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In
The Queen of Sheba's Footsteps
by
Jerry W. Bird
 Franco
- Ethiopian Railway from Addis Ababa to
Djibouti on the Horn of
Africa
Given Aladdin's 3 wishes I would:
(1) Restore Emperor Haile Sellasie's
original 'Lion of Judah' railway engine
that's standing all alone in the train
yard. (2) Hook it up to the Emperor's
prized set of antique French and
British crafted coaches, and (3)
Operate a twice daily luxury tour on
the Franco-Ethiopian Railway. Built in
the 1930s, the 482 mile line stretches
from Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa,
via Nazaret, Rift Valley and Dire Dawa,
to Djibouti, a French protectorate on
the Gulf of Aden. In a 10 -minute BBC
interview at the Gare (Railway Station)
I commented, "Think of the much needed
income such a packaged tour would
generate for the Ethiopian economy.
Discover
Historic
Lalibela
Lalibela's Bet Giyorgis, most
famous of the eleven rock-hewn churches
in this mountainous area, is believed
to have been built in the late 12th or
early 13th century by King Lalibela.
These incredible edifices, which were
carved inside and outside from solid
rock, are ranked among the wonders of
the world. Our team of North American
journalists came to Ethiopia with few
preconceived notions, yet each had some
special areas of concern. For every
member of the group, it was a first
time journey to this ancient,
mysterious, storybook land. What a
spiritual awakening it proved to be.
The tour of Ethiopia's Historic Route
began in Addis Ababa, the capital and
geographical center. For starters,
Ethiopian Airlines, flew us north to
Lalibela, the holy city; to Gondar-
Africa's Camelot, and to Bahir Dar on
Lake Tana, source of the Blue Nile.
Dire Dawa and the walled city of Harar
in the eastern sector completed the
agenda. Nothing I had read about the
Holy City of Lalibela, its mysteries,
legends, saints and monarchs, could
have prepared me for what we were about
to encounter on this trip. The brief
morning flight from Addis Ababa's
Airport north was a delight, winging
through the cloudless skies, as an
ever-changing panorama of awesome
gorges, deep canyons and broad plateaus
unfolded below.
More->
 Oldest
Human Ancestor Discovered in
Ethiopia:
An
international team of scientists
working in Ethiopia's Afar Depression
recently announced the discovery of
hominid fossils that belong to the
oldest human ancestor ever found. The
fossils which date back between 5.2 and
5.8 millions years ago, are significant
because they indicate that the
ancestors of present-day humans split
evolutionary company with apes more
than 5 million years ago. The specimens
are recognizable as early hominids and
distinguishable from early chimpanzees,
because some of their teeth
characteristics are shared exclusively
with later hominids. In addition, the
bones have a distinctive feature found
only in primates that walk upright on
two feet, unlike apes, which do not
walk bipedally. This new fossil
discovery also supports Darwin's theory
that hominids arose in
Africa.
More->
duated
with a BA., as an Economics major with
a minor in Public Administration.
Birth
of Coffee:
There is an old Ethiopian legend
that says that a young goatherd noticed
his herd becoming unusually frisky
after eating some bright red berries.
After trying some himself, he found
that they had the same stimulating
effect on him. A monk from a
neighboring monastery also tried these
berries after he found the young goat
herd in this state, and to his
amazement, he also found that the
berries helped keep him and others
alert during their night prayers and
thus spread the use of coffee.
More->
Ethiopian
Airlines Wins Friends , Influences
People:
How
many of our under 30 generation have
read his books, or even know about Dale
Carnegie, I could never guess. Yet this
one man's simple concepts have changed
millions of lives dramatically and
positively for generations, not just in
North America, but around the world. In
my opinion everyone should read at
least one of his inspiring books. Like
Napoleon Hill, another author who has
inspired folks around the world, he
leads by example. The management at
Ethiopian Airlines has the type of
action-based thinking and 'hands on'
approach Carnegie talks about on every
page of his best seller, "How to Win
Friends and Influence People." Speaking
of winning friends, the way our group
of 11 journalists was catered to during
a Tourism Ministry sponsored flight
from the USA to Addis Ababa -- and
around the country on its regional
routes, left its mark indelibly on each
of us. Following the Historic Route
Tour to Lalibela, Gondar, Bahir Dar-and
Lake Tana, I had the opportunity of
working at the company's head office
for several days, laying the foundation
for this issue and an updated (Post
Congress) edition of Africa Travel
Magazine. That was when I experienced
the "Spirit of Ethiopian Airlines"
first hand. More->
 Wine
and
Roses:
My
inner child loves surprises, and to
discover a freshly cut sweetheart rose
nestled on one's pillow is a touch that
transcends time and space. This was the
first surprise the
Sheraton
Addis
reserved for our group, and much more
awaited us as we checked the nooks and
crannies of this elegant hotel and its
spacious, luxuriant, terraced grounds.
Later, we discovered ornate vases of
roses literally everywhere; in the
restaurants, around the lobby and
corridors, at the pool-side -- and at a
festive wedding we attended. Airports:
Nationwide expansion sets stage for
tourism More->
Bahir
Dar, Lake Tana, Blue Nile
Falls
A
pleasant surprise occurred on day 3 of
our Historic Route journey through
Ethiopia. Following a short flight on
Ethiopian Airlines from Gondar to Bahir
Dar Airport, the gut-wrenching
condition of the road leading west led
me to believe our group of 11
journalists would be staying at some
dusty lakeside village. However, like
several of my colleagues, I was
completely bowled over when tall palms
and jacarandas suddenly appeared out of
the blue. Like part of a royal
procession, we entered a modern, well
laid out community with broad,
tree-lined boulevards. Bahir Dar would
rival many seaside retreats on the
Mediterranean or Florida. En route to
Lake Tana, I spotted a huge resort
hotel complex nearing completion
&emdash; a sign of positive things to
come. After checking into our hotel, we
boarded a motor launch for a spin
around Lake Tana, which is Ethiopia's
largest lake. We're told there are 37
small islands on the lake, and most of
them shelter monasteries and churches,
some dating back to the 13th century.
On most inland bodies of water of this
size, one might encounter powerboats
and sleek sailing craft, but on Lake
Tana in Northern Ethiopia, leisure
gives way to practicality. Here, the
waters are alive with a fleet of
'tankwas' , papyrus canoes, carrying
charcoal and firewood to market in
Bahir Dar. More->
A
Storybook
Land:
I've never been to Tibet, but the
spiritual presence and views we saw
during our corkscrew journey up the
hillside would easily fit that image.
Small wonder this storybook land has
such a spiritual presence, a proud
tradition and a way of life that has
survived three millennia, despite an
outside world of hate, conquest,
treachery, trial and turmoil. The
thatched villages, shepherd boys,
terraced farming methods, simple forms
of irrigation and donkey power, attest
to the fact that time has stood still
&emdash; as well it should. Coming from
North America it's hard for us to
realize that this is the way it has
been in this part of the world since
time immemorial.
Rocks
of
Ages:
During my recent African excursions, I
have been awed by mankind's glorious
creations, offset by a Jekyll and Hyde
capacity for evil. While we were
shocked by the slave castles of West
Africa's Gold Coast and Zanzibar's
dungeons, we saw the result of godly
forces at work in the 12th century rock
-hewn churches that have made the Holy
City of Lalibela a magnet for Christian
pilgrims and historians.
Many
come for the famous church festivals in
Ethiopia, such as Timket (Epiphany) and
other times of celebration and
devotion. Souvenirs of King Lalibela
are everywhere, as a continuing tribute
to his glory and greatness in creating
these wonders of the world. Our
official photographer, Robert Eilets
couldn't get over the abundance of
photo opportunities in Lalibela's
streets, at the famous stone churches
and around every bend in the road
leading to this remote highland
community. Next time, we vowed to allow
an extra day for photography
alone.
Footnote:
Back
in Addis Ababa, it was our turn to be
interviewed -- this time by Ethiopian
press, radio and television. To a
person, each journalist agreed it was a
positive experience with no feelings of
concern or anxiety about personal
health and safety. The climate in mid
February was perfect, and the
hospitality of the people was second to
none. What a beautiful prelude to the
ATA congress, Africa's 1st major
tourism event of the new millennium.
More to come, including map and
photos.
Continued:
(Holy
Route
North)
Gondar- Ethiopia's
Camelot
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Ethiopia
Story
ATA
World Congress
Addis
Ababa
Bahir
Dar
Lalibela
Gondar
Harar
Rift
Valley
South
Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Index
Arts
and Crafts
Coffee
History
Fashion
Shows
Felasha
Village
First
Impressions
Holidays
Hon.
Yusuf Sukkar
Oldest
Human
River
Adventures
Royalty
Thirteen
Months
Tour
Itinerary
Wine
& Roses
Services
Air
Travel
Airports
Ethiopian
Airlines
Railways
Ghion
Hotels
Hilton
Addis
Imperial
Hotel
Lall
Hotels
Sheraton
Addis
Taitu/
Finfinne
New
Resorts
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