call to place: ethiopia in 2012

I would never have thought of visiting Ethiopia.  As a matter of fact, I specifically said on my bucket list that I would go to Lebanon from Oman, where I was living and working, over Eid al Adha in 2012.  However.  With the refugees that were pouring into Lebanon from Syria, the U.S. State Department had advised travelers to stay away:

THREATS TO SAFETY AND SECURITY: The current Department of State Travel Warning advises U.S. citizens against travel to Lebanon. U.S. citizens who visit or reside in Lebanon despite the Travel Warning should be aware that there are a number of serious security concerns, and should consult the Travel Warning for up-to-date information.

U.S. citizens traveling to Lebanon should also be aware that personnel from the U.S. Embassy are not able to travel in all areas of Lebanon. In the case of an emergency involving a U.S. citizen in areas where it is unsafe for Embassy personnel to travel, the Embassy may not be able to render assistance.

In the event that the security climate in the country worsens, U.S. citizens will be responsible for arranging their own travel out of Lebanon. U.S. citizens with special medical or other needs should be aware of the risks of remaining given their condition and should be prepared to seek treatment in Lebanon if they cannot arrange for travel out of the country.

SO.  I was in a dilemma.  I debated whether I should go to Prague, which would be expensive following on the heels of my September trip to Greece, or to Zanzibar or Sri Lanka, the destination of choice for many of my colleagues in Oman.

Finally, my long-time friend, who worked at the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, suggested I come to Ethiopia and stay with him. He would be my travel companion and guide.  He had been in Ethiopia for a year, so I was lucky to have someone who knew the country.

That was that.  I promptly bought my ticket, which would depart Muscat, Oman early the morning of October 25 (happy birthday to me!).  I would stay in the country for 8 days and depart Addis late on Thursday, November 1, arriving back in Muscat early in the morning of Friday, November 2.  This was the Eid Al-Adha holiday in Oman; the same holiday during which I went to Jordan in 2011.

*Friday, October 5, 2012*

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“THE CALL TO PLACE” INVITATION: I invite you to write a post on your own blog about what enticed you to choose a particular destination. If you don’t have a blog, I invite you to write in the comments.  If your destination is a place you love and keep returning to, feel free to write about that.  If you want to see the original post about the subject, you can check it out here: imaginings: the call to place.

Include the link in the comments below by Wednesday, June 24 at 1:00 p.m. EST.  My next “call to place” post is scheduled to post on Thursday, June 25.

If you’d like, you can use the hashtag #wanderessence.

This will be an ongoing invitation, on the fourth Thursday of each month. Feel free to jump in at any time.  🙂

I hope you’ll join in our community. I look forward to reading your posts!

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