Ethiopia and the United States: Celebrating One Hundred Years of Official Relations

Ethiopia and the United States celebrate this month the 100th anniversary of contact between the governments of President Theodore Roosevelt and Emperor Menelik II. This month 100 years ago marked the first meeting by an official American delegation with the leader of Africa's oldest independent country. An American mission led by Robert Peet Skinner arrived in Addis Ababa on December 18, 1903. President Roosevelt bestowed the title of Commissioner to Abyssinia on Skinner, who normally served as the American Consul General in Marseille. Skinner's mission launched an important official relationship between Ethiopia and the United States that continues to the

The National Parks of Ethiopia Simien Mountains Part II

The Walk from Sankober It was an energetic group which set off for a walk that morning (after suffering a downpour the night before), but only at 9 AM after a couple of hours of drying clothes and sleeping bags over a campfire. The walk from Sankober to the Gich camp is part of the traditional Simien walk. Only a few years ago there was no functional road into the park, you had to walk from Debark. There was of course the series of 4 camps to walk to. The standard trip into the park involved 3-4 days walking in and

The National Parks Of Ethiopia

Nechisar Park is quite a way from Addis. To get to Nechisar you must go through the zonal town of Arba Minch. Going to Arba Minch represents a victory of determination over common sense. Take a look at a map of Ethiopia. Look down, way down, to the bottom of the Rift Valley Lakes. Arba Minch is between the two last lakes. It is a long way from Addis. Fortunately it’s worth it. The first time I planned to go to Arba Minch I didn’t get past Sodo - about 2 hours north. Apart from the crocodiles in the lake, the