Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Ethiopia - Day 1

We left Dubai early in the morning on a three hour flight to Addis Ababa. We were met by Genet (a Gladney staffer and also the manager of the Bejoe Guest House) and our driver. After getting settled in at the guest house, Genet suggested that our driver take us up Entoto Mountain, where the oldest Ethiopian Orthodox church resides. It was a lovely day.

Here is the view from the mountain looking down over the city of Addis Ababa:


This is the oldest Ethiopian Orthodox church. Aren't the bright colors fun?!

There are a lot of eucalyptus trees on the mountain, and it is a common sight to see women carrying heavy loads of dry eucalyptus wood on their backs down the mountain.


This is our awesome driver, Solomon. He really made our time in Addis special. He's a wonderful driver (who also ended up serving as our tour guide to a great extent) who got us around town! We grew to love him by the end of the week and were sad to say goodbye.



Entoto Mountain. Totally worth the short drive to the top!

6 comments:

Joanna said...

I am SO SO SO excited to read about your trip - thanks for sharing with us! Looking forward to the rest! :)

Laura said...

Love it! Did both of these people speak English? Or do more people speak English? Obviously I know very little about their culture, but it's awesome to be able to see a bit through you! :)

Tracy said...

Yes, both Genet and Solomon speak English. Genet is an Ethiopian national who spent many years living in the U.S. and recently moved back. And Solomon is an Ethiopian national who taught himself to speak English just by driving American families. They were both total gems who made our time in Addis so special!

The Busters said...

We didn't make the trip to Entoto mountain on the first trip but your pictures make me want to work into the second trip. I am really looking forward to getting to know Genet better since we are staying at Bejoe this time. I met her a few times and loved her. So glad you guys are home!

Autumn's Mom said...

That is just beautiful! Thank you for sharing, can't wait for more :)

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing photos of your trip! It takes much time for you to help all of us to share in this amazing joy, and your efforts are much appreciated. The photos tell me that God is a creative, colorful Savior, who graciously gives us strength to accomplish our daily work, even if that means hauling eucalyptus wood down a mountain. May we be about HIS business in HIS strength today!

Carol in Dallas XXXXOOOO