Addis Ababa
I don’t usually plan any “touristy” things when I come to Africa. But, since were here unexpectedly we decided to take a tour of the city with a driver from the hotel. One thing he thought we would enjoy is a view of the city from the top of the mountain. Addis Ababa is a city of 5 million in the mountains of Ethiopia. It was a beautiful view.
It is cool here. When we landed it was about 57 degrees. When we took this it was beginning to cool toward evening. We were quite high up very near the top of the mountain when this was taken.
We learned from our guide that the two main religions in Ethiopia are Christianity and Islam. I do not know who is the largest but my impression was that Christianity was the largest at least in this area. Near the top of the mountain there was a large Christian church. I believe it was an Orthodox church. The oldest Christians in Ethiopia were the Copts. They are still in existence but I do not think that their numbers are large compared to others. The Orthodox church has connections to the Eastern Orthodox originally formed around 1000 A.D.
Muslim meeting places are distinctive for their minarets, towers that issue the regular calls to prayer. In the past it was done by an individual climbing to the top and calling out. Now it involves a PA system.
The ones that I saw were colorfully painted.
One other site we had an opportunity to visit was the Natural Museum of Ethiopia. It was not a large or elaborate building. In fact it was somewhat nondescript. They actually gave us about 20 minutes to look since it was time to close when we arrived. The most significant relics within were prehistoric artifacts of early man, at least as it is believed by many. The most significant is the skeletal remains of “Lucy.” She is or has been believed to be the earliest example of humans (as they evolved).
Not a whole lot there from which to construct a complete skeleton is there? Yet that is exactly what has been done. I don’t know if you can tell but the reconstructed skeleton is only about 3 ft. tall. The dark parts are the existing remains.
Even though I believe that the view of some scientists that humans evolved from “lower” forms is erroneous interpretation it was still very interesting to see the actual relics that have made legends out of some scientists. I can’t help but wonder how differently they might have been displayed in the US compared to how they are here in Ethiopia.
Time Change
Traveling (especially east) always involves some time adjustment. Even though we were very time and held off until 8:30 or so turning in we were awake by 3 or so and ready for the day. It can take up to a week to adjust to the time change. It just depends. Usually I can do it now within a couple of days.
We leave the hotel around 7 am and our flight leaves after 9. So…if there are no more glitches we should arrive in Lusaka around noon. My next post should be from Lusaka tonight.
Mushale kabotu!
Charles & Audrey