My bag is too heavy for the desert heat of the east so I’m shedding clothes faster than at a summer camp in Sweden. Feels good to be lighter, but for some reason I brought white pants to Africa, which … Continue reading
Tag Archives: Ethiopia
For every country I have a blog entry, “Things you dont expect to see in ______” but for Ethiopia, so much is unexpected that few things surprise me. Even today the TV was showing Scottish soccer, Motherwell vs. Aberdeen. Motherwell … Continue reading
I didn’t like Harar at first glance, but I arrived on a Saturday, midday, when everything is closed and everyone in a khat stupor. (More on khat soon.) Come Monday the old town was in its full splendor, and even … Continue reading
When I lived in San Francisco and Los Angeles, if anyone visited me I took them to eat the most exotic food I could think of: Ethiopian food. It always blew them away and why wouldn’t it? What is more … Continue reading
I picked the wrong side of the plane for the window seat. Is there a website that tells people on which side of the plane to sit for the best views? If sleepinginairports.net exists, why not whichsideoftheplane.com? Yes, it’s another—ANOTHER!—free … Continue reading
I learned that I missed Anne Hathaway by about a week in Bahir Dar. My Couchsurfing friend in Addis Ababa helped put together her itinerary in Ethiopia. Who would have guessed that after hosting the Oscars, Anne Hathaway zooms off … Continue reading
How is that for a high-falutin’ title? I just want to mess with the people who are doing serious research and find me on the 4532nd page of Google. Wait a second before I get started. Let me empty my … Continue reading
I like embassies. I’m not crazy about running around town trying to find embassies or paying for visas, but it’s an interesting introduction that is usually representative of traveling in the country. There is a North Korean embassy I might … Continue reading
It’s not fun being sick while alone, while alone in another country, while alone in a village with no pharmacy, no electricity for a day and a half, and no healthy food options. I have to say, I have a … Continue reading
I’ve had a rough four or five days. I went all the way to the edge of the sublime Simien Mountains, one of the top sights in all of Africa—and never saw them. Chronologically: At my hotel in Bahir Dar … Continue reading
