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Apr 25

Highway OR-216 (Grass Valley To Tygh Valley Road Trip)

By thehotflashpacker@gmail.com in Scenery, Undiscovered Gems

There are so many scenic drives in the state of Oregon, and one in contention for most scenic might be the stretch of Highway OR-216 from Grass Valley to Tygh Valley, also known as the “Sherars Bridge Highway”. From the views of Mt Hood, the to scenic camping spots on the Lower Deschutes River and the White River Falls State Park, there’s no end to the great views. I recommend you head from east to west, as you will get the best views of Mt. Hood this way.

Rolling Wheat Fields & Mt. Hood View

Mt Hood View, Note the two vultures sitting on the electrical post.

Grass Valley is aptly named, because it’s surrounded by wheat fields. After a short drive you will start to see incredible views of Mt. Hood looming above the rolling wheat fields. This stretch of road is especially sparse. I didn’t see any cars in over 30 minutes of driving – talk about having a road all to yourself.

Canyon heading towards Deschutes River

Eventually the wheat fields end, and you start your descent down a grassy canyon, maneuvering switchbacks

all the way. At the bottom you will find a ranch and the Deschutes River.

Wild and Scenic Lower Deschutes River

When OR-216 meet the Deschutes River, you can detour north on a gravel road to the Wild and Scenic Lower Deschutes River. Boating, fishing, and primitive camping for $8-12 per night. Managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Watch for wildlife, I saw a whole herd of Bighorn Sheep in the hills and some birds.

Pheasant

Deschutes River Native American Fishing Area

OR-216 follows and crosses the Deschutes River for about a mile. Here you can see the precarious fishing perches used by the Native Americans (if you’re lucky you might see them fishing). Keep an eye open for “Cormorant Rock”, a home to a few dozen roosting Cormorant Birds.

White River Falls State Park

White River Falls

Inside the power plant

This waterfall is the highlight of this stretch of road. The waterfall is composed of two levels and you can hike to the base of the bottom falls. It also is the location of a defunct dam and power plant. It’s surprising you can visit the semi-dangerous rusting power plant. I stepped near a board with a nail sticking out on entry! Both attractions are part of a free state park (have to love Oregon and all it’s free state parks).

Eat – Tygh Valley

Have a meal at Molly B’s Diner for a home cooked meal in this tiny town at the junction of OR-216 and US-197. The breakfasts are great!

Stay

Head down US 197 to Maupin for accommodation choice, many on the Deschutes River. Check Prices and Availability.

Find more off the beaten path places in Oregon.

Apr 21

Oregon Outback Scenic Byway Things to Do (Tourin’ with the Tumbleweeds)

By thehotflashpacker@gmail.com in Scenery, Undiscovered Gems

These are my favorite things to do along the Oregon Outback Scenic Byway located in Eastern Oregon. It’s way off the beaten trail and aptly named the “Oregon Outback Scenic Byway” due to the similarity to Australia’s Outback.

La Pine

Most likely you will be starting from Bend or Crater Lake. Drive Highway 97 to La Pine. La Pine is the last chance to stock up on goodies for your trip. I highly recommend the Grocery Outlet – discounted groceries and good selection of wine and cheese.

From here, you will drive 2 miles south to the start of highway OR-31. You can stop in the traffic triangle to get a picture of the official “Oregon Outback National Scenic Byway” entry sign.

Drive 29 more miles on OR-31 and turn left on County 5-10.

Fort Rock

Oregon Outback Scenic Byway Things to Do

Fort Rock, The Uluru of Oregon

As you drive the 6.5 miles to Fort Rock town, you won’t miss the actual Fort Rock. Fort Rock is the Ayer’s Rock (Uluru) of eastern Oregon. But opposed to a monolith, Fort Rock is a volcanic cone. But it rises in the

flats of the Oregon Outback and can be seen from miles away. Fort Rock is a free state park and they have

restrooms and picnic facilities as well has hiking trails for multiple views of the Rock

Eat

If it’s lunch time, stop at the Waterin’ Hole in Fort Rock town to eat with the locals and cowboys.

Paulina Marsh

The tumbleweed is abundant at Paulina Marsh

From the Waterin’ hole, you can drive 15 miles south on a gravel road through Paulina Marsh. This road is full of dust and tumbleweeds. Especially in the spring there are birds around this nearly or completely dry marsh. Near the town of Silver Lake, you will rejoin OR-31 and head south.

Summer Lake

Summer Lake

If you blink you will miss the town of Summer Lake. There is a nice rest stop in the town. When you take your break, look at the hills around the lake. Bighorn sheep have been reintroduced here. Also look at the lawn – many gophers live at the rest stop and they’re very curious.

Continue south along the lake. There aren’t many places you can stop near the lake but there are nice views when the lake is full of water.

Summer Lake Hot Springs

Summer Lake Hot Springs, the pool

There’s a developed natural hot springs at the south end of Summer Lake. This historic hot springs has a shed with showers and changing rooms inside along with a clean pool. Outside you can find two smaller soaking tubs. When I visited it was $10 for a day pass or $20 per person if you also want to camp overnight. Summer Lake Hot Springs also has some cute cabins and RV spaces for overnight stays.

Antelope Valley

You looking at me?

There isn’t really a place called “Antelope Valley” but this is what I call the area between Paisley and Lakeview because there were dozens of deer and antelopes seen along the highway. There were also quite a few birds including Sandhill cranes in the marshy spots of the fields south of Paisley.

Lakeview Geyser

Old Perpetual – Lakeview Geyser

Lakeview Geyser nicknamed “Old Perpetual” is Oregon’s only geyser. It used to shoot off every minute and a half but now it’s questionable if it erupts in the summer months. But when I visited in April, it was very frequent. The geyser is part of a hot springs resort.

Oregon Outback Scenic Byway – Where to Stay

On the north end of Oregon Outback Scenic Byway, you might consider staying in Bend (check rates and availability) or La Pine (check rates and availability).

On the south end, Lakeview (check rates and availability) is your best bet. Buy any supplies and gas if heading further south on US 395 to Nevada.

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Discover other things to do in Oregon.

Apr 15

Crater Lake in April (How Deep is Your Lake?)

By thehotflashpacker@gmail.com in Scenery

Crater Lake is one of my favorite National Parks – I’ve been there four times, but always in the summer. This year, I found myself at Crater Lake in April (April 1, Easter Sunday to be exact) so decided to make a detour over to Crater Lake. Crater Lake in the Spring is the basically the same as Crater Lake in the Winter – most roads closed, limited access to the park, no camping. But it’s also a time to visit with few other people. I had the sunrise view to myself at 7:00 am, and when I visited mid-day on the weekend the parking lot was full but only about 80 cars, as opposed to 100’s of cars that circle searching for parking in the summer.

The lake is super unique – it’s fed only by snow melt and rain and is some of the cleanest water in the word. Housed in a crater, it’s the deepest lake in America, at nearly 600 meters of depth.

Entry Fee

The fee to visit in the winter season is reduced to $10. Insider tip: if visiting many parks in a year, consider purchasing the $80 annual pass, it’s good for the rest of the month + 12 months, so my pass purchased on the 1^st of the month is actually good for 13 months!)

The Road

In the Spring, there is only one road in an out of Crater Lake National Park via the south. It’s quite an adventure to ascend the volcano by car. Be prepared to be surrounded by snow that’s higher than your car and expect fresh fallen snow if visiting in the morning, and flakes falling throughout the day. The park service works hard to keep this road open.

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The Visitor Center

Visitor Passes can be purchased here. There is a very informative 22 minute video about the park, including a fascinating look at what’s under the surface by scuba divers.

Crater Lake in April — A view of the cafe and gift shop in April

Crater Lake in the Spring — Typical spring view of Crater Lake, cloudy/foggy

The Lake

From the visitor center, there’s another 4 mile drive up to the rim. In the winter, the lodge is closed but the cafeteria and gift shop stay open. Here you can climb the natural snow ramp at the edge of the parking lot to view the lake. If you wish to go much further, you should use snowshoes (available for rent at the gift shop). There is less than 50% chance to see the lake under sunshine in the spring, but if you get lucky you might witness a sunrise or sunset – some of the best sunsets are in the spring.

Things to Do for the More Adventurous

If you want to get further afoot, it’s possible to reach the farther destinations of the park by snowshoes, skis, or snowmobile. One must be totally prepared for further travel.

Things You Should Take to Crater Lake in Spring

Even though you can see the lake from the top floor of the restaurant, the best, easily accessible views are from the rim, just on the edge of the parking lot. To access these views, you need to walk up an icy incline. I used Hiking Poles that were super helpful for walking around in the snow.
If you wish to go further than just the area surrounding the lodge, you should definitely have Snowshoes
It’s common for there to be snow, even in April. It’s wise to carry Chains for Your Tires
at these high elevations in the spring.

Nearby Sites You Can Visit

There aren’t a lot of nearby sites that are open in the Spring. If you’re lucky, the snow will be gone and you can visit the free Rouge River Gorge and Natural Bridge in Union Creek for a short walk. If entering from the east, enjoy the mountain views across the fields. Watch out for wildlife, especially migrating birds like Sandhill Cranes.

Crater Lake in the Spring – Where to Eat

The Park cafeteria is a great place to get a bowl of chili after viewing the lake in the bitter cold.

If entering or exiting via the western exit, stop into Beckie’s Cafe in Union Creek for bar food and homemade pie.

Crater Lake in April – Where to stay:

The Crater Lake camping grounds in the park are closed until at least May 1 each year due to a high level of snow. There are 3 Sno-parks within 15 miles of the park entrance. You can buy a Sno-Park Pass for $5 in Fort Klamath or Union Creek and park overnight if van or RV camping. You could probably tent camp there but rain is common (it rained for 11 hours straight on my overnight there) and it will likely freeze overnight. One of my sliding van door was frozen shut in the morning! Of the three, the one to the east of the entrance – Annie Creek – is the best – the lot is hidden from view of the highway by trees and snowmobile warming huts and the toilets were clean and immediately off of the parking lot as opposed to across the packed snow at the other Sno-parks. If you’re going to camp, make sure you have a sleeping bag for cold weather.

If you’d prefer to stay in a hotel, the city of Medford, along Interstate 5, and less than 1.5 hours from the park. Medford has a wide selection. There’s also a wide selection of restaurants, malls, movies, and other amenities. Book your Medford hotel here.

Check out another national park crater lake…Kelimutu National Park in Indonesia.

Find out more facts about Crater Lake.

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Apr 06

How to Spend a Long Layover

By thehotflashpacker@gmail.com in Travel Tips

A lot of us dread a long layover, but sometimes it’s necessary or it can shave $100’s of dollars off your flight costs. And then there are people like me, who purposely get the longest layover possible to get a chance to explore an unknown city. I’ve made use of long layovers many times and got to visit some really cool places I haven’t had a chance to see again, so these are the best of my tips on how to spend a long layover, and in some cases how to spend an overnight layover. This post contains affiliate links. This website earns a small commission for items purchased through these links.

How do you get a long layover in a place you want to visit?

When I search for flights, I often use google flights or kayak. I look at the cheapest flights and rather than looking at the flights with the lowest flying time, I look at those with the longest total flying time. Click on the details to see the location of the layover, the duration of the layover, and the start and stop time of the layover. Ideally, the layover starts in the morning any you’re flying out in the evening – for most people, a layover from 10 pm to 8 am isn’t good, but 10 am to 8 pm is wonderful! If it’s an overnight layover, try to find one that has a bit of time of sightseeing in the afternoon, then consider where to spend the night (see more on that below…) . A few airlines allow you to do an extended layover for a few days free of charge – research and call the airline to book.

Once you’ve picked your flight and layover, the key to making the most of a long layover is to research and prepare. You have a short period of time, so you want to do the best things and not make any mistakes or risk missing your next flight. The top things you must absolutely know before venturing out during a layover are:

1. What are the visa requirements of the country?

Ideally your layover is happening at one of the many countries that don’t require a visa or provide a free visa on arrival. The second most ideal situation is a country that allows you to purchase an inexpensive visa on arrival. I try to avoid long layovers with very expensive visas and/or visas that need to be applied in advance. This is just too much money and hassle for a short visit. The travel.state.gov website provides links to all the country visa rules for American citizens. Keep in mind that visa rules vary by nationality.

2. What do you want to see in the city?

Usually it’s easiest to go to the center of a city, but if a layover is shorter and the city is far from the airport, there may be sites nearer to the airport to explore. Pick your must-see attractions and continue your research. I often search for the top attractions on TripAdvisor and then find the location on a map, pairing up sites that are close to each other.

3. What are the transportation choices to the city?

Researching this ahead could save time and $100 or more. Sure, the easiest way is to hop in a taxi, but that’s not always the efficient and is never the cheapest option. I always search the public transportation options before looking at other options, such as private shuttles or Uber. For example, in Mexico City there is a blue express bus that takes you from the airport to downtown in dedicated bus lanes for a total cost of 30 pesos, or about $1.50 each way. Since the bus costs 6 times the normal busses, the locals don’t ride so you have a fast, non-crowed way to the city. In Taipei, the new MRT train will get you to downtown in 35 minutes for about $5 each way. A taxi could be $40 or more and could take an hour or longer if there’s traffic. In Hong Kong, the train to the city is a bit expensive, but if you’re returning to the airport the same day you get a round-trip ticket for the one-way price. Most cities have decent public transportation options, and a little bit of research will go a long way!

4. If an overnight layover, is there an option to stay up all night or are you better getting a hotel room or coming back to the airport late?

Before answering this, consider what time your flight is leaving in the morning. For example, if the flight is at 6 am but the first public transportation is at 6 am, you might better going back to the airport or an airport hotel in the night. If your flight is at 9am or later, now you may more easily stay in the city overnight and still have time in the morning to transport to the airport. Some people try to save money by “pulling an all-nighter”. I have to admit to doing this before – for example staying at the bars until 3 am and then catching a cab to the airport for a 6am flight. Don’t drink too much if you’re doing something like this. It’s not worth saving $50-100 on a hotel room only to miss your flight. For flights that leave in the middle of the night, say around 3 or 4 am, I just go to the airport and hang out. For overnight layovers, I book my accommodation at booking.com. Sometimes sleeping at the airport is the worst! Read this story about my overnight stay at London Heathrow.

5. Does the airport provide free or discounted tours?

The tourism authority of some cities provide free tours, so check online if this is an option and the tours coincide with your layover times. I’ve only had one time I was able to take one of these tours, in Seoul Korea. Make sure you make reservations ahead for free airport tours.

6. Is your layover is a little too short to visit the city?

See if there is a lounge that will be available. I absolutely love the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card as it includes free entry into 1000 airline lounges around the world. It’s great to get an adult beverage (or two or three) and a bite to eat, free wifi, etc between flights.

How to Spend a Long Layover – Planning & Resources

Next, you can start your planning and answer the questions above. Internet searches will reveal a wealth of information, sometimes even a full itinerary for a long layover, examples of good internet searches are (using Taipei for example):

* Long Layover in Taipei

* What to do in long layover in Taipei

* Overnight layover in Taipei

* 10-hour layover in Taipei (or 8-hour, 7-hour, etc)

Usually these will give you all the details you need, but if you’re still looking for more info, internet search for public transportation, visitor sites and hours, and hotels either downtown or near the airport.

Another good resource is your public library. Check out a guidebook for your destination and use it for your planning. I don’t usually buy or take a guidebook for the places that are just a one day stop. It’s better to just photocopy the pages you want so you don’t have to lug an extra book around.

Before leaving home, print or download any details you need. I usually both download and print a map of the city I’m planning to visit, along with a map of the public transportation (for example, a subway map if I’ll be using the subway to get around the city). Maps can be found in guidebooks and online. With your own maps, you can draw in hotels or restaurants that you want to visit. Google maps will let you zoom into an area and find nearby hotels and other services. Also, the maps.me map can be downloaded and used while you’re offline… it’s one of my favorite free travel apps.

Also plan and research what to do with any excess luggage. Ideally, you are checking luggage all the way to your final destination and only carrying a small bag that you can carry around your layover spot. If you have to collect your checked luggage or are carrying excess carry on luggage, research where to store this. Storing luggage at airports is becoming less possible due to security concerns. In a pinch, you can take it to the city and store at a hotel. I recommend security bags like this for touring your layover spot.

Lastly , learn a couple words of the local language. Learning “Hello” and “Thank you” goes a long way!

How to Spend a Long Layover – Here are some examples of long layovers I’ve enjoyed:

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Mar 28

The Perfect Ethiopia Northern Circuit Itinerary (Ethiopia Itinerary 2 Weeks more or less)

By thehotflashpacker@gmail.com in Architecture, Culture, Scenery

The most popular sites in Ethiopia are in the northern part of the country. Tours by established western tour companies are outrageously expensive, you can do it much cheaper via Independent Travel with little loss of comfort. I spent a couple weeks in the area and learned from my itinerary mistakes to provide you with the best 2-Week Ethiopia Northern Circuit Itinerary. Since the best Attractions are in northern Ethiopia this could also be considered for a great choice for an Ethiopia Itinerary 2 weeks.

Day 1 – Fly to Bahir Dar & Blue Nile Falls

Morning

Fly from Addis Ababa to Bahir Dar in northern Ethiopia & transfer to your accommodation. Most hotels will provide shuttle service.

Afternoon

Take a tour to the Blue Nile Falls. The Blue Nile river starts in at lake Tana and this beautiful waterfall is some miles away. It’s well worth the trip although it’s been said that the volume of water is much lower in dry season. The departure times for these tours vary but I recommend going at 2pm or earlier. I went at 3pm and by the time we got there, we were pressured into taking the more expensive boat tour and it was getting a little too dark for the falls. It was completely dark by the time we arrived back in BD. As an alternative to a tour, you can be more adventurous and visit Blue Nile Falls independently, but allow more time for this.

Stay: Manhaie Backpackers. Private, basic room. Shared hot shower & toilet. Rooms with private bathroom are also available. Wi-fi isn’t great there but you can go to a nearby hotel for adequate wi-fi for the cost of a juice or breakfast. Nati, the manager here is great and can arrange tours in BD and farther for good prices. Check Rates and Availability.

Day 2 – Lake Tana Churches and road to Gondar

Morning

Take a half day tour to the Monasteries along Lake Tana. This can be arranged by your hotel. Do find out if admissions to the Monasteries are included, often they are not and entry to each is about 100 ETB ($4).

Afternoon

Take a bus or shared taxi to Gondar 80 ETB ($3.50). The drive takes 3 hours on a good road with nice views and you will be dropped in the center of Gondar near Meskel Square

Stay

Gondar: Lodge du Chateau. A favorite guesthouse for westerners with a nice courtyard and adequate wi-fi. The breakfast is huge – fresh juice, avocados, choice of eggs or pancakes. Served on a rooftop deck overlooking a valley. Great location – just across the street from Gondar castle. Restaurants nearby. Check Rates and Availability.

Day 3 – Full day Gondar

Morning

The Fasil Ghebbi (Gondar Castle) complex opens at 8 am. Ticket is 200 ETB ($8). Make sure you hold on to the ticket because it allow you to visit the pool and return to see the castles in the afternoon light. Spend a couple hours walking around the complex – there are lots of interesting buildings to explore. Take a guide (you can hire there) or a good guidebook to explain each of the buildings.

Next take a tuk tuk (or 2 km walk) to visit the interesting Fasilidas’s Pool. Note that both the pool and castles close for lunch hour at 12:30 daily

Afternoon

Walk or take a tuk tuk to visit Debre Berhan Selassie church. Entry is 100 ETB ($4). This church has some of the best paintings in all the churches I visited in Ethiopia. I loved the paintings of angels (Habesha faces & wings) on the ceiling.

Then either return to the castles for afternoon light, or take a tuk tuk to Woleka to visit the synagogue and shop for ceramics (they sell super cute little ceramic chickens).

Stay

Second night in Gondar

Day 4 – One-Day tour of Simiens National Park

Note: If you are traveling with others, I recommend you get a car and driver for the next 5 days (to Mekele). You can get public transport to some of these places, but Simiens and Tigray requires use of private vehicle. Add a couple days to this itinerary if going by public transport. Also, catching public transport from Debark to Axum is difficult and I’ve heard stories of people needing to pay $300 for a taxi to make this trip, so you might as well consider paying $140-150 per day for the longer trip.

Morning

Get an early start at 6:30 or 7:00 with your private driver. It will be a 2 hour drive to Debark. Ask your driver to stop at the viewpoint at Kossoye (a green patch of grass with views of mountains below).

Stop at the national park office, which opens at 8:30, and pay your entry fee and hire your mandatory scout (was 150 ETB for entry and 150 ETB for entry and scout when I visited, but the fees rose considerably in 2018). You may also hire a guide here although they are not mandatory. If you have a good map and know exactly what you want to do, a guide is not necessary. All the things you will do on a one-day tour of the park are along the main road.
Have your driver drop you near Michibiny and hike along the escarpment.

Afternoon

Drive further into the park to the car park area for Jinbar waterfall. The hike is around ½ hour each way on a semi-steep trail, but the view is worth it. We found a grass spot overlooking the falls and had our lunch snacks here.

We stopped in the Sankaber area to check it out as there is an inexpensive mountain hut to stay, but the place was actually quite dirty and smelly from scores of campers and cooking that goes on there.

Simiens is a place you do not want to miss. There is National Geographic style wildlife – from birds and klipspringers to the famous Gelada monkeys that are happy to eat grass and groom themselves as you watch from a short distance.

Stay

The Sona Hotel in Debark has singles, doubles, and triple rooms. Buffet Breakfast. Wi-fi. Bar and restaurant for decent dinner. Check Rates and Availability.

Day 5 – Debark to Axum by Road

Morning

You can have a more relaxed morning today and start your roughly 7 hour drive from Debark to Axum on a partially gravel, partially paved road (improvements are being made so it will be quicker in the future). The views leaving Debark are incredible. There are several waterfalls as you make your way down the switchbacks of the escarpment. When you get to the valley there are great views of the Simiens from below for many miles.

Afternoon

Continue your drive to Axum. Stop for Ethiopian coffee along the way in one of the villages and enjoy the views. Arrive in Axum by mid to late afternoon.

Walk over to the Axum Stelae Park and buy your ticket 50 ETB ($2) which is good for 2 days. Visit the largest stelae (spires) in the late afternoon sun for the best photography

Night

Axum has many great Cultural Houses for song and dance shows and Ethiopian food. These shows are popular with the locals so it’s a fun night out.

Stay

There are several hotels from the very cheap to moderately expensive. None are too exciting. Check the latest reviews and Check Rates and availability for your Axum hotel here.

Day 6 – Full Day in Axum

Morning

See the other historical sights in town and visit the museum near the Stelae Park.

For 200 ETB ($8) you get entry to three churches (2 if you are a woman) and a religious museum. The gaudy modern church is one of the larger churches in Ethiopia. The museum is dusty but has some nice relics. We couldn’t visit the second church because women are not allowed, and we couldn’t visit the third church because it was closed for some reason.

Afternoon

If you have a driver (like we did) consider having him drive you to the other sites that are outside the center of town including Dongar Palace (easily walkable from town) and tombs and Monasteries north and east from town.

Stay

Second night in Axum

Days 7 – 8 – Two Days touring the Tigray region churches

The Tigray region churches are spread out and much less visited than the other historical sites like Gondar, Axum, and Lalibela. But this was part of the attraction for me. See here for a suggested two-day itinerary to some of the more accessible Rock Hewn Churches of Tigray.

Stay

Atse Yohannes , Mekele. Western hotel, good location, Ethiopian airlines on site, wifi, buffet breakfast. Check Rates and Availability

Days 9 – 11 – Three-day tour to Danakil Depression

You cannot visit Danakil independently. You must take a tour with security protection. Read here for info on the Danakil Depression Tour. It’s possible to do 3- or 4-day tours and do everything or 2-day tour to see either Dalol or Erte Ale. I recommend 3-days.

Day 12 – Fly to Lalibela & see some sights

Morning:

Fly to Lalibela from Mekele (note: this flight does not operate 7 days a week so check). Take the shuttle to town which is quite far from the airport (fixed fee price per person)

Afternoon:

Lalibela is perhaps the best known of the Ethiopia Tourist Places. Buy your ticket (a very steep $50, or the bank equivalent ETB conversion on that day, but good for 4 days. Note this is one ticket in Ethiopia that can be paid in dollars – the less expensive churches take ETB only).

Head over to the most famous St. George Church for a visit and then enjoy the view as the sun goes down (note: closing time is just before sunset so the guard will likely shoo you from the grounds before sunset).

Night:

Head over to the Torpedo House to try the variations of honey wine. I found the wine here to be quite pricey compared to honey wine I had in Omo Valley, but this seems to be a place to have clean, authentic honey wine if you haven’t had it.

Stay:

Honey Land Hotel. This cute new hotel is on the hill overlooking town. Great owner. Great views. Breakfast in the garden. Clean rooms. Great Restaurant and salads. Check Rates and Availability.

Day 13 – Full day Lalibela

Morning:

Spend the whole morning visiting the Northwestern and Northern church clusters of Lalibela. Sunday mornings are especially interesting because more worshipers are visiting, but you will not be able to visit inside most of the churches during services. Either have a good guidebook with maps explanations or use a local guide as the church complex is a bit of a maze.

Afternoon:

Take a tuk tuk up, up, up the hill to the car park of Asheton Maryam. Take a short hike along a high ridge to this Monastery (150 ETB, $6). Check out the winding rock hewn caves and get a blessing with holy water as you check out the incredible views. For the super fit, you can scramble up to a secret mediation spot of the king who founded Lalibela.

Sunset:

Have your tuk tuk take you directly to Ben Abeba restaurant for a drink to watch the sunset. I recommend going back to town for dinner as I found the food overpriced and not particularly good.

Stay:

Second night in Lalibela

Read more tips for visiting Lalibela here.

Day 14 – Fly to Addis Ababa

If your flight isn’t until afternoon, consider visiting your favorite churches again. But keep in mind the airport is very far from town so give yourself enough time.

This itinerary is just a guideline. I highly recommend purchasing this guidebook to give you detailed descriptions, maps, hours of operations, etc. It’s the best researched guidebook for Ethiopia.

Variations to Ethiopia Itinerary if you have more time

• If you’re into hiking, you can extend your time in the Simien Mountains and take treks of 2 to 10 days. Highly recommended.
• If you want to see Danakil at a more relaxed pace, consider taking the 4-day tour.
• Of all the historic sites, if you have one day to add, you could add it at Lalibela. There are some community based hikes nearby and churches outside of the town. If you visit on Saturday, there’s a great market. Lalibela Tip: If staying longer and planning to use your Lalibela pass on days 3 and 4, the guards become more and more stringent about checking IDs. Luckily I had a credit card on me with my name that matched the ticket or they wouldn’t have let us in.

Variations to Ethiopia Northern Circuit Itinerary if you have less time

• An easy way to cut 2 days from this itinerary is to fly directly to Gondar and skip Bahir Dar
• It is possible to fly between many of the cities of the north, so you could fly Gondar to Axum, Axum to Lalibela. In many cases this cuts ½ to a full day of driving.
• Danakil Depression isn’t for everyone – you need to have a basic level of fitness. Additionally, if you are traveling in the summer it could be unbearably hot. There really isn’t a reason to visit Mekele if you aren’t doing Danakil Depression. However, if you are doing the Tigray churches, Mekele is close and has good airport services.
• People who are more interested in historical sites skip Simiens National Park, but I think this park is a highlight.
• If you don’t have your own vehicle, you might want to skip the Tigray churches as most are difficult to visit by public transport.

Click here for 66 more travel tips for Ethiopia.

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Mar 21

Best Time to Visit Skagit Valley Tulip Festival 2020 + Other Tips

By thehotflashpacker@gmail.com in Scenery, Travel Tips

One of the greatest sights during spring in the Pacific Northwest is the blooming tulips and daffodils in the Skagit Valley. Please read below for the best time to visit Skagit Valley Tulip Festival and other tips for your visit. These are a few things I learned after visiting the festival over several of my years living in the lovely Pacific Northwest.

Best Time to Visit Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

In the last few years, the best bloom time has been the first 3 weeks of April, although this varies from year to year.

Although there was a warm winter in 2018 and there were daffodils blooming by mid-March, the second half of March was cold and this delayed the tulip blooms. The prime tulip blooms in 2018 was the last 3 weeks of April. For 2019, due to snow and cold in February, the blooms were a little later.

Due to incredible traffic (more on avoiding this later), it’s best to visit mid-week.

I also recommend visiting early in the morning. You can arrive and photograph the free fields in the morning light, and then head over to one of the main tulip gardens for 9am opening time.

Another alternative is to do some hiking at Deception Point State Park, and arrive to the tulips in later afternoon (keep in mind the 5pm garden closure time). Then you can check out the free tulip fields and stay for sunset. Some of my favorite photographs are the tulips are from sunset time.

Prepare Your Visit

Get a copy of the printable map available at the very excellent official festival website http://tulipfestival.org/. Check their calendar for events that might be of interest.

What to See

The two main places to see tulips are at Tulip Town and Roozengaard. In 2018, both places open on March 30^th. These places have huge parking lots and admission fees to see the best, most varied colored tulips along with displays, windmills, gardens, and activities. Here you can enter the field for as many pictures as you want (leave your drones at home). In the past years, there was another field on Young Road that also had great colors and a small parking fee. The best place to see free tulips is along Coleman Road, where there are some small parking areas and an ample road shoulder, but these tulips are limited to red, purple, and yellow hues. Bring your camera because you will take many photos at the tulip fields of Skagit Valley.

Avoiding Traffic

Best Time to Visit Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

TRAFFIC IS BAD, BAD, BAD. Especially if you visit on the weekend. 1000’s of cars are looking for parking so they can enjoy the beautiful tulips. Be aware of the entry point into the main parking lots… you can only enter from the north to both Tulip Town and Roozengaard as the parking lots are on the west side of the road and no left turns are allowed. If you see a long line of cars…that’s the line to get into these places. If you’re just trying to move about the area, make sure you don’t drive southbound on Bradshaw or Beaver Marsh Roads or you will get stuck in these lines. It’s not unheard of to wait an hour to go a mile.

Exiting to return to Seattle causes another bad back up on the 2-laned Fir Island Road. Everyone sees that on the map and correctly surmises it’s the shortest distance to Seattle…but not the shortest time to Seattle. I recommend you either find something else to do to (See “Other Stuff to Do” below) or wait until the traffic dies down, or head north to Highway 20 to get on the Interstate from that 4-lane highway.

Bring Your Bike

A great way to visit the area is by bicycle. The roads in this area are super flat (it is like the Netherlands, you know!). If you do go by bike, consider going mid week and keep your eye on the traffic.

Other Stuff to Do

There is so much to do in this area in addition to the tulips. Within a 20-mile radius you have places such as:

Wineries
Gardens/Nurseries
Antique Shops
Farms (Alpaca, pigs, etc)
Northern State Recreation Area. Go to this park just east of Sedro Woolley to do some easy walks in the woods and visit the abandoned buildings of the farm at the old Northern State mental hospital.
Deception Pass State Park & Bridge. Here’s a bunch of hikes near Deception Pass.
Padilla Bay National Wildlife Refuge. This was a new discovery for me on my last visit to Skagit. Take Bayview-Edison Road a few miles north of Highway 20 to this educational museum and aquarium and then take a walk out to the protected coastline of the bay.

What to Eat

If visiting the first three weeks of April, you can’t beat the Kiwanis Salmon Bake. $15 for wild Salmon and fixings and the proceeds go towards programs for the youth programs of Skagit Valley.

Where to Stay

Coming from out of town or want to stay longer? The closest town is Mount Vernon, but Burlington and Sedro Woolley are less than 10 miles away and Anacortes is a cute city on the sound. (check availability and prices).

Visiting Skagit Valley in March

If you hate traffic and love Daffodils, you might consider visiting in March. I visited on a Friday in mid-March and there were many more workers than photographers in the fields. Three of the Daffodil fields were in full bloom. Another advantage of March is the incredible winter bird life – tens of thousands of Snow Geese and hundreds of Trumpeter Swans. Fir Island, the bit of land sandwiched between 2 branches of the Skagit River, off I-5 exit 221 is an excellent place to view them. There are a couple gravel roads leading south from Fir Island Road and Maupin Road to state wildlife areas (Discover Pass needed). Additionally, birds may be found in the fields along Fir Island and Moore Roads.

Do You Love Tulips as Much as I Do?

Shop tulips at amazon…

When do you think is the best time to visit Skagit Valley Tulip Festival? Comment below.

If you love tulips but you’re in the midwest, check out the tulips in Holland, MI or Tulip Time in Pella, IA.

Or visit the other tulip fest in the Pacific Northwest – the Wooden Shoe Tulip Fest in Woodburn, OR.

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Mar 09

Rock Hewn Churches of Tigray Ethiopia

By thehotflashpacker@gmail.com in Culture, Scenery, Undiscovered Gems

Tigray is the farthest northeast state of Ethiopia. Tigray has a rich history but is best known for the Rock Hewn Churches of Tigray Ethiopia. This area is a real gem – very few tourists make it to this region so you can often have a whole church to yourselves or only share with a few others. There is no single must-visit church, and many of the churches involve steep hiking and rope climbing to visit. Others don’t allow women to enter. Others require use of 4×4 and very able driver. After seeing the incredible climbs in pictures on the internet, I was seeking out some more accessible Rock Hewn Churches of Tigray Ethiopia and Ethiopian Stone Churches. I asked a guide in Axum for churches with easy hikes and he gave me these great suggestions as he put it “for fat and old people”.

Here are some of the more interesting, accessible Tigray Churches – accessible for both men and women, and accessible for most physical capabilities.

Getting Around the Rock Hewn Churches of Tigray

Most people start their days in Tigray in Axum (northwestern end of the region) and end in Mekele (southern end), or vice versa. Both cities have airports and also can connect by road and bus to other destinations in Ethiopia. The churches I list here are in the order visited starting in Axum and going towards Mekele.

Yeha

This temple, about an hour east of Axum, predated the Christian churches of the Tigray region and is an interesting place to start or end your tour to the accessible Tigray Churches. The temple is thought to be over 2500 years old. A museum is being built but was not open in late 2017. Visiting this church only involves a few staircases. Entry is 200 ETB ($8). It is accessed by a gravel road off the main highway through some cute villages.

Mikael Alem Adi Kesho

The cleaver locking mechanism in Mikael Alem Adi Kesho

This church is in a cluster of three Ethiopian stone churches near Teka Tesfai down some mostly rough gravel roads. Of all the churches visited, this was the most challenging hike, but still wasn’t bad. It involved about a 100 foot climb up a single sandstone monolith rock. As sandstone is constantly eroding the walk is quite slippery and it didn’t help that 80 local boys and young men were chasing us yelling “local guide. You want local guide?”. We got to the top and entered a gate to the church and my friend cleverly slammed the door shut and held the handle so the few that made it to the top could not enter. They stood outside exclaiming that they would call the police!

Once inside the church, the monk will show you how to use the ingenious stick and rope key system to enter the church – wish we got this on video – when we tried we just ended up with tangled rope. Entry is 150 ETB ($6).

Mikael Milhaizengi

This church is also in the Teka Tesfai cluster of Ethiopian carved churches. The church is reached by a few minute hike up a hill. This church is best known for the unique circular dome ceiling. The monk may also be willing to open the door to the holy place and show you the pages of a 1500-year-old bible – it’s crazy to see a book so old and see it being held by bare hands! You will need a 4×4 to get to this church, or need to hike over a mile from Mikael Alem Adi Kesho. It may be better to take a guide – even our driver got lost. Entry is 150 ETB ($6).

Wukro Churkos

By far the most accessible of all Ethiopian stone churches, both by transportation and by foot. This church is on the northeastern outskirts of Wukro. Located on mostly flat ground, this rectangular church looks like it’s free standing but it’s interesting that it’s actually carved from solid rock. Entry is 150 ETB ($6).

Abraha We Atsbeha

My favorite of the Rock Hewn Churches of Tigray Ethiopia was Abraha We Atsbeha. This church is a 45-minute drive on gravel road from the main highway northwest of Wukro, followed by a 5 minute walk up about 100 steps. Not only is this church architecturally interesting, it had the best murals of all the churches visited. Make sure you take your time viewing the intricate paintings. Entry is 200 ETB ($8).

A Few Words and Tips About Visiting the Churches

A 1500-year-old bible in Mikael Milhaizengi

You must remove your shoes before entering all the Rock Hewn Churches of Tigray Ethiopia, except Yeha.
Don’t expect all the churches to be open. Sometimes a monk is out doing errands and you might not be able to visit or may have to wait for entry.
As mentioned above each church has its entry fee of 150 to 200 ETB. It’s wise to ask for a receipt so they don’t ask for you to pay entry again.
Usually the monk caretaker will also ask you for a tip.
Almost every Ethiopian carved church came with additional people looking for money – from kids trying to sell you fossils and rocks, boys trying to be your guide, or old men wanting a tip to watch your shoes. We were often asked to pay a “bonus.”

Where to Stay – Click links below to access the booking.com city pages

Note: cities of Ethiopia seem to have multiple spellings. I found this booking site to have the best selection and rates for Ethiopia.

Axum – The northern end of the Tigray region. We stayed at the Africa Hotel which was basic, but clean and in a great location.
Wukro – This is a great mid-way place to stay if visiting the churches for 2 or more days. Most of the hotels were on the main highway but no problem with noise. Hotels very inexpensive here.
Agridat – This is another mid-way place to stay on the intersection of the two main highways.
Mekele – The southern end of the Tigray region.

Guidebook

This book has an incredible amount of info about visiting the various churches in the Tigray region.

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Make sure you include the Rock Hewn Churches of Tigray Ethiopia in your Northern Circuit Itinerary.

If you’re in the area, specifically Mekele, make sure you check out the Danakil Depression.

Feb 27

Djibouti Travel – Best Things to Do in Djibouti

By thehotflashpacker@gmail.com in Culture, Scenery, Undiscovered Gems

Djibouti is more than a country with a funny name. There are lots of great things to do in Djibouti, including some great natural sites found in this gulf-side African country. These are my favorite Djibouti travel destinations and experiences:

Djibouti City

There isn’t much to do in Djibouti City but to walk around, visit shops, and eat, but you can have an enjoyable time doing this. Due to heat, the city pretty much shuts down between noon and 5pm every day so the best time to walk around is the morning and the late afternoon/evening. Some of my favorite things to do in Djibouti City:
• Walk around the alleyways.
• Shop at the night market. Bargain hard and have fun with it. Djibouti soccer/football jerseys make a cool souvenir.
• Go to a fresh juice stand.
• Visit one of the fancy grocery stores – it surprises me that so many fancy stores can exist in this country. Many exist due to the shipping industry and high number of military bases from France, US, and more. Did you know many of the drones that target the middle east leave from Djibouti airports?
• Marvel at the mosques. These all appear to be working mosques so they’re not for tourist visits like some of the most famous mosques in the world.
• Have at least one meal in a Yemeni oven restaurant – oven baked flat bread and fresh fish!
• Chat with the locals. French is more widely spoken but many do speak English.
• Have a beer in one of the bars or nightclubs. Unlike it’s neighbor Somaliland that’s totally dry, there are multiple venues for alcohol in Djibouti City. One street in the city center is lined with seedy bars.

Highway to Ethiopia

From Djibouti city, my 3 friends and I started our 2-day 4×4 lake tour booked through Rushing Waters tours. Since we luckily had a group to share, the cost of this two day trip was $200 apiece. If you’re not lucky enough to find a group and the 2-day 2-lakes trip is too expensive, you might do an alternative of taking a taxi to Lake Assal only (see Traveling to Djibouti tips here). The lakes of Djibouti are accessed by highway west out of Djibouti city. My biggest surprise was seeing 100’s of trucks with Ethiopian license plates. As Ethiopia is landlocked, they do the bulk of their importing via Djiboutian sea ports. While we didn’t make it all the way to the border, we knew that this road continued to the Danakil Depression area of Ethiopia as we saw the same trucks on the side.

Dikhil Oasis

The last big city on the main highway before heading off road to Lake Abbe is Dikhil. Due to a spring, it’s an oasis in an otherwise desolate area. You can take a quick tour around the green gardens and make sure you look out for giant tortoises. Dikhil is also home to a nice restaurant. Nearly all tours on their way to and from Lake Abbe stop for a break and lunch. They serve great chicken and French fries and have inexpensive ice cold non-alcoholic drinks.

Wildlife

Make sure you keep your eyes open for wildlife when you make your way to Lake Abbe. Wildlife is abundant and includes baboons, several types of antelope, and warthogs. Our guide didn’t know the English word for warthog but he knew Pumbaa!

Lake Abbe

Lake Abbe is otherworldly. A big hypersaline lake on the border of Ethiopia and Djibouti, the Djibouti side is visited by tourists more frequently. What makes the Djibouti side unique is the hot springs and huge natural chimneys that appear to be made of mud. There are Afar nomads that live in the area and their livestock feeds at the lake each day.

Lake Abbe Camp

The best part of the Lake Abbe experience is witnessing the sunset and sunrise and to do this you must stay at the encampment. Sometimes you might have the camp to yourself, but the night we stayed there was a group of a dozen Italians and a group of three that had just finished a tour in Somaliland. You get a huge dinner and sleeps on cots in Afar tents. The camp has a surprisingly clean toilet block and even a couple showers. I recommend spending some time watching the stars after everyone goes to bed.

Lake Assal

This lake is the second lowest place on earth, only after the Dead Sea in Israel/Jordan. What really amazed me was watching the thermometer on our car. In the 15 minutes it took to drive from the Sea to the lake, (i.e. from sea level to 155 meters below) the temperature raised by nearly 20 degrees F! This lake was gorgeous – the most incredible color of whites, blues, and greens. We drove to the basin and walked across the pure white “beach” of solid salt. This lake has a higher salt content than the Dead Sea so it’s only possible to float. I could have spent all day here if the sun wasn’t so brutal. Local kids sell souvenirs like salt pellets and salt encrusted goat skulls!

Whale sharks & Snorkeling

If visiting in November to February, it may be possible to snorkel with Whale Sharks – the largest fish on earth. We had the opportunity to go on the weekend Dolphin Excursions trip. For $110, there is a full day of boating, snorkeling, trying to find whale sharks, and lunch. The boat was super comfortable, and we enjoyed the 2-hour trip to the snorkel site. The passengers were split in two – one group would get in the small boats first to see the whale sharks and we were in the second group which meant we could snorkel on the reef and go to the beach first, and snorkel with whale sharks second. The reef was quite good – with typical tropical fish, smallish giant clams, and a nice white sand beach. We got super lucky when a large whale shark came close to the boat. We swam with him for a few minutes until it swam far out into the sea. We were told it was unusual for them to come to this area. Next, we got into small boats with local fishermen to swim with the juvenile whale sharks. There were a few around but they were so fast…by the time I got the bravery to jump in it was already gone. I didn’t really like this portion… it felt like we were chasing the poor fish around in our small motor boats.

Lunch was great, and we had over another hour to swim on the reef. The tide was going down, so the reef and fish were close. The water temperature was perfect for swimming. We had about 2 hours back to the city and got to see a nice sunset as we came into port. Overall a lovely day.

Where I stayed:

• Djibouti City: Residence Lagon Bleu. Djibouti tourism is EXPENSIVE and neither of the nice hotels in the city (Sheraton or Kempinski for over $300 per night) get good reviews. This centrally located apartment hotel is the best of the budget places. Our room for $90 a night included A/C, wifi, basic breakfast of coffee and breads (make sure you tell them what time the night before), sitting room, and a kitchenette (self-catering would be easy as there are many groceries nearby). Note that there is not an elevator so you need to climb 2-3 flights of steps to the rooms. Book it here.
• Lake Abbe: The encampment. This will be included if you book a tour. According to the Lonely Planet, it’s around $100 per person per night for half board if you’ve arranged the trip on your own.

Djibouti Jokes

My nephew was giddy when he heard I was going to Djibouti. There are lots of silly jokes:

Djibouti isn’t very big
There’s a lot of hot air in Djibouti
Djibouti is to world countries as Uranus is to planets.
You fell down so you must have a pain in Djibouti.

Do you have any good Djibouti jokes to share?

If visiting Djibouti, consider visiting it’s neighbors of Ethiopia or Somaliland.

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Feb 21

66 Ethiopia Travel Tips (Know Before You Go)

By thehotflashpacker@gmail.com in Architecture, Culture, Food, Travel Tips

I was lucky to spend over six weeks in Ethiopia. I learned a lot during this time. These 66 Ethiopia travel tips and Ethiopia Travel Advice are a must read for anyone going to or thinking about going to Ethiopia.

Before You Go

The weather in most of Ethiopia is cooler than you might think due to high elevations. Your Ethiopia Packing list should include layers and fleece.
Get in shape if you’re planning to hike Danakil’s volcano or in Simien National Park. Even the altitude in Addis Ababa may leave you breathless.
If you’re short on time in Ethiopia, book all your tours, drivers, and guides but be aware you will pay top dollar when booking abroad.
Map out your trip by narrowing down the places you want to visit.

Where to Visit

Don’t miss Danakil Depression – one of the most incredible places I ever visited. Make sure you check out the volcano status (sometimes the lava isn’t flowing) and security situation before you go.
Decide if Omo Valley is really for you – not everyone will appreciate this destination.
Harar is still a bit off the tourist circuit and you can do something unique and feed the hyenas.
The churches of Tigray are another spot you can get away from the crowds.
If doing the Northern Circuit, don’t miss Simien National Park. Even a day trip is enough to get a good taste of this park and see the famous, interesting Gelada monkeys.
Hawassa was a nice surprise and great place for relaxation. Sit by the lake, enjoy the views and the beers.

Easy(ish) Side Trips From Ethiopia

Somaliland is a super interesting place that can be visited by land crossing or flight from Addis Ababa. Get your visa in Addis. Very view tourists make it here so you can have the place to yourself.
Djibouti is great for a few days if you like unusual landscapes and snorkeling/diving. A train from Addis Ababa to Djibouti started in 2018, but you can also fly direct.

Food & Drink

Try some food and drink that will take you out of your comfort zone – I tried raw lake fish and beef.
Drink honey wine, called Tej. But beware – some of it is fake. It’s best to have your Ethiopian friends or guides but it to authenticate.
Many local places don’t have menus. Learn the names of foods in Amharic so you don’t have to eat “Tibs” for every meal. Many of the names can be found in my guide to Ethiopian food & drink, with names as pronounced in Amharic.
Vegetarians will have some choice, with Shiro and Tegamino (bean paste & injera) served everywhere. They are especially catered on Wednesdays & Fridays when you can order the “fasting food”…a platter of vegetarian dishes. Many places also serve vegetables and rice…but warning it may be very garlicky.
Don’t miss getting coffee in the little road side spots. You can get a small cup for as little as 3 ETB (15 cents) and a great cultural experience. Go to the cafe and ask for “Und Buna” or “One Coffee”
Try the different brands of beer and find one you like. I liked Harar, but St George is the oldest and most popular.
Chew the khat – the tea like leaves that are a mild stimulant. It’s best to chew with a peanut and/or a little sugar.
If you eat something that you think might upset your stomach, it’s best to drink some alcohol to kill the germs.

Water

Like most of Africa, the tap water is not potable. Drink bottled water.
Or better yet, use a filter bottle and save the environment by avoiding disposable plastic. This is one of my favorite travel accessories:

Safety

For the most part Ethiopia is safe. The main issue was pickpocketing, mostly in Addis Ababa. We were also followed in Dire Dawa. Read about pickpocketing avoidance here.
Avoid small scams…don’t take or sign anything from a local who approaches you.
There’s not a lot you can do about road safety but if you have hired a driver and are scared, ask him to slow down.

Disease

Malaria and other diseases are present in Ethiopia. Talk to your travel doctor before traveling.
You also need to have the Yellow Fever vaccination, especially if coming from a yellow fever zone, but likely you won’t be asked for verification.

Hotels

You don’t need reservations for the cheaper places (as long as it’s not a holiday, especially Timkat) I stayed in places as inexpensive as $6 a night (for a cement block room, squat toilet (not even a proper squat but just a cement hole in the ground, and water for the “shower” hauled from the river)
You may need reservations at some of the more popular western hotels, especially at holidays. Expect to pay $30 to $50 a night for a large room with cable TV, wi-fi, bathroom with toiletries, and buffet breakfast.
Booking.com is my favorite booking tool for Ethiopian guesthouses and hotels… a wide selection is available at many price points.

Shopping/Bargaining

Always bargain and ask multiple vendors for prices. I was shopping for a carved Omo Valley stool and got starting prices of 150 ETB to 500 ETB (About $6 to $20). I eventually bought a nice one for 100 ETB ($4)

Language

Learn a few words in Amharic – hello and thank you go a long way. You will hear “Ishee” – Yes, or OK, everywhere you go.

Begging

This is a tough one – kids and adults are constantly asking for things. If you must give, a pen or small bar of soap is better than candy. It’s sad to see so many young children with rotten teeth.
If you want to donate school supplies, it’s better to go to a school and donate directly to a teacher.

Overpaying – Hotels & Restaurants

You are a “Farangi”, or foreigner. Some of the local restaurants and hotels will try to overcharge you.
At restaurants, if they don’t provide a menu, ask the price. If they do have a menu, you might notice the prices in the English menu are clearly higher than those in the Amharic menu.
If a hotel charges you a rate that is much higher than stated in your guidebook or higher than fair, walk away.

Currency

Try to spend down all your ETB before you leave Ethiopia. The exchange rate to change them back to any hard currency is very poor.
Tours and some hotels will give you the best rate if you use USD. Some will even insist you pay in USD or EUR if you are a foreigner.

Banking

Use ATMs to get cash. There are many ATMs in Ethiopia – all except two of them worked on my first try. All major tourist cities now have them – including Lalibela. Some of the smaller towns in Omo Valley do not have ATMs.
Don’t rely on your credit card. Nearly every western hotel and some restaurants have credit card machines but only one of them worked during our trip

Staying Connected

The internet in Ethiopia is quite bad. While wifi is available at even some of the budget hotels, I don’t recommend this as a place for “digital nomads”. The internet was so bad that I was unable to connect remotely to my work computer.
The airports seem to have the best internet connection – but it too can be busy, especially in the international hall at Addis Ababa.
If you only need to make a few calls, you may be able to borrow the phone of your hotel or guide. Credits are very cheap. (I bought $4 of credit and had over half of it left when I departed)
If you’re going to make many calls, it would be worth getting a Ethiotel SIM card.
Some hotels/guides may claim they can buy a card for you but it’s best to go to the Ethiotel office. You are supposed to register your SIM with your passport and mine was not set up right so it took a trip and a favor to get it fixed.

Touts

Learn to say “no thank you”
Have a sense of humor about it. You won’t have a fun trip if you let the constant barrage bother you. Funny story – we visited one of the Tigray churches and there were dozens of young boys and men chasing us yelling “local guide. You want local guide?” We kept on climbing towards the church, managing to lose all of them except 5 or 6. We went through a gate and my friend closed it behind, leaving the “guides” on the other side. They started threatening that they were going to call the police!
If you absolutely hate touts, and you can afford it, you might consider getting a guide for your entire trip. The touts mostly stay away when they see you have a local guide.

Public Bus Stations

Some of the worst touts are at the public bus stations…they will see a tourist arriving from miles away. It’s wise to ask the price for a bus ride before you arrive at the bus station to make sure you aren’t paying the Farangi price – 2 or 3 times the locals price
Better yet, have your guesthouse book your trip and they will pick you up at the hotel. If you go this route, you may have to drive around town or wait for the van to fill up, and this could take an hour or more.

Bathrooms

Be prepared for anything. At restaurants and bars be prepared for a hole in the floor or ground in an outhouse. There was one toilet at the lakeside bars in Hawassa I fondly refer to as the “river of poo”.
Don’t flush toilet paper in the toilet. Put toilet paper in the bin. Plumbing in most of Africa may clog with TP.

Entertainment

Go to a Cultural House or two. These are not merely venues for cheesy tourist shows. Many are full of locals having a fun time and enjoying the entertainment.
If you can, visit the Cultural House with a local so they can interpret. The singers like to satire the audience.
Tip the musicians in the Cultural house. It’s common to tip the female singers in the top of their blouse/cleavage.
Go to a nightclub. You’ll hear the best of the popular Ethiopian rock/dance songs along with a few international hits.
Get to a concert if you can. Tickets are not unreasonable to see the top music stars.
Go to a football (soccer) match. They are a great way to see the football culture and tickets are often less than $2. Games are on Sundays and the season starts in October. Pick a side, sit with their fans, and scream to your heart’s content.

Getting Around

Ethiopia is a big country. Many of the main tourist destinations are 1-2 days apart by bus. Save your time and take one of the many Ethiopian Air flights.
Don’t forget to get your discount if you arrive in Ethiopia on an Ethiopian Air flight (either booked direct or by partner code share). You can save more than 50% on your internal flights.
We had been told that it’s possible to purchase your flight tickets only a couple days in advance, but we found we got a better price if we purchased well in advance. I tried to book one flight only a day ahead and the normally $60 ticket was $250 as economy class was sold out.
For long distance buses, use Selam Bus.
Get your long distance bus tickets a day or two in advance. They often sell out.
Consider hiring a driver for some legs of your trip. I found having a vehicle is especially useful in Omo Valley and Tigray region, as the best sites are not easy to get to by public transportation.

Guidebook

66. Get the Bradt Ethiopia guidebook, the best Ethiopia Travel Guide. It’s a must have travel accessory in Ethiopia. A must have if you’re traveling independently and really nice to have on a tour. Everyone will ask to borrow it from you! Buy it here…

Bonus Tip: if you’re single, don’t start dating an Ethiopian Man, it can only end poorly like the tale told by one female traveler.

Have you been to Ethiopia? Are there any other Ethiopia travel tips you’d add to this list?

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Feb 15

The Time I Paid to Get Molested and Robbed

By thehotflashpacker@gmail.com in Culture, Unique Experiences

Once upon a time, in 2013, I was making my way west along the Silk Road. I started in Nepal, made my way up to Tibet and Western China. Thoroughly enjoyed myself in Kyrgyzstan. And enjoyed my time in Uzbekistan visiting all the cool mosques, graves, and madrassas. But the travel was hard on my body so when I had a chance to visit a Hammam (Turkish Bath) in the charming Silk Road city of Bukhara, I jumped at the chance for a steam and massage. But this was the start of the time I paid to get molested and robbed…

I had 3 nights in town so on my last day, I stopped by the Hammam to get info. The manager told me that the daytime hours were for local men only, but after 6pm the bathhouse was coed and open to tourists. He told me the cost of the massage and told me a locker would be provided so I set up an appointment for 6pm and continued with my wonderful day in Bukhara. I did some shopping and enjoyed cinnamon tea and cardamom coffee with sweets. I traded some US dollars for additional Uzbekistan Soms – enough to pay for my massage and the next two days of touring to Khiva, our last stop in Uzbekistan before making our way to Turkmenistan. Uzbek currency was one of the wackiest I had ever seen. The largest bill at that time was a 1,000 note and this was worth about 40 cents. So, trading 50 dollars would give you a stack of 125 bills.

I went back to the hotel to change for my massage – swimsuit or not? He didn’t tell me how to dress so I put on my one-piece swimsuit just in case and headed back to the Hammam. The place was rather quiet when I arrived, and I discovered I was alone with a single masseur.

The masseur was a good-looking Uzbek “kid” – he must have been half my age. He spoke only a few words of English, but he gave me a lock and led me to the lockers. He handed me a “towel” which appeared to be a part of a bed sheet. I wrapped it around myself and headed to the Hammam.

The first part of the Hammam experience is sitting in the steam to exfoliate. The steam was nice and warm, and the masseur returned with a loofah and scraped off all my dead skin… 2 months of travelling worth of dead skin! He poured buckets on me to wash it away. I noticed his “uniform”. One of the same parts of a bed sheet. Soaking wet, totally see through, and nothing on underneath.

Next it was onto the massage part of the experience. He pointed for me to lay down on my front on the marble floor and he started the massage portion. He got to my calves and he exclaimed “Strong!” – one of the 10 English words he uttered. I was starting to feel a little uncomfortable as he made his way up and up. Next thing I knew, he was massaging dangerously close to my groin region. I was so glad I had on my tight swimsuit. He kept on going up and took down my swimsuit straps so he could massage my back and shoulders.

He then had me flip over. I put my swimsuit top back up and laid on my back. Again, the massaging close to the groin and then back up around the shoulders. The next thing I knew, he had flipped my swimsuit top down and started a full-on breast massage! I was really uncomfortable but was also scared knowing there was no one else around. So I let him finish what seemed like an awfully long attention to this part of the body and then he massaged my head and hair and the massage was over. He led me over to the steam area and motioned that I should steam for a while.

And I steamed, and I steamed, and I started feeling extremely hot – like passing out hot. I headed over to the door between the entry room and the Hamman and found I was locked inside! I was frightened and called out to the masseur. I could hear him call back to me from the other side of the room and a couple minutes later he came in too give me one more bucket wash. He said “done” and started walking to the door. I followed and accidentally got a full view of his bare backside as he took off his “uniform” and grabbed a robe.

By this time, I was just glad for it to be over. I went to the locker space and got dressed in dry clothes and grabbed my bag from the locker. He invited me to sip on some tea to complete the experience and I sat in the entry room with some nice tea. It was time to pay him the 60,000 Som for the massage so I grabbed the big stack of bills from my bag and started counting out 1, 2, …,58, 59, 60. I was shocked to find I only had 4 more bills – 4,000 in Som or about $1.60 left over. I counted again and handed the money over, still feeling perplexed. I was sure I had more when I had traded money earlier in the day.

It wasn’t until I was walking back to the hotel until I realized what had happened… he had a copy to the lock. When I was locked in the bath during the last steam, he was rifling through my money, and counting out enough to make sure I had exactly enough to pay for the massage, so I wouldn’t question this or call the police.

We called the Hammam the next day to tell the manager what happened, but the manager said the masseur didn’t steal anything. I wondered to myself how many times he had done this before. The good news is he didn’t get more than $20 or $30.

My lesson learned is to walk away or speak up when someone is making me uncomfortable and always take my own lock or locking bag. Then I won’t ever again pay to be molested and robbed!

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