Ankober, the former capital of Ethiopia
Very few of us outside Ethiopia have heard of Ankober. I include myself as I didn’t know the place even existed before I moved here. However, at the end of … Continue reading
The lost tribes of Israel
Gondar was once the magnificent capital of the 17th century Ethiopian Empire, as mentioned in a previous post, but it was also the home of the Jewish people of Ethiopia, … Continue reading
The former imperial city of Gondar
The city of Gondar, north of Lake Tana, was once the prestigious capital of Ethiopia, founded by King Fasilides around 1635. Before his reign, the emperors of Ethiopia had no … Continue reading
The mystic islands of Lake Tana
Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile, is also an important centre for the Ethiopian Christian Orthodox, going as far back as the 17th century when Abyssinia (Northern Ethiopia … Continue reading
Bahir Dar and the Blue Nile falls
Bahir Dar is a pleasant town on Lake Tana, the largest lake in northern Ethiopia. It is also the regional capital of the Amhara region, but it is most famous … Continue reading
The French in Ethiopia: story of the Addis-Djibouti train line
Ever since the French poet Arthur Rimbaud became a trader in the Eastern city of Harar, Ethiopia has captured the imagination of the French people as an exotic land boasting … Continue reading
The contrasting land of consumerism
When people in Addis, expats and Ethiopians alike, need to seriously shop, they go to Dubai. It is the nearest Westernised city, which serves as a shopping hub for Africa … Continue reading
The famous churches of Lalibela
From the moment I heard about it, I had wanted to go to Lalibela to see the famous rock-hewn churches dating from the 13th century. Beyond being one of the … Continue reading
A baboon in my bedroom
For the Epiphany long weekend break, we went to Awash National Park, about 220 kilometres east of Addis, on the road to Dire Dawa. Awash is one of the main … Continue reading
In and out of Addis
There’s nothing like going in and out of a place to get a renewed propective on it. For the first time in over two months, I travelled outside Ethiopia to … Continue reading
Salambo in Addis 