COMING SOON HOUSE ADVERTISING ads_leader
Version francaise un peu plus bas
Hi there,
All of you reading this blog entered 2007 at different times around the globe, I think Chad was the first to ditch 2006 in India and Francoise last in Tahiti...and me somewhere in the middle in Ethiopia. How cool is that? Makes my head spin!
So by now we are all in 2007 and this is my official Happy New Year to all. Being very biased at the moment I would want to wish you all great adventures and fun travels to faraway exotic places! On a more serious note, I hope 2007 brings you everything you've always wanted and if you still don't know what you want, get busy, tic tac, the clock is ticking!!!
This year, I really wanted to find myself in an unusual place for xmas and new year, and I must say mission accomplished. Ethiopia has been the most unique and fascinating country I have explored since Burma and in many ways it reminded me of it.
I arrived in Johannesburg this afternoon and although this is a reverse culture shock, it feels really good to dust off and clean up after two
weeks of nonstop moving around accompanied by lot of dirt, dust, unusual smells and more! Ok, I admit I am a bit tired and I think that Ethiopia right after 4,000 kms of driving up and down Namibia has left me a little running on empty. But I have the perfect antidote: I am going back to Zanzibar in 2 days and I will stay there for 3 weeks of forced relaxation and lounging by the warm Indian Ocean. Yeah, I know, it's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it 😊 After Zanzibar, it's back to the bush, flying to Arusha (Tanzania) to join Chad on a safari in the Serengeti. Very much looking forward to that!
So, Ethiopia. How was Ethiopia?
Wow! Where do I start? First the trip was fantastic and the planning was flawless - Thanks to Jon and his connections in Addis Ababa. We had an entire route planned day by day and everything went according to plan...with a few minor hick ups which actually spiced things up nicely! Sorry, I know some of you are asking who the heck is Jon? I met Jon in South Africa those last couple months
Monastery on an Island in Bahir Dar · Ethiopia
The circular shape is really surprising - to the left is a bell made of stoneand we became friends, he works as a consultant at McKinsey and he is an avid traveler like me. By pure coincidence we had booked a flight to Ethiopia at the same time and when we found that out we decided to go together of course. We got along great and found that we have the same travel style and philosophy, so that was really cool. We had a blast and I am very glad I did not do Ethiopia on my own, it would have been a lot tougher and not nearly as fun!
If you look at a map of Ethiopia, you will see it's a big country. Because we only had 2 weeks we concentrated on the North (away from Somalia!), we did the following route: Addis Ababa - Axum - Simien Mountains - Gonder - Bahir Dar - Lalibela - Addis.
When you take a look at the pictures (make sure you scroll all the way down and click on page 2) you will see that they are just very different from what you have seen so far. That is because Ethiopia is a very unique country, really special and well worth the effort
to discover. Ethiopia has lived in relative isolation for many years, their language (Hamaric) and alpabet are not used by any other country. The country is very poor, Jon found it as poor and dirty, if not more, than India. In the countryside, where we spent most of our time, many children work, they tend to the cattle, they walk barefoot, run around with holes in their clothes and I would not be surprised if some eat only once a day. A 12 year old child in Ethiopia is the size of an 8 year old in the US or Europe. This is the least touristy country I have ever visited, in several places we were the only farangis (this is the term they use for foreigners) around and with my blond hair I stood out a lot and I had to get used to being stared at intensely by large groups of people at once. There is a lot of begging in the countryside, "give me pen", "give me money", "one birr" (the currency) were the usual pretty much everywhere we went, especially in Lalibela. Some kids had even devised some clever tricks to raise money: "we are trying
Mulu's 4x4 stuck at the Blue Nile Falls · Ethiopia
In about 5 minutes we had 30 kids helping out and laughing their butts off! to form a local soccer team, we need money to buy the ball".
We visited some amazing historical sites, churches, monasteries in Axum and Lalibela and some stunning mountain landscapes in the Siemen Mountains at 3,000 meters high (9,000 ft). The roads were pretty awful, dust, switchbacks, steep inclines, potholes, washboard, obstacles of all kinds...donkeys, goats, sheeps, cows, and of course many villagers walking on the road carrying heavy loads on their back. Driving requires great concentration and we were glad Mulu was in charge. At the end of a day's drive we all looked like hell. Mulu looked 30 years older, the dust having turned his hair grey, my hair was looking kind of orange and our bags and everything in the car were covered under a thick layer of brownish orange dirt.
The history of Ethiopia is fascinating, although it was hard at times to tell the myths from the realities. For example in one church a priest was handling a bible made of goat skin that was 1,000 yrs old...it looked in really good shape and we were skeptical. I think my favorite place was Lalibela. It's a small town in a mountainous region and
it has been established as a UNESCO world heritage site. Lalibela's churches were built in the 13th century, today the churches are in the middle of a busy traditional village with circular-shaped stone houses. What is amazing is how they built these churches: they were built out of the solid, red volcanic stone on which they stand. So basically you stand right above the roof of the churches and to get inside you must hike down a good 10 or 20 meters. Some churches are almost completely hidden in deep trenches and a complex labyrinth of tunnels and narrow passageways connects them all - going through those tunnels was a lot of fun...we felt like in an Indiana Jones movie! If you only see one thing in Ethiopia, Lalibela is it, it is a must-see.
The Simien mountains were incredibly beautiful and very difficult to access - which makes your arrival there that much more rewarding! It was close to freezing at night and at 3,000 meters high we quickly lost our breath, even going from the lodge to the room. Being up there felt like being on top of the world. This is where we spent Xmas eve
and I felt far remove from the rest of the world as I know it - which was great. Sunsets and sunrises were a magical moment in these mountains. The air was so pure, the contrast and colors were so sharp, it was like seeing the world in high definition!
Our last night in Ethiopia we were in Addis and that was for New Year's Eve. We stayed at the Hilton and all the modern conveniences offered there were a nice relief. I think both Jon and I were ready for some comfort and slow but inevitable return to civilization. We had dinner at the Hilton (cheeese! pastries! duck!!!) and then we went to a great party in town. It was all outdoor, great stage with awesome local bands, full bar, very crowded about 2,000 people, all young Ethiopians, maybe a hundred farangis max...I was really impressed, this could have been Los Angeles or Sydney...really gorgeous looking people (Ethiopians are very very good looking), dressed to kill with high heels, hip style, True Religion and Seven jeans (i.e. $$$) ...To think we were in Lalibela a day before...what a contrast!
I am so happy I decided to put
Fisherman in Bahir Dar · Ethiopia
Boats are made of papyrus and look quite stable...as long as you stay away from waves I guess Ethiopia on my route, I think it gave me a better appreciation for how much diversity there is in Africa and it showed me a facet of Africa that is truly unique and not well known.
Hope you continue to enjoy the pictures and the blog. It's great getting messages and comments from you all, it always makes my day! If you have been trying to call me I need to tell you that my dear phone had its last breath in Ethiopia - I should know better than to trust an Ethiopian made "universal" charger...it fried my battery and I think I will have to get a new phone tomorrow and I most likely will end up with a South African phone #. Stay tuned for my new number.
That's it for this time. It's a wrap everybody.
Next stop: the Spice Island.
Love
Isa
Bonjour!
Alors, si c'est pas deja fait je souhaite a tout le monde une super annee 2007! Me revoici a Johannesburg, je suis arrivee cette apres midi apres un periple de 2 semaines en Ethiopie. J'ai mis une trentaine de photos sur mon blog et j'espere
Fruit Juice in Bahir Dar · Ethiopia
Jamba Juice move over...Ethiopian version: mango, orange, papaya, banana and avocado - delicious! qu'elles vous donneront une idee du pays.
Vraiment l'Ethiopie m'a fascinee et c'est un pays qui ne peut laisser indifferent. Les gens sont d'une gentillesse incroyables, et surtout ils ont des traits et des sourires magnifiques. Voyager en Ethiopie c;est un peu dur dur. Les routes sont en piteux etat, les distances longues, les gens et les animaux insistent pour marcher en plein milieu et apres une journee de voiture on ressort poussiereux comme vous avez pas idee....mes cheveux ont pris une teinte un peu orange (la terre et poussiere qui volent sont de couleur ocre) et je redoute mon rendez vous chez le coiffeur demain matin (mais mademoiselle, d'ou sortez vous?)!
Un ami Sud Africain, Jon, a fait le voyage avec moi et c'etait tres tres sympa. Il a beaucoup voyage dans le monde entier et on apprecie les memes choses, donc on etait tres compatibles. Je crois que l'Ethiopie seule ca aurait ete un peu dur et je suis bien contente d;avoir eu un compagnon si sympa avec moi. Demain soir il a invite sa soeur et des copains pour faire un repas et visioner nos photos.
Quand je repense a tout ce qu'on a
vu en Ethiopie, je me rends compte de la diversite des paysages et de la taille du pays - C;est tres grand et on a fait seulement le Nord et Addis Ababa. On etait tres loin des chamailleries avec la Somalie, donc pas de soucis de ce cote la.
Vous pouvez voir sur les photos, l'Ethiopie est un pays tres tres religieux, certains sites remontent jusqu'au 3ieme siecle avant Jesus Chris. Il y a de nombreuses eglises et monasteres a visiter, de obelisques qui rappelent l'Egypte, et des scenes presques bibliques: gens avec des grands chales poses sur des anes et pieds nus...le pays est tres tres pauvre et une majorite de gens vivent encore comme au moyen age. Ca fait peine a voir bien sur, mais je n;ai jamais vu autant de sourires et d'enfants joyeux qui courraient apres notre 4x4 --tous crient "hello, give me pen!!" "give me money!", et c'est amusant de voir leur visages s'illuminer quand ils nous voient sortir de la voiture. Dans certains villages que nous avons traverse je pense que les gens voient peu de blancs et avec mes cheveux blonds j;attirais vraiment l'attention. Ca ne me derange pas et bien au
Eating Sugar Cane · Ethiopia
On our way to visit the Blue Nile Falls contraire je me prends au jeu et j;en profite pour prendre des photos! Autant la Namibie c'etait grands paysages deserts qui inspirent et pas une ame qui passe, et alors par contre la l'Ethiopie c'etait bain de foule apres bain de foule, ce que j'adore aussi. Je suis donc passe d'un extreme a l'autre!
J'ai beaucoup aime les Siemen Mountains, paysages de montagne grandiose, qui rapellent un peu le Grand Canyon. On etait a 3,000 metres d;altitude et l'air etait si pur, un plaisir! On se serait cru sur le toit du monde dans notre lodge la haut. On surplombait des tas de sommets et les levers et couchers de soleil etaient a couper le souffle
Lalibela (vous verrez pas mal de photos) est aussi un des moments forts de l'Ethiopie. C;est un site classe par l'UNESCO et c;est un ensemble d;eglises du 13 ieme siecle qui ont ete creusees a meme le sol, donc elles sont sous terre, entourrees de tranchees et l;effet est extraordinaire. On se demande comment les gens ont pu realiser un tel exploit avec le peu de moyens qu'ils avaient. Les eglises sont reliees par des sous terrains style labirynte, on s;est regales
a explorer et on se croyait dans un film d'Indiana Jones!
Pour notre reveillon du jour de l'an nous etions (hier soir) a Addis Ababa, la capitale. On a dine au Hilton (ah! fromage, canard, mousse chocolat!!) et ensuite on est alles a une super soiree en plein air, avec environ 2,000 personnes, a peu pres une centaine de blancs seulement. Super orchestre, bonne musique, serveurs, lampe a gas pour chauffer, et une foule sapee et drolement a la mode. On se serait cru a Los Angeles! Je n'ai jamais vu autant de belles filles et beaux mecs a une soiree, et puis bien sur tout le monde dansait comme des pros et quelle ambiance! Vraiment un cote de l'Ethiopie que peu de gens peuvent imaginer. C;etait parfait pour finir notre periple Ethiopien!
Je suis tout de meme contente d'etre de retour au monde civilise pour deux jour. Mercredi je pars pour Zanzibar me reposer avant d'attaquer le Serengeti en Tanzanie.
Encore bonne annee a tous et merci pour tous les gentils messages 😊
A bientot!
Isa
COMING SOON HOUSE ADVERTISING ads_leader_blog_bottom
Tot: 0.159s; Tpl: 0.029s; cc: 13; qc: 86; dbt: 0.0923s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.3mb
laurent
non-member comment
epoustouflantes tes photos
Whoah, quelles photos tu as ma chere soeur, impressionnant, vraiment, tu devrais te lancer dans la photo sincerement, enfin je suis content que tu sois a Zanzibar neanmoins, gros bisous ton frere Laurent qui est avec toi par la pensee et le coeur, a bientot.