The girl likes to give me a list of photographs to take while I’m on a trip. We spent time with library books before she made the list. This was my first trip to Ethiopia, and I had a lot to learn!

Here is the list:

1. Rhino

There was a zero % chance I would see a rhino. I asked her if a hippo would do…the answer was no! The only rhino seen on this trip was Ron the Rhino– a gift I gave the girl- full of my hugs to last her my trip!

  
2. Food

I really enjoyed the food in Ethiopia! We had a lot of Injera, and all of the spices made me very happy!

   
 
We had some time one morning to explore the market. The spices were amazing!

   
 
3. Lake

We were close to the biggest lake in Ethiopia, Lake Tana.  

 Bahir Dar sits on Lake Tana, and we flew in over the lake.

 
Papyrus grows on the banks and people make boats with it. 

  
4. Coffee

It’s definitely as good as they say. I would even say it’s infinitely better. When you have a cup of coffee in Ethiopia, the person serving the coffee has done everything – from roasting beans, to grinding and steeping!

Green coffee at the market:

  
Roasted Beans

  
Making coffee:

  
  
Salt is added to the first (of 3) cup. It’s definitely different, but tasty. 

5. Castle

There are castles, but not near where I stayed. The home I stayed in was a castle! They treated me like royalty!

  6. Shepherd
Most people are shepherds, so I have a lot of photos of shepherds.. Not so many of shepherds in action, though. 

My favorite little shepherd:

  
Action shot:

  
7. Tree

So many beautiful trees!!! I loved this tree, a sycamore fig…Zacchaeus?

  
This is a Koso:

  
I loved being at the tree nursery! The fruit trees were gorgeous:

   
 
8. Mountains

We were in the highlands above 2500m (>8000ft), so technically any photo is of mountains. However, you wouldn’t think of mountains to see this place…

  
An aerial view of the region:

  
9. Waterfall

It was the dry season…no waterfalls seen, but check out the stars!

  
10. Garden

We visited many gardens. 

  
The most common things growing were cabbage, kale, and carrots. 

   
   
11. Rock

Check out this amazing rock:

  
12. Forest

There isn’t much forest left. The farmers need the land cleared and they also use the wood for charcoal. Most “forests” are acacia for charcoal or eucalyptus for building resources. 

   
    
 
13. Donkey

  
14. Bird

There were a lot of beautiful birds!

   
   
15. Amhara Region

This is the region I visited, so all of my photos would fit this category. I would love for you to see some of my new friends who live in this region.