Tag Archives: Dispatches from the road – The United Arab Emirates is the country of Superlatives – world’s largest tower, largest mall, best mountain road, only seven star hotel, only artificial islands shaped into palms and the planet… And yet, between the surface of modernity is a country that still holds a few surprising cultural traditions for those willing to look.  It was finally time to leave Africa. We had our Saudi Arabian transit visas, we had our tickets for the ferry to Jeddah, and now, all we had to do was board the ferry from Suakin and leave Africa behind.  Long before I met Bruno, he visited Sudan. He told me of following sandy tracks along the banks of the fertile Nile River; of encountering nomads in the Sahara Desert after days without spotting another human; of his inability to spend his money, such was the hospitality of the Sudanese people. This was far from the image of Sudan I had in my head.  Gondar, the 17th century capital of Ethiopia, may have once been a place of splendour and magnificence. But, just like the crumbling castles and palaces of the Royal Enclosure, the majesty of Gondar has disintegrated, and it is now but a ruined shell of its glorious legacy. It’s time to say goodbye to Ethiopia.  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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