A little love note to Ethiopia

It pains me to have to condense Ethiopia into a single entry more in the interest of catching up. Let it not detract from the fact that Ethiopia is 100% my favourite country so far. When you are there you feel like you're in on a little secret. No words can do it justice, which is perhaps why my entries from here have been so sparse. I've been too busy enjoying this awesome country to write about it!

But, in the interest of preserving the memories, these are a few of my favourite things...

Firstly, communication in Ethiopia! Here you greet people with 3 kisses on the cheek. Awkward at first but definitely an intimacy icebreaker - everyone's a friend when you've kissed them 3 times to say hello! And then there's all the men holding hands. Walking down the street you frequently see whole groups of men hand in hand just chatting. They drape over each other at dinner and are fabulously comfortable with open manlove. My favourite though is that Ethiopians gasp for "yes" in conversation. While you're talking they nod and inhale quickly (the kind of gasp you do when a car suddenly pulls out of a driveway near a toddler). It's disarming at first but it grows on you. I felt too goofy to give it a go myself though.

Then there's the food. We had two favourite traditional Ethiopian restaurants - Yod Abyssinia and Herbesha 3000. Each time we'd get a traditional platter laden with tibs. The whole bottom of the shared platter is covered by a huge sour, bubbly pancake called Injerra. On top of they place little piles of meat, sauce, eggs and cheese. You then get rolls of Injerra on the side and, using only your right hand, everyone tears off strips and scoops up the piles on the plate. It's very spicey... And very yummy! Washed down with some honey wine- it's an Ethiopian feast.

No feast would be complete without entertainment though, and boy do the Erhiopians know how to put on show! Each region has a traditional dance. To describe it its like watching a chicken "popping" with jerky quick movements of their heads, chests and shoulders. They also do this amazing head-spinning dance that's so hard and fast it looks like their heads will fly off into the audience! A lot of the moves are very suggestive (like the women wearing horse tails while grinding the men pretending to whip them).

A good Ethiopian dinner and show can only be followed by one thing... A short ride in a blue and white cab for bright blue Kamikaze shots at a fantastic local club. And there are loads to choose from.

Addis Ababa has all the conveniences of a modern city, without compromising it's African charm. The shopfronts are painted vivid pinks and aquas and turquoise. What look like butchers shops with hanging carcasses are everywhere, but they're actually Ethiopian fast food. You buy strips of the raw meat and eat it on the spot. Bright, embellished umbrellas hang everywhere and woman use them in the streets to protect their prized fair skin. And the beautiful coffin shops you see everywhere stacked high with bright, sparkling, velvet & gold coffins, with matching fluro wreaths. The coffins are beautiful and let it be on the record that I want a bright Ethiopian coffin when I die.

The city also has buzzing shopping hubs like Entoto where I bought some gorgeous traditional dresses in light cottons and vibrant colours. Nothing about Ethiopian culture is subtle or dull!

This may have to do with it being the only African country that was never colonized. Save for a 4 year warring period with Italy, Ethiopia has maintained it's rich and diverse African heritage since time immemorial. The people are proud of this and this strength permeates and magnifies all aspects of their culture, carrying the past as an integral part of their present.

The women still put butter in their hair and traditional head dresses can be bought everywhere. They and the regional crosses were two souvenirs I happily picked up. Each region is known for it's unique clothing, food, dance and historical significance and they celebrate this diversity.

The historical route is amazing and rivals all but Egypt's ancient sights in Africa. Not many people know these ancient relics are here, or even that key landmarks like the start of the (blue) Nile is here at Lake Tana. I went to one ancient church in the mountains carved right into the solid rock that was once purported to have housed the Arc of the Covenant. A lovely local hermit showed us around before taking us through the woods nearby for a breataking view over Addis. We had ridden horses from the British Embassy into these mountains a fortnight earlier and the view blew me away then too.

My family in Ethiopia were so generously hospitable and went out of their way to show me the best of their gorgeous country. I cant thank them enough. Another highlight was a 4 day trip down south to Lake Langano where we bunkered down at a little cottage beside the red mineral lake. We played scrabble, took swims, lay out spotting shooting stars, collected porcupine quills, canoed along the foreshore, taunted nearby hyenas, and laughed till our cheeks hurt. I lost my treasured pink kikoi when i capsized my canoe about 50m offshore, only to find it on the bottom of the lake with a single dive when i went to look for it later! We were visited by some enormous birds, and some cute colorful ones, Lyndsay spotted a snake, and I got to see a stunning Abyssinian cat. My family are wonderfully mad & eccentric and it was a blast making mischief with them. The long drive there took us past clustered Ethiopian villages and roadside stalls - some selling giant pumpkins.

We met some awesome people along the way and I have resolved to try and live in Ethiopia with my Harvey Bear one day. I love and adore Ethiopia and will miss it dearly. A special mention to my partner in crime and the most fabulous lady ever - Lily... you dropped something!!

Don't forget my Harvey Bear... Mwahhh

Xxx