Archives
April 26, 2016
Kyoto is located in the central part of the Island of Honshu Japan. It was the capital of Japan until the capital was moved to Tokyo (Edo) during the Meji restoration in the late 1800’s. Kyoto has a number of well preserved temples in and around the centre as well as an intact Geisha district […]
April 18, 2016
The flight from Addis Ababa to Narita took about 14 hours including a one hour stop in Hong Kong. We slept most of the way after snapping up 2 empty rows in the back of the 787 as soon as the doors closed. Travelling has made us a bit ruthless. Within 30 minutes of landing we were able […]
April 10, 2016
After showering and charging our devices we toured Gonder with Dave and his friend. We visited a series of castles built by Solomonic emperor Fasilides in the 16th century after he restored the Ethiopian Church and established Gonder as Ethiopia’s capital. With grand halls, towers and gables, the architecture was almost as interesting as the court intrigue. It […]
April 8, 2016
I was thrilled to arrive in Japan after trekking in Ethiopia for five days. I was looking forward to organization, cleanliness and a good bath. I had a big smile on my face as we landed in Narita. Lorne was not very pleased with me and continued to say that I should not be so […]
April 6, 2016
You know the story, a man in Shanghai meets a red silk clad beauty and follows her to a smoky bar near the docks. A few hours later the sailor wakes up with a headache in a sleazy hotel room. His money and watch are gone. Men bang on the door show him the conscription papers he signed and […]
April 5, 2016
As we watched the Geladas descend the cliffs and call out to each other, Dave explained that they are monkeys rather than baboons. Sociable, grass, root and flea eating monkeys that live in large social groups of up to 500. The Gelada sleep in caves on the cliff sides for the protection offered against hyenas and wolves. They are very docile. […]
April 2, 2016
We spent 4 days and nights in Simien Mountain National Park. In that short period we walked about 60 km and reached altitudes of almost 4,000 meters. We stayed at campsites and in a village, drank Tej (honey wine) and Jack Daniels with our trekking crew had coffee and injera with villager saw Gelada Baboons, clip springer […]