Goodbye to Ethiopia...a list of our "last things"

The Donkeys and the the Jambos The Mountains and Macchiatos The Ladas and the Salamnos Dinich Tibs and Shiro!!!
t The view from our house in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia... One last misty walk around our neighbourhood... Playing during Ethiopian Kiremt (rainy season) Our final fire with Eucalypt Timber which grows wild in Ethiopia thanks to The Emperor Menelik's importation over a century  ago...I still remember our first day in Ethiopia and the smell of the cooking fires and my Aussie husband looking bemused as he said "It smells like Australia?" My last organized running event in Addis Ababa,organized by the worlds greatest ever runner Haile GebrSelassie... Our first and final Toga Party in Addis...(Thanks Beth n Ralph : ) My husband The SunBard's farewell gig at Enya's Kitchen supported by the Moonbeams..it was a magical musical night. Big thanks to Enya! Going out for our last date night in Addis... One more cup of buna (coffee) with Girma... We packed up our life...again.
Leaving Ethiopia on a 2 am flight to Brussels, Belgium.
Ethiopia...wow...what a journey that was!  It was the most EPIC experience of my life It taught me another level of humility, gratitude, heartache and love I will never forget its people, culture or landscape
As expats we are on the move...every time we travel my kids amaze me. They are so flexible and patient throughout the whole process...often calmer than my husband or myself!
We left Ethiopia and had our first stop in Brussels to visit my brother and his beautiful family. It had been too long since we had been together. We had such a wonderful visit and  even managed to squeeze in a quick road trip to Luxembourg, the Saarland and  France.

Now we are in my hometown, enjoying all the sights, sounds and of course, tastes of Nova Scotia. I am relishing this blessed time I have to slow down, be with my children and share my country with them.



In two weeks we will hit the road again. This time our first stop will be Taipei, Taiwan to visit good friends who are starting out on their 'new' life there - then we will arrive in Kuala Lumpur to begin our next chapter...

Dira Dawa (on our way to Harar)

After hours of driving...we made the decision to go to Dira Dawa first before heading to our final destination of Harar. It was 4am by the time we found a hotel...

 

Horse drawn carriage in the Muslim Quarter of Dira Dawa.. Love the colours...

 

Colourful baskets for sale...

Heading towards the market area...

Somali Sweets!! Leaving town..on our way to Harar   A woman with firewood walking on the start of a very high mountain road Mini van ~ the main mode of travel for Ethiopia between towns
Coca-Cola trucks are EVERYWHERE!! Random mountain top house...   Goats are also EVERYWHERE!! As are donkeys...    

After spending a few days in Dira Dawa, we made our way back up the mountain road towards Harar.