Category Archives: Travel

A couple of great things about Ethiopia: coffee and popcorn. Ethiopia, as those of us who routinely buy Ethiopian Sidamo at Starbucks know, is a major coffee producer–of excellent coffee. And there’s a coffee ceremony, which takes 2 hours and … Continue reading →

I’ve been learning plenty about Ethiopia while I’m here. Some of the oddities: It’s 1999 in Ethiopia, thanks to some quirk of the Orthodox calendar. New Year’s Day is, I think, on September 11. Clock time is different, too, running … Continue reading →

Some photos of the hotel I”m staying in. I am about to head out to the REAL Addis. . . .

Oh, the magic of the name: Addis Ababa! Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries on earth, but the capital–at least the route from the airport to the 5-star Sheraton–looks prosperous and clean, compared with all other African cities I’ve … Continue reading →

Link: Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Author on slow train to adulation across Siberia.

NB: This entry has been CORRECTED, thanks to a timely reminder from my friend Wendy! Inspired by tales of people who’ve been everywhere, who collect countries, even if they just zip off an airplane and touch the ground before zipping … Continue reading →

Today I’m flying to Nashville to join some cousins for a road trip down to Mississippi to see our McLellan aunts and uncles for the weekend. I decided, not for the first time, that life is short and no one … Continue reading →