Africa Archives - Wanderlust Wendy

Reality Check

September 11, 2019February 7, 2014

On my last day in Ethiopia, I was reminded of the frustration of living in a developing country. People’s memories are selective, and often biased towards the positive bits. Two weeks of blissful vacation in Addis and around made me think about this life once again. It’s been so wonderful, …

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Art in Addis Ababa

September 11, 2019February 6, 2014

After sipping coffee on a mountain top, I ventured to Asni Gallery, an art gallery in Addis. This was listed in the guide book as having some interesting art. I thought not much of it, just as something to kill time and to see something different. The entrance fee for …

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Coffee on Entoto Mountain in Addis Ababa

November 7, 2019February 4, 2014

Strong Ethiopian Woman Carrying Wood on Enoto Mountain in Addis Ababa

By my second week in Addis Ababa, I had visited all of the notable museums listed in the Lonely Planet. I wanted something a bit more authentic. So, I hired Million, the taxi driver who is buying a goat for his sister, to drive me up Entoto Mountain – the …

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Journey Through Ethiopia

August 15, 2019February 2, 2014

Everyone knows that you don’t get a true sense of a country by simply visiting its capital city. And for that, I ventured on a 13-hour bus ride up north, to see the ancient capital of Gondar, Ethiopia. It was an incredibly nostalgic ride as I had spent many hours of my Peace Corps service on similar journeys.

Castle, Church, Coffee

August 15, 2019February 1, 2014

Our Gondar adventures continued the next morning with a sunrise breakfast on our hotel’s terrace. We stayed at Lodge du Chateau. It’s centrally located with superb service. The lodge is just that, a lodge, hence pretty basic. Very Lonely Planet. The Peace Corps Volunteer nearby works closely with this hotel, …

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Market Day in Gondar

August 15, 2019February 1, 2014

We journeyed into Gondar on a Friday night, and the next morning, we caught the weekly market in town. I love market days! It’s the time of the week when the town comes alive. Anything you could possibly need, you can find on Market Day. The key word here is …

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Baboons on Simien Mountain

September 13, 2019January 31, 2014

One of the top attractions in Northern Ethiopia is Simien Mountain. Given that we were traveling in a group, we organized a private tour. Bus departed from Gondar. Two hours later, we arrive at the bottom of the mountain. Apparently, we needed not only a guide, but also a guard …

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Oasis in Debre Zeyit

August 15, 2019January 31, 2014

When Jenn asked whether I wanted to visit another ancient city or SPA resort on a crater lake, the answer was an easy one. They did call me Posh Corps back in the days after all. I enjoy rugged travel into the developing world, but I also enjoy the finer things in life that the developing world has to offer.

Impression of Ethiopia

September 24, 2019January 27, 2014

Since I left Cameroon at the end of my Peace Corps service in 2010, I return to the continent for the first time. At the end of 2010, I did take a trip to Tunisia, which is technically in Africa. Though this time, nearly 4 years later, I feel like …

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The African Ingenuity

August 15, 2019March 31, 2012

I am not an African, but in the two years of my Peace Corps service in Cameroon, I had fallen in love with the African people. Like most naive twentysomethings who set out to go “change the world”, I was humbled by my time in Cameroon. The country changed …

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