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I've been working and driving around the Chicago-area for over 50 years, and a Volunteer for the City of Chicago at O'Hare Airport. (You may have even seen me walking around O'Hare wearing a red shirt with a big "ASK ME" button.) Based on all that, here is some basic information that should make your life simpler while visiting my hometown.
Flying into O'Hare or Midway?
- From O'Hare, take the BLUE Line to downtown Chicago for $2.00 a person. You can take a taxi to your hotel from the Blue Line exit for very little or walk to it.
- From Midway, take the GREEN LINE. There are also buses going North on Cicero outside of Midway Airport. It goes to the Chicago EL, heading to the Loop, also $2.00 a person.
Continue reading "ex-Marine's Quick & Easy Guide to Chicago" »
No matter how well you think you've planned a trip, something is bound to go wrong and/or forgotten. For example:
- I keep a generic packing list on the computer with sections covering everything from winter sports, trekking and hiking to sightseeing;
- Laid everything needed out carefully, and checked off the above list;
- Double check passports and visas. (I even put a paper clip on the proper visa page if we need one. Saves looking for that one elusive visa page.) ;
- Have started to notify the credit card company that we're traveling out of the country so they won't deny authorization. (Guilty of forgetting that one before a trip to Buenos Aires and discovered this mistake when a credit card purchase wouldn't go through. A fast, collect call to the credit card company resolved that issue.); and
- Triple-check hotel reservation dates. (Bad me.. We once arrived in Switzerland and discovered that I had reserved for the next day! The nice hotel found us a room for the night.)
Continue reading "Sheila Tips and Challenges While Traveling" »
We were so happy that Sue talked us into visiting the Historic Northern part of Ethiopia. Even though "religious" will never describe either of us, it was impossible not to get swept up. Some of the many North Ethiopia highlights were:
- The extreme, almost messianic fervor the people poured into the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian area. This encompassed everything from the symbolic graves for Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Star of David on church ceilings, paintings of Jesus Christ and Noah's Ark together, the Ark of the Covenant, and King Solomon thrown in for good measure. Impossible to tell where the Old Testament stopped and the New Testament began;
- Constant road sightings of people dressed all in white walking with staffs over shoulders, carrying goods, tending flocks, and riding little donkeys;
 walking in the dust
Continue reading "North Ethiopia Thoughts and Suggestions" »
A coffee ceremony was offered to us while staying at the Yemreha Hotel in Lalibela. When we entered the dining area one night for dinner and saw the freshly-cut grass on the floor by our table, we knew that tonight was the night. A coffee ceremony is a sign of friendship and respect. (Really didn't think they were performing this because of friendship, we'd only be there for two days...) But we prepared to enjoy it.
The ceremony usually doesn't begin until after dinner but our usual waitperson, dressed in Ethiopian traditional dress, started before we had finished. Good thing, because it is very time-consuming. She had a little table set up with a charcoal brazier for roasting the coffee beans, an incense burner, motor and pestle for grinding the coffee beans and a tray of popcorn! I'd love to know how popcorn got involved in a coffee ceremony..
 dinner at the Yemreha Hotel
Continue reading "An Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony" »
In sneakers today (a pain in the butt to take on and off) but if you look at some of the other paths, you'll understand why sneakers/trainers were advised. Through: #1 Bet Gabriel-Rufael (might have been the home of the royal family before becoming a church); #2 Bet Merkorio with a painting of the three wise men which dates back to the 15th century; #3 Bet Amanuel; and #4 Bet Abba Libanos.
Making our way from one church to another, a pause until another Mass was finished. For communion, bread was handed out to the small group instead of wafers. This Mass was held under a rocky outcropping outside the church. Not only picturesque but also inspiring.
 one of the paths between churches
Continue reading "Nakutelab Rock Hewn Church and Finishing Up Lalibela" »
King Lalibela created these amazing churches over 800 years ago. The churches were carved from soft, red volcanic rock. Some lie almost completely hidden in deep trenches, while others stand in open, quarried caves. A labyrinth of tunnels and narrow passageways connect them all while some of the passageways are filled with crypts and grottoes. ...View image...
Lalibela is located in the Lasta Mountains at an elevation of 2,630m/8,628' and if these churches didn't resemble Petra, I don't know what does. Primarily because of the gorgeous hues...oranges, sherbet, rose pink, constantly changing in the sunlight . FYI: Bet means church.
 the yummy hues of Lalibela's churches
Continue reading "Lalibela and The Southeastern Churches - North Ethiopia" »
At the nice Yemreha Hotel with what turned out to be the best cook of our North Ethiopia trip, Tsegay is the new guide. Today, we are the only people staying at the hotel. It's the end of the tourist season and the next big group of Italian tourists are due in two days. This is probably the closest we'll ever come to the "Rich and Famous" with an entire hotel and staff just for us. Not too shabby living this way...
There are two main groups of churches in Lalibela: The Northwestern Group and Southeastern Group. Tsegay is starting us off with the Northwestern Group and six of Lalibela's 11 churches, Lalibela is another UNESCO World Heritage Site and a center of pilgrimage for many Ethiopian Orthodox Christians.
 priest wearing very cool shades inside the Bet Medhane Alem Church
Continue reading "Lalibela's Northwestern Group of Churches" »
It was goodbye to Johnny with profuse thanks for his wonderful driving. The plane from Aksum/Axum to Lalibela was about half full and left 20 minutes early. Ethiopian Airlines doesn't mess around. When all passengers are on board, it leaves. Don't even think of cutting a departure close. You'll miss your plane. Only four of us got off in Lalibela,...View image...two German women and us. Picked up by a Green Land car and off to Lalibela, a 40-minute ride from the airport on a good highway.
On the ride, the driver happened to mention that today was the weekly market, Saturday's only. That's all I had to hear. Had to stop at the market before checking into the Yemreha Hotel. A huge market with people walking towards it from all directions. There is no public transportation in this area. The people must walk (sometimes) 50-60km/31-38mi to get here, spend the night in Lalibela and then walk back home the next day. It can take six hours to walk 31 miles which is a lot faster than many people can run marathons...View image. ... A difficult life...and interesting market. Grains, barley, tef, salt from the border at Eritrea, animal market,...View image... clothing market..View image....a sea of colors...chickens and goats...View image...
 Lalibela animal market
Continue reading "From Aksum/Axum to Lalibela's Saturday Market - North Ethiopia" »
Lunch and then a visit to he Queen of Sheba's bath by our hotel. ... View image... The name is thought to be incorrect. It was really just an important source of water, hewn from solid rock. Women still come daily to collect water, do their laundry and a few kids were swimming in the reservoir.
A ride outside Aksum to see the famous 4th century AD King Ezana stone. This important dedicatory stone is similar to the Rosetta Stone because the inscription is written in three languages - Sabaean, Ge'ez and Greek, all saying the same thing (telling about King Ezana's military campaigns) and dating to 320 AD. A farmer discovered this stone in 1981. I can only imagine what is still buried underneath all the farmlands. Mulu said the Government offers incentives to farmers, hoping to encourage them to turn finds over to the Government instead of selling to a private dealer.
 washing clothes in the Queen of Sheba's bath
Continue reading "More Aksum/Axum Sights" »
To put it in basic terms, a "stelae" is a monolith placed on a tomb that announced to the world how powerful the ruling family or King was. "Mine is bigger than yours....." The Northern field (across the street from St. Mary of Zion Complex) is Ethiopia's biggest and most important stelae field containing over 120 stelae. It's possible that 98% of all the treasures are still underground. Someone...give me a shovel, trowel and dental pick and...let me loose! (Read Archaeological Dig Volunteer. )
This area had the Great Stele, believed to be the biggest obelisk or stela that humans ever attempted to erect and weighing 50 tons... King Ezana's Stele, just returned by the Italians and still being maneuvered into place...and tombs.
 King Ezana's Stele
Continue reading "The Stelae of Aksum/Axum - North Ethiopia" »
Aksum/Axum is another one of Ethiopia's star attractions. (Are you beginning to see why we chose Ethiopia to visit?) This town was the site of a great civilization and is littered with massive stelae, palace ruins, underground tombs and inscriptions. UNESCO lists Aksum as a World Heritage site and it is one of the most important ancient sites in sub-Saharan Africa.
Local legend states that Aksum was the Queen of Sheba's capital in the 10th century BC and Menelik, the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon's son, brought the Ark of the Covenent to Aksum for safekeeping. It is supposed to still be here preserved in a sanctuary and watched over by one guardian. For close to 1,000 years, Aksum dominated the vital sea trade between Africa and Asia. ...View image...
 St. Mary of Zion Church compound, Axum
Continue reading "Sightseeing in Aksum/Axum, St. Mary of Zion Churches - North Ethiopia" »
It would be another 262km/162mile drive from Debark to Aksum/Axum and Johnny anticipated 7-8 hours. This meant breakfast at 6:00 am to leave by 7:00 am. It was very cold during the night and we slept with most of our clothes on, huddled under blankets.
TIP #1: Put whatever clothes you need for the next day in the foot of your sleeping bag or under the covers with you. That way, they'll be warmer to put on.
TIP #2: Always keep a flashlight/torch in your backpack in 3rd World countries. Never know when you'll need it.
The route started through the Simien Mountains with dramatic scenery and a dramatic road curving its way through those mountains. Along the road, rusted tanks and trucks leftover from Ethiopia's civil war.
 rusted tank
Continue reading "Driving to Aksum/Axum - North Ethiopia" »
We were here to see the Gelada Baboons. Troops of Geladas are endemic to this area and they spend the night perched down in a rock canyon. Henock (our guide in the South) has guided for BBC and National Geographic and said on one photographic shoot, they taught him how to rappel down into the canyon every morning. The Gelada like this one particular area because Leopards, their only predator, can't get to them. In the morning, they start making their way up the escarpment, digging up roots to eat. Later in the day, they take the same route back down to sleep. There are 6,000 Gelada Baboons in the park. Males can weigh 50 kilos/110 lbs. and have up to 5 harems with a total of 300 in each group. They are referred to as "Bleeding Heart Baboons" because of the bright patch of skin on the males' chest. It is hourglass-shaped, and a bright red, surrounded by white hair.
A fast stop at Park Headquarters for a local guide and another man carrying an AK-47 for security purposes. ...View image...Around 12,000 Amhara locals live in and around the park and the villagers despise the Geladas. Their livestock competes with the baboons for the meager amounts of grass in this semi-arid region. The car bumped and rattled its way into the park and there they were. Troops of Geladas ignore the people and just go about their business of digging up roots and making their way up the mountain. Beautiful lion-like baboons with all that fur and tufty tails. Part of our itinerary included a long hike in the mountains but once again, ex-Marine's knee was acting up. A short walk and then into Debark.
 mother Gelada and baby
Continue reading "The Gelada Baboons of North Ethiopia" »
On the road again with Johnny to the Simien Mountains and a one-night stay in Debark. But first a stop at a Falasha village along the way. The Falasha are Jews of Ethiopian descent and the village has become a tourist site even though no Jewish Ethiopians live here now. (Correction. There is one old woman still there.) Nearly 120,000 people (appproximately 85% of the Ethiopian Jewish community) emigrated to Israel. ...View image...
Local people moved in carry on the traditional Felasha style pottery featuring pottery adorned with Jewish themes and figurines and the Star of David. We already saw the Star of David motif in Gonder and Addis because the Falasha are considered to be descendants of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon. Don't think I knew this before this trip.
 arriving in the Falasha village
Continue reading "Into The Simien Mountains - North Ethiopia" »
The drive from Bahirdar to Gonder was another page out of the Bible, minus the asphalt road and umbrellas people carry to shade themselves from the sun. Streams of people walking along the road, carrying staffs, balancing firewood and utensils on their heads, dressed in white with beige shawls, many barefoot. They were tending goats, sheep, cattle, leading their flocks to water, tilling the fields with oxen and a yoke. A never dull ride. Johnny will be our driver until Axum and we'll have other Green Land free-lance guides at each place.
The International Hotel in Gonder ...View image...had a terrace overlooking a street with more intriguing sights. This seemed to be "the" spot for coffee and beer each evening for the locals. And we sat drinking the local beer ...View image...for hours, watching the mechanic change tires on a truck with the Gonder people coming and going to kibitz on the side, colorful pony carts used as taxis. A women with her little donkey. There was always something interesting to look at.
 traveling through the dust
Continue reading "Castles and Churches of Gonder/Gondor/Gondar - North Ethiopia" »
Still in Bahirdar, we drove to admire Blue Nile Falls and the famous outlet of the Blue Nile, located about 32 km/20 miles out of town These falls used to be more impressive but a hydroelectric project was built and the falls are half the size of the former 400m/1,300' wide expanse. ... View image... The Amharic name is Tissisat or "smoke of fire"
The Woyto/Weyto/Woyito people live on the shores of Lake Tana and still make tankwas, boats woven from papyrus. They paddle back and forth carrying charcoal and firewood to market in Bahirdar/Bahir Dar. Jimmy said these boats are even sturdy enough to carry oxen! We saw the boats stacked up by the side of the lake but not anyone actually using them.
 Papyrus boats ready for tomorrow's fishing
Continue reading "The Blue Nile Falls - North Ethiopia" »
You have to be at the airport two hours before the scheduled flight time (even for domestic) and talk about stringent security. You can't even enter the terminal without showing tickets and passport or identity card. Ethiopian Airlines gives a boarding pass with a seat number, but when you board, it's open seating. Also, all domestic flights (without exception) make multiple stops. A fast 45 minutes to Bahirdar to begin the Northern portion of this journey around Ethiopia. Bahirdar is on the shore of Lake Tana, Ethiopia's largest lake. There are 37 islands in this immense body of water and 20 of them shelter historic churches and monasteries.
Everyone takes a boat trip onto the lake. The obvious highlights are the monasteries but this is also a big area for birders. Many of the monasteries date from late 16th-to-early 17th century. Kebran Gabriel, Debre Maryam, Ura Kidane Meret is the most famous one, Narga Selassie, Dega Estefanos - one of the lake's most sacred, has mummified remains of former Ethiopian emperors. Tana Cherkos (men only...) hid the Ark of the Convent (so it is said) for a time. There were still more: Mitsele Fasiladas, Beta Giorgis, Beta Maryam and Azuwa Maryam. Impossible to see them all and I truthfully wouldn't want to.
 flying in over one of Bahirdar's island monasteries
Continue reading "Bahirdar/Bahir Dar On Lake Tana, North Ethiopia" »
It was 7-3/4 hours from Chicago to Frankfurt, 4 hours in transit and then another 5-1/2 hours to Khartoum, Sudan where Lufthansa stops to refuel (gas prices are cheaper there). They are not allowed to pick up passengers in Khartoum, only when the plane flip-flops on the return. Another hour and we landed at Bole International Airport (new, only about three months old) in Addis Ababa.
Off the plane. Straight into an office that said 'VISA" (in big letters), handed in passport and filled out entry card given to us on the Lufthansa flight. Officer slapped an Ethiopian Visa into the passport. Moved down the line, paid $20 U.S. (less than we thought), walked out of that room with another officer who checked to make sure we paid, and through customs. It took less than 10 minutes and a representative of Green Land was waiting for us. Off to the De Leopol Hotel (supposedly a 4**** - think 3***) to immediately crash. Good night, Sammy (our guide for tomorrow)...see you then.
 Addis Ababa Mercato crowd
Continue reading "In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia" »
Air? We flew United, Chicago to Frankfurt, and turned in United Airlines miles to get free Lufthansa Business Class tickets from Frankfurt-Addis Ababa. TIP: Try to use miles accumulated on airlines - especially if you can wangle First or Business Class (the only way we can afford to fly in those sections).... Other airlines with daily flights to and from Europe: Ethiopian Airlines, Alitalia, Kenya Airways, and Egypt Air, to name a few.
Visas? Visas are required for all visitors to Ethiopia. You need a valid passport and one color passport photo. Either do it before your trip or get a Visa on Arrival in Ethiopia. My on-line information said there was a $70 U.S. charge for a visa. Incorrect. It turned out to be $20 U.S. Contact the Embassy of Ethiopia for up-to-date information.
Travel Insurance? Some don't buy travel insurance, we always do...just in case. These trips are too expensive to risk losing everything if any problems arise. Contact Travel Guard for insurance needs. I recently read a big article in a reputable magazine advising against travel insurance and saying people don't really need it and can afford the expense if they lose money by cancelling. Are they kidding? Afford to lose $5,000 U.S. when ex-Marine had kidney stones two days before a trip? We said a big prayer of thanks for Travel Guard. Yes. There are lots of papers to fill out, but they reimbursed the entire amount. I say...TRAVEL INSURANCE.
Continue reading "Planning A Trip to Ethiopia" »
"Why would you even think of going to Ethiopia?" The first question asked by family and friends when I told them ex-Marine (husband, Steve) and I had planned a three-week trip there. They then moved along to..."but there is a war between Ethiopia and Eritrea, famine, terrorists, poverty...why would you want to put yourself in that kind of danger?" Really good questions, primarily based on information heard on television and read in newspapers. And, unfortunately, most of it is true...or was true at one time or another. One dollar will still buy breakfast, lunch, a school uniform and education for one day.
These are a few of the many reasons why we wanted to visit Ethiopia:
- Abyssinia (ancient Ethiopia) is possibly the cradle of humanity. Lucy, a fossilized hominid, was discovered in 1974. She walked on two legs 3.2 million years ago;
Continue reading "Exploring Ethiopia From North to South" »
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