Back in Addis...

Oh, the smell of livestock! There were usually various herds of livestock roaming certain roads in Addis, of course with their respective herders. Pockets like these, mainly ram/goats were paraded for sale in certain parts of town.

Another reminder of my childhood in Nigeria. I guess the various herds become more apparent as celebrations approach. Actually, on one occasion, I do vaguely remember haggling for one as an intended gift (much to the seller's amazement that I could actually speak/calculate a little in Amharic...that's always a joy to see). The prices were amazingly low!

Back in Addis....

We got back to witness another beautiful sunset in town, I had capture this while I had the chance.

On the Way Back to Addis...4

There are alot of cyclists in the town of Debre Zeyt. I enjoyed mingling with the people and the atmosphere is quite calm compared to the busy-ness one finds in Addis Ababa. I enjoyed my stay there and hope to visit again soon. Would be cool to do it all again. I bet the other proposed facilities at the resort'd be ready then as well.

Coming up: Back in Addis - everyone's preparing for the very much anticipated Timket Festival.

On the Way Back to Addis...3

On the Way Back to Addis...2

Seemed to me to be alot more horse-drawn carriages outside Addis, like it was a very popular form of transport. I actually wanted to get on one, ran out of time...

Another excuse to go back there.

On the Way Back to Addis...

Yep, our four day weekend spoiling ourselves at the Kuriftu Resort had to end sometime, and so we reluctantly dragged ourselves back to the jeep and made our way through the calm town of Debre Zeyt once more and made our way to Addis Ababa.

Yup, that's me, kayaking in the lake - what an enormous amount of fun that was!

(ERROR ALERT!! I went into the town on the Saturday morning with a guide, actually we cycled into the town, loads of people and kids were all over the place playing chatting, some running with us, we stopped to rest, I got to see lake Hora, met some wonderful Oromo people gathered in a meeting, they were really welcoming, offering me some wine etc. I played table tennis, saw one of the oldest trees alive. Where's all this leading? Er... I forgot to take my camera with me! Big mistake!! Now I have to go all the way back and do it all again!!! Ha ha!!!)

Remember what I mentioned earlier about the warmth of Ethiopians...I really wished I could get down from the car and really snap away at these two friends/brothers/colleagues...still, I'm glad I could still capture the embrace between them.

So genuine, so real...

Kuriftu Resort & Spa...

Now, this was the main reason for the trip to Debre Zeyt - The Kuriftu Resort & Spa, what a place! Situated in a very peaceful location, right by the Kuriftu lake, the resort comprises of a beauty parlour, spa, swimming pool, fully loaded cinema, the meals are served either at the dining area or brought to you in your room.

All in all, its very serene, calm, very scenic with magnificient views. A place I'd definitely recommend anytime you visit Ethiopia - it's worth it!

For more info on the resort, visit: www.kuriftu.com

On the Way to Debre Zeyt....5

Another beautiful church building going up...

I shall definitely be looking forward to seeing what it finally looks like. The church buildings here are always a sight to see, be it ancient or modern.

On the Way to Debre Zeyt....4

No, we didn't travel up there by train. We were stuck in traffic and I happened to spot this scene from my side of the jeep. And since we were moving quite slowly, I decided to go ahead and capture. Didn't turn out too badly, did it?

On the Way to Debre Zeyt...3

On the Way to Debre Zeyt...2

On the Way to Debre Zeyt...

We took a very memorable trip to Debret Zeyt on the outskirts of Addis Ababa (about 40km away), the following images were taken along the road we travelled. My advice: check out the sky!

Sunset from Mount Entoto ...

It was kinda difficult manouvering to get a good spot for photographing the sunset, but I tell you, once you do find it, it's well worth the trek...Catching a sunset upon this mountain, overlooking the city of Addis Ababa is simply a breathtaking experience..!

Sibling Support...

This is a scene I noticed everywhere...a very admirable warmth between siblings, friends, schoolmates, even co-workers. I'll dig up a few more o' these as I'm sure I took more than one. It's a very pleasant sight to see; the closeness amongst Ethiopians. Very encouraging.

Another Little Girl...

Continuing my series on the young and innocent ones in Addis Ababa, this shot was taken whilst out shopping in the Piazza district of town. This little girl (ssoooo cute!) was running around freely playing while her mum in between shopping and picking up various groceries was frantically trying to keep her at bay...

Linked hands....

Told you...

Off to School...

I wasn't too happy with the outcome of this shot as it's kinda blurred. Again, I was in a moving car. I saw these happy little ones on their way to school one morning. They all looked really cute,forming a little chain by their hands - a very common sight here - kids are always holding hands! Cute, simply cute...

Keeping an Eye Out...

Most of the parking attendants tend to double as Security guards as well at most of the popular coffee shops - or is it the other way around - the security guards at most of the coffee shops and restaurants tend to be very helpful when it comes to customer parking. This shot was taking as I sat outside Kaldi's Coffee shop...needless to say Kaldi's is a regular joint of mine.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas...'

I couldn't really take my camera into the night service during the Ethiopian Christmas, as I wasn't too sure if it was allowed. But I managed a few shots outside afterwards...this one being my favourite.

School's Out...

Kids at the Cathedral School breaking up to go home for the day...

Cross....

I really can't remember where this was. I know it's not the Medhanialem church that I'm so fond of. Then again, I may be wrong. One thing's for sure - next time around, I'll be labelling all my shots.

St. Estifanos' Church..

Church...

Another one of the many churches that are literally everywhere in Addis Ababa. From time to time you can see various people, whether walking or even driving, bow as they pass by in an act of honour and worship to the saints...very moving to see.

Along the Bridge...

This is the bridge just after the National Hotel, before the UN headquarters

"I See You, Snapping Me..."

This is another shot from outside Kaldi's coffee. I was waiting to be picked up for a trip to Debre Zeit, couldn't take waiting any longer, so out came the camera...

Reflection...

Shots like these don't really tickle my fancy as they depict the not so attractive parts of any town, Addis being no exception. I only posted this one because after processing it, I liked the colours that kind of jumped out.

On the Way to the Piassa 2: Zebra Crossing

The zebra crossings in Addis Ababa are so long, you must make sure you walk/run across very briskly. On this occasion, we could obviously take our time in crossing, take pictures, even have a picnic if we wanted too as it wasn't too busy.