Ethiopia

ToMoCa

If you visit Addis Ababa you must try ToMoCa coffee. We did and we were pleasantly surprised, deighted, and energized after sipping our Lattes, Caramel Macchiatos, and Blacks. Check out these photos of the first Tomoca coffeehouse in Addis. It opened in 1953.

Final Hours in Lalibela

En route to the Asheten Mariam Rock Hewn Monastery this morning, I was delightfully accosted by two sisters who demanded that I wait for them to make their way up the mountain to meet face-to-face, politely shake their hands, and take their photos because they’re just too cute. I obliged. Thereafter I made my way…

Ethiopian Beauties

Watch on YouTube, click here. Shop here. On Tuesday I decided not to sleep in. This was not a problem because my night’s sleep at the Panoramic Hotel was quite invigorating. I awoke and went for a city stroll that unbeknownst to me lead to a six-hour round-trip hike to the hilltop monastery. When my…

Goodwill

I bought a soccer ball for the local youth.

My journey through northern Ethiopia took me to the same places Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. traveled through nearly twenty years ago.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxydlMaikBY Addis Ababa The present day capital of Ethiopia is home to the resting place of the last emperor Haile Selassie, and where the bones of one of the oldest human ancestor, Lucy’s bones…

Buddha Like Me

After my most recent trip to Ethiopia, I marveled at the similarities between Korean and Ethiopian culture. This is the original post: I went to a temple today. Koreans built it around the sixth century. We drank tea, talked, and took some pictures. I saw a statue of Buddha — one that I hadn’t seen…

Buddha Like Me

I had always believed that Buddha was a large fat bald smiling man whose stomach Chinese people rubbed for good luck. I would see statues of this man often in Chinese restaurants. It wasn’t until 2012 that I realized this man was not Buddha, but actually a famous monk — Hotei. Back in 2012 I…