• Karen HechingerAfrica 2023Traveler
    Criag was in line at Cairo Airport b4 the ticket agents. The rope guy is still setting up :)
    Our tour will take us from the capital AA, to Bahir Dar on Lake Tana, then Gondar, then LalibelaEthnographic Museum, home to Emperor Haile Selassie, born Tafari Mekonnen."Ras", (duke), plus Selassie's real first name Tafari, becomes the source of the term RastafariSome museum shots..."Chat" is a recreational drug enjoyed by indigenous people by chewing catha edulis plant leavesThe local market for the low income part of town...It was Sunday. Our guide told us this was a quiet day on the streets

    47. Ethiopia: Addis Ababa

    July 8, 2023 in Ethiopia ⋅ ⛅ 77 °F

    Our flight from Nairobi Kenya to Addis Ababa Ethiopia went smoothly. Of course, Craig had us at the airport so early that we beat the Ethiopian Airlines staff there, and had to wait for them to set up. Haha.

    Upon arrival in AA, after a 15 minute delay chatting with a guy at the airport who we thought was our shuttle driver (but who turned out to be just a guy wanting to change money for us), we made our way to our hotel. Arriving around 9:30P, they seemed unaware of our reservation, but my "boy scout" travelling partner had ALL the paperwork, and the confusion was quickly dispelled.

    Our Africa experience now changes, from an animal focus, to a cultural focus. Our one day in Addis gave us time for a visit to a museum and to the markets.

    The Ethnological Museum is situated on the campus of Addis Ababa University, in the former palace of Emperor Haile Selassie, whose real name is Tafari Makonnen. His pre-emperor title of "Ras", meaning duke or prince, coupled with his first name was the source of the word "Rastafarian", a counter-culture movement developed in Jamaica and brought to light by reggae musicians like Bob Marley. Go figure

    After a tour of the museum, we drove through the local markets. Some pix attached.    Read more