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In My Room : Beach Boys →
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Catch Up →
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StoryTime #4 = 46 children →
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November 22 at 4:53pm →
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Learning Amharic
Post office: posta beat
Breakfast: kurs
Lunch: me’sa
Dinner: e’rat
Bread: dabbo
Salad: selata
Water: wuhu
Milk: wetet
Tea: shai
Coffee: buna
Sugar: se’kar1: and
2: hulett
3: sost
4: arat
5: ame’st
6: se’de’st
7: sebat
8: se’me’nt
9: zeteny
10: asse’r -
Zanzibar →
Zanzibar (also referred to as Unguja or Zanzibar Island) is the largest and most populated island of the semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar, off the coast of Tanzania. The African island has been for centuries an important trading center, a melting pot of African, Indian and Arab influences. Zanzibar’s major attraction is Stone Town, with its whitewashed, coral rag houses, charming shops, bazaars, mosques, squares and courtyards. Another big attraction are the beautiful white sandy beaches lapped by the turquoise sea and Chumbe Island! I think I could spend some time in the Jozani Forest too.
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Mauritius Island →
Mauritius is a small, multicultural island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar and southeast of the Seychelles. Mauritius was an uninhabited island until the Dutch arrived in 1598. The Dutch left in 1710 due to tough climatic conditions. The French took their chances 5 years later only to surrender the island to the British in 1810. From then on, the island was renamed Mauritius and remained under British rule until it attained independence. Mauritius is well-known for having been the only known habitat of the dodo. This bird was an easy prey to settlers due to its weight and inability to fly, and vanished less than 80 years after the initial European colonization.
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My Present and Future in Ethiopia
Hosanna, with a latitude of 7.58 (7° 34’ 60 N) and a longitude of 37.88 (37° 52’ 60 E). The location is situated 48 kilometers south (196°) of the approximate center of Ethiopia and 185 kilometers south west (209°) of the captial Addis Ababa. A 100 square km area around Hosanna has an aproximate population of 90264150 (0.902642 persons per square meter) and an average elevation of 2124 meters above the sea.
Where I want to Visit:
Melka Kunture located along the Awash River south of Addis Ababa and considered one of the most important Paleolithic sites in Ethiopia. Continue to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Tiya to view the northernmost field of huge incised monoliths that stretch across southern Ethiopia. Carbon dated at between the 12th and 14th centuries, these stone monuments stand guard over burials, probably of warriors killed in battle.
Aksum. This ancient city, with its ruins of palaces, huge monumental stelae, and subterranean tombs, is one of Ethiopia’s most historic sites. The legendary capital of the Queen of Sheba, Aksum is today the hub of Ethiopian Christianity. Stelae Park : where several colossal monolithic obelisks still stand together, marking the status of the Aksumite royals two thousand years ago. (stay: Yeha Hotel near Stelae Park?)
Drive through volcanic formations to Yeha, the capital of the earliest kingdom in Ethiopia. Here, the pre-Aksumite Temple of the Moon is the oldest known standing structure in Ethiopia dating to about 700 B.C. It is reputed to be the best preserved example in the world of South Arabian style temple architecture. Then explore Dungur, a complex elite residence popularly thought to be the Palace of the Queen of Sheba.
Lalibela, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Lalibela is often called the Eighth Wonder of the World as it contains towering churches that were carved below the earth’s surface from the soft, volcanic tuff in which they stand and filled with lively paintings and carvings. Some churches lie almost completely hidden in deep trenches, and others stand in open quarried caves. A complex labyrinth of tunnels and narrow passageways with crypts, grottoes, and galleries connects them all. Standing 38 feet tall with seventy-two pillars, Medhane Alem is not only the largest in Lalibela, it is the largest monolithic rock-hewn church in the world. The oldest of the churches, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, Bet Maryam is the only Lalibela monolith with a porch. Some consider the cruciform-shaped Bete Giorgis the most perfect church here; its interior is dominated by depictions of Saint George killing the dragon. (stay: Mountain View Hotel?)
Yemrehane Khrestos, a striking church and residence constructed using alternating layers of wood and stone and built into an enormous rock overhang. (Note: To reach this church we must hike a short distance up rather steep terrain.)
Drive to Gondar and into the Simien Mountain National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site at an average elevation of more than 10,000 feet. Originally formed by outpourings of lava, massive erosion over millions of years has created one of the most dramatic landscapes in the world, with jagged mountain peaks, deep valleys, and sharp precipices that fall thousands of feet. Within this spectacular splendor live the iconic Walia ibex, a wild mountain goat found nowhere else in the world, the Gelada baboon and the Ethiopian wolf - all endemic to Ethiopia. More than 180 species of birds (6 endemic to the park; one discovered recently in 1998) can be found in the Simien Mountains, the most famous being the Wattled Ibis, the Lammergeier, the Thick-billed Raven and the Towny Eagle. I would like to drive along the northern escarpment to Chenek, in order to experience the best of the striking Simien scenery. Easily seen in these high mountain meadows, families of Gelada baboons often combine to form large foraging bands of 30-350 animals. This high-altitude area is replete with steep, rocky cliffs, to which Geladas have adapted, and at night, the animals drop over precipice edges to sleep huddled together on ledges. (stay: Simien Lodge, located more than 10,000 feet in altitude and the highest hotel in Africa. Ethiopia’s first ‘eco-lodge’ with thatch-roofed tukuls complete with solar-powered under-floor heating)
Drive south to the royal city of Gondar where fortified palaces dominate the landscape. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the fortified city of Fasil Ghebbi was the residence of Emperor Fasilides. Surrounded by a 300-foot-long wall, the fortress is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Finally, view the Church of Debre Birhan Selassie, a beautiful structure with its harmony of brightly colored ceilings completely covered with intricately painted angels. (stay: south to Bahir Dar and Kuriftu Resort and Spa?)
Lake Tana is the source of the Blue Nile and the dramatic Blue Nile Falls which, in flood-stage, are more than 1,300 feet wide. Take a small boat across the Blue Nile and then walk to the falls where the gorge it has created is home to a small rainforest. Take a boat on the lake to visit several monasteries, including the most impressive of the southern monasteries, Ura Kidhane Mihret, located on the forested Zege Peninsula. The walls of the church are completely covered with remarkable 16th century murals that offer a revealing look into medieval Ethiopia.
Dire Dawa, located in the eastern section of Ethiopia. Visit Harar, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Completely encircled by a city wall built in the 13th through 16th century and closed to visitors until 1887, the city is considered to be the fourth most holy city in Islam after Mecca, Medina and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. The city’s mosques include the 16th century Grand Mosque with twin towers and slender minaret, and three of its multitude of holy shrines date from the 10th century. Expect women dressed in their vibrantly colorful traditional clothing sell everything from firewood to fruit. In the evening, watch the ‘hyena man’ feeding with the opportunity to assist him.
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Middletown Thrall Library: Do the Dewey! Trivia Game →
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The Dewey Decimal System.htm →
