The stellae (don't call them obelisks!) in Axum mark the graves of past emporers of the region. As I can see, there were lots of feelings of inadequacy on the part of these rulers judging by the size and shape of these things.
Inside one of the tombs underneath the stellae.
A popular dish in the northern region of Ethiopia we were visiting is called Tholo (pronounced something like tehelo). Doughy barley balls are dipped into a spicy sauce and a yogurt sauce with a wooden fork and eaten in one bite. The grey blob I'm getting into on the right is the barley, and is traditionally separated into smaller balls by the waitress for the patron. I wasn't sure where her hands had been so I insisted on rolling the balls myself.
One of the community lodges we stayed at while trekking in the Tigrai region which is known for its rock-hewn churches in the face of cliffs.
The morning view from our first community lodge.
The inside of a rock-hewn church built around the 10th century. Imagine all the open space you see once being completely filled with solid rock. We were honored to be there in time for a rare afternoon service and experienced part of a mass in Ge'ez, the traditional language of the ethiopian orthodox church.
Gina poses on cliff that is a waterfall in the rainy season.
It was wheat and barley harvest season while we trekked through this part of Tigrai. The people harvest the grains by hand, pile them as shown here, then find time later to bring their cows to thresh the grain from the hay. No machinery required- just have your cows walk circles around the grain pile for about 5 hours and you're done!
The sunset view on our third community lodge. I'm at the right looking down into the valley 500 meters below while other tourists watch from the "crows nest" on the second level of the lodge.
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