Highlands, to and fro…

We spend far too little time in the highlands. I don’t think any of us wanted to leave.

Even those who are not apt to tent-living was kinda sad to see this kind of thing go.

Oh, did I not mention that? Remember last night? Huddled up around the campfire…

…we stayed in tents. My tent was pretty damp after the rain – the sleeping bag and mat were pretty soaked. But I found one not too bad and slept in it. Stephen (above) – who was staying in my tent – had his sleeping bag completely soaked and opted to share with another couple of guys in another tent.

No biggie.

Ah, but what a glorious morning. And what a glorious breakfast.

It is truly astounding what a good cook can do with a single propane burner and a frying pan. We had dinner in the tent in the background last night – hiding from the rain and hoping the water collecting in the ceiling of the tent did not give way onto the table.

But again, what a glorious morning.

Stephen and I headed out to explore around daybreak. Yeah, even with all those wild animals creeping around.

Speaking of that, during the night, wanna know what kept the wild animals off us?

Never felt safer. 😉 Every group that ventures into the Simien highlands is required to have a guide and a couple guards. They lead the group and follow after the last person.

Oh, and guides? For our trip in all of Ethiopia, meet Asu:

He’s a happy person. He was our faithful guide and translator during the entire stay in Ethiopia. I’m always amazed during my travels by the people I meet that takes care of me/us. Whether its a guide or a translator or whatever capacity they serve, guys like Asu (or Avner or Katarina or Osmon in the past) have always been a million times what you expect from the regular person.

And these travels are hard! Sometimes a week or 10 days or even two, they are a special breed of person. Often times the travels would not be the same without them.

But, back to wild animals:

Oh, and appeasing the family with a photo.

Yes, the only one of its kind thus far on my sojourn. Deal with it. 😉

But alas, we must depart the incredible Simien mountains…

…oh, by the way: the building on the right of that is an outhouse. Yes, with THAT view.

Anyways. The drive back was the same road as before.

Nevertheless, everything always seems different. Always.

The people are different.

With every stop, nothing is the same.

This was an area of Ethiopia that isn’t typically visited by just your average tourist. People stop. People take notice of the white guy in their village.

Its a type of exposed shooting I’m not accustomed to.

For now, stay tuned…
-Noah D.