Ethiopia - Omo Valley

Hi just got back from a 8 day trip to South Omo and we can now add our name to the recommendations for Sora tours. Osman was great and very helpful for even organising things outside the tour. We are currently still travelling so we will do a proper trip report when we get home, but our blog and photos are on our site at www.cedavril.com
cheers
ced

Nice tourist thing.
Had you the opportunity to meet Mursi warrior,
with the scars on his upper arm?
I think no.
Every scar is one dead enemy.
It can be payed to see, but Mursi, I mean real Mursi, are still out of reach.
You have to be aware of that.
I f you want to meet real Mursi?
Means you're dead.
By his spear.
Mike65

Hi Ced. I read your Lalibela blog entry. I have been in the same sort of situation, and I totally feel for you!

Thanks for sharing,

BB

P.S. --I have met plenty of real Mursi, Mike. Ask me nicely and I may show you my scars. ;-)

great blog. sounds like a fun time. glad Sora Tours did you right, cause I was pushing them after I returned from my trip in October. I brought those tents you stayed in with me from the U.S. for Osman. Who was your driver. I agree, after Omo, the rest of the country is a let down.

Thanks guys

I'll definitely write more later.

Mike can't tell if you are being arrogant and belittling my experience or trying to be informative. You might want to check how you come across with your writing.

Herbl - thanks for those tents - they were very comfortable

you've been a great help to us with advice on mali and ethiopia

Bigbri - thanks you are the most helpful guy on this branch!

"After Omo rest of the country is a let down"

How can you say that ?
Did you really go there ?

Well, I didn't visit Omo but I felt that RELATIVELY speaking, the rest of the country was a bit of a let-down after the TESFA trek, so I know where you're coming from. When you get to experience an amazing connection to a new culture, joining the regular tourist circuit can be disappointing. Luckily there's always some wondeful moments tucked in there...still had great time at Gondar, Bahir Dar, Lalibela and Axum but not necessarily related to the sights.

I read over a few entries...sounds like you guys had an amazing time regardless...unfortunate about the hassle but we've all been through it! :) Is Ethiopia really better off than West Africa? West Africa's a big area to compare to a single country, I guess I tend to think of Ghana and Nigeria and Senegal and my impression was they were all much richer than Ethiopia. It seems the general consensus here is that the hassle is crazy in Ethiopia "just because." No good explanation.

hey nancy

i don't know if you remember me replying to a previous post of yours, but it was thanks to the beauty of your photos that we ended up going to Ethiopia so thanks for that, you really inspired us

omo was fantastic and overly touristy at the same time in having to pay for photos etc, but we have been to 60 countries and every time it is getting harder and harder to get a buzz from a country, and after being to a few african countries, even africa is much of a muchness after a while

however, the omo valley is so original that we loved it and we would now rate ethiopia as one of the most interesting places that we have been to

the north was enjoyable too, but nowhere near the same buzz that the south gave us

i hope you get there one day

cheers
ced

ps i was thinking of mali when i compared ethiopia in my blogs

Hmmm...I guess there's something good about "only" having been to 25 countries...I still get that buzz, every time! So glad you ended up like Ethiopia so much. I can't say it was my favorite country, but at the same time I definitely agree it was one of the most interesting and absolutely want to go back.

As for my photos, thanks for your comments! But out of the 54 I posted, I had just 6 from Lalibela, 2 from Axum, 4 from Bahir Dar... but 12 from Harar (some of my favorites of the trip) and a whopping 30 from the TESFA trek. So you can see where my inspiration came from...the two places I found most unique in Ethiopia were the ones you didn't visit. But there's always time for another trip!

Hoping I get to Mali soon, too... :)

hi naugastyle,
3 of my photos are in an exhibit on City Island at the Turning Point Gallery, it's 20 minutes from NYC. TESFA trek was one of the highlights of my travels. It was so authentic and that is why most of us travel. Some places just don't give us a buzz. Mali is an incredible place to travel to and you will love it. As for Ethiopia I found both Gondar and Bahar Dar bland, nothing seemed all that interesting or exciting. Omo is so primitive,raw and real. Some tribes do dress for the tourists ;Mursi. But to see the Hamar bull jumping and the tribal peole walk around in Jinka or Turmi is a real sight and is worth everything. Mali and Ghana felt African to me, Ethiopia felt different. It depends on the prism you look through. I flew from place to place in Ethiopia and at times felt disconected from the people.

Hi Nancy

Yep We'll be back to do the TESFA trek one day and add Djibouti and Eritrea onto the trip as well. That sounds fantastic and we wished we had time to do it this time.

Herbl, congrats on having some pics on display. Do you have a website to show some of your work? I'd love to see it. I agree totally with your views on all the places that you have mentioned.

Nancy if you do go to Mali one day, time it for the festival au desert in Jan which was a highlight. There are pics on my website if you want some encouragement.

Ced