E is for Ethiopia

Today is the letter E.  In the northwest corner of Africa, there are three countries that begin with an E: Egypt, Eritrea, and Ethiopia…  I’m adding Ethiopia to my “bucket list.”  After all, I love Ethiopian food having eaten it in Las Vegas and in Michigan.  The spicy meats and vegetables are served with Injera, a sour spongey flatbread that serves as a fork.  One pulls off a piece of injera and uses the bread to pick up the other food.  When you are done, there are no utensils to wash!  The sour bread goes well with the spicy food.

Damascus may well be the world’s oldest city, but Ethiopia may be where humans first came on the scene.  However, it does appear to be a little dry to have been the location of the Garden of Eden.  Ethiopia does have geographical diversity from flatlands to mountains.  Yet, the diversity of geography does not include coastland.  It is one of the most populous landlocked countries in the world.   Although humanity has lived in Ethiopia for a long time, there is a certain sadness about the people there.  In his trip through East Africa, Paul Theroux describes them as “a race of aristocrats who had pawned the family silver.”  As I’d like to the countryside by rail (as Theroux did), most of the rail line that used to run from Addis Ababa to Dire Dawa is no longer in operation.  This line may still connects Dire Dawa to the Republic of Djibouti along the Red Sea.  Today, if one would want to see the countryside, one would have to take a bus or hire a vehicle.   Still, places like Haran with its ancient ruins would be appealing as would the wildlife/national park areas. 

Yesterday I asked this question, why would Sage seek out a Manfred Mann’s Earth Band in Damascus?  

It was probably an attempt at a bad joke and nobody guessed it.  Manfred Mann one hit is “Blinded by the Light” and it reminded me of the Apostle Paul’s experience outside of Damascus.