HAMPTON ROADS, Va—The warm weather has finally settled in, and it’s time to begin planning that long-anticipated summertime journey. Travel Expert Amy Goodman facilitates our summertime journey planning and shares journey pointers. For more records, visit BetterStuffForLife.Com.
In November 2010, my husband and I traveled around Ethiopia for three weeks on a public bus with a private guide. Travel (specifically bus travel) is a real journey and no longer for the faint-hearted, as there are long journey days (even longer if the bus breaks down) on poorly maintained roads. But it’s miles an amazing way to experience the life and way of life of the locals up close and personal.
Addis Ababa
We arrived at the airport at 3.30 am. We had not booked any lodging due to our early arrival, so we stayed at the airport until about 7 am. A taxi agreed to take us into the city for USD 10. We went to the Ras Hotel, where we had to wait until 9 am to see if they had a room.
Travel Tip: We stayed at the Ras Hotel 3 times due to its critical area. The charge includes an awful breakfast, but lunch and dinner are right.
Bahir Dar
We stayed at the Ghion Hotel on Lake Tana and took a boat cruise to the islands to see the painted church buildings. The Blue Nile Falls area is quiet but now not well worth the long, bumpy journey to get there. Since the river damming, the waterfalls are nothing like the posters displayed.
Travel Tip: Check if a manual is included with your Lake Tana boat cruise. There were nine people on our boat. No guide observed us on the boat besides our private guide, Samson. On the first island we visited, Samson acted as an interpreter. Otherwise, we would not have understood what we were looking for. On the second island we visited, the church manual spoke English.
Gonder
The abandoned castles are fascinating, and hiring the guides at the gate is far worth it.
Travel Tip: We stayed at the Belgez Pension, which became cheap, clean, and quiet, but the rooms were tiny and cramped. They do your washing for a minimal price – deliver to the cleaners in the morning.
Simien Mountains
At some point, we did a 4WD day ride with another traveler and our guide, Samson.
Travel Tip: We might have preferred to have stayed overnight even though we are not trekkers because the scenery is lovely.
Lalibela
We spent 2 nights in Lalibela exploring the outstanding rock churches.
Travel Tip: Keep your entrance ticket on hand, as they will be checked at each church entrance.
Arba Minch
Arba Minch is an overnight bus stop between Addis Ababa and Jinka.
Travel Tip: Spend a further night on one of the stopovers and go on a lake excursion.
Jinka
We hired a 4WD regionally to tour the three primary tribes in the vicinity (the Morsi, Hamer, and Karo tribes). We shared this price with three other travelers who had been on the bus and stayed at the same lodging as us.
Travel Tip: Buy your bus price ticket to Addis Ababa early (at a minimum 1 day earlier), so you can gain a better seat number. Case cases, discover yourself stuck behind the bus on a two-day adventure. Buy good earplugs to block out the noise of the loud music videos playing.
