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"An unknown jewel" a Ethiopia Travel Page by SirRichard

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Ethiopia Pages by SirRichard


"An unknown jewel" a Ethiopia Travel Page by SirRichard
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SirRichard    
When in doubt... move!


Real Name: Joaquin
Lives In: Madrid, ES
Member Since: May 14, 2001
VT Rank: 6

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Page Views: 10,417            Last Visit to Ethiopia: August, 2006      

An unknown jewel

by SirRichard - last update: Sep 2, 2006

More than deserts and hungry kids

Priest visiting Tis Abay Falls
I have just returned from a 17 days trip to Ethiopia. I went there independent, bought a Lufthansa air ticket and after arriving in Addis i started taking buses to do all the "Historic Route" in the north, clockwise to Bahir Dar, Gonder, Axum, Tigray and Lalibela. As things went much better than expected, I still had 3 days left in Addis, so I took another bus to follow the steps of my admired Burton and enter the muslim city of Harar, in the East.
In spite of the common western perception of Ethiopia as a dry desert where everybody is hungry, I have discovered a wonderful green country with lots of interesting treasures and monuments, water (maybe too much, I went in rainy season) and friendly people.
Inside a Tigray church

A rich heritage

What attracts most visitors to Ethiopia are the fantastic rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, but there are many other top attractions in the country. This is what I saw:
- Bahir Dar: The Blue Nile source and Falls. Lake Tana and its orthodox monasteries.
- Gonder: Medieval Castles and the incredible H.D.Selassie church with amazing paintings on walls and ceiling.
- Axum: the monolite stelae, the church of St.Mary of Sion (where the Ark of the Covenant is said to be).
- Tigray: the many remote monasteries and churches in the rocks (yes, IN!), Yeha archeological site and Debre Damo holy monastery.
- Lalibela: the world know rock-hewn churches.
- Harar: a walls surrounded citadel, the muslim markets, the feeding of the hyaenas.
- Addis: museums, the Merkato market, restaurants, Entoto Hills.

Green Ethiopia, gorgeous landscapes

Travelling around the north gives you the chance to admire somre incredible green mountain landscapes.
It was a trip full of surprises: pushing the bus out of the mud became a daily activity, sleping with the monks in Debre Damo isolated monastery was an unique experience, travelling in trucks, donkeys, and even a UN Peace Forces pickup near the Eritrean border made the trip interesting, travelling by bus in Ethiopia is a resistance challenge, with bus rides of 10-12 hours daily...

In the pic you can see me painting my Travel Diary on top of Debre Damo monastery.
Painting in Debre Damo

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SirRichard's Ethiopia Travel Tips

OverviewThings to Do
Tips: 5 - Photos: 5
 
Restaurants
Tips: 4 - Photos: 4
Hotels & Accommodations
Tips: 2 - Photos: 2
 
NightlifeOff The Beaten Path
Tips: 3 - Photos: 3
 
Tourist Traps
Tips: 1 - Photos: 1
Warnings Or Dangers
Tips: 1 - Photos: 1
 
Transportation
Tips: 4 - Photos: 4
Local Customs
Tips: 4 - Photos: 4
 
Packing Lists
Tips: 1 - Photos: 1
Shopping
 
Sports Travel
Tips: 1 - Photos: 1
General Tips
Tips: 6 - Photos: 10

SirRichard's Ethiopia Travelogues
Title [Click to view]Travel YearPictures
Watercolours Diary 1August, 2006 8
Watercolours Diary 2August, 2006 8
Watercolours Diary 3August, 2006 8

Comments for SirRichard about Ethiopia
jennyrobot Tue Oct 30, 2007 14:38 UTC
 An absoutely beautiful collection of works. Simply inspiring. Thank you.
northeast80 Sat Oct 27, 2007 07:21 UTC
 What fantastic pages, informative and very interesting to look at, you get a real sense of the place through your paintings.
uaamom Fri Oct 26, 2007 05:14 UTC
 Your watercolor diaries are absolutely charming! I need to work on my Spanish though!
Ekahau Thu Jun 21, 2007 22:08 UTC
 Lalibela is such a cool place great pages Sir Richard and Injhera with several kinds of Wat oh tasty. wonderful photos. A place I have been back to 12 times but 6 of them were so far back Haile Selassie was the king of Kings
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