Beware- this is another long post. I just find it so much easier to put everything in here that the most interested viewer would want to see (think grandparents) so feel free to skim freely.
Ethiopia:
We loved Ethiopia- it was so beautiful, the people so warm and refreshingly hands-off with foreigners, the countryside shockingly beautiful, the city shockingly well stocked in things foreign (Thai and Korean restaurants, sweet chili sauce in the grocery store), and the weather delightfully cool (it's the third highest capital city in the world). I particularly loved the birdlife- so many birds out all the time. We could imagine loving to live there someday.
The true highlight of the visit was being with Elisabeth- our friend from college. We enjoyed being with her so much, and it was awesome to have a personal tour guide. Plus, I can't really say enough about how great it was to spend quality time with the kind of friend with whom you connect, have history with, and love talking to after months and months away from any.
On to the pics...
With Elisabeth trying one of the blended drinks at Kaldis (a Starbucks knock off- even the font is the same)
Just thought Sam looked like a big kid here- he is definitely more toddler than baby now
This restaurant name and idea cracked me up (and made me think of my Lucy)
Sam is really into lions now- loves roaring and loved seeing them at the Lion Zoo in Ethiopia. Here he's riding one :-)
We went to an Anglican church service
Sam sported his Moroccan finest
There was a smoothie place that sold unsweeted fruit blends and had super great Sam-sized stools and tables.
Sam is definitely into being a big kid- holding his own cup, sitting on his own in the taxi or minibus, drinking out of a big person glass, wearing flip-flops (like mommy and daddy- though they have elastic around the back- I call them training flip-flops)
There are several sleep pictures included here- because he was so exhausted so often- really slept well because of all the excitement during the days. We even put him down to sleep in the landlady's apartment a couple times so we could go out with Elisabeth (to a live reggae place one time and for Korean food the other) and had no problems.
We took an overnight trip north out of Addis and saw some gorgeous scenary (and lots of donkeys, sheep and cows- Sam was thrilled- like a safari for him).
We stopped at a 1000 foot waterfall- amazingly sheer drop- even I had that sinking feeling that I could just be pulled over the edge by the attraction of gravity.
The canyon it emptied into was also incredible.
We got a flat tire and Sam was so into this horse- of course he was terrified and so I got on to bring him up to me. I wish I had Elisabeth's pictures of the before and after- he sat on it with me contentedly for about 10 seconds and then flipped out.
The hotel we stayed in was perched on the edge of another canyon- again, amazing views. John liked the view from the toilet
Straight down- view from the hotel's restaurant
Hiking along the edge of the canyon from the hotel brings you to this historic bridge, and a waterfall, plus a troop of bleeding heart baboons, and some amazing views (and more amazing birds)
We hung out with these two kids at the pool at the base of the small waterfall (it continued down the rest of the 1000 feet later)
Another dizzingly steep drop
John's favorite pic of the trip
One of the biggest orthodox churches in Addis
We went bowling in the most classic 50s era bowling alley- warped lanes, warped ceiling, totally outdated advertisements, and men that set up the pins after each ball- Sam and I hung out in the back with them for awhile.
Here I am pointing to Dakar on the map :-)
and on to Tanzania:
Exhausted from the trip
John's conference was a wonderful success- he loved learning about in VSLA which is the savings-based economic development model he studied. He loves the idea of this model- loves that it is working, that it is savings-based, that women are targeted (since he was frustrated in TZ in 1999 to see men get richer and drunker), and that it is a relatively new model that he could get in on the ground level. Here's a picture of the savings group his team visited for a field trip.
Sam and I didn't spend much time with John at all- sometimes less than 30 minutes all day. But we had our own great time. We explored Dar on mini-bus taxis, went to two waterparks, played at the beach, went to a carver's market, tried to find baby crocs (after we lost one off the side of a motor bike taxi), and we didn't get tired of each other at all. Our favorite place was the pool and beach at the White Sands hotel down the road from ours- all the following pics are from there (I didn't take the camera on our other adventures- didn't seem quite safe). The second to last day in TZ we came to this pool and I ran into the German family that I knew in TZ in 1998. I lived with their kid's teacher, Patty. It was so great to see David (then 3 now 13) and Melissa (then 7 now 17) as well as Thomas and Fritzi- Stephany was in Germany. I enjoyed hearing about how their work has progressed in the last 10 years and about how certain people I remembered are doing now.
Ethiopia:
We loved Ethiopia- it was so beautiful, the people so warm and refreshingly hands-off with foreigners, the countryside shockingly beautiful, the city shockingly well stocked in things foreign (Thai and Korean restaurants, sweet chili sauce in the grocery store), and the weather delightfully cool (it's the third highest capital city in the world). I particularly loved the birdlife- so many birds out all the time. We could imagine loving to live there someday.
The true highlight of the visit was being with Elisabeth- our friend from college. We enjoyed being with her so much, and it was awesome to have a personal tour guide. Plus, I can't really say enough about how great it was to spend quality time with the kind of friend with whom you connect, have history with, and love talking to after months and months away from any.
On to the pics...
With Elisabeth trying one of the blended drinks at Kaldis (a Starbucks knock off- even the font is the same)
Just thought Sam looked like a big kid here- he is definitely more toddler than baby now This restaurant name and idea cracked me up (and made me think of my Lucy)
Sam is really into lions now- loves roaring and loved seeing them at the Lion Zoo in Ethiopia. Here he's riding one :-)We went to an Anglican church service
Sam sported his Moroccan finest
There was a smoothie place that sold unsweeted fruit blends and had super great Sam-sized stools and tables.
Sam is definitely into being a big kid- holding his own cup, sitting on his own in the taxi or minibus, drinking out of a big person glass, wearing flip-flops (like mommy and daddy- though they have elastic around the back- I call them training flip-flops)
There are several sleep pictures included here- because he was so exhausted so often- really slept well because of all the excitement during the days. We even put him down to sleep in the landlady's apartment a couple times so we could go out with Elisabeth (to a live reggae place one time and for Korean food the other) and had no problems.
We took an overnight trip north out of Addis and saw some gorgeous scenary (and lots of donkeys, sheep and cows- Sam was thrilled- like a safari for him).
We stopped at a 1000 foot waterfall- amazingly sheer drop- even I had that sinking feeling that I could just be pulled over the edge by the attraction of gravity. The canyon it emptied into was also incredible.
We got a flat tire and Sam was so into this horse- of course he was terrified and so I got on to bring him up to me. I wish I had Elisabeth's pictures of the before and after- he sat on it with me contentedly for about 10 seconds and then flipped out.
The hotel we stayed in was perched on the edge of another canyon- again, amazing views. John liked the view from the toilet
Straight down- view from the hotel's restaurant Hiking along the edge of the canyon from the hotel brings you to this historic bridge, and a waterfall, plus a troop of bleeding heart baboons, and some amazing views (and more amazing birds)
We hung out with these two kids at the pool at the base of the small waterfall (it continued down the rest of the 1000 feet later) Another dizzingly steep drop John's favorite pic of the trip One of the biggest orthodox churches in Addis We went bowling in the most classic 50s era bowling alley- warped lanes, warped ceiling, totally outdated advertisements, and men that set up the pins after each ball- Sam and I hung out in the back with them for awhile. Here I am pointing to Dakar on the map :-)
and on to Tanzania:Exhausted from the trip
John's conference was a wonderful success- he loved learning about in VSLA which is the savings-based economic development model he studied. He loves the idea of this model- loves that it is working, that it is savings-based, that women are targeted (since he was frustrated in TZ in 1999 to see men get richer and drunker), and that it is a relatively new model that he could get in on the ground level. Here's a picture of the savings group his team visited for a field trip.Sam and I didn't spend much time with John at all- sometimes less than 30 minutes all day. But we had our own great time. We explored Dar on mini-bus taxis, went to two waterparks, played at the beach, went to a carver's market, tried to find baby crocs (after we lost one off the side of a motor bike taxi), and we didn't get tired of each other at all. Our favorite place was the pool and beach at the White Sands hotel down the road from ours- all the following pics are from there (I didn't take the camera on our other adventures- didn't seem quite safe). The second to last day in TZ we came to this pool and I ran into the German family that I knew in TZ in 1998. I lived with their kid's teacher, Patty. It was so great to see David (then 3 now 13) and Melissa (then 7 now 17) as well as Thomas and Fritzi- Stephany was in Germany. I enjoyed hearing about how their work has progressed in the last 10 years and about how certain people I remembered are doing now.Anyway- here are some pics I took of Sam- lots of them
looking into the whole in the white thing in the picture above after putting a leaf in it
looking at the palm tree leaves blowing in the wind
I tried to get a good picture of us- this was the best I could do
Unless you think of this "who me?" face
Catching a minute with Dad when he came running by (and sporting a John-sized yawn)
chasing Dad down the beach crying (John's in the distance wearing a white shirt and red shorts)
Expressing his unhappiness that Dad was going away
Finally giving up and explaining to me that the reason he was upset was because Dad had gone that way
Finally distracted...
by a trick kite in the air
and reunited with Dad on Sunday morning after six days of Mom only (note how pasty-white John is compared with the two of us)
It was as luxurious at this place as it looks- and only 3 bucks
looking into the whole in the white thing in the picture above after putting a leaf in it
looking at the palm tree leaves blowing in the wind I tried to get a good picture of us- this was the best I could do
Unless you think of this "who me?" faceCatching a minute with Dad when he came running by (and sporting a John-sized yawn)
chasing Dad down the beach crying (John's in the distance wearing a white shirt and red shorts)Expressing his unhappiness that Dad was going away
Finally giving up and explaining to me that the reason he was upset was because Dad had gone that wayFinally distracted...
by a trick kite in the air
and reunited with Dad on Sunday morning after six days of Mom only (note how pasty-white John is compared with the two of us)
It was as luxurious at this place as it looks- and only 3 bucks
I might get around to loading a few more of the videos- but I'm having a hard time at the moment.
Anyway, an all-around excellent trip.
2 comments:
Wow- a feast for us! The pictures are so amazing- what an adventure. And Sam is such a charmer! So handsome and engaging. Can't wait to see him soon.
can you post more pictures of John's pasty white goodness please?
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