Itinerant Vet: Final Ethiopia fotos before Botswana starts!

Even camels sometimes need to catch a ride!!! They appeared quite calm, though the following critters looked a bit more "unsettled" but weren't struggling per se...I suppose if you're moving and you don't have a vehicle, you've got to move your possessions by bus somehow!!

Mummified bodies in one of the Lalibela church "grave caves"...no noxious odors and fascinatingly creepy.

One of the three hottest sauces encountered in Ethiopia...though I'm in Gaborone right now, my lips are still healing from the last hot sauce that was mistakenly (my mistake) poured all over a pizza (yikes!)!

A funeral ceremony happening at Biet Giyorgis, possibly my favorite rock-hewn church in Lalibela.

Biet Giyorgis: this and the other Lalibela-area churches were chiseled by hand out of hillside rock...pictures cannot do them justice...many of them are incredibly preserved to this day.

The rock-hewn churches have intricate little tunnels to walk through and crazy arrangements of extremely irregular stairs...I did a Steve Young on my left forehead while climbing up a set without looking up to spot a rock overhang(!). My favorite tunnel was one that was supposed to represent the path to hell; it was surreal to be in a pitch black space, unable to see ANYTHING, relying only on your hands and feet to feel your entire way along a tunnel of unknown dimensions or length.

This priest at a smaller rock-hewn church was quite impressed with a smart phone's ability to take self-pictures! I loved his spectacles.

"Street" art at Mango Campsite near Turmi; campsite is run by a group of Hamer people, whose women are known for their distinctive hairstyle; this involves applying ochre powder (natural red pigment) and butter along the length of their hair (it's interesting to have a woman with freshly dressed hair walk by, only to be followed instantly by a strong buttery smell).

I bought a pair of these sandals made by Konso village people from old tires...they had superb traction, but my Westernized arches couldn't handle the barefoot style (which I already knew, having tried this type of shoe after reading "Born to Run"). I ultimately donated the shoes.

Our New Year's Eve bash!! Dashen beer and shiro wot. Candle courtesy of our driver because the town had lost power temporarily.

It was fun to be paddled across the Omo River in one of these dugout boats. There is definitely a girth restriction in order to fit in one of these vessels!! (There are motorboats used for larger individuals, BTW). We saw one family paddle across with a cow who swam alongside the boat, its head and neck being held above the water. I was truly bummed I couldn't photograph this from my vantage point.

Tried to capture at least one acacia-in-sunset pic!

A few shy monkeys (I believe Guevara monkeys) which can make quite a racket in the morning!

I queried one of our guides on any cultural significance his long fingernails might have (only on his left hand), and he replied that they were handy for scratching an inner ear itch and dealing with other "ear problems," as he put it (retrieving ear wax?)... :-P

Checkers pieces that can easily be replaced when one goes AWOL.

Beehives made from bamboo, hanging high up in an acacia tree. The honey here was delicious and ranged from a clear, whitish honey to a darker brown, chunkier, marmalade-style honey containing dark specks. Yummy!!

Fish eagles along Lake Chamo

Good morning, Mr. or Ms. Crocodile!

Beautiful, and very large, pelicans at Lake Chamo. They did not bat an eye at the crocodiles which were right next to them.

Warthogs are just so cute!!!

Heavy cow commuter hour--I still was amazed at the livestock traffic after 3 weeks here! This was the largest herd we encountered, and as nonchalant as ever.