GOPRO 4K - Ethiopia (2019): Harar, Addis Ababa, Danakil Depression

Описание: Ethiopia: Believed to be the origins of Homo sapiens, it's the only African country to never be colonized (thanks to its mountains and good generals). With its own ancient alphabet, own religion, and even own calendar; it's truly unlike any other place.

Addis Ababa: A relatively modern metropolis (founded 1886) on an ancient land 2km above sea level (great runners produced here). HQ of the African Union;
first light rail in sub-Saharan Africa... With an extremely low urbanisation rate (only 7m of Ethiopia's 110m live here in the biggest city), wherever I was in the city I could see construction. I'm also a huge fan of the idiosyncratic pragmatism: there are suburbs named 'where the no. 22 bus turns around' and 'the place of crucifying chickens'!

Harar: While most visitors to Ethiopia take the popular 10-day northern route, very few visit Harar. I mean, during my 2 days here I saw less than 10 tourists. Some insights:
The food... Not a single meal was disappointing. The flavours were unlike any other I've had before. Camel tastes incredible by the way - like beef but more tender and flavourful.
Unlike the rest of country, Harar is predominantly Muslim. All built over a hundred years ago, one can see a mosque, Orthodox church, and Catholic church - all within a hundred metres of each other. It is hard to find historical precedents for such proximate hetero-religious harmony.
Really safe. I didn't need to waste mental energy on looking out for threats etc. The city enjoys very low levels of violent crime, largely thanks to most people following their religion properly.
Unlike much of the post-colonial world where the best commodities are reserved for international exports, the best coffee produced in this region are consumed in this region. I could bring some back but I'd prefer you visit and try for yourself 😉. It'd be misleading to overly romanticize everything though. Farmers that live 2-3 hours away walk to the city daily to sell their produce at the market, and walk back with household supplies etc. On the road here there were lots of children carrying containers full of water back to their homes etc. This is just the surface. I hope I've convinced you to visit this place before it inevitably changes and further globalizes.

Hyenas in Harar: Just outside the old city walls of Harer, wild hyenas are fed every night by the 'hyena man' to rid the city of bad luck. Later in the night, they enter the city itself via the gates made specifically for them (see last pic) to scavenge. Despite being one of the most vilified animals in the world (thanks to Disney), they were actually more like timid cats. Was curious what their breath smelled like but had a blocked nose unfortunately

Nahom (+251 92 091 5134) was my guide in Harar and would highly recommend him!

Danakil Depression tour:
The Dallol sulfur geysers felt like being on another planet. Never seen anything like it before.
Salt flats and lake of the Danakil had such a soothing effect. I just lost track of the little things that don't matter and was just letting it be.
Sleeping under the desert stars: no clouds, every part of the sky was illuminated by distant burning masses, warm breezes without the mosquitoes.
Erta Ale volcano: will never forget the stenching smell, stinging poisonous gas, and looking into the warm liquid we're all floating on.
Bonus: the people on the tour... excellent nerdy conversations in the 'professional services' car I was in (BCG Shanghai, law firm partner in Toronto, and Deloitte Germany management consultant). Plus I enjoyed listening to people's stories as the travel newbie - most others had checked in 50+ countries