Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. ~Khalil Gibran When you live far away from home, it’s natural to miss family. Every missed cook-out, graduation, and card …
Category: Travel
What I Love About Gondar
A couple of weeks ago we spent 5 days exploring the towns of Bahir Dar, Gondar, and Lalibela located in Northern Ethiopia. Having checked several sights off my to-do list so far, it seems that each new place I visit is …
Frankincense on Christmas Eve
Last December, we brought a nice sized bag of frankincense back from Oman. I intended to give the incense away to friends. But when I learned that Orthodox Ethiopians believe that frankincense should only be burned in the church, I …
A Weekend at Lake Langano
Ethiopia’s Lake Langano was one of my favorite escapes from the crowds of Addis Ababa. Being in the countryside by the water is one of the most peaceful and relaxing times with the kids. The brown, mineral-rich water and black …
My Favorite Fir Fir Recipe
Fir fir, dried injera reconstituted in a spicy, garlicky, tomato sauce, should be on every Ethiopian restaurant’s menu – breakfast lunch and dinner. Despite rumors that fir fir served in restaurants is made by re-using the discarded injera from customers’ …
Loving Our Layover in Frankfurt, Germany
Our attempt to make it out of Addis Ababa on Friday and to Atlanta by Saturday was foiled by mechanical problems. “It happens,” you say? Well, it sucks a whole lot more after you’ve been waiting with a sleeping …
It’s Hoya Hoye Time!
A few neighborhood boys came to our friends gate on Sunday to sing Hoya Hoya in observance of Buhe. They were pretty good, too! Buhe is a holiday in Ethiopia and Eritrea, held on August 19 (according to the Gregorian …
Day Trip: Addis Ababa to Menagesha Forest
How long would you drive to hike in the native forests of Ethiopia? When you live in Addis Ababa, where fresh air is becoming a commodity, a two hour drive seems like a fair tradeoff. I had been meaning to …
