Gondar, Ethiopia

    The best part of this day was just driving through the country-side.  With the exception that we
were in a 4-wheel drive truck, we felt like we had stepped back in time 2000 years.  The pictures
were taken through the window of a bumpy, moving truck so they are what they are.  What an adventure.

We were told that all of the males carry a stick.  It's purely a
custom and really serves no other purpose today.

The donkeys do so much of the work carrying huge loads.  And
they just seem so patient and accepting.

Everything is done by manual labor.  These men are digging trenches so that the rains that are 
coming soon will not wash out their land.  The trenches will then fill up with sediment and they 
will do it again next year.  They could line the trenches with rock (there is an abundance of rock available) but then what would they do next year for a job I guess.

A small market along the road side.

Interesting rock formation in a very flat land.  Even the small
mountains are relatively even.  This formation is called
"God's Thumb."

Gazara Palace built in the 16th century. 

This product is called Quat (or Chat).  It is a drug similar to
Cocaine and is grown abundantly in this region.  

Here is a roadside market for this product.  You can see the
scales to weigh it out in kilos.

Loved the roots of this tree and they grew down the side of the
cement wall and out onto the ground below.

Typical homes for the people that live in Gondar.  You can see how fast we were traveling if you
look at the bushes in front of the house.

Yes, this is where they actually live.  Can you imagine what life would be like when the rainy
season comes.