Featured Forum Thread: 'Ethiopia and Sudan' by edme

[edme]

I spent a month in Ethiopia and about 2 weeks in Sudan. Being by myself (and it being the low season as well, permanently so in Sudan) it was going to be very expensive to get off the beaten path and see the truly spectacular stuff so what you see here is the tip of the iceberg in regards to what these 2 countries have to offer.

First up is Lalibela, these churches were chiselled out of the rock 800 years ago, it is one of many important religious sites in Ethiopia - the people you see in the pictures are pilgrims who have come from all over Ethiopia and the place echoes with chanting in the early morning.

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Lalibela 1 by edme!, on Flickr

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Lalibela 10 by edme!, on Flickr

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Lalibela 6 by edme!, on Flickr

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Lalibela 7 by edme!, on Flickr

In this picture you can see clearly how the churches were made:

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Lalibela 5 by edme!, on Flickr

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Lalibela 3 by edme!, on Flickr

These are from Gonder, they are a few hundred years old and the old seat of the royal family.

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Gonder 1 by edme!, on Flickr

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Gonder 2 by edme!, on Flickr

Simien Mountains, the most well known attraction in Ethiopia, I did a 7 day trek through the park.

This first photo was actually an accident, I was trying to take a photo with the 14mm like the one below but didn't realise I had the 30mm on until i was half way around the pano, decided to stick with it and I actually like it better.

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Simien Mountains by edme!, on Flickr

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Simien Pano by edme!, on Flickr

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Simien Mountains 9 by edme!, on Flickr

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Simien Mountains 1 by edme!, on Flickr

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Simien Mountains 20 by edme!, on Flickr

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Simien Mountains 19 by edme!, on Flickr

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Simien Pano 3 by edme!, on Flickr

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Simien Mountains 18 by edme!, on Flickr

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Simien Mountains 17 by edme!, on Flickr

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Simien Mountains 13 by edme!, on Flickr

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Simien Mountains 10 by edme!, on Flickr

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Simien Mountains 8 by edme!, on Flickr

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Simien Mountains (22) by edme!, on Flickr

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Simien Mountains 23 by edme!, on Flickr

This is from a town called Aswan, I took this from a hill just outside of the town.

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Aswan Door by edme!, on Flickr

These are from the Omdurman Market in Khartoum

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Omdurman Market 1 by edme!, on Flickr

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Omdurman Market 2 by edme!, on Flickr

Meroe Pyramids, just outside of Khartoum , the tops are broken off because that's where the treasure was (seriously!).

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Meroe Pyramids 1 by edme!, on Flickr

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Meroe Pyramids 2 by edme!, on Flickr

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Meroe Pyramids 3 by edme!, on Flickr

And finally Suakin Island, once an important port now a pile of ruins.

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Suakin Island 1 by edme!, on Flickr

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Suakin Island 3 by edme!, on Flickr

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Suakin Island 4 by edme!, on Flickr

 

[Levster]

Very nice photos! I can't imagine that many people would be brave enough to holiday in Sudan or Ethiopia! Did you find it safe enough to travel around alone or where you on a guided tour?

 

[edme]

Very nice photos! I can't imagine that many people would be brave enough to holiday in Sudan or Ethiopia! Did you find it safe enough to travel around alone or where you on a guided tour?

Thanks! I was by myself the whole time. Sudan is the safest place to travel in Africa (obviously if you stay out of Darfur & the south) I actually heard people say that before I went and didn't believe them either so if you scoffed reading that I know where you are coming from. Ethiopia is pretty rough around the edges and there was a vibe I didn't like but I never had any problems nor heard anyone else having problems.

 

[Listener]

Ethiopia is pretty rough around the edges and there was a vibe I didn't like but I never had any problems nor heard anyone else having problems.

Can you say more about the vibe?

 

[Crdome]

Amazing stuff. Thank you.

 

[Zee]

Wow. Just wow.

Z...

 

[agentlossing]

Beautiful!

 

[edme]

Can you say more about the vibe?

I felt like I was being prayed upon - probably because I was to some extent - and I wasn't sure how far people would go. It is a harsh place where many people live on the edge and you are walking around with a dollar sign over your head. I never got anything worse than some bothersome hustlers, utterly useless pickpockets, annoying prostitutes, rastas trying to sell weed, aggressive beggars etc but I have no doubt there are more dangerous people out there.

And you get none of that in Sudan in comparison.

 

[MajorMagee]

Simply Amazing Landscapes.

 

[RevBob]

Stunning set, beautifully done. The churches are fascinating and the landscapes gorgeous.

 

[nickthetasmaniac]

Amazing work!

Add it to the list :smile:

 

[Luckypenguin]

There's something very emotive about your images. Wonderful.

 

[biomed]

Very well done!

Mike

 

[penWS]

Stunning. The Simien images are wonderful! Thanks for sharing.

 

[timg]

What an awesome set Edme, and a worthy winner of my first ever 'nominate for feature' selection!

 

[MassimoFoti]

Thanks for sharing! I was very interested in Gonder, since I've read a few reports from Italian writers, dating back to 1936, when Italy invaded the country. I've been wondering about the state of the place and it's great to see up to date pictures.

 

[xdayv]

Very impressive set, thanks for sharing!

 

[lightning]

Fantastic set!

 

[Etude]

Superb works. I like the mood in the images of the churches. The mountain shots are great and the light is fantastic.

 

[Pili]

Fantastic shots edme! Really enjoyed them all.