MARTINA'S WORLD TRIP
ETHIOPIA: May 18 - June 1, 2004
Your Dictionary
(Übersetzungshilfe)
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MARTINA'S WORLD TRIP ETHIOPIA: May 18 - June 1, 2004 |
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Your Dictionary
(Übersetzungshilfe) |
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Martina's Travel Diary
For daily reports of my adventures and some pictures, please click on the links below. |
Picture Gallery
For more pictures of Ethiopia, please click here. |
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More info on Ethiopia and the operator I did my Omo Valley Tour with can be found at www.natytoursethiopia.com.et |
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Final conclusion about this country: 1) Looking back, Ethiopia’s landscape was probably the most beautiful I have seen during my entire Africa Trip. So much green, a scenery so lush and abundant - it was incredible. On the other hand, I was quite disappointed with the people. Not only did I miss some sort of responsibility and self-esteem, also friendliness and gratitude seemed unknown to many people I met - which raised a lot of questions and made me wonder about the sense and effects of foreign aid to developing countries... 2) If you think, toilet facilities in Egypt are bad, come to Ethiopia and learn to praise Egyptian rest rooms! 3) Surprisingly, equality between men and women is not only stated by Ethiopian law, it is also pretty much lived in everyday life. A very positive fact. 4) Don’t trust a taxi driver in Addis Ababa and beware of street touts who will fight for their commission! 5) I AM NO FAN OF ETHIOPIAN FOOD!!! 6) If you asked me to imitate a typical Ethiopian movement, I would briefly wave with one hand and then quickly turn it around, holding it out for bagging. 7) Toilet paper is rare to be found in bathrooms but otherwise it’s a popular luxury good, especially used as table napkin. 8) No matter how deep you get into the bush, even if it’s in the middle of nowhere, Coca Cola has always been there before you... 9) Always keep a bunch of NEW 1 birr notes with you (larger bills can easily be changed at any bank) because people turn their nose up at old dirty bills. |
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10) Being a ‘faranji’, “Give me 1 birr / a pen / caramela / highland*...” is what you hear most in Ethiopia and therefore, as Ihab said quite rightly, these words should be added to their national anthem... (* ‘Highland’ is the brand of a local table water and children from rural areas always ask for empty plastic bottles) 11) I found Ethiopia tough to travel but it is definitely worth a visit if you are looking for an adventurous experience in a relatively untouched environment. 12) Do not mess with the Mursi!! |
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To return to the general Africa Section :
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