my abyssinia

“Why not go out on a limb? That's where the fruit is.” -Will Rogers

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Home in Gotera.  I miss this place!

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Chillin’ on the rooftop of the Chilallo Building.

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Watching people get on and off the mini buses in Piazza. The back seats are often narrow and uncomfortable, but aside from that they’re pretty great for public transportation! I loved how passengers can just tell the driver to stop whenever they want to hop off.

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Roundabouts in Addis are mesmerizing performance art pieces. The spectacle is best enjoyed from rooftops, like this one in Piazza.

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Piazza neighbourhood, Addis Ababa

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Piazza neighbourhood, Addis Ababa

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If you venture beyond the main drags of Addis Ababa, you’ll come across quite a few slums. However, the city has changed dramatically in the last decade. In January 2015, the World Bank said that poverty in Ethiopia fell 33% since 2000, and it is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2015/01/20/poverty-ethiopia-down-33-percent

This country is also home to 2,700 millionaires, many of them freshly minted. Between 2007 and 2013, the amount of Ethiopian millionaires rose by 108% - faster than any other African country. http://www.theafricareport.com/East-Horn-Africa/ethiopia-the-addis-millionaires-club.html

In Addis, a lot of the wealth stimulated by this growth is apparent in all the  mansions lining the Bole neighbourhood. I wish I had take a few photos of these to give you a more complete and honest perspective of this city.

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The following shots were taken on top of the Sanetti Plateau and in the foothills of Bale Mountains National Park. During my tenure with imagine1day, which worked with communities south of the mountain, I had the pleasure of driving through here almost once a month for about a year. Having seen this landscape transform through all the seasons, it is without a doubt one of my favourite places. 

Bale is home to many endemic species, including the nyala and the red fox (aka. the Ethiopian wolf), which are both pictured below. You’re also guaranteed to see plenty of baboons, warthogs, birds of prey and these adorably fluffy mole-type creatures. Once I saw a serval cat.

Bale is a solid seven hours drive south of Addis, but it is definitely worth it. If you come to Ethiopia, you have to go! So many people miss it, and this is why it is such a gem. Unlike in Lalibela or other major tourist attractions up north, prices here aren’t outrageous. That said, amenities are also very, very basic (unless if you go to the glamorous Bale Mountain Lodge). It also rains most of the year, so come prepared. Learn more here: http://balemountains.org/

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Nyala

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On top of the Sanetti Plateau.

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The endemic Ethiopian wolf, also known as the red fox is only found on the Sanetti Plateau at Bale Mountains National Park. This is the world’s rarest wolf; some say there are only 500 left.  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7715693.stm

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Young nyala and warthogs frolic in Bale Mountains National Park during the rainy season.

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The foothills leading up to the Sanetti Plateau. This is during the dry season.

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Wildlife on the Sanetti Plateau.

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This January I went on an epic three-day horse trek from Dodola with my lovely roomies and my mum. We saw some incredible landscapes: from the village of Dodola you ride through prairie and sun-bleached flat lands and end up weaving through forests before reaching mountaintops with incredible views. You have to pack your own food, but there is beer available in the cabins where you sleep.

Originally developed as an eco-tourism project by GIZ, the German Development Corporation, the horse trek is now independently run by a local tourism cooperative and staffed entirely by local men and women. It is very reasonably priced and the guides and people you meet along the way are lovely.

Horseback riding experience is not necessary but I would definitely recommend going with at least one person who knows how to ride because the saddles are not always well adjusted. Also consider checking beneath the saddle to ensure the horses are not injured before you set off. Check it out:

http://wikitravel.org/en/Adaba_Dodola_ecotourism_mountain_trek

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