Recommending Ethiopia

The Only Risk is Wanting to Stay

Ethiopia was amazing. However, writing about it seemed like a daunting task. If you haven't noticed the pattern yet, the fact that I'm publishing a new blog post means another trip is quickly approaching. If that wasn't the case, I would not have been able to get this out yet.  

I had a 3-day weekend and a friend posted a trip she was taking on Facebook. And the next thing I knew, I was joining her. We met up with a small tour group that hired a local guide and planned everything for us. Our group included 11 tourists and a leader. We were all expats (people who chose to leave their country to work in another) who picked the Middle East to reside and desired to take a vacation in Ethiopia. You might want to reread that sentence. A group that includes those characteristics isn't huge. Though it should be, of course. Though I know the dynamics of every trip is probably different, our mutual commonalities created a comradely and comfortable feel. 

Natural Beauty.

We took a day trip to see the countryside, and a little hiking to see this pretty scenery.

Injera.
They use teft, a gluten free grain, is used to make this large injera bread. You eat with your hands. You use the bread to pick up beans, veggies and meat. 

Welcoming people. 

We literally just walked into a small village and started talking with people. We ended up sharing smiles and songs. 

We also got to see traditional dancing and Africa's largest open market.

Learning by Experience

So many interesting things. I love visiting places, even really heartbreaking places (amidst cultural and aesthetic beauty) because I learn so much. And learning a little makes me more curious to learn even more. 

A few of the things I found the most intriguing are as follows: 

The House of Solomon and The Arc of the Covenant.

Did you know that Solomon and the Queen of Sheba had a son, and he brought the arc of the covenant to Ethiopia. At first I dismissed the notion, but really Solomon did have a lot of wives and concubines. Someone from the house of Solomon is believed to have been on Ethiopia's throne, until 1974. 

From what I understand, no other country claims to have the Arc of the Covenant. I don't hold that it has any special power, like some do. (When God's ultimate plan, his biggest sacrifice, was paid, the curtain to the Holy of Holies was ripped open and God's holy presence became available to those who desire it. So, I guess I'm sort of an arc of a covenant now.) Regardless, it is intriguing and I'd like to see it. Oddly enough the Ethiopian Orthodox Church has some very pre-Messiah elements. The church doesn't eat pork and each church building has a replica of the Holy of Holies where only special people can enter.

Eucalyptus Trees.

Many years ago, with good intentions to replenish trees, after most had been used for fuel, the non-native, quick growing Eucalyptus tree was transplanted to Ethiopia, from Australia. Unfortunately the tree also drinks a lot of water and spreads rapidly. The loss of moisture was an unwanted consequence so they have since begun working on removing them and replacing them with native trees. We still saw many.

Red Terror.

My visit to the Red Terror museum was very reminiscent of the Killing Fields in Cambodia. A movement fueled by the communist ideology of raising up the underdog- gone horribly wrong. It was horrific to hear about the thousands of deaths and inconceivable torture that occurred at the hands of many of their own countrymen between 1976 and 1978. The terror came about after the last emperor of Ethiopia was removed from power. With no one to take over... This is a repeating pattern in history.

Chinese Investment. 

Chinese investment is overtly apparent in Ethiopia. There were many large construction sites covered with Chinese characters. Though the immediate investment benefits Ethiopia, I sensed some skepticism about it as well.

Lucy. 

If you visit Addis you will no doubt hear about Lucy. She is not the oldest human thought to be uncovered, but the oldest that is so complete, having 40% of her bones are in one location. The thing I found really interesting is that she is named Lucy because archeologists were listening to Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, by the Beatles, when they found her. 

No Food Franchises and Coffee Ceremonies.

There are no chains in the whole country. No Pizza Hut, Subway, McDonald's and definitely no Starbucks. But they do have coffee...

Coffee is such a tradition here that they call the whole presentation a 'coffee ceremony'. From the ritual, I gleaned coffee is brewed over coals, they burn nice smelling incense, spread out grass on the ground and serve strong coffee with sugar in small handless cups, poured from traditional coffee pots.

Cutting for Stone. 

It's been recommended, and it has been on and off my reading list over the last few years, but when it was pointed out to me that the setting of the book was the eastern African country I was about to visit, I committed and downloaded it. Since it's not my typical children's or young adult choice, it isn't a quick read. In fact, I only made it to 10% before our trip. Now a couple weeks after, I'm returning to it. It's so much the richer now because I have been to the Addis the author is describing in detail. I'm making good reader connections right and left. 

Though I'm still not far enough to recommend the book, I do recommend visiting Ethiopia if you get a chance. And there is more, for me to return to see, as well.

Beautiful Bahrain

A jumped at the, recent, chance to visit another Gulf country.  And I was happy to travel with this one.

A big part of traveling is the opportunity to get to know people, in a unique way. 

For the most part, Bahrain is a quiet, clean, pretty island. We only went for the weekend, so we saw a limited amount of things.  

We stayed at a beautiful hotel with a small, private beach front. It was quiet and relaxing. 

Our Itinerary

Since we were there on a Friday, we got to attend a weekly church service on the island. I enjoyed visiting the large, international church. 

We visited the souk, or market, which had a nice entryway and this fun sign.

They had a lot of nice, trendy cafes in the city. Here we eat a traditional Bahraini breakfast. 

We also got to visit the national museum and see where the 2011 Arab Spring uprising occurred, in Bahrain. They still regularly have controlled, tire-burning protests.

Other Things of Note

One thing that is different in Bahrain is that you actually meet Bahrainis because the nationals work as taxi drivers, and in other service positions, in their own country, unlike in Kuwait. 

There are some interesting ideas about Bahrain being the original garden of Eden and a, seemingly unconnected, mysterious tree, in the desert, that has grown for centuries without a known water source. It is called the Tree of Life.

It's less conservative than Kuwait. In other words, they allow pork and alcohol. It's a lot less restrictive than Saudi Arabia. Because of its freedom, many people come from Saudi to go shopping, watch a movie at a theater, etc. Saudis were everywhere and its currency, as well as Bahrain's, is accepted at most places. I even received some Saudi Arabian currency as change, without knowing it.

The visit was definitely worth my time and I would recommend other to check it out, too.

Spring Break Extravaganza: Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia

I have been traveling a lot. I know. To me it's a great privilege and a burden. If you want to hear more about that go HERE.

Bangkok, Thailand

Thailand in 5 words. Colorful, delicious and creative. Sensory explosion.

My faves:
1. The Siam Niramit Theater Production. It portrayed some of the history of Thailand, including the changes in clothing, music and religion. The depictions gave insight into Hinduism and Buddhism, for the novice. That's me. There were also live elephants and real rain in the show. It was aesthetically amazing. 

2. Visiting Wat Pho and the Grand Palace. We had a great private, local guide who was knowledgeable and personable. The structures were grand, historical and unique from anything I've ever seen before. Beautiful.





Learning more about Buddhism was really interesting. Cultural anthropology, sociology and world religions are topics I enjoyed studying in my undergraduates. Knowledge about Buddhism will be relevant to my future home, China, as well.



We also went to the floating market and ate a lot of amazing tasting and beautiful food.

I enjoyed my time in each unique country. The people seemed the most friendly and the happiest in Thailand, but that could simply be dependent on my limited exposure and personal experiences in each place. 

Vietnam

At first glance, Ho Chi Minh City seemed like a place I could reside. Cafes and trees prettily lined most of the streets. The only issue would be the scooters. The national capital was referred to as the 'Scooter Capital of the World' and the idea of driving one of those intimidates me. I've actually never driven any vehicle outside of the United States. 

The city didn't seem to sleep. At 11pm, on a work/school night, young people were sitting in groups in the squares. People of all ages were listening to live music and conversing at outside eateries.



We also went to the Vietnam War museum. That was a meaningful experience. Though obviously sad, from treaty violations, to the staggering death toll, to the horrific effects of agent orange, but it was a good way to learn more about this time in history.



A Vietnam mother and child framed by the legs of a soldier. One of the many pictures in the extensive Vietnam War museum.

We also took a cruise on the Mekong Delta.




We ate traditional 'Elephant Ear' fish, so named because of its shape.

Buddhism was not pervasive in Vietnam, like it was in Thailand and Cambodia. Most online sources actually say Vietnam is largely non-religious.



Vietnam is the world's second-largest coffee producer, but their beans are typically only used in instant coffee. They do, however, have weasel coffee. Yes, weasel, the rodent. Coffee growers feed coffee beans to the weasels and after they have passed through the animal’s body, the coffee is collected, ground and brewed. The result? A musky, smooth flavorful coffee. Yum. But wait... "Nowadays however, the coffee doesn’t even go in the animal’s body; everything is replaced by a synthetic process simulating the effects of the beans going through the weasel’s body. I heard the brew runs for about 20 dollars a cup. But I did not have the pleasure of sampling any.

Cambodia

I heart this special place. The people, the heartbreak, the people, the cute houses on stilts, the temples and the people were really endearing. We spent the most time with locals in Cambodia, which made my experience there very rich.

Two years ago, I read Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick. It is a book and a subject that stays with you. So as much as you can to such things, I was looking forward to visiting the Killing Fields in Cambodia. 

We spent a day in the kingdom's capital, Phnom Penh where one of the infamous killing fields is located, and two days where Angkor Wat is located, in Siem Reap. I pre-arranged for someone to pick us up from the airport, with our hostel. The driver/ soon to become our driver/tour guide, was a Cambodian believer with good English. He learned English at his church and at his previous place of employment. He used to work for a Christian non-profit organization. From him, we learned about Cambodia's unpopular king, the hardships of the Khmer people and about his family. His father lost his life in the earliest days of Khmer Rouge's power, when he(our driver) was only 3 years old. He also connected us to his brother-n-law in Siem Reap, also a driver. What a privilege to get a better grasp of this sorrowful time, from those whose lives were most affected by it. I went to the Genocide museum desiring for the experience to change me and definitely impacted me. 

My reflection shortly after visiting:

Our tour commenced with this: "This is the start of your journey, but to those coming in trucks, it was the end."  There was a headset tour that was an easy to follow. A tasteful way to get a better understanding of the horrific tragedy. The tour explained the horrors carried out by Pol Pot. He claimed the peasants were heroes and he killed everyone with "soft hands"- the educated, professionals, anyone who spoke a foreign language, even monks and nuns. Later Pol Pot ordered the killing of everyone who undermined his plan. Within 3 years, 8 month and 30 days(1975- 1979) 3 million people were killed.(The population of Cambodia is only 8 million.) The Killing Fields is just one of many places where people were sent to be murdered.

The gentleness and resilience of the people is astounding.

We spent the day in Siem Reap with our sweet driver and tour guide. 

There are lots of tourist in Siem Reap, in anticipation of seeing the famous Angkor Wat. There are actually a lot of Temples, or Wats, in the area. Angkor Wat was outstanding, but I think my favorite temple was Bayan with all its cute, happy faces.

This was truly a wonderful trip with great friends and amazing experiences.