Blogs from Ethiopia, Africa - page 85

Axum is a very interesting place full of history that has yet to be discovered. Little of Axumite history has been uncovered by archaeologists (only about 4%) but it is believed that the Axumite Empire rivaled the Egyptians. There are several churches and monestaries in the surrounding area including the church that is believed to be the resting place of the legendary Arc of the Covenant. Of course no one is allowed to see the Arc and there is a single guard that is chosen by the church. We also visited the baths and palace that are believed to have been used by Queen Sheba. The stellae are large obelisks that were raised as grave markers and obviously the larger the obelisk the more important the grave. Recently one of the obelisks that was stolen by ... read more

Kathie is wondering why when guys travel they tend to lose weight, but when girls travel, they tend to gain weight???? no fair!! This is part 2 for Semien mountains, just cause we couldn't decide which photos to post. Enjoy!! Also just wanted to wish my sister "Happy Groundhog Day"... read more

I was invited to go and watch the Mamilla Kindergarten Institute (where I teach on a Saturday) playing in a volleyball match yesterday, but missed the game as it had finished by the time Hannah and I got there - based on the experience of today, I have no idea how! They were playing again today, so after a Sunday breakfast of eggs (the best in Robe) at Welmall Café, we went to Robe Stadium. The volleyball was taking place behind the actual stadium, in the grounds! The first match, between Robe Teachers’ College and Agafa College, was supposed to have started at 3am (local time, i.e. 9am) but had still not started when we arrived at 4am. Buno, one of my friends, was the RTC coach and Kuma (an HDP candidate from last year) was ... read more

Tuesday was Hannah’s birthday. She had decided to have a huge party on the Saturday. Hannah’s invitation had said that it was an English party. In Ethiopia, the custom is that if you invite someone for a coffee, beer or meal, you pay for them. Obviously, Hannah was not able to pay for everyone. The party was at the Harar Beer restaurant (sometimes known as Ketema) and started at 3pm. Attota, one of Hannah’s candidates was the MC and told us the programme for the afternoon, which started with an icebreaker (oh, the influence of the Higher Diploma Programme). A second activity involved slips of paper being randomly distributed to some of the guests who had to do the action stated. Holly’s impression of a lion was a definite crowd pleaser, and worth her coming from ... read more

Well spending a week in Addis Ababa was not in our original plans, but Ethiopian Airways seemed to have other ideas for us so a week it was. "Addis" as it is known means "new flower" and its location was chosen because of the natural beauty of the area which is now being eclipsed as massive development sprawls incoherently reaching out further and further from the city. With a population between 5-6 million, it is home to many non-governmental organizations where the white land cruisers with UN signage compete with the blue and white mini buses and old blue lada taxis belching out exhaust. It is also one of the fastest growing cities in Africa. As one couple we met noted 7 years ago there were virtually no high rises and now on every street corner, ... read more