I will never pass this way again.
So often I found myself stopping and looking, knowing I was seeing something I would never see again. A person. A hillside so green. Hundreds of white-draped Ethiopian Orthodox chanting a prayer at 4 am. The ubiquitous little China coffee cups. A tiny tiny child with a equally small stick slapping a bigger donkey as they walked along side the road. Who was looking out for whom?
This trip has been challenging in many many respects. And even writing this final blog, I’m confused as to whether to share my amazement and stimulation of all I’ve learned...or do I share some of the not so picturesque realities? I have learned a lot. But I understand less.
That, in only three weeks, I have gone from the sparkle of Dubai to the sad grit of the Omo Valley and now sit in the Frankfort airport where everything is immaculate, organized and functioning is just not something my brain seems able to process quite yet.
My eyes truly feel burned from images of Muslim women in burkas sporting Chanel heels, babies with flies in their eyes playing in the dirt among goat feces, old women with swollen feet diseased from walking barefoot on lava rock, children with unimaginable spinal deformities. I saw bamboo bleachers filled with devout worshippers collapse in the middle of prayer, killing a dozen and hospitalizing more. I saw unimaginable litter and garbage on roadsides and in rivers. I saw women, many women, who still wash clothes on rocks and spread them on bushes to dry. I sat next to a woman on a plane who needed my help with her seatbelt because she had never used one. (Last time I’ll make fun of flight attendants’ seat belt instructions!)
Hundreds of times, little girls or boys would try to stop me: “You! You! Youyouyou,” They would approach, hand out, “photo? Photo?” The going rate seems to be 5 birr, about 15 cents. This, sadly, is a dilemma for a tourist. Do I pay the 5 birr because the money is so needed? Or am I fostering a culture of begging, getting something for nothing? (This is a complicated and lengthy discussion.). No exaggeration: Ethiopia is a country where it is easier to get a shoeshine than it is to get dependable running water. The poverty and lack of infrastructure is overwhelming, a feeling shared by others on the trip who have traveled far more than I and who have been going to some very underdeveloped countries since the ‘70s.
But!I heard the sound of morning Muslim call to prayer mingle, literally, with the sound of Ethiopian Orthodox prayer ...amazing! I saw affluent young Ethiopian women out in a club on a Friday night, clearly having “girls’ night out!” I saw devout people express joyful religious fervor. I watched as our driver hopped out of the car to return with a very small box of strawberries from a road stand. He was taking them back to his wife and two kids as a treat...his gift after having been on the road a week. I saw incredibly proud young tribal women striving to keep hold of their traditions while simultaneously moving toward a new future. I saw hope in a little girl’s face. I saw talented craftsmen with skills passed down over generations. I watched men and women dance and clap and sing with great happiness, eager to share their culture. I marveled at groups gathered on small stools to chat and share coffee just as we do at Local Brew or Wake Up Coffee!
Lots to absorb and think about. Change. Culture. Tourism’s impact. The definition of beauty...of love. Hope. Travel deeper.
So this is the end of this blog. As I said, it was challenging but I am so so very grateful that I was able to see and experience all I did.
And I am especially thankful for you who traveled along on this blog! There were some lonely moments and I was touched to read your comments and “likes.” I am glad there have been some stories and pictures that maybe helped you see what I saw. You, Elegant Island Living and Kathi Williams are terrific, encouraging and supportive travel partners.
As I often do, I have a few final pictures to share. Some funny. Some weird or surprising. Enjoy...and...Until next time! (Well, as long as Kathi holds up!)
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“Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear” - written in Arabic.
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Mobile car wash thingees. Little carts that seem to hold water and tools and travel around Addis, the capital, offering to clean your car. Must be. All the guys had matching uniforms.
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This hotel had a horrendous bathroom but did offer a bedside land and brush to clean my shoes...and a GIANT pair of rubber slippers. None of those cutie little terry cloth things here!
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The shoeshine stand found on every corner, in the capital and even mid-sized villages.
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Bamboo scaffolding on building under construction.
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A power pole....literally a couple of sticks with a wire
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Of course. A van with a bull in the middle of a midday traffic jam. No one looked twice.
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Very cool art. A log carved such that when lit from the correct angle, the silhouette is an image.
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Literally called the Dubai Frame. Supposedly, you look through one direction and see “new” Dubai. Look the opposite way and see old Dubai.
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??? I’m pretty determined, I think. So do I get free admission?
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A 747 made out of flowers! Dubai Miracle Gardens were amazing and a great outdoorsy way to cure jet lag.
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That’s right...Cinnabon.
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While you get your shoes shined is a good opportunity to do some underwear shopping.
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Screen on the seat back monitor during the Emirates flight.
Muslims are to pray 6 times a day, as determined by the position of the sun and geography. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are about an hour apart, but the time of prayer at each is slightly different.
