Monthly Archives: January 2016
Simen’s Story
By the second day in Lalibela, my manic dash to visit every major historic site that the city had to offer was complete. With such limited time remaining and the creeping sensation that I might never see anything like Lalibela again in my lifetime, I was loathe to even pause for breath. As soon as the tour … Continue reading
Common Ground on the Mats
To pick up where my last story left off; I was wandering the dusty, time resistant passages of what I’d come to accept as the eighth wonder of the world. As I walked I was deep in thought. I contemplated the complexities of Lalibela’s wondrous churches like a child seeing a big city skyline for the … Continue reading
Two Days and a Tour Group
I arrived in Lalibela in high spirits, yet sick from the past few days. I had just spent a frigid night’s sleep in a tent high in the Simien Mountains without a proper sleeping bag, but that’s another story. I was a little tired, but more than anything, weary of the lies and tricks that … Continue reading
Bridging the Gap
I careened through the narrow streets; zipping between cars, pedestrians, and animals. We passed through clouds of diesel smoke streaming from truck engines like chimney stacks, billowing up all around us. I could smell the pungent scent of hot pavement and dust as it mixed with the auto emissions, a smell I had become all too familiar with. … Continue reading
Sal’s Story
It was a scorching hot Saturday afternoon in Gondar. The trendy downtown Tele Café was doing a brisk business. One look at the crowd revealed that many of its patrons, like me, sought refuge from the oppressive heat of the city’s smog choked streets. It was as welcoming a place to take a break as … Continue reading