One Vegetarian’s Tale of an Ethiopian Food Disconnect

Fasting Yetsom Beyaynetu platter served on a huge sheet of Injera, the very best of Ethiopian food

I LOVE Ethiopian cuisine. I was first introduced to it 12 years ago, in Tanzania. I took one bite of Injera, the spongy, sourdough flatbread that Ethiopians use to scoop up everything on their plate, and was immediately hooked. Not only is Injera delicious, it’s made with fermented teff flour, which is milled from a … Read more

The Magnificent Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela, Ethiopia

View over Bete Georgis (St. George) Church from an adjacent hillside

Imagine being a slave in Ethiopia during the 12th and 13th century reign of King Lalibela. Now imagine being handed a chisel, hammer, and an axe, and told to carve a three-story high church out of solid rock. Inconceivable, certainly. But when you consider that the King actually completed construction of the 11 magnificent rock-hewn … Read more

Rebirth on the Nile: Sailing on a Traditional Dahabiya with Nour El Nil

Tugboat tows our traditional Dahabiya out to the center of the Nile River in Egypt

A fat bumble bee lumbered across the stern of our boat. He circled a few times before realizing the yellow rope and orange life preserver weren’t flowers, then turned and headed back to the island where we were anchored. A black and white Kingfisher crossed his path, gliding impossibly close to the blue-green water of … Read more