Only two countries in the whole of Africa were never formally colonised: Liberia and Ethiopia. It is therefore somewhat depressing that Ethiopia remains one of Africa’s poorest.
Ethiopia is not for the feint-hearted and maybe it is not surprising that the majority of visitors opt for tours rather than backpacking it. Bus journeys are long, the street-hassles and the cheats abound. Nonetheless, i guarantee you’ll have an interesting time, whether you opt for the Northern Circuit (religion and history) or the tribal South.
Despite all the above i really like it – it reminds me a lot of India. Personal highlights include Gonder, Harar and Awassa. Lalibela at Christmas was interesting but i would not like to repeat the experience, and the hike up to Axum was distinctly underwhelming.
Theft is a major problem (P. had over US$250 taken in a shared taxi and his Ipod taken), and although my rickshaw driver in Bahir Dar tries to run off with my MP3 player, i get it returned after visiting the local police station. I come away unscathed.
Unfortunately Gigi Shibabaw postponed her home-coming concert till February 5th and i miss an opportunity to see her live.
With Internet connection so slow, blogging has been impossible to maintain – the first time during my African Adventure.
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