From Amman, the capital of Jordan, we flew to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia via Bahrain and Kuwait City. It felt like a whirlwind all night tour of Middle Eastern cities. The Bahrain airport was quite modern, and even had a Chili's. We watched two old men in white robes and turbans eat chicken wings at 2 a.m.

Once in Addis Ababa, we took a taxi to our chosen hotel, the Baro. It was damp, dim, and smelly. The plumbing leaked and the bed was crooked. It was eight dollars. Despite all of this, we were thrilled, because all of these things meant that we were back in Africa!

Laurie had been to Ethiopia before, and she said that it had come a long way in the last 10 years. I could see for myself that Ethiopia was much wealthier than the places we had been in West Africa, but it was still Africa. We spent a few days in Addis to get our bearings before boarding a bus to begin a circuit of the northern cities. Our first stop was the town of Bahir Dar.

The North

On the way to Bahir Dar, our bus hit a donkey. There was a nearby market and a lot of pedestrian traffic on the road. Many people were walking, herding livestock, and riding in carriages on the roads. As our bus swerved and weaved its way around the huge number of people, it seemed like it was only a matter of time before something bad happened. The bus crew got out to pay for the killed animal (as we later learned is the common practice), and many of the passengers were mingling around with the many people walking on the road. I decided to go take a look for myself since there was a large crowd around the dead donkey. I walked up to the spot, and soon found that everyone had stopped looking at the donkey and was now staring at me. Most of these people were from the countryside and rarely saw a "ferengi" as we were referred to. They formed a circle around me and pointed and gawked at me as if I was a dead donkey on the side of the road. So I got back on the bus.

Bahir Dar is a relaxed town on the edge of Lake Tana which is the source of the Nile River. We arrived at our hotel and quickly met some other travelers who were interested in sharing a van to visit the nearby Blue Nile Falls and a boat to explore the lake. The next morning we saw the falls. The land and the rolling hills nearby were all green from the recent rainy season, a small herd of cows roamed in the green field, and a huge beautiful rainbow arched over the wide falls. We climbed down a path that led through the green landscape to the bottom of the falls where we could feel the mist in our faces. It was like a paradise from a fantasy world. And then, a nearby soldier let me hold his AK-47. Awesome!

That afternoon we all got on a boat to travel out to some of the islands in the lake. On the islands were old Orthodox Christian monasteries. Most were Octagonal and the insides were covered in colorful paintings. The priests wore brown and white robes and carried oversized crosses. At the end of the day we drifted over to the point where the lake becomes the river. Since we saw the end of the Nile earlier on our trip, we felt like the circle was now complete.

Next we went a few hours north to the city of Gondar, and the other tourists that we had met in Bahir Dar came with us. An old castle sits in the middle of town. While exploring the ruins, several Ethiopian families were on the grounds celebrating graduation day. Every family had at least one person wearing a cap and gown with them. Several times people approached us and asked if we could take a photo. We thought they wanted us to take a photo of their whole family for them, but it turned out that they wanted us to be in the photo with them. I guess they will hang their graduation photo on their wall, with them wearing their cap and gown standing next to some random white people.

From Gondar we took a bus north with the hope of reaching Aksum (or Axum) in one day. However, we got stuck in the town of Shire because we arrived too late to make our connection. The friendly people on the bus helped us get the info we needed and get our bags from the top, even though it had started to rain hard. Our guidebook said that if you get stuck in Shire, you should go to a specific hotel near the bus station and ask for room number 7 because it is the best room in town. We went there and they were very excited to see us. They took us to room 7 before we could even ask, and said, "This is room 7." The next morning we returned to the bus station (actually a very large mud pit with some busses in it) and found a ride to Aksum.

Aksum is in the far north of Ethiopia, near Eritrea. It is known as the former capital of the Axumite kingdom which ruled all of the nearby lands around 1,000 years ago. They erected large stelae which look similar to obelisks, and many of them are still standing. We also explored some of the nearby tombs in which old kings were buried. Supposedly the Ark of the Covenant is in a nearby church, but only one priest is ever allowed in. When he dies, another is appointed as his replacement. Thus we didn't get to verify its existence, nor melt like wax upon looking at it like in Indiana Jones.

Our next destination was Lalibela, perhaps the crown jewel and most visited of Ethiopia's attractions. From Aksum we decided to fly to Lalibela. Flights were cheap, and the alternative was 3 days on a bus. When we arrived at the airport, they gave us our boarding passes, but they were blank. Fortunately they let us on the plane anyway, but we had left our confidence at the airport.

Lalibela is the home of about 15 churches, all over a thousand years old, which have been carved out of rock. Some of them were carved straight down into the ground, while others were formed from the side of a cliff. An intricate series of pathways leads between all of them, forming maze-like catacombs. We found a hotel and set off to explore. A loud musical ceremony was taking place at one of the churches, and we stood in the corner and watched as about 30 priests sang, chanted, played the drums, and carried large crosses and a huge bible in a circle around the small church.

On other days in Lalibela we would take long walks into the surrounding countryside. The town was built on the side of a large valley, and the views were amazing. The rainy season had just passed, and the surrounding mountains were all green and lush. We climbed up a path above the town and passed local people carrying grain and firewood towards town. We went through villages where the children ran after us. Many of them asked for pens, candy, or to take their photo, but most just wanted to watch us go by. Some of the teenage children asked for our address so they could write to us. Most of the towns were made from huts of mud or wood with straw roofs. They would be surrounded by fields, usually partitioned with short stone walls. Cows, goats, sheep, and chickens ran freely around the villages. Although rustic and simple, the scenery was amazing.

From Lalibela, we had to make our way back to Addis Ababa. We knew it would take us two days and that we would need to spend the night in Dessie. We took a 5:00 a.m. minibus to a nearby town where we hoped to catch another bus to Dessie, but it never came because it was a holiday. By 8:00 a.m. we were stuck in this small town surrounding an intersection of dirt roads. We hung out with some other travelers we had found that were in the same situation, and eventually decided to try to hitch a ride. Most of the trucks passing through had been offering rides (for a price), so we knew it was a possibility. A local teenage boy was also being very friendly and suggested that we do this, or risk getting stuck for the night like another couple we had just met. The man had said, "I always see in the movies how people get stuck in the middle of nowhere, and now it has happened to me!" We then finally found a truck to Dessie after lunch. It was the beer truck, and along the way all of the people in each town we passed through were very excited to see us. The scenery was great as we weaved through mountain roads listening to Michael Jackson and Mariah Carey on the truck crew's mp3 player. We made it to Dessie after dark and left the next morning before sunrise. It was another all day ride to Addis Ababa, but we finally made it. We found a pretty good hotel and ate lots of Ethiopian food.

Ethiopia has perhaps the most unique food in the world. It centers around Injera, a spongy and thin pancake-like bread that is used to hold on to the rest of the food, usually meat or vegetables in various sauces. Ethiopian food is eaten with the hands. You rip off a piece of the large Injera pancake off and use it to scoop up the other stuff. It's very tasty, and the sauces range from spicy to sweet.

The South

Other than Lalibela, the main attraction of Ethiopia is the isolated and untouched tribal villages in the Omo Valley far in the south of the country. Public transportation is limited, and the roads are difficult, so we decided to hire a car with some other travelers for a 10 day journey through the parks and villages of the tribal area.

Our first day was spent mostly driving, but on the morning of our second day we visited a fish market. Hundreds of small boats were parked along a large lake and the people milled about selling and buying fish, untangling their nets, and shooing away the very large storks that wanted in on the catch.

Over the next few days we stopped at various villages belonging to different tribal groups. Some of the tribes have become integrated with the rest of Ethiopian society, some have partially done so, and some have not at all.

First we saw the Dorze people. Some wear modern clothes, but all live in very tall huts made from bamboo and the large leaves of the enset (false banana) tree. The huts are built so tall because over the years the termites eat them. A single hut can last over 100 years. They use the old huts for kitchens and storage. A local boy showed us a tall new hut with a very short one next to it. He said the short one was his grandfather's and was 90 years old, and was now the kitchen.

The next day for lunch we stopped at a small restaurant on the side of the road in a very small town. We were strolling around the town when a stream of people carrying firewood was crossing through. They were truly fascinated by us. Several woman kept touching Laurie's hair, and another pulled on my arm hairs. We tried to take their pictures but they quickly ducked away from our cameras, and a few ran away. They had never seen cameras or white people before. We showed them the images on the small screens on our cameras and they were amazed. They kept looking into the lenses with curiosity. Some become very brave and wanted their photos made, while others were still scared. We finally said our goodbyes and waved as we drove off.

We visited a series of tribal markets over the next couple of days. First were the markets of the Bani and Hamer people. Some of the people were used to tourists being around, but some were not and were curious about us and our cameras. The markets took place in open areas where local people brought their goods to sell dressed in their colorful traditional clothing. They sold mostly food and grain, but also coffee, jewelry, livestock, chickens, and clothes. We even saw people selling strange liquids that were carried in containers made from the whole skin of a goat. The leg parts of the skins were used as handles and straps, and the head part was where the liquid was poured in and out of the container.

While the markets were colorful and interesting, we soon discovered that the crazy part of our trip was about to begin.

We made it to the farthest point south on our journey where we visited a village of the Mursi people. The Mursi are like no other and their society is nearly untouched by the outside world. Until about 50 years ago, they did not even know they were in Ethiopia. These are not simple village people. They are warriors, they are fierce, and they are intense. The four of us and our driver teamed up with another tour group to form a small caravan to enter the protected park land where they live. (The tour guides and drivers do not like to go alone into the Mursi area.) At the entrance we picked up a scout, basically a man with an AK-47 who comes along for everyone's protection. When we arrived at the small Mursi village, we saw the Mursi people, and many of them had guns. A woman in our group said, "Is this a good idea? They have guns!" Our guide responded, "It's OK, so do we." We got out of the cars and came face to face with the Mursi. The women have pierced their lower lips and over the years allowed them to stretch out to the point where they can fit a plate made of hard clay into the hole. Some of them can be 8 or so inches in diameter. Many do the same with their ears, but others wear large cow horns from their ears, also. They decorate themselves with jewelry made from whatever random objects they can find such as bottle caps and beads. They aggressively wanted us to take their photo in exchange for the hefty sum of five birr per photo per person. We were unable to take random candid shots because of this, or else we would quickly owe huge sums of money to everyone. So we were put into the awkward position of being surrounded and outnumbered by the Mursi people pulling at our elbows and pinching our backs demanding that we take their photo. They would also rub their hands in our hair and point at our strange clothes. We were just as much of an oddity to them as they were to us. During these interactions we couldn't help but recall the random stories our guide had told us. Several years ago, the Mursi traded a number of their cows for AK-47s. They then used the guns to steal back their cows. The nearby Ari tribe has a population of over 60,000, but is understandably terrified of the 6,000 Mursi. They build their huts in such a way so that you have to crawl into them, so that if they don’t want you in their home they can more easily attack you with an axe. After about half an hour of photo taking and becoming lifelong friends, we got back in our cars and drove away really fast.

After that crazy experience, we thought we had seen everything. But more mind blowing tribal activities were to come. The next day we visited the Hamer tribe. We went to one of their markets which was nice, but similar to some we had already seen. The Hamer wear skirts made of animal skins and put a richly dyed red mud in their hair. They adorn themselves with shells, beads, and bottle caps.

Soon we were invited to a very special Hamer Bull Jumping ceremony. We had been told a little about it before the trip. A young man must become worthy of a bride and initiated into manhood by jumping over a row of cows. What everyone failed to mention, however, was that this "bull jumping" part of the ceremony was only at the very end. We soon learned that, in the first and longest part of the ceremony, the men use sticks to beat the young women. And we would be invited to watch.

We were taken to an area where there was an open dirt field. Some Hamer people were milling about, and our local guide told us that soon a group of women would arrive. Sure enough, around a hill came about 20 women singing and chanting while they jogged in unison towards us and the surrounding villagers. When they arrived, the women went into the nearby bush and pulled out thin sticks. They then presented the sticks to the designated man. For each stick, the man must whip the woman with it while the woman holds up her arms and jumps and chants in a dancing motion. The whipping is hard and loud, and the women were soon bleeding. Several other women were carrying around containers of butter and fat, and rubbed it on the women who were to be beaten. Many of the women show scars of previous beatings. The scars are a sign of nobility, experience, and power. The women want the scars, and thus they present themselves to be beaten. The women who are beaten are from the family of the young man who would later jump over the bulls. The ceremony was an initiation for both the men and women. After a session of beatings, the women would gather in a circle and sing and chant for awhile, and then another round begins. The women went back into the brush to grab more sticks, and it started all over again. This went on for several hours, and we stood there and watched with our mouths agape.

Finally they told us it was time to watch the guy jump over the bulls. We went to another clearing. The women performed more chanting and dancing, and then another round of beating took place. Finally, a small herd of cows came in with several men prodding them into a small circle. The young man who was to jump, along with some other men, was performing tribal rituals over to one side. Then, the bulls were nearly ready. The young man took off his clothes and stood in the middle of the large crowd while everyone stared at him. Many other men held the bulls in position while the rest of the crowd gathered in a circle. Finally the guy ran and jumped up onto the back of the first bull and ran across the row of them, placing a foot on each bull. When he got to the end he turned around and did it again. Supposedly he had to do it a certain number of times without falling or he would be beaten like the women. However, he did it perfectly and everyone cheered. Soon he would marry one of the freshly scarred women that his parents had chosen for him.

The next day we visited the Dassenech tribe, who live in an area of land that is mostly desolate. We crossed a small river in a very wobbly canoe made from a hollowed out tree trunk that was not straight. Then we walked for 15 minutes through a desert-like landscape to reach their village. They live in houses that look like small domes. They are made of sheet metal supported by sticks, and the whole village has a fence of thorns surrounding it. There was very little vegetation nearby. All of the women wore jewelry made from bottle caps and trash. The whole scene looked like it had come from Mad Max.

From that point we headed back north for several days. We visited the Ari tribe which was fairly tame in comparison to the others we had seen, but very friendly. They wear western clothes and live in round mud huts. Our visit was filled with young children following us down the road, holding our hands and waving to us. This was a general theme in Ethiopia - all of the children love to follow the ferengi and wave.

We also went to a Konso village built on a hillside surrounded by beautiful terraced farmlands. These people are known for building their houses and villages out of stone. The inside of the villages consist of narrow alleyways formed from the stone walls of the houses. When a Konso king dies, his dead body is set on display in his home for everyone to see for 9 years, 9 months, 9 days, 9 hours, and 9 minutes. We were taken to the king's home. Fortunately (or unfortunately) no king had died within the last 9 years and so forth, so we did not get to see his body. We did, however, see where they made tea from the leaves of coffee plants. They sell the beans because they are so valuable but drink coffee-tea.

Once back in Addis Ababa we had a few days to relax. We visited a coffee shop with some of the best coffee in the world. Since coffee originally came from Ethiopia, these people take it very seriously. Different flavors come from different regions, very much like wine in France.
Ethiopia is one of our favorite places that we’ve been so far. I hope you can tell from what we’ve written that we had an amazing time in this beautiful, friendly, and diverse country. I’d highly recommend it to everyone.