Category Archives: Horn of Africa The fourth holiest Muslim city in the world. An ancient center of Islamic scholarship. The town with the densest concentration of mosques in the world. An ancient walled town with mysterious alleyways. A Unesco World Heritage site. And, the number one recommendation from the Lonely Planet Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Somaliland guide book. Of COURSE visiting Harar was on the cards for us!  In two-and-a-half years of traveling overland with Bruno, we’ve never driven 425km in a single day. Never been on the road for twelve hours straight. Never arrived after dark to our accommodation. And never fallen into bed quite this shattered. I’m lucky this is only my first time experiencing this kind of day, I decide. I’m pretty lucky in general, actually.  Bizarre endemic animals, check. Bizarre lunar landscape, check. Bizarre climate, check. Three ingredients that make for an unforgettable trip to Ethiopia’s Bale Mountains!  Ethiopia has been on my bucket list for a long time. It’s a country with a unique history, religion, written script, music, calendar, and food. But with all the challenges we are facing as travelers here, I wonder if Ethiopia is worth the trouble. |
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