Wolves, carrots, mystery food, desperation & bathroom privacy...and Christmas!

• In Debark, Ethiopia, before taking off on a short hike, I learned about the plight of the Ethiopian Wolf.  These delicate-legged canids used to be commonly seen in Ethiopia, but with the increase in number of domesticated dogs, there was an associated rise in highly contagious distemper and rabies outbreaks, which then decimated the Ethiopian Wolf population to an estimated 500 total today.  In the Simien Mountain area (northern Ethiopia) the number of wolves is estimated to be a mere 75.  The Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme (www.ethiopianwolf.org) is dedicated to preserving this species in the wild, and though I immediately emailed them to inquire about possible veterinary opportunities, I received an auto-reply saying that they are on holiday until mid-January.  I would love to have a chance to work on this project in some capacity!
• I had one of the best carrots ever in my life today...2 boys were selling bunches of them by the side of the road, and I ate one for dessert: a rich, bright orange hue, fantastically crunchy and so sweet!!  (I did rinse it under the tap for a long while and scraped at the crevices with my fingernails, reassuring myself that surely, by now, any organisms like Cryptosporidium or Giardia would have long been dead...).   Side note:  historically associating Ethiopia with the famines of the 1980s, I had NO idea how much fertile farmland exists in northern Ethiopia; it produces an abundant and varied amount of fresh, local and organic food, and with the regular use of crop rotation on smaller plots of land (and animal rotation as a natural source of fertilizer), the soil here is far healthier than that found in areas employing large-scale, industrialized agricultural practices.  It's also immensely comforting to see free-roaming food animals...at least if they're going to be sacrificed for calories, they've lived a far better life here than most of their counterparts in the States.
• My boyfriend has joined me for the Ethiopia leg of my trip, and in Mekele, we popped into a small restaurant because it was hopping with locals.  A banner inside proclaimed "Welcome," but that was the extent of English communication as far as the staff or menus were concerned.  We were, however, warmly greeted with smiles, invited to sit, and promptly given menus completely in Amharic...at least we could decipher prices (!).  We pointed to 2 men and their bowls and then pointed to ourselves to indicate we wanted the same.  What were they eating?  Not sure, but it looked and smelled good.  I asked if it was "fasting" and another diner who spoke a small amount of English came over after noticing how long we were taking to order, and he affirmed that it was, so at least I knew I would not be eating some bizarre meat concoction.  We were then each given 3 sizeable mini-loaves of bread, which we started picking at, thinking "Wow!  This is A LOT of bread!," and that was when I noticed that the old man next to us was steadfastly tearing up his bread into bite-sized chunks and dropping them into his metal bowl.  We started to do the same, and our neighbor nodded, gave us a thumbs-up and motioned that our chunks needed to be yet smaller.  Our bread bowls were taken away and returned a while later, now topped with tomato sauce, onions, pepper, spices, scrambled egg, and yogurt/cheese, and the server then mixed it all with a great flourish and plunked each bowl down ceremoniously.  It was absolutely delicious and so filling, but we still don't know what exactly we had for dinner that night.  Mystery food can be so much fun!  Side note: Mekele was a really pleasant, bustling, prosperous city with zero tourist-hassle-factor...I would have liked another day there. The university there is known for its engineering program, and that likely accounts for the noticeably available and speediest WiFi access thus far!
• Ethiopia has differed from other third-world countries I've visited (namely Mongolia and Myanmar) in one distinct way: single young adults between 16-30 years of age who are keenly aware that there is a "better way to live out there" are desperately ready to leave their home and family, even if they know they might never have the opportunity to return.  Most of the small-medium sized towns here have an annual lottery where 5 residents are picked at random to move to the United States, and those 5 are spoken of reverently as having an enormous amount of good fortune.  I don't know what opportunities are available for the top "x" percentage of each secondary school, but one very intelligent 17 year-old in Axum, who spoke the best English of anyone we've met so far, spoke wistfully of aspiring to be an ophthalmologist, as blindness and other ocular diseases are both commonplace and under-treated here.  As long as he maintains his grades for his final year of secondary school, he hopes to obtain scholarships to attend university in Addis and then possibly abroad thereafter...he is also currently the father figure to his 10 year old sister & 5 year old brother, as their mother lives a 3-hour walk away in a small village that doesn't have a school.  His sister says she would like to be an engineer someday.  It is sad to think of the cruelty of pure chance: pure chance places a person somewhere, and depending on where that place is and the external circumstances associated with that place, that person may simply be unable to change the fate of his/her life, regardless of how intelligent or ambitious that person might be.
• Ethiopia has fantastic coffee that is immediately roasted right before it's served in most cafes and restaurants.  Being the typical morning beverage of choice, this does, however, lead to interesting bathroom experiences out in the bush.  What I've found is that it may LOOK like no one is around for miles,  but that is never the case.  One time, outside of a small, less-visited monastery, I spied a perfect bush behind which I could relieve my bladder, but when I climbed up there, there was an elderly woman squatting there (in MY predetermined spot!), apparently just resting...she was kind enough to point me in the direction of another good pee-spot.  Another time, off the side of the road (BTW, the odds of rolling down an embankment while in a hurried search for the right pee-spot are moderately high), I found a secluded quiet area with no visible signs of life nearby, but by the time I pulled up my pants, there were 2 old men with a couple of donkeys and an assortment of sheep and goats right on the road beside me!  This is THE ONE time I actually envy the male anatomy.  :-)
• Marry X-Mass!!  There is one sign up the road displaying this today, as we are in the tourist-driven town of Lalibela.  
  
  Ethiopians celebrate Christmas on January 7 like the other Orthodox faiths, so Decmber 25 here is pretty quiet.  The biggest festival of the year falls on January 19, the Epiphany (J.C.'s baptism), also known as Timkat.  I've had trouble remembering it was Christmas even; no pervasive holiday music, bright twinkling lights on trees, or ads promoting gift cards as the perfect stocking stuffer!

Some more Ethiopia fotos

Hands down, absolutely my favorite hair product label EVER.  My hair barely survived 4 weeks of a 2-in-1 shampoo-conditioner in Morocco, but after a week in Ethiopia, my hair was so dry, it was shocking me multiple times a day!  I was worried this conditioner was a bit thin and watery to do much, but today has been my first static-shock-free day!  Thank you, Kenya, for producing such a fine product.

 One of a pair of hippos in Lake Tana...they were very difficult to capture on my camera (when I had my camera) because they'd be up for a few seconds and then pop under for several minutes at a time.  It was so cool to see them in the wild!!

One of the drums used in Mass and other religious ceremonies in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.  They're heavy!!

The very photogenic priest at Debre Maryam Monastery holding up a Bible containing Ge'ez scripture on goatskin pages.

The oldest pizza brick oven I've ever seen!  (in Queen of Sheba's palace outside of Axum, Ethiopia;  legend claims 11th-10th century B.C.).

Building within the Cathedral of Tsion Maryam in Axum that purportedly houses the Ark of the Covenant (no independent witnesses exist outside of the high church officials).

In the Stelae field in Axum; I've sometimes felt like this woman appears after visiting one too many monasteries in a day (  :-)  ).  Behind her is a giant granite obelisk that collapsed immediately after being erected in the 3rd century by King Remhai, probably because the base was too small to support it.  Weight:  500 tons.  Height:  over 33 meters.

More happenings in Ethiopia! One incident not so good :-(

1).  The Ethiopian Orthodox churches are very interesting and different from any other Christian or Catholic churches I've ever visited.  Artwork within the churches and monasteries go back to the 12th and 13th centuries, and it reminds me of Byzantine art.   Because of the illiteracy rate, stories from the Old and New Testament are painted in colorful, striking scenes along the inner walls of the church, some of which are a bit graphic and violent. The musical instruments, prayer sticks, and Ge'ez language used in Mass & religious ceremonies all date back to the 12th-13th C.  It's like stepping back in time!  I was asked by one of the priests (translated by a guide) at Entos-Eyesu Monastery whether I'd join them as a nun...I laughed and said I'm not yet ready to lead such a monastic life, though the surrounds were invitingly peaceful!

2).  Ethiopian Christians and Muslims are so much more tolerant of each other compared to Morocco.   Christians in a town will help fund the building of a mosque if needed and vice versa.  Though marriage ceremonies are not allowed for couples of different faiths, they are allowed to live together and raise families.  It is also not uncommon for Muslim and Christian neighbors to celebrate their respective religious holidays together.  If only other regions could emulate this behavior...

3). I am so happy I visited Ethiopia for even just the food alone!!!  I embarrassingly confess that I tried Ethiopian food over 8 years ago in a California restaurant and deemed it bland and too onion- & tomato-dominated, so I never gave it a second chance until arriving here(!).  It is so wonderfully spicy and full of flavor, and vegetarian food is easily available (known as "fasting food").  Wednesdays & Fridays are regular fasting days for religious reasons.  I thought I would have tired of injera (spongy flat bread made from the grain tef) by now, but it is far preferable to the other Western options proffered on tourist menus thus far.  Because of the brief Italian occupation in the late 1930s, spaghetti and macaroni are commonly offered in restaurants, and an unusual and an unusually messy meal last night was injera topped with chopped spaghetti in tomato sauce...my digit-utensils need a lot more practice!

4). Baboons!!!  Hanging out on the side of the road!  It's so funny to see and hear these critters in the open--drivers and tour guides appear a bit bored while all the faranji (foreigners) start twittering and snapping WAAAAAY too many photos.  There were 3 separate groups we came across, and I could have spent hours (HOURS) watching and listening to them.  They meticulously groom each other using their long, thin fingers (so human-like!  Just a bit hairier, but some people are close competition ;-) ), and their consistent plucking and chewing of grass and plant material creates a muted symphony of eating.

5).  Big bummer:  my point & shoot camera was swiped yesterday when I carelessly and trustingly left it (for 2-3 minutes max.) on a chair in reception and turned to discuss room details for a hotel in Axum.  Hence my favorite baboon fotos, Simien Mountain and Gondar castle pics are gone...*sigh*.  Things could have been much worse, and I will take this as a message from the Ethiopian Orthodox God:  "Don't be so stupid!".  My contribution to the Ethiopian economy may involve the unforeseen purchase of a compact camera, I guess...

Anyway, off to the city of Mekele tomorrow!

Traffic in Ethiopia

 Navigating amongst cows (and donkeys, goats, sheep, pedestrians, hyenas) during a 500+ km drive--they sometimes just don't give a damn!!!

The Common Baboon, hanging out with his family near the road...not so common in the States!!

I finally met my favorite NBA player!!! Initial Ethiopia fotos

 Who knew he was hanging out in a travel agency this entire time?

 My favorite breakfast so far (phool or full):  eggs, garlic, onions, peppers, beans, hot sauce


Say hello to Lucy!!  Thank you for evolving!!

The great Rift Valley, which is much like a greener Grand Canyon in its size and scope.... but with a little more pollution, sadly...

Typical mud-straw housing of farmers

Some other favorite photos I neglected from Morocco

Chefchaouen, one of the prettiest towns in central-northern Morocco in the Rif Mountains, with beautiful pastel blue walls in the Medina (older section of town, with residential and shopping & dining areas)...quiet, peaceful and with some nice hiking nearby!  (Also, if you're into hashish, known as kif here, this is the perfect place for you!  I am not personally a fan, as wine is my drug of choice).  :-)

Literally fresh-squeezed orange juice, right on the spot, in Rabat, the capital of Morocco, for the equivalent of $0.50...pulpy & delicious!

Storks who have taken up residence on the top floor of the ruins of El Badii Palace in Marrakech

Tiles representing the Star of David...I visited a synagogue in the Mellah (historically Jewish areas of Medinas) when I met up with 2 German tourists who had been in Marrakech for 3 days and were keen to see something different.  Beautiful and extremely welcoming synagogue!

A sweet poem in the Museum of Marrakech

Waiting for some leftovers, perhaps?  No, I think he's just meditating...

Boats docked in the lovely, calm fishing town of Essaouira on the southern coast of Morocco

Bicycle!!  No hills in Essaouira to huff up. 

This friendly fellow came up and acted cute, then bit his canine teeth into my backpack (I still have the punctures as evidence!), and then proceeded to engage a chummy romp with an apparent café buddy:

Essaouira street art of a well known music instructor in Morocco who has since passed away (I'm sorry I can't recall his name)

Patient feline waiting in the cart that is used to fashion fishing bait

Another oddity I learned about today--Ethiopian Time

Instead of using 12 o'clock as a starting point for time, 6 o'clock is used instead...so, on a 24-hour clock, outside of Ethiopia (and I believe Kenya as well), it is currently 17:05, but here, my tablet computer and hanging wall clocks show the time as 14:05.  I don't quite understand the rationale behind this measurement of time, but I will pretend I'm in NYC and use California time to try to keep it straight.

I stand corrected--a gentleman in this restaurant explained that Ethiopian time is 6 hours off...so an opening time of 3 pm Ethiopian time means 9 am as I understand it...he tried to explain the rationale again to me, but I still don't understand it...so I will just subtract 6 hours and leave it at that  :-)

St. George beer

This Ethiopian brand of beer is not bad--and 220 ml for 10 birr (approximately $0.50).  An apparently favored team here has just scored a goal--yay!!!  This room now has more bodies than would be acceptable for fire-safety code, and it's quite warm now as well (whereas I was freezing upon arrival earlier this morning).   Another goal!!  And the game just started about 10 minutes ago!

Arrived in Addis Ababa 3 AM

I think the last time I was so exhausted to the point of not hearing someone knocking persistently on the door of my hotel room was probably back in vet school during final exams.  I figured finding a hotel upon arrival, since I had been doing that in Morocco, would have been fine in Ethiopia, but I was told it would be best to wait in the airport until sunrise to head out and try to find lodging.  And that also proved a little difficult in that other guests were still in their rooms (of course!) at 7 AM...my taxi driver was incredibly helpful in that he used his mobile to call around hotels to see if any of them had space, and I ended up conking out in a yet-uncleaned but vacated room at the Ankober Guest House.  I am now sitting in the restaurant of Wutma Hotel in the Piazza area of Addis Ababa, and I had my first vegetarian injera-wat dish in Ethiopia, and it was nicely flavored, moderately spicy, and EXTREMELY filling...I had to stop the waitress from continuing to bring more injera (sponge bread), which she kindly kept doing everytime she saw I was nearing the end of my current serving (and I was just trying to keep up and finish everything in front of me!).  After I'd finished eating, I noticed that various tables were being piled up in front of the room, and all the chairs being neatly arranged in pew-like fashion.  Given that it's Sunday and everything except restaurants and cafes are closed, I thought possibly some church-type service was going to happen, but it's actually a group of locals getting together to enjoy beer while watching a football (soccer) game on a movie screen with a projector.  I think I may have to imbibe some beer myself!  
(I asked about taking a photo of the group arranged in front of the screen, but some people may have been uncomfortable about this, so I've just posted a photo of the big screen).  Fun!  

Testing, testing

Just trying out Blogger to see if it posts more easily--Wordpress (at least the free version) has proven to be a bit clunky...

Almost (ALMOST) as cute as my cat!!