The dust will settle and be washed away but not from my heart will Ethiopia soon be gone.
Well we made it and accomplished many goals. It is truly hard to believe.
As I decompress to take in the variety of experiences I have had I recall the one true statement I made to Emma DeVries when we purchased the tickets several months ago: "Flexibility is the key to this trip". No doubt about that statement.
The goals of the trip were simple, yet became more complicated as the trip when on. It was Dr. Bascom's deep knowledge of the place that helped us construct new goals while we were there and reflecting on what was accomplished I believe there are many more things to attempt. I do not know what the future holds, but as I continue to write down ideas, perhaps I will be in Ethiopia again working with these and other geographers.
We left Bahir Dar in the early afternoon after a small pool-side sleep complements of the Bascoms. They have a membership at one of the two pools in the city linked to a resort on the edge of Lake Tana.
We flew to Addis and waited until midnight to catch our international flight, which took us to Khartoum, Sudan for a while (it was 73 degrees at 5500 feet altitude above Khartoum - hello hot) before heading onto Amsterdam, Detroit, and Grand Rapids. In honor of the 31 hours it took to get home, I end with the wonderful variety of travel options throughout Ethiopia. Thanks for being a part of this blog.
Until I get a little more geographical street credit.....
Travel by boat, note the papyrus boat in the foreground
Travel by cart and donkey
Travel by bus
Fly over this amazing and rugged landscape
The Bajaj.
Wild ride on a bajaj: 5 Birr
Cup of coffee from a local farm: 12 Birr
Helping Ethiopian geographers deepen their skill and knowledge of mapping: Priceless
For some things money can buy; for everything else there is dedicated committment to the field. ^
(God, family, country, and discipline of geography)
Well we made it and accomplished many goals. It is truly hard to believe.
As I decompress to take in the variety of experiences I have had I recall the one true statement I made to Emma DeVries when we purchased the tickets several months ago: "Flexibility is the key to this trip". No doubt about that statement.
The goals of the trip were simple, yet became more complicated as the trip when on. It was Dr. Bascom's deep knowledge of the place that helped us construct new goals while we were there and reflecting on what was accomplished I believe there are many more things to attempt. I do not know what the future holds, but as I continue to write down ideas, perhaps I will be in Ethiopia again working with these and other geographers.
We left Bahir Dar in the early afternoon after a small pool-side sleep complements of the Bascoms. They have a membership at one of the two pools in the city linked to a resort on the edge of Lake Tana.
We flew to Addis and waited until midnight to catch our international flight, which took us to Khartoum, Sudan for a while (it was 73 degrees at 5500 feet altitude above Khartoum - hello hot) before heading onto Amsterdam, Detroit, and Grand Rapids. In honor of the 31 hours it took to get home, I end with the wonderful variety of travel options throughout Ethiopia. Thanks for being a part of this blog.
Until I get a little more geographical street credit.....
Travel by cart and donkey 
Donkeys are sure-footed indeed
Walk
Truck it
Cars (Fiats and Toyota dominate)
Wild ride on a bajaj: 5 Birr
Cup of coffee from a local farm: 12 Birr
Helping Ethiopian geographers deepen their skill and knowledge of mapping: Priceless
For some things money can buy; for everything else there is dedicated committment to the field. ^
(God, family, country, and discipline of geography)
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