One of the fun parts of travel is discovering the street art of a new place. Whether it's the elaborate graffiti of New York or Madrid, the political murals of Mexico, or the current craze of Yarn Bombing, there's always something cool happening on the street.
In the Horn ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Ethiopia
Somali murals: funky advertising in the Horn of Africa
One of the fun parts of travel is discovering the street art of a new place. Whether it's the elaborate graffiti of New York or Madrid, the political murals of Mexico, or the current craze of Yarn Bombing, there's always something cool happening on the street.
In the Horn ...Eating in the Horn of Africa: camel, goat and. . .spaghetti?
When my wife and I went to the Horn of Africa last year for our Ethiopia road trip, we were eagerly looking forward to a culinary journey. We weren't disappointed. Ethiopian food is one of our favorites and of course they make it better there than anywhere else!
While ...Travel Read: The Coffee Story
As a writer, I read many books by authors I know. As a traveler, I read lots of books set in places I've been. The Coffee Story by Peter Salmon gave me the rare chance to read a book about a place I love written by someone I met there.
For the record, I don't review books ...The n-word, the g-word and the hidden perils of travel
Living in Spain, I get a lot of questions about the United States. One of the most common, and certainly the most disturbing, is if it's OK to use the N-word.
Let me just say from the outset that I think the term "N-word" is silly. By using it you immediately think of the ...Photo of the day: Donkey traffic jam
Regardless of how transportation evolves, sometimes the old ways are still the best ways. New York and London have some of the oldest public transit systems in the world and while they've made a few upgrades in the last century, the original tunnels are still in use. Many ...The Obama pen: weirdest African souvenir ever?
Obama is big in Africa. There are Obama shops, Obama hotels, Obama t-shirts, even Obama: The Musical. A craze of naming babies Obama hit the continent when he was elected. Even better, the proud parents could fill out the birth certificate with an Obama ballpoint pen.
I ...Africa's new middle class benefits travel
Africa's middle class is growing.
The African Development Bank says one in three Africans are now middle class. While the bank's definition isn't comparable to the Western definition--the African middle class makes $2-$20 a day--the lifestyle is similar. Middle-class ...Ten (more) random observations about Ethiopia
When writing last year's Ethiopia travel series, I collected twelve random observations about Ethiopia. These were interesting bits of information that didn't fit in any of my articles. While writing my Harar travel series, I collected ten more.
1. The standard ...Tomoca: the best little coffee house in Africa
Ethiopia has a lot of great attractions--castles, medieval cities, even werehyenas--yet the thing visitors rave about the most is the coffee.
And why not? Coffee was discovered in Ethiopia. Legend has it that long ago a boy was tending his flock and saw his goats eating ...The worst zoo I ever saw
I feel sorry for my Harari friends.
During my stay in Harar, Ethiopia, they were so hospitable, so eager to ensure I had a 100% positive impression of their city and country. For the most part I did, and I left for the capital Addis Ababa with lots of great things to say ...The hyena man of Harar: a unique relationship between beast and man
The hyenas come just after dusk. We've been sitting in Yusuf's modest farmhouse on the outskirts of Harar talking about them when we hear their familiar yipping laugh. Yusuf picks up a big bucket of mule and camel meat, shoos away his well-fed cat, and strolls outside to ...The Argobba: visiting a little-known African tribe
Ethiopia is home to dozens of different ethnic groups and tribes. Some have populations numbering in the millions, while others have only a few thousand. One of the smallest tribes is the Argobba, a Muslim people scattered in villages across eastern Ethiopia. The Argobba ...Qat culture in Harar: East Africa's favorite legal high
Every afternoon in Harar, you see men walking along carrying plastic bags filled with leaves. Hararis aren't big fans of salads; they're chewing these leaves for a completely different reason. It gets them high.
Qat (pronounced "chat" in Harari, Amharic, and Somali) is ...Oromo villagers fight to preserve their heritage
A week ago I talked about exploring the ancient civilization of Harla near Harar, eastern Ethiopia. The modern Oromo village of the same name sits on the site and of course farmers come across ancient artifacts as they work in the fields. Harla ruins are scattered in ...Ethiopia's Somali region: a potential adventure travel destination?
As I mentioned yesterday, I've been exploring Ethiopia's Somali region. While my quest for Ahmed Guray's castle was a failure, I did see potential for adventure travel in the region.
Adventure travelers generally are looking for three things: historical sights, ...Exploring Ethiopia's Somali region
It's the dream of every adventure traveler--to explore a region that gets virtually no tourism, to see a culture with little contact with the outside world, to be among the first to visit the sights. It can be a thrill, an amazing rush that gives you valuable insights into ...Harla: Ethiopia's lost civilization
Eastern Ethiopia's history is shrouded in mystery. Most archaeologists investigate early hominids like Lucy, the famous Australopithecus afarensis, or study the great civilizations of the north like Gondar and Axum. The east, though, is virtually unknown, and only ...A visit to an African market
One of Africa's best attractions are its markets. Full of vibrant life and color, an African market always makes for a fascinating visit.
Harar has one big and several smaller markets. There used to be one at each of its five gates, but some have dwindled to barely half ...An interview with a traditional African healer
At first glance, Alia Abdi doesn't look like someone who can cure cancer with a simple recipe. A middle-aged wife and mother living in a typical home at the end of a rambling alley in Harar's old city, she offers visitors hot coffee and a ready smile, like any other hostess ...Harar home stay: living in a traditional African home
If you're staying for any length of time in a place, the best way to experience the local culture is through a home stay. Luckily Harar has a number of traditional homes offering spare rooms.
A local guide showed me a few and I chose one hidden away in a small alley not ...
