Introduction

On September 5, 2007, Louise and I kissed our kiddos farewell and headed off to Dulles Airport outside Washington. Some 30 hours later we touched down in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's bustling capital. We spent the next 11 days in Ethiopia on what turned out to be one of our most exciting vacations ever. We made new friends. Ate delicious food. Drank tej (traditional honey wine.) Negotiated prices at the market. Discussed religion with cab drivers. Enjoyed local music. Learned a lot about the country's history and culture (well, a lot compared to what we knew before, anyways.) Picked up a few handy words in Amharic. Et cetera. We also saw deep poverty, in Addis but especially out in the country side. Poverty, of course, tends to be the first thing many of us Westerners think of when hearing the word "Ethiopia." Indeed, the blind beggars, the ragged rural mud huts and the farmers struggling to plough with no more than a whip and two oxes are all too real and at times heartbreaking. However, we learned, thankfully, that Ethiopia is also so much more -- a country full of humor, passion, welcoming men, beautiful women, hard workers, a glorious landscape, delicious food, great music and dance, a rich history, fascinating traditions. To let anyone who may be interested learn more about our trip -- and in the process, about Ethiopia -- we decided to create this Web site. A handy way, we figured, to share our thoughts and pictures (and a few videos.) Please comment as you wish. Amasegenalo! -- Ola and Louise.
Ola's email: okinnander@gmail.com