The Lion Kings and Queens

We did a safari at the amazing Serengeti, the whole trip lasted 5 days, with visits to Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Ndutu, and the great Serengeti plain. There were many migration animals, antelopes, zebras, giraffes, and wildebeests that we have spotted, but no beast (except the mighty elephants) can generate the kind of awes as the true […]

Epiphany in Ethiopia, Year II

Yesterday was the eve before Orthodox Church’s Epiphany, or Timket Katera, as known here in Ethiopia. I went to the Timket celebration in Jan Meda in Addis Ababa last year, and it was amazing. This time, I went to the evening ceremony.

Inside the Kibera Slum

On a sunny May morning, I took a casual walk in and around Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya, one of the largest slums in the world.

Fire meets gasoline

In my first week in Addis Ababa, I visited the Itegue Taitu Hotel in Piazza District. It is the first hotel in Ethiopia, built by Ethiopian Emperor Menelek II and named after his queen, Taitu Betul. The emperor and queen spent their honeymoon there together. It was a truly lovely place, old but only increased […]

Epiphany in Ethiopia

On January 19 Ethiopia is lit up by Epiphany, or Timkat in Amharic, meaning “the baptism”. Timkat celebrates the baptism of Jesus, and is one of the holiest festivals of the year. Starting from around 4 PM on Sunday, the holiday goes on until Tuesday. Since I almost missed Christmas entirely about two weeks ago, […]

Christmas

Today is Christmas Day in old Julian Calendar, which the Ethiopian Orthodox Church follows. The praying songs lasted the entire night last night. People went from church to church and paraded the streets. On Christmas Day, the tradition is to stay at home and eat with family. Most of the roads is empty, stores are […]

First Impression Addis Ababa

Today is my first day in Addis Ababa. My flight landed 1 AM in the morning, and after unboarding the first welcome was – queues after queues. Ebola screening #1 and #2, visa, money exchange, custom and immigration. Ethiopians and European travelers alike also seemed to forget altogether there’s a thing called wait in lines. […]

probabilities and prose