we roam around, kids follow us everywhere with smiles on their faces, a typical greeting for foreigners.

Day 4 - Tuesday, June 3 - Visiting rural villages in the south

Driving out to some outlying villages, the scenery is splendid. We visit several villages, to find aid workers administering emergency interventions to save the lives of malnourished children and provide their families with food. The villages are isolated and we spend hours in a four-wheel-drive on long and bumpy dirt roads.

When we get back to the hotel, we're told there is no electricity. The blackout lasts a few hours and we learn that this happens often because Ethiopia produces its electricity using hydroelectric stations. The drought has caused a decrease in the stations' water level.