ETHIOPIA

[curtiejoe]

Hi omegaet



Going to Sheba's Ethiopian restaurant in Miami will certainly give you a taste of what that country's cuisine is like, even if it does not compare with what it would be to actually eat in a restaurant in Addis Abeba itself. But, it's a start and may lead, who knows to what other exotic adventures in the future. Esohe's Gift Shop and African Art Gallery, which is located within the restaurant, looks to have a wonderful sampling of Ethiopian leather goods and art objects. Thanx for the link to the Sheba website.



curtiejoe

[jashermd]

Hello Obrienkf,

Thanks for your fascinating posts on Ethiopia -- I've been considering a trip there for some time but have not yet made it up there. It certainly sounds like a world away from the other places I've visited in Africa! I'd really love to see spend some time on safari as well as visiting the cultural sights -- one of my main hobbies is wildlife photography and it would be brilliant to be able to see the Ethiopian wolves in the wild. I know a safari guide who flew some photographers out to the Bales Mountains and they had some excellent sightings.

I don't know if I'd survive the food though -- I have a low tolerance for very spicy food!

Cheers,
Julian



Message Edited by jashermd on 03-30-200709:47 AM

[curtiejoe]

Hi Julian



As an avid nature and wildlife photographer myself, I'd find the notion of being able toshoot some of the elusive, and apparently endangered, Ethiopian wolves (the last of their species in all of Africa)with my digital camera an amazing thrill. From the little I've been able to gather so far about Ethiopia as a travel destination, it seems to me that there are many other unique and exotic aspects of this somewhat neglected African country that would warrant visiting and photographing. As the saying goes, "A picture's worth a thousand words" and being able to share photos of Ethiopia with others would be a high. Hopefully, one day more of us will decide to take the plunge and head for Addis Ababa and what lies beyond.



Curt

[jashermd]

Hello Curt,

Love the photo -- where's it from?

Ethiopian wolves are the rarest and most endangered predators in Africa -- even rarer than the African wild dogs. Here's a site with some information about them:

http://www.ethiopianwolf.org/

There was a recent article about them in one of the scientific journals I subscribe to (Nature) which discussed how a rabies vaccination programme was being used to help protect the wolves. It looks like the Bale Mountains are the place to go (which correpsonds with what I was told by my safari guide friend).



Cheers,
Julian

[obrienkf]

jashermd,



nice website that you included. if it is the wolves that interest you, i suggest that you contact the Conservation Group directly, and ask their advice on who they recommend you travel with in order to get to the Semien Mountains or Bale area. And they may even be willing to have you participate in a field expedition or research. A number of years ago, I accidently became part of such research that was being undertaken by Berkeley University, studying and 'counting' lions in the Lakipia area of Northern Kenya. Some of the lionesses were collared, with radio tracking devices and we followed them -- it was fantastic.



good travels.

[curtiejoe]

Hi Julian



Found the wolf photo on another website that came up as I googled "Ethiopian wolves". Didn't keep the web address, though I was captivated by the picture as the last remaining African wolves look so very different (smaller and almost like coyotes) from our North American species.The site you included also has some really good pictures of these unique creatures. Thanx. Glad to hear about the rabies vaccine being used to protect them, however it seems that loss of natural habitat, pollution and encroachment by humans are likely key causes in the decline of these wolves these days. Luckily, tourists often play an important role in helping preserve endangered species and their habitat.



Curt

[jashermd]

When I was down in Southern Africa I learned, to my surprise, that the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme has some local links -- it's affiliated with the zoology department at Oxford through their Wild CRU (Conservation Research Unit). They do have volunteering opportunities but there's a minimum three month commitment.

I also found out that there is a former Jack's Camp (Botswana) guide who may be looking into setting up a high-end eco-tourism camp in the Bale Mountains. Now that would be brilliant!

Cheers,
Julian

[shon2ctheworld]

I have been to Ethiopiamany times. It is a beautiful country. Many changes have taken place in a matter of a few years. My first trip was in 1998 and most recent was this summer. The diffence was amazing. The previous post says the new airport had not been completed yet. The new modern airport is not only complete but so are many other modern marvels.



I think that the way the people of Ethiopia view visitors is what makes it so easy to continue to visit there. They really view visitors as an honor (this is anywhere in the country- capital city or countryside). It also has one of the lowest crime rates in all of Africa. This makes me feel comfortable as an American woman walking around on my own. I also encountered more people that spoke English than when I visited Tokyo, which I was surprised by.



Coolest place I visited there: Lalibela Churches and Lake Tana (source of the Blue Nile).

[jashermd]

Hello,

Interestingly, I've found English widely spoken throughout the places I've travelled in Africa -- it's amazing how many Africans are tri- or quadri-lingual, which really puts monolingual Brits to shame (most other Europeans are bilingual, with English as their second language, but Brits are notoriously bad about language learning). Shamefully the foreign language requirement in schools has been reduced still further in recent years...

Cheers,
Julian

[[email protected]]

Hi,


I was very surprised and pleased to see such a lengthy discussion on travelling to Ethiopia. I am so happy that finally we are all beginning to discover this beautiful land.

I really recommend contacting Selam Travel (http://www.selamtravel.com/ ), based out of Lo Angeles to help you plan your trip to Ethiopia. Selam, the owner herself recently arranged a trip to Ethiopia for a group of teachers and students from UCLA. With an office in Addis as well, she can arrange almost anything for you. She provides the best care and service and has over ten years of experience arranging trips to Ethiopia for Americans. You can email her [email protected]

I hope this helps