Voyage Sagas

The Other Side of Langano (Part 2) … Everyone here, from the village children who waved and ran to us to the lodge staff, is so friendly and welcoming. It has been so long since I came across simple, down-to-earth people happy to host me and share what they have. The chef was quite a character. He introduced himself so graciously and asked for our names. His charisma was very charming, and despite his relatively old age, the man was very youthful and energetic. He stuck up a conversation with me and started to open up spontaneously. He told me he was from Sudan and had stayed here for decades. I could see the wisdom in his eyes, and he sensed something positive about me, claiming I was a humble and light soul. I was flattered. He divulged a hobby and played a video of him singing on his phone. I wasn’t a record label exec or headhunter, but it felt like my opinion mattered so much at the moment. I was very honored, and I applauded his passion. I knew he was the type of gentleman I coul...

The Other Side of Langano (Part 1) Local travel has always been an underrated delight for me growing up in Ethiopia. I tended to glorify international travel more, but the gems scattered in my vicinity will always remain priceless. Lake Langano was among the few places we visited frequently. It is ingrained in so many of my dear memories. We used to stay at a private bungalow by the shore on weekends or for up to a week. It is a family-friendly place where anyone can feel at ease, which made it a popular tourist destination over the years. For those unfamiliar with this destination, Langano is one of the Great East African Rift Valley lakes found beyond Ziway, just next to Lake Abjatta and Lake Shalla. It is roughly 205 kilometers from Addis Ababa and has a diameter of around 15 kilometers. The murky, brown hard water is surrounded by gray sand beaches. It is one of the cleanest lakes despite its possibly off-putting muddy color. What makes it so clean is what makes it brown, not soil ...

A Weekend in New York City (Part 1) I’ve always said if you had categories of all “kinds” of people, you would find at least one of each kind of person somewhere in New York City. You would realize this right away once in the big city. It is a concrete jungle where the trees have jungles within, the river networks are underground, and the critters share tight [public] spaces. New York City is a lot to take in, and it would take anyone a lifetime. I once heard it would take you five years non-stop to eat at every restaurant in the city. I have been here before and had a blast, but I was 12 years old. This time I was determined to make the most out of it and observe more sharply. My aunt offered an unplanned weekend there. I couldn’t resist the offer, so we were off. We started our drive from Silver Spring early in the morning. I was excited to spend some time on the road; I have come to enjoy long drives more than ever. We drove past Washington D.C. and Baltimore (where I had visited a ...

Camping in the Desert … The dunes have proven their seductive charms. It must have been hours already, but I was in a trance until we reached our first destination. I had always wanted to try quad-biking. As someone who doesn't know how to ride a bike (yet), four wheels sound ideal - a great combination of power, speed, and balance. I was excited and hopped on without any hesitation. I wrapped my 'shamagh' (head scarf) tighter and braced myself. It was time to have fun. I must have gone over my ride time limit. I couldn't get enough of it! As an adrenaline junkie, I didn't stop once. I would gain momentum at high speeds and drive straight up a dune as if going for a flip. Things were safe most of the time, but I almost crashed and heavily injured myself. The one time I accidentally drove right off a small cliff, I almost fell upside-down. Phew! That was a close call. Relieved by my close encounter and exhilarated by this new experience, our time was up, and it was t...

My First Desert Safari When I think of drastic fortune shifts, I often think of places like The United Arab Emirates. It is not an easy feat to completely turn around circumstances and fate in a handful of decades. The Emirates have been able to achieve this after uniting and discovering their golden ticket – "Black Gold." Oil money is a hotly debated topic in some circles. It is as greasy and dark as some industries get, but it is not the worst hand. Miracles can happen when a nation can dodge the resource curse trap. Dubai and the other Emirates are good examples. Previously uninhabited lands with sparse fishing villages have now become not only regional but global hubs of trade and commerce. This sudden influx of wealth and attention soon allowed the most diversified Emirate to become a tourist hot spot. The pearl fishing community now hosts ten times more expats than locals. Downtown Dubai as seen from Burj Khalifa, Dubai (2017) Copyright © Kidus Assefa 2023 Dubai now has...

Dejen and the ‘Abay’ Gorge (Part 2) … Chancho, Muke Turi, Fiche, and Gebre Guracha are among the drive-by small towns. These used to be pit stops for tea and bathroom breaks back in the day. There's less need for them now. We fly by them as if they don't exist. In all honesty, there isn't much to them; and there's almost nothing new. They're the same old "sprinkles of the Oromia region," I call them. Frantically established congregations along the opposite sides of the transnational highway roads. They're linear and align everything by the roadside. The crown jewel of my memory at these stops is a very underappreciated beverage called 'Lewz Shay.' Arabic speakers might guess this, but it translates to "Peanut Tea." And that's just what it is, a hot, rich, creamy peanut drink. It is one of the most warming and nourishing things I have ever had when done right. It's a shame that this isn't a commonplace drink in the city...

  Dejen and the ‘Abay’ Gorge (Part 1) "Abay mado … fila’w sir  yalèw bèré, na na gèbèré" – Anonymous So goes a timeless classic folk song. It is a warming song honoring farmers, whom Ethiopian society has an admiration-despisal perception towards. This hook grossly translates to… "Beyond the Nile underneath the reeds, is a bull in sight, farmer hurry and look." Translating the original language, Amharigna, to English is challenging as these two languages have almost no common root. Ignoring the funny outcome of this attempt, I want to emphasize one word I recently learned. 'Fila,' from my brief research, is a name for the group of tall, herbaceous, rhizomatous plants known as Cattail or Bulrush. It is a perennial plant of the Typha genus with an affinity for water that grows around water bodies like ponds, lakes, and rivers. I once saw these plants around the fringes of the Aledeghi Wildlife Reserve in Awash, Ethiopia. Maybe another time in the Nile Delta d...