Ethiopia 1: Gondor and Simiens Trek

Scott takes a rest in the modern Addis Ababa airport before an early flight to Gondor.

Bird's eye view of Addis.

Kids playing soccer in the streets of Gondor.

Our Gondor hotel courtyard.  Notice castle ruins in the background.

A little more developed than Zambia, but not much!  Scott and our Peace Corps friend Gordon pose in front of the pothole with the Gondor castle in the background.  At least they TRY to have sidewalks here!

Great view from our restaurant-top cafe.

Injera is a flatbread made from a fermented wheat-like grain called tef.  It is cooked and placed on large metal pan.

From the rooftop balcony of our hotel in Gondor, you could see a panoramic view of the city and surrounding mountains.

Gina getting lively while a man plays a vocale at a local bar.  We were definitely the only tourists, and the musicians went to all of the bar patrons singing songs about them in Ahmeric.

Drum player at the same bar.

A traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony involves roasting the fresh beans over hot coals while incense burns.  Then the beans are hand-pounded with a mortor and pestle, and the guest gets 3 cups of coffee!

Gina and Gordon relax at King Fasilades pool.  It's not full anymore but gets filled once a year for baptisms and religious ceremonies.

When in Rome, do as the Romans, and when in Gondor, ride a donkey cart!

We got up close and personal with the gelada baboons on our first day trekking the Simien mountains.

We hiked the Simiens just after the rainy season, which made for wonderful wildflowers!

Why is everybody looking at me?

We also saw this type of flower while hiking in Tanzania and Malawi.

Our group of 5 trekkers a guide, and an armed scout ("for the animals") reaching a rural village before our second camp.

Giant lobelia plants.

We were lucky enough to see three walia ibex.

View of Simiens on one of the world's most-switchbacked roads from Debark to Axum.

A monk shows us colorful paintings and Ahmeric text on a goatskin book several hundred years old.  It is still used in frequent services for the Ethiopian orthodox church.  This is the new St. Maryium church in Axum.  The old one was destroyed in attacks several hundered years ago.