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| DESTINATIONS
LIBRARY: No. 3 Ethiopia Pictures © Penny Farbridge |
| Nick
and Penny Farbridge have travelled extensively, particularly in Asia and
the Near East. Generally their travels have been with what might be described
as ‘adventure’ travel companies, often forsaking creature comforts for
the opportunity to visit some of the more out of the way places not yet
on the main tourist trails and meeting people whose way of life has not
yet been affected unduly by tourism. In October 2001 they visited Ethiopia
with Exodus Travel Ltd, touring the country by road. Here is a selection
of their slides and some of their impressions………. Ethiopia is a country that is ‘different’. It has opened itself up to western influences but remains very conscious of its own distinctive culture and identity. Physically it has four distinctive regions: |
 Simien Mountains |
1. A great
central massif crowned by the volcanic Simien Mountains with extraordinary
scenery and excellent for trekking. |
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2. The Great Rift Valley, with
national parks and a string of lakes that are home to a wonderful range
of bird life |
 Long tailed cormorant |
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Abysinnian roller |
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3. The desert
areas, mainly in the east of the country and bordering on Somalia. Sparsely
inhabited, but the home of many Muslim Ethiopians. 4. The open spaces and savannahs of Southwest Ethiopia, home to wild life and many of the country’s tribal peoples. |
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| Ethiopia is a very ancient land. Its archaeological sites go back some 2000 years. Any tour should, if possible, include: | ||
| 1. Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile with a visit to the Tissisat Falls…… |  Tissisat Falls, Lake Tana (Photo © Chris Bradley) |
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| 2. Gondar and its Royal Enclosure and six 16th century castles…… | 3. Axum, the ancient capital of a 4th century empire, the home of what is believed to be the ancient Ark of the Covenant; its stelae fields and underground tombs and archaeological sites…… | |
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 Axum - stele |
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4. Lalibela,
the site of remarkable rock-hewn churches…… |
 Virgin and Child |
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 St George’s Church, Lalibela |
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5. Harar,
an ancient Muslim town to the east of Addis Ababa…… The month of October, following the heavy rains, is probably the best time to visit, and in 2001 the temperature was pleasant in the mountains and the Rift Valley. We found the local travel agents helpful and knowledgeable and enterprising in the options they can offer. Ethiopia developed very largely in isolation on account of its geographical situation. There are four major languages, but some sixty languages altogether and as many tribes. Christianity is the majority faith, particularly in the central highlands. It came to Ethiopia very early and evolved quite independently of other Christian traditions. It has been very much influenced by an ancient form of Judaism. |
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English is understood to a fair extent. Ethiopians are friendly and
welcoming although not yet really used to tourists and they tend to
be somewhat over-enthusiastic in their trading! The majority of the
people are not at all well off but appear fit and well nourished and
project an optimistic and hardworking attitude to life. Their land
and animals are well tended. Addis Ababa has a range of hotels to suit different pockets including a prestigious Hilton. We were very happy with the state owned Ghion chain that operate hotels in three towns we visited. They were well situated yet unobtrusive in their settings, and very comfortable. Ethiopian Airways is highly efficient, operating a range of international and internal scheduled flights. Health: some malaria – take precautions. |
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| Finally: A trip to Ethiopia will be enriched by some prior reading – plenty of guidebooks available. Also Graham Hancock’s fascinating and exciting book ‘The Sign and the Seal – a Quest for the Lost Ark of the Covenant’ (Arrow Books – ISBN 0-7493-0186-4) |
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