Welcome back to another Travels with Adolophine Series!

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Recently I was speaking to a very good friend of mine about my very brief trip to Ethiopia. My team and I were there for less than 24 hours. I was telling my friend how I wish I had found the time to actually explore. I shared with him how my cousin Bibi and her husband took a year off to travel all over the world. One of their stops was Lalibela. My friend Claudia took her daughter to Ethiopia last year and they celebrated Christmas in Lalibela. So now you know where I am going with this blog.

One of my all times dreams, bucket list items, wish list is to go to Lalibela in Ethiopia during Christmas. My wish is to celebrate Christmas on December 25th in Kinshasa and then head to Ethiopia for Christmas in or around January 7th. The orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on this day because Jesus’ birthday would have fallen on this date based on the Julian calendar. The Julian calendar was in existence before the Gregorian calendar - which is what we use now.

Lalibela is in Northern Ethiopia. Lalibela was conceived and built by King Lalibela. He wanted to build a new Jerusalem since the Muslims took over Jerusalem and the Christians couldn’t make their annual pilgrimage to the holy land. King Lalibela's ideas resulted in eleven medieval churches carved out of rock. From what I hear it is a wonder to behold and words cannot describe its beauty. I am ready to wear all white, sing, chant, fast, and partake in a spiritual tradition that I have heard about my whole life.

After a few days in Lalibela I would like to go to the capital - Addis Ababa. One of my first stops is the National Museum of Ethiopia to meet Lucy l'ancêtre de l'humanité (Ancestor of humanity). Lucy aka Dinknesh (means ‘you are amazing’ in Amharic) bones was found in 1974. She is over 3.2 million years old. Based on her skeletal bones she was 3 foot 6’ and weighed 60 to 65 pounds. Finding Lucy proved theories that Africa, and specifically Ethiopia, is the cradle of mankind. Lucy proves that we are all connected.

My next stop after showing respect to our common ancestor would be a visit to the tomb of Negus Hailé Selassie, the last Ethiopian Emperor. Emperor Selassie traced his lineage back to Menelik I, who was the child of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Ethiopia is the only country in Africa that wasn’t colonized. Italy occupied Abyssinia (prior name of Ethiopia) from 1936-1941. Emperor Salissie fought Italy’s colonization effort and was able to get them out of his country in 1941. Emperor Selassie is a hero and legend in Africa. He is someone we all learn about when we are young.

The next day would entail shopping. I love going to the markets. I love the sounds, energy, people, hustle and bustle, meeting artisans and most importantly getting amazing items. My friend mentioned Addis Mercato - a large market in Addis Abba. To quote him “At the Addis central market, you will be thrilled. There are so many traditional fabrics”. During our super fast trip, I bought a gorgeous yellow Kaftan, an Ethiopian processional cross, and a silver necklace made out of antique coins. I’m ready to hit the markets and see what treasures I can find.

My next stop after Addis is Langano Beach. Ethiopia is a landlocked country but it has amazing lakes. My wish is to stay at Simbo Beach Resort for a few days. My itinerary would revolve around recreation, relaxation, and drinking amazing coffee. Ethiopia is known for its top-class coffee. In fact, it was Ethiopian shepherds who first discovered this drink.

I’m so excited for my future trip to Ethiopia. We all need things to look forward to in order to get through these trying times.

I hope you are all healthy & safe!

Cheers,

Adolophine

Africa Travel Wish List: Ethiopia