This morning we woke up around 7ish to go horseback riding and see the various animals around the park. We saw lots of DLT's (deer like thingys) such as Reed Buck, Bush Buck, Nyalla, and lots of warthogs. It was so much fun, but man is my bum sore! We spent the rest of the day relaxing in the lodge, sorting through our photos. ... read more

We arrived at the Abijata-Shalla National Park around 4ish, but by then there was already a dust storm blowing in. So after struggling to get our tent up in the blowing wind and dust, we hung out in the truck, playing cards, until dinner was ready. It was a good thing, neither of us was on cook duty, as it was a pretty tough night to be cooking, with dust blowing everywhere, and getting into everything. We camped at the view point, where we could see the two lakes, one of which was a soda lake. Mike, the trip leader was hoping that the from the view point we would be able to see all the flamingos, since due to the violence at Lake Nakuru, Kenya the trip was no longer going there. Sadly though the ... read more

So far on our journey we have visited 17 countries over 172 days and have taken approximately 11,000 photos (now who wants to see our slide show when we get back!). We have 188 days to go and several more countries to visit. We would like to say thanks to everyone who has been following along and all the nice comments we've received. We're actually quite surprised at the number of people who are actually reading this thing. Some of the highlights of our trip are: 1. The Sahara desert drive through Mauritania 2. The White Desert in Egypt 3. The Semien Mountains of Ethiopia 4. The beaches of West Africa 5. Taking photos at night in Luxor For those that are wondering, even though we look relaxed and refreshed we still do get home-sick every ... read more

Tigray and Lalibela are home to the famous rock-hewn churches of Ethiopia. Rock-hewn means that the chuches were literally carved out of the cliffs and volcanic rock formations rather than built up. While not as famous or spectacular, the Tigray churches are very interesting and likely pre-date the Lalibela churches (11th Century). We also made a day trip from Lalibela to see Yemrehanna Kristos church which was built into a cave and demonstrates fascinating Aksumite architecture. The drive to get there was a harrowing 2 hour journey on bumpy, narrow, dusty, winding mountain roads. Not really designed for an overland truck but we made it! Some of the sites at Lalibela were a little disapointing because of the structures that UNESCO has built to supposedly preserve the churches. They are not very pleasing to the eye, ... 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