One foot in front of the other, I told myself. Just put one foot in front of the other. My legs felt like lead as I tried to propel myself forward, relying a little too much on my hiking poles that kept collapsing under the pressure. So many thoughts floated through my head, the most …
“Katie, look! A dik-dik!” “Where?” “Over there.” “Where?” “There.” “I don’t see it, where?” “There, running away into the woods.” “Oh.” And thus went what seemed like the first hour of my “game drive” through Awash National Park, located a few hours’ drive from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. (By the way, a dik-dik is a …
The sun was setting as I arrived in Harar in eastern Ethiopia. A nine-hour drive from Addis Ababa, this ancient walled city was my first destination outside of the capital and one that I was anticipating the most. The city dates back to the 7th to 11th centuries (estimates vary) and grew to become both …
I stood as still as possible as a narrow paintbrush ran across my face, from the middle of my cheek up to the corner of my eye. Soon, my cheek was covered in red, green and yellow stripes and I closed my eyes as the young artist sprinkled gold glitter on top of it all. …
I leave for Ethiopia in just a few days and I feel completely unprepared. I booked the flights for this trip back in the spring when I stumbled upon a ridiculously low airfare on Qatar Airways to Addis Ababa (less than $700 – cheaper than flying to Europe!). But I held off on really planning …
