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| Queen Sheba's palace in Axum (old capital) |
Being a volunteer for two years is unlike a business trip where there is little disruption in your usual lifestyle. That is why, VSO offers a debriefing period when one requires it to enable the volunteer to
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| Background: 400 year old fig tree |
adjust back easily. In my case, I chose to do a self-debriefing by prolonging the freedom I experienced in my adventures in Africa.
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| Coffee ceremony |
At first, I wanted to do an overland trip from East to South Africa passing through 10 countries in about 60
days. But the thing was, I would have to obtain a prior visa for each of these countries and I was afraid that my passport could be misplaced in the process. To simplify, I chose an off-the-tourist beaten track and a good-value-for-money destination... and found Ethiopia. Ethiopia (whose former name was
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| Vol Alain, at bus station |
Abyssinia), the biblical land of King Solomon's Queen of Sheba, home of Orthodox Christians
and where the coffee plant originated from the Kingdom of Kaffa (that's where the word coffee came from). I was fortunate that Filipinos in Kampala, Uganda put me in
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| An Orthodox church |
touch with Filipinos in Addis Ababa (capital city), who in turn connected me to VSO volunteers in
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| Black pepper tree |
Ethiopia, and who in turn gave me information on travel costs, travel time, places to visit. I couldn't thank them enough for giving
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| Queen of Sheba's bath |
me the comfort that should I get lost in Ethiopia, any of them will find me. I felt confident as I made my travel arrangements along the way. Ethiopia is reportedly the current repository of Noah's Ark.
Well, if I find it, I will request that it be lent to the Philippines to ferry the recent flood victims.
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| 16th century castles, ruined during World War II |
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