Djibouti was an unexpected highlight in the Horn of Africa. We had a great time there snorkeling with juvenile whale sharks in the Gulf of Tadjoura. Djiboutiville is worth a wander, and other highlights included Lac Abbe and Lac Assal, which undoubtedly are two of Djibouti’s must sees. We also got to link up with Steve, a friend from our contracting days in Baghdad. Always awesome to see friends in random parts of the world! Next on our itinerary was a quick hop over to Ethiopia where we headed up north to Mekele. From here, we did a day trip to see the rock hewn churches of Tigray, and joined a 4 day expedition out to the Danakil Depression which was amazing and did not disappoint. Then it was a flight back to Addis where we headed south towards Arba Minch and the Omo Valley. The tribes were as spectacular as we had imagined, and we really enjoyed our interactions with them, especially on market days. The most unforgettable experience was the Hamer tribe’s bull jumping ceremony, which we were lucky to witness our last day in the valley. Travel in Ethiopia is not always easy or fun, but it is truly unforgettable. Both of us were utterly exhausted at the end of our trip but had a great time nevertheless. Next trip will be to Iceland (thanks to Mike & Andrea Morelock who have turned both of us into obsessed planners trying to map out a rough itinerary). We plan to spend a month camping around Iceland and cannot wait!
