Geo: 28.6137, 77.1834Today we hired a car and driver who took us on a 'city tour' most of this was in 'New' Delhi but everything we saw was ancient - tombs, houses of worship etc. It was interesting to see the new part of the city. There is quite a difference. More cars, less bicycles, carts etc. People are clearly dressed for 'western' business.We visited some very interesting sites. Hamayan's tomb is called the red Taj Mahal and it is quite spectacular. The entire complex was built by Hamayan to house his family and very close friends - there are a total of 160 tombs in the complex. The gardens are being restored to his planned splendor and they must have been spectacular because they look pretty good now. Lots of water features,orchids, pomgranate plants etc. ... read more

Geo: 9.02274, 38.7468Hi all,Well, I've been home for over a month, just got all of the pictures uploaded to the site.Hope you enjoy.I'll do some tweaking to the blog over the next couple of weeks.... read more

Geo: 8.53333, 38.1On the way home to my shweetie!!! :) That's how I'm starting to feel. Being away from Carole this long was too long.My reason for visiting Jimma was.....it's the home of coffee!!! Coffee maybe helped save my life? I used to be a heavy smoker, and a non coffee drinker. The morning after I quit smoking 20 plus years ago I started to drink coffee. It was a good substitution. I've never lapsed. The city of Jimma, formerly named Kaffa, (coffee) is surrounded by fertile hills and is where coffee was first cultivated. There is an interesting story here, the details I will add when I get home. Jimma is pretty layed back, not much of a hassle factor here. To some extent, the more an Ethiopian city is a tourist destination, the higher ... read more

Geo: 6.2607, 37.5842After returning to Arba Minch for a couple of hours, I head into the cool highlands of the Guge Mountains. Tonight will be chilly, and I'm looking forward to this after the sweltering heat of the Omo Valley. I'm leave today because I've already paid for the car, and the next day is the local market. Dorze is a small community, north of Arba Minch and south of Chencha. It is only about 25 KM from Arba Minch, but is accessed via a dirt and gravel road which can become a challenging journey after it rains. Today it's dry, so no problems. As we gain 1,500 meters in elevation, the scenery quickly changes to lush, green highlands and large trees. The people who live in the area are primarily subsistence farmers and raise livestock. ... read more

Geo: 5.25, 37.4833Hello all,I'm on my way to the Lower Omo Valley in southern Ethiopia. It is a HOT, wild and sparsely inhabited area. There are a number of traditional tribes, in this area....right out of a National Geographic article. This is a more traditional African area then other locations in Ethiopia. The predominant religion is animism, although the towns have some Christians and Muslims. When I get home I'll add more details and photos. The main tribes of this area are the Mursi, Hamer, Bena, Karo and Ari. Sometimes they get along, but not always. The Mursi in particular have the reputation for being on the aggresive side. Territorial battles still occur, yes people die. Each tribe has a particular dress, and the tribes have what we would consider bizzare and unusual customs. I''ll add ... read more