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Bigfella heads for the 'Heart of Darkness'.....sorta

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  • #61
    It has been a hectic time, so I have allowed the story to get a bit behind. I'll try to catch up in the next few days.

    When I left you the trip had recovered from a rocky period to have a great day & night in Axum. The next morning we set off for a long drive through Tigray. The first stop was the ruins of an ancient temple at Yeha, just outside Axum. I often find that it is the surprises that you remember most on holiday. The ancient ruins in Axum (stelae apart) were all low piles of stones or underground chambers. I assumed Yeha would be similar. As the site is shared by a monastery the temple wasn't immediately visible. In fact, when I rounded the monastery & saw the well built two story building covered in scaffolding I simply assumed it was another recent building. I was stunned to discover that this was a 2800 year old temple. It is in remarkable shape. While it lacks the size of more famous ruins, its mere existence in this condition is just remarkable. Apparently the oldest such structure in sub-saharan Africa.

    From there we began our drive through the dry, mountainous Tigrayan landscape. Tigray has been the traditional path for invading forces to take into the Ethiopian heartland. We passed Adwa – site of Emperor Menelik's defeat of an Italian army in 1897 and the battle that kept Ethiopia from colonization. Later we passed through the imposing mountains where the italians planned their last stand against Commonwealth forces in 1941. Yet later we would pass the sites of Ethiopian defeats in the 1930s (to italy) and the and the 1540s, when a combined Ethiopian-Portugese force lost to a Muslim Somali army. We also passed through a small town where Muslims first settled in Ethiopia – the wife of the Prophet Muhammed among them!

    The highlight of this journey was a visit to a Tigrayan rock-hewn monastry. These churches vary in size, decoration & accessibility, but they are remarkable. After a bumpy drive we had to scramble up a steep hill & walk for a while before reaching the unimpressive entrance. I assumed there would be a cave behind, but instead I found a huge church carved out of the rock, complete with columns! It was worth the climb and a great intro to Lalibela.

    There seems to be a pattern in Ethiopia – the best laid out, most modern & cleanest cities are the ones tourists rarely see. Mekelle is a centre for education & industry, but you will barely see a tourist. Personally I liked it. Sadly I missed the highlight of mekelle – on Monday Afar tribesmen from rthe Danikil Depression (the hottest place on earth) come into town bearing salt mined from dried lakes in the depression. I was disappointed, but Meles made up for it a few hours later in a small town south of mekelle when he not only found a market with a lot of camel trains, he took me to a camel market!! Apparently they cost about 15,000 birr (under $800).

    The other memorable moment of the day was driving through Korem. In November 1984 Michael Buerk reported from the plains north of Korem on the Ethiopian famine. Anyone who has seen the report will never forget the images. It spurred Bob Geldof into action & the rest is history. To see Korem today is to be reminded just how far from the reality of modern Ethiopia those images are. It is green & fertile. Ethiopians are heartily sick of being defined by events that took place almost 30 years ago. Their nation has moved on, they want the world to do the same.

    The next day was lalibela, the highlight of any Ethiopian visit. My hotel was a winner – its balcony overlooking the beautiful valley where lalibela sits. Breakfast was served on a terrace with the same view. I was in a good mood before I even began.

    Lalibela was conceived & built by a king of the same name as a 'new Jerusalem' so that pilgrims would not need to make the dangerous journey – probably shortly after the re-capture of Jerusalem from the crusaders in the 1100s . He re-named the river there 'Jordan' and set about carving out a series of churches fcrom the bare rock. There are 11 churches in 2 groups. They defy words. They are not huge like Angkor or the Pyramids, but their mere existence is stunning. Most are completely free standing and up to 2 stories high. Words are pretty useless here. I could just babble on, but it is better to wait for photos. Suffice to say that everybody should see this. It is like Petra in Jordan, but can be reached by plane in 1 hour from Addis. One observation is that these churches are not monuments to a dead or distant culture. They are alive. Monks & worshippers are there at every turn. During religious festivals they are full of people. It adds something to the experience.

    My day finished well. I got to visit a monastery just outside town that is built under an overhanging cliff. There I was splashed with the 'holy water' than drips from the ceiling – melese & our local guide took home bottles full! The day finished with sunset drinks & a meal with a Kiwi/Canadian traveller I had met over lunch. Even the rain storm that hit as I worked home seemed to fit – virtually the first rain I had felt since leaving home. Just wonderful.
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    • #62
      ….moving right along.

      After lalibela it was back to Addis for a few days. As I'm doing two stints in Addis I'll get to that later.

      The next great adventure was to the east of Addis in the ancient walled city of Harar. Once a great hub for trade and frequently changing hands between competing nations, tribes, religions & its own rulers; Harar only finally returned to Ethiopian control in the late C19th after a bloody campaign by Emperor Menelik. Until then it had been virtually closed to westerners. The great explorere Richard Burton had to pose as a muslim traveller to gain access. Once under Ethiopian rule Menelik gave rule of the region to Ras (prince) Makonnen, whose son Tafari was to go on to much greater things.

      Nothing about a trip to Harar is straightforward. It has no airport, so you have to land at Diredawa. Then you have to get a taxi to the local bus station. The local taxi fleet consists largely of small Peugeots which were most likely older than me. At the bus station I hired a minibus all for myself & we head off over the mountains to Harar. Hotels in Harar aren't big on email, or english speaking staff, so I got my guide to book a few days earlier. Fortyunately they actually had a room, thuogh not a great one. Having unpacked I then set off into town. You need a guide in Harar. It is a jumble of tiny streets that is like an M.C. Escher picture (or 'Castrovalva' for Dr Who fans). Getting an approved guide is difficult if you don't know where they are – I didn't. As a result it was trial & error in a place where a ferengi is like a giant $ sign.. After wandering around in the heat for a while I finally found someone who seemed to know his way around (though I doubt he was an official guide). This is where the fun began.

      First we visited the museum – a large house that had been the residence of Ras Tafarai Makonnen before he became Regent & then Emperor of Ethiopia under the name Haile Selassie. We then picked our way through the jumble of streets, periodically opening a gate to find something else interesting. There was a Catholic Church; the large grave of a former Emir of the city (when it was independent); a small square whose rooftops were occupied by birds of prey the size of a turkey (kites I believe). Turns out it was where all the butchers were. There were also an endless stream of mosques. The old city has over 40 & when the newer city outside the gates is included it is over 100. ironically, Harar also produces one of the best beers in Ethiopia. I also got to wander through several of the 5 gates into the city and visit a typical 'harari house', which has a large communal area and a high roof to deal with the heat (will make more sense in photos).

      One of the highlights of any trip to Harar is feeding the local hyenas at sundown. We had a few hours to go until that and we had covered a lot of the city, so my guide Nabel suggested that we go to a friend's house & chew some chat until sundown. Chat is the most popular narcotic in the region. It is consumed in huge quantities in the horn of Africa & parts of the Saudi peninsula, in part because islam is less obsessed with it than other drugs. You can actually see the stuff growing among sorghum & other crops around Harar. It is a bitter tasting leaf that you chew for hours (or all day) to get a buzz. You will often seen chat users lying around chewing the stuff. So, we went to a traditional Harari house & kicked back to chew chat while the family watched local TV soaps, did homework & smoked a houkha pipe. It turns out that chat is pretty weak stuff (or the stuff I had was). After 2-3 hours of chewing I was less intoxicated than if I'd drunk a single beer – and that might have been all the sugar I was ingesting to counter the bitterness. A great 'cultural experience', but not something I can see catching on here.

      Off we went to the hyenas. There are two 'hyena men' in Harar. I got the one that the tourists don't see. Thus it was just the 4 of us (a local taxi driver) who sat there next to the rotting and partially consumed carcass of a camel waiting for the hyenas. Given their size & strength they are remarkably timid creatures. It took time & a few bits of meat, but they got closer & closer. First the hyena man fed them, then I fed them, then he fed them with their front paws on my shoulder. The sort of thing you only do on holiday!!! My somewhat surreal day finished appropriately as I had a meal in a local eatery with Billy Ocean's 'loverboy' blaring out of the stereo.

      The next morning we finished off our tour of the city with a visit to the house once occupied by the French poet Rimbaud, who was a friend of the young Ras Tafarai. We then set of for Diredawa in one of those clapped out old Peugeots. Because we required a special pass to do this local police took advantage & kept flagging us down for rides. At one point there were five of us in the car and I was jammed into the back with a guy who was singing along to local pop songs while making calls an a mobile with 'I love Jesus' on it. All part of my African experience I guess.

      I finished my excursion with a wander through the leafy streets of Diredawa. This towen is barely 100 years old & only came into existence because of a French-built railway from Djibouti to Addis. The town was laid out by the French – something which is obvious from the ordered grid pattern and a railway station that was definately dropped in from a different continent. Sadly the railway hasn't run for years, though a new railway will be operating soon in an attempt to upgrade Ethiopian infrastructure to the outside world (since the 1998-2000 war Eritrea's facilities are inaccesible). It is also on a huge wadi – a dry river. Apparently this thing actually floods sometimes, but it looked to me like it hadn't seen a drop of water for years. Diredawa is yet another pleasant Ethiopian city that gets little love from tourists.
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      • #63
        Must have been incredibly weak chat. Drug of choice for warriors further south in Somalia/Sudan.

        I'm tellin' you. It's the COFFEE you're really after.
        "This aggression will not stand, man!" Jeff Lebowski
        "The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you're uncool." Lester Bangs

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        • #64
          Originally posted by S2 View Post
          Must have been incredibly weak chat. Drug of choice for warriors further south in Somalia/Sudan.
          Yeah, its controlled substance in many countries.

          Originally posted by S2 View Post
          I'm tellin' you. It's the COFFEE you're really after.
          Ah, the hopes of a coffee tasting tour from around the country...

          Will BF see the light in Ethiopia :)

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          • #65
            Originally posted by S2 View Post
            Must have been incredibly weak chat. Drug of choice for warriors further south in Somalia/Sudan.
            It probably was weak, but chat isn't like dropping speed. Most of the guys I saw who were chewing it were lying about the place all day. I've talked to other guys who have chewed it & it takes a LONG time to get much of a hit. My bet is that the guys who are 'high' on it are either using it with something else or have simply never had access to anything stronger....like alcohol.

            I'm tellin' you. It's the COFFEE you're really after.
            That would probably have had a greater effect given my general lack of exposure to caffine.
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            • #66
              Originally posted by Double Edge View Post
              Yeah, its controlled substance in many countries.


              Ah, the hopes of a coffee tasting tour from around the country...

              Will BF see the light in Ethiopia :)
              Too late!
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              • #67
                From Diredawa I flew back to Addis & then set off immediately for the rift valley city of Hawassa. I was fortunate to have as my guide Ezana, a friend of a friend who spent 6 years living in Melbourne. Turns out we crossed paths many times there without ever meeting. He runs a tour company here & I recommend him for anyone looking to visit Ethiopia or Kenya. It was great to have somebody to have a good conversation with.

                The drive to Hawassa is fascinating. The drop into the Rift Valley south of Addis is virtually imperceptible. It is only when you notice changing plant life & a general flattening of the landscape that you realize you have changed climatic zones. Much of the Rift valley is either heavily cultivated or looks like the acacia scrub more associated with Kenya or places further south. It is more fertile & better watered than much of nth Ethiopia. It is also easier to farm – I actually saw a few tractors & combine harvesters, a pointless extravagance in the mountainous & rocky north. You also begin to notice the towering sides of the valley and marvel at just how far apart they are – this is a bloody big valley. The rift valley is also home to a series of lakes – most of them in the extinct craters of volcanoes. We were in a bit of a rush to get to hawassa by dark, so sightseeing would have to wait.

                Hawassa is just gorgeous. It is greener than anywhere else I have seen in Ethiopia & sits on a lovely crater lake. My hotel lived up to its name – the 'Lake View'. The view from my balcony was spectacular. Even better, when I went for a stroll by the lake after breakfast I saw a hippo in the water. Apparently they aren't supposed to be in this part of the lake, but fortunately nobody told this one! We then headed off to a lush coffee plantation in the hills. Coffee is a bush that grows under cover – so coffee plantations are always in forests of some sort. We got to see coffee on the tree; saw how the Sidamo people live a relatively traditional life; saw how they prepared the 'false banana' tree for eating & then had a wonderful lunch overlooking the valley. I even got to see an Ethiopian antelope hiding in the forest. Ezana also made sure to buy some coffee fresh from the producer. Here people buy the dried beans & only roast & grind them when they are going to drink a cup. One of those moments when I almost wished I liked coffee – I feel an aspect of this lovely nation has been lost on me. ;)

                Then it was time for the official hippo spotting expedition. The first few attempts to find a boat didn't quite work out, but I did get to see some awfully cute monkeys living on the grounds of one of the resorts. We got a boat from the resort owned by runner Haile Gabreselassie & within a few minutes found our hippo. There were only two or three, but we got close. According to Ezana it is the closest he has ever been to one – even in Kenya. Totally worth it! I then went for a stroll through town. One of the ore bizarre sights in hawassa are the large number of nesting storks. These things are HUGE and they nest in trees that barely seem big enough to take them. Further, they pack onto a tree to the point where it seems sure to topple. Sadly I didn't get a photo, but it was a remarkable sight. When I got back to the hotel I went back down to the lake. The hippo was still there....and it had brought friends. In fact, I could see them from my hotel room!!! best hotel EVER.

                The next morning we headed back up the rift valley toward Addis. This was to be a more leisurely journey. The main subject of interest was a cluster of 3 large lakes – lakes Lagano, Shala & Abiatia. The latter two lakes sit side by side, separated by barely a kilometer of low lying land. The view from rthe elevated viewing point is quite remarkable. Lake Shala is 266 meters deep & contains more water than Lake Tana, despite a surface area one seventh as large. It is a beautiful deep blue & is very steep-sided – the result of the collapsed volcanic caldera that formed it. Lake Abiata is 3 times as big as Shala, but is nowhere deeper than 14 meters. Unlike Shala, whose 'hard' water supports little life, Abiata is brimming with life. Most spectacularly, it is home to huge flocks of flamingoes. Ezana & I decided to risk a road claimed to require a 4WD in our van to see if we could get a better look. We did. In fact, we managed to get to the shoreline, where we stood alone & just meters from a flock of the stunning pink birds. Yet another magic moment. On the way back an ostrich wandered in front of the car. Ethiopia is (or was) home to all the big game associated with Africa, though this ostrich was introduced to a park that is slowly being stocked with game. Nobody seems to care about this when it is done in Kenya, so it was yet another great moment.

                We then drove a few kilometers east to lake Lagano. As the only major lake in Ethiopia free of bilharzia (a small worm that can penetrate the skin & cause illness & death), lagano is home to Ethiopia's only 'beach resorts'. To be honest, it was more Blackpool or Black Sea than Bondi, and the reddish-brown water wasn't that inviting, but it was interesting to see the sort of place Ethiopians head to for a swim. The drive that followed included seeing a flock of buzzards dealing with a dead donkey & a police stop where drivers & Ethiopian passengers were forced to attend a 5 minute road safety lecture! We also drove past lake Ziway, where scientists recently discovered the oldest ever man-made tools – 280,000 years old (someone at work thank Betty for the link!). Our last collection of lakes were around Bishoftu – only an hour or two from Addis. Built around a series of small, gorgeous crater lakes and home to a huge airforce base & officer school, it remains a popular place for a day trip for those in Addis who can afford it. We got back in time for the evening rush, when Addis does its more chaotic version of Bangkok. Not even that could take the shine off the previous few days.

                My Ethiopian adventure was close to its end. It has been magnificent!
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                • #68
                  I have come to the unfortunate conclusion that Addis Ababa & I just don't get along. Perhaps the timing was bad, perhaps we are just not made for each other. Don't get me wrong, Addis has some fine qualities, but I just don't think we are ever going to be able to make it work.

                  First impressions often last, and in my case they weren't great. Bole Airport ain't that great – especially for a nation looking to be a regional air hub. Got ripped off by a cabbie on my first landing & had to wait hours in the sun for my courtesy pickup the second time. Both times I reached my hotel in a bad mood.

                  The city itself is controlled chaos. Sometimes this can work. In this case it doesn't. Addis seems to combine most of the bad features of Bangkok, Saigon, Phnom Penh & Hanoi (shoddy hotels, poor infrastructure, bad traffic, pickpockets, beggars) with none of their charms. It didn't help that my first hotel was on a road that was dug up for kilometers in either direction. Addis is so badly designed that there was no real way to avoid using it. By day I joined the locals dodging construction equipment, by night I wasn't prepared to risk falling into a huge hole, so I stayed in. My second hotel was better located, but a physical encounter with a gang of street kid/pickpockets on my first night put me off wandering too far. To be honest, I was more worried that I might hurt one of them – almost did some damage to a kid who got a hand into one of my pockets elsewhere in town. Just didn't need the hassle. I also struggled to find a post office or even a mail box. I figured I could buy some postcards at the airport & sneak them into the mail at home, but apparently souvenir shops at Bole don't sell postcards. So no postcards I'm afraid.

                  Now, it wasn't all bad news. I did see some cool stuff. There was the spectacular view from Entoto – a spot in the hills where the King & Queen initially settled before moving onto the plain below. Entoto also claims the first eucalyptus tree in Ethiopia – a fine specimen indeed! There was also the Holy Trinity Cathedral, a more european-style cathedral where Haile Selassie & his wife are now interred (under the Derg he was reputed to have been buried under a toilet after his murder). Additional to some fine stained glass the cathedral had some great murals depicting the life of the Emperor – including one depicting his return to Ethiopia in 1941 with a contingent of British troops. There is another legacy of this in Addis – street names. It is a strange delight for a student of WW2 such as myself to stroll from Orde Wingate St to Wavell Drive then onto Cunningham St & then finally down Churchill Ave. Many other streets are named after African leaders & nations. As the first independent African nation Ethiopia is home to the African Union. Aussies of a certain age will also appreciate that one of my hotels was on Mike Leyland St (apparently an American who helped with the famine).

                  I also checked out some markets. First was merkato – allegedly the largest market in Africa. It is a sort of giant wholesale market that is more like a suburb. In an Ethiopian context it operates like a commodities exchange – the price of goods all over the nation is set at merkato, where they often come to be on-sold or trans-shipped. On the advice of my guide Ezana we stayed in the car. Merkato is huge & crowded & a haven for pickpockets. Interesting to look at, but not great to walk through. At a later point I walked up to Shola market – a place that locals use. That was more informative & enjoyable – seeing how ordinary Ethiopians shop & what they choose to buy. I also visited the 'Red Terror Museum', a museum dedicated to events that led to the rise of the communist Derg & the horrors it unleashed. Even taking into account an element of propaganda it was a moving experience. Apparently my guide in the museum spent 8 years as a Derg prisoner & suffered terribly. On a more enjoyable note I also went to the museum where the skeleton of 'Lucy', the oldest hominid ever discovered, is housed. The collection of fossils & ancient artefacts was fasinating.

                  Plenty of interesting stuff to see & do, but doable in a few days. If I return it will be for a briefer stay.

                  Some final thoughts on my Ethiopian odyssey. Addis notwithstanding I had the most wonderful time. Ethiopia is one of the best holidays I have ever had. From the history to the food, beer, wildlife & even the scenery, it was one magic moment after another. I got to see towering mountains; stunning lakes; castles; ancient rock-hewn churches; even more ancient temples & stelae; hippos, monkeys & flamingoes. I also got to encounter the Ethiopian people. With a literal handful of exceptions they were friendly, good natured and welcoming. They were a genuine highlight. Ethiopia is worth seeing. It is a nation making the slow, difficult journey from generations of war, famine & misgovernment to a more prosperous, modern future. It is a nation looking to stake out an important role in Africa and a nation that is already becoming a regional leader. If nothing else I hope that my letters & the pictures that will follow have banished some old perceptions about Ethiopia. I doubt this will be my last visit.
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                  • #69
                    Two Days in Muscat

                    After Addis Muscat was like a breath of fresh air....literally. In so many ways they are polar opposites. Addis is a new city, Muscat is millenia old. Addis is burdened by infrastructure inadequate for its population, Muscat has both expanded renewed itself over the past 40 years. Muscat is clean, modern & has a wonderful sea breeze.

                    Muscat is a fascinating city. Chosen as the site for a port due to the availablilty of water & brutal, rocky mountains that made attack from the sea virtually impossible, Muscat has been ruled by the Persians, Turks & even the Portugese for 150 years. It was also one of the first places on earth to accept islam – doing so during the life of the prophet Mohammed. Despite a long history as a cosmopolitan trading port & even the basis for a C18th-19th empire that stretched from Zanzibar to Pakistan, it spent much of the C20th as a virtually closed city, hiding behind rocky mountains & strong city gates that were locked nightly.. It was only in 1970 when the current Sultan – a British-trained officer who had served in the British army – overthrew his father in a bloodless coup that Muscat once again opened up to the world.

                    This meant that the older parts of muscat have retained their character, small, white buildings hugging the flat spaces between the rocks and the sea. There are a few more grandiose buildings (the Sultan’s palace), and some beautiful colour (the purple, green & blue patterned roofs of mosques), but they are the exception. The newer parts of muscat – and the city has expanded beyond recognition in 40 years – have retained a connection with that past. There are no glass towers & few of the 6-10 story edifices that hang over the streets of Dubai. Many government buildings retain the style of older buildings.

                    One exception is the huge Sultan Quaboos mosque, built with the Sultan’s own money. A beautiful building with peaceful grounds & architecture influenced by the great Muslim kingdoms of central asia, the mosque is a stunning centerpiece for Oman’s moderate version of Islam. Visitors are welcome outside prayer times & at the end of the tour you are offered a cold drink & some dates by an Imam, who is happy to answer questions & hand out free literature (including korans). The mixture of tradition &n modernity in Muscat is a fascinating to see. Women dress in the traditional long black dress & head scarf, but face covering is the exception. Men also dress in the traditional dishdasha (shirt-dress) and cap. The restrictive religious rules people may have heard of from Saudi Arabia do not apply here. Women drive, vote and…..drink alcohol in bars!!! Yes, alcohol is legal here. I had lengthy conversations with my guide, Ali, about Oman & its neighbor Saudi Arabia. Suffice to say ‘Arab brotherhood’ has its limits. Omanis regularly travel to Saudi Arabia, so they know it well. When describing some of the religious rules in their neighbor Ali indignantly stated ‘this is not Islam’. Omanis are proud of their cosmopolitan yet traditional society.

                    There isn’t a huge amount to see in Muscat, but it is worth seeing. I particularly loved Mutrah, the port of Muscat. Mutrah is dominated by the corniche that stretches along the harbor shore & the remains of a Portugese castle on the rocks above – there are many smaller towers & forts all over Muscat. Mutrah is also home to the local souk, a winding collection of alleys full of shops selling gold, dresses, caps, wooden boxes & chests, pashmina shawls, scarves, incense burners and incense. The smell of frankincense drifts through the market as indian traders try to lure tourists & locals alike into their shops. As in many gulf states, overseas labour forms an important part of the economy. While much of Oman shuts down in the early afternoon to avoid the heat, Indians continue to work. Indeed, there are times of day when the only people you see on the streets are tourists & Indians. Oman is a regular stop for cruise ships, so tourists are not in short supply, especially in the cooler months (that would be now).

                    Muscat is one of those places that more people should visit – a balance of tradition & modernity and a wonderfully chilled out place in a part of the world with a reputation for anything but. Apparently the mountains & beaches nearby are great too. Definitely worth going to.
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                    • #70
                      ....home safe now, just one more adventure to cover – Dubai.

                      Dubai is a strange place, especially after Ethiopia & Muscat. It is this huge, sprawling, modern city that is like a cross between Singapore’s modernity & Bangkok’s spread out scale (it isn’t that big, it just looks it). I didn’t have nearly enough time in Dubai. Worse, between a mild tummy bug I picked up in Oman & the fact that after almost a month of wandering I was lacking enthusiasm for touristy stuff, I didn’t make the best use of my time. That said, what I did do was great fun.

                      Dubai has an air of impossibility about it. The vast, modern airport; the huge city rising out of the desert; the shopping centre shaped like a pyramid & decorated with faux Egyptian statues & reliefs;the man made islands off the coast in the shape of palm trees & a world map; the ever present greenery watered by desalination plants; the giant shopping mall & right next door the world’s tallest building. None of it should be there. Most of the people feel like they shouldn’t be there, from the souks full of Indian merchants to the airport & shops full of Filipinos to all the other expats who seem to populate this impossible city. You really have trouble keeping your grasp on reality when you are getting a juice next door to the largest building in the world, in the middle of the Persian Gulf, while the Filipino staff hum along to Christian devotional music. Too strange.

                      Dubai is a very diverse place. Whereas Omani men & women prefer traditional dress, in Dubai they run the gamut from traditional to western. I probably saw more women in veils than I did in Muscat, but also many more in shirt & trousers. There is little of the old Dubai still in existence. When oil was discovered in the 50s the sheik decided to use it to build a modern city & an economy that would not rely on that oil to survive. Dubai simply didn’t have enough to be another Saudi Arabia. Jump forward 50 years & Dubai has a vast port, one of the busiest airports in the world, ridiculously modern infrastructure, industry and is the centre of business in the region. The old souks & a few old houses that cluster around the Dubai creek seem out of place. They are, however, a great place to take a break from the shiny modernity. The spice souk is particularly enjoyable, with merchants displaying sacks of peppercorns, cumin seeds, turmeric root, rock salt saffron threads & much, much more.

                      At the other end of the scale is the Dubai mall. First, it is insanely big. One of the biggest in the world. It has a ‘waterfall atrium at one end with several 3 story waterfalls running. In another section there is a huge 2 story aquarium stocked with sharks, stingrays, groupers & all manner of other creatures. For a fee you can go diving in it. Outside is a giant pool with huge fountains – it is so big there are boats scooting around on it. Looming over the pool is the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. Between the 4 levels & various twists & turns it is easy to get lost. Having wandered around for a while I decided to have lunch at a place whose existence has intrigued me for a while – ‘Outback Steakhouse’. For those who are unaware (which will probably include most Australians), there is an Australian-themed restaurant chain that is popular in the US (apparently we now have it here, SIGH!). It has nothing to do with Australia, which makes it a rather surreal experience. I wish I could have scored a menu laced with Australian references: ‘kookabura wings’, Toowoomba; ‘red centre’, Nullabor and enough Steve Irwin references to make even the most ocker Aussie cringe. Worse, the food was overpriced & genuinely awful. Even if I hadn’t been feeling less than 100% I wouldn’t have been able to manage more than a few bites of the awful hamburger – I had better hamburgers in rural Ethiopia (seriously!). Glad I visited, won’t be going back.

                      The highlight of the Dubai Mall trip, however, was going to the Burj Khalifa. The mall is the starting point for the tour. You go under a tunnel, get to look up at the precise point where you will be standing, then board the elevator. In less than a minute you climb 130 floors – 450 meters. You can feel the air pressure change....rapidly. Then you walk out to the observation deck. Remarkably enough it is barely half way up the building, which at 828 meters is the tallest structure even built. The view is spectacular, compromised only by the smog that seemed to blanket Dubai while I was there. It doesn’t matter. Standing on a structure that high is impressive under any circumstance. The Burj is also an elegant structure, rising from a wide base to a needle point in a long sweeping motion. It was one of the highlights of a great holiday – a brilliant contrast to the rock hewn churches or Ethiopia & traditional white buildings of Muscat.

                      I had been ready to come home for about a week and I honestly couldn’t wait to get on the plane. I’ll be back to Dubai one day to see what else it has to offer, but it was time to go. Waiting for me was the best way for a humble soul like myself to fly – the mighty Airbus A-380. This thing is the only way to do long haul flying. It not only has the roomiest economy class I have ever been in, it is the quietest large jet I have ever flown in & has far & away the best entertainment facilities. The seats even have power points for you to plug in your various devices should you choose. Having spent 18 hours crammed into a deafening 747 last time I flew to the US I will be looking to fly in the Airbus at every opportunity.

                      Catch up with you all soon.
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                      • #71
                        Glad to hear you had a good trip, I spent a few weeks there a couple years back and enjoyed it. I found the food to be awful though. The coffee however was great. Seemed to be the same in Sudan. What I found odd was being given pop corn to go with the coffee.

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                        • #72
                          Originally posted by Pedicabby View Post
                          Glad to hear you had a good trip, I spent a few weeks there a couple years back and enjoyed it. I found the food to be awful though. The coffee however was great. Seemed to be the same in Sudan. What I found odd was being given pop corn to go with the coffee.
                          I loved the food, though I did need to take a break from injera from time to time. I suspect that if you don't like injera the food would suck. I don't recall having a bad Ethiopian meal while I was there - and all so cheap! By way of contrast, the burger I had at 'outback steakhouse' in Dubai was inedible & cost many times more. Not a coffee drinker, but I know they only roast the beans when they are ready to brew up. My guide bought a couple of kilos of freshly dried beans when we went to a coffee plantation. Cost him less than a jar of crap instant here.
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                          • #73
                            How was it in regards to security BF? Did you have any worries about being kidnapped or general fear for your safety? Would you take your girlfriend there?

                            For some stupid reason I hear Ethiopia and think 'Blackhawk Down'.

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                            • #74
                              Originally posted by Gun Boat View Post
                              How was it in regards to security BF? Did you have any worries about being kidnapped or general fear for your safety? Would you take your girlfriend there?

                              For some stupid reason I hear Ethiopia and think 'Blackhawk Down'.
                              That is a bit stupid GB because that was Somalia....which is rather a long way from any part of Ethiopia you will find yourself in. There are a couple of bits of Ethiopia where there is danger, but those bits are well & truly out of the way.

                              As for safety - incredibly safe. I can say that there wasn't a single point when I felt any threat. Not when I got jostled by some street kids trying to pick my pocket (I was more worried I would hurt one of them). Not even when my car broke down in the middle of nowhere with no mobile signal & the only guy who spoke English wandered off to get help. There were plenty of locals around & all they wanted to do was help. In fact, several of them jumped into the car when it got driven back to a local village for repairs. All my gear was in the car but I wasn't. Didn't occur to me that they would nick anything...and they didn't.

                              There was even a terror warning on when I was there (I didn't find out until I got there). Apparently there was some intel about a possible Nairobi-style attack. The Aus Embassy evacuated most personnel. You'd never know it from wandering around Addis. Bit of security, but no sense of concern.

                              Ethiopia is an incredibly safe place. I walked around by myself at night many times. Money & credit cards in my pocket. No issue. Met some women travelling alone - they had no hassles. In fact, they were pleased because none of the locals even hit on them. Ran into a group of 4 elderly French women with an Ethiopian guide. Saw families with young kids travelling around. They were all having a ball.

                              I have a mate who has travelled to pretty much every country in Africa in the past 3-4 years. he rates Addis the safest city he has been to on the continent and Ethiopia the safest country. I can heartily recommend it. if you are thinking of going PM me, I can recommend some good guides & give you some tips.

                              Hope you are enjoying the pics on the other thread. :)
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                              • #75
                                Originally posted by Bigfella View Post
                                That is a bit stupid GB because that was Somalia....which is rather a long way from any part of Ethiopia you will find yourself in. There are a couple of bits of Ethiopia where there is danger, but those bits are well & truly out of the way.

                                As for safety - incredibly safe. I can say that there wasn't a single point when I felt any threat. Not when I got jostled by some street kids trying to pick my pocket (I was more worried I would hurt one of them). Not even when my car broke down in the middle of nowhere with no mobile signal & the only guy who spoke English wandered off to get help. There were plenty of locals around & all they wanted to do was help. In fact, several of them jumped into the car when it got driven back to a local village for repairs. All my gear was in the car but I wasn't. Didn't occur to me that they would nick anything...and they didn't.

                                There was even a terror warning on when I was there (I didn't find out until I got there). Apparently there was some intel about a possible Nairobi-style attack. The Aus Embassy evacuated most personnel. You'd never know it from wandering around Addis. Bit of security, but no sense of concern.

                                Ethiopia is an incredibly safe place. I walked around by myself at night many times. Money & credit cards in my pocket. No issue. Met some women travelling alone - they had no hassles. In fact, they were pleased because none of the locals even hit on them. Ran into a group of 4 elderly French women with an Ethiopian guide. Saw families with young kids travelling around. They were all having a ball.

                                I have a mate who has travelled to pretty much every country in Africa in the past 3-4 years. he rates Addis the safest city he has been to on the continent and Ethiopia the safest country. I can heartily recommend it. if you are thinking of going PM me, I can recommend some good guides & give you some tips.

                                Hope you are enjoying the pics on the other thread. :)
                                Stupid I know. I cannot believe how far my idea of this country has been off the actual reality. When I first saw your posts my immediate reaction was 'BF must have a death wish' thinking along the lines of my Blackhawk Down/constant civil war perception. I take it the deserts of eastern Ethiopia keeps much off the Somalian 'riff raff' out? Or does my perception of Somalia need an equal reality check? In my defence I did watch a Ross Kemp doco on Somalia and the place seemed a bit 'loose'.

                                Enjoying the pics very much. So many things I would never associate with what was my idea of Ethiopia.

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