#105 ETHIOPIA

I've always imagined Ethiopia as a food paradise, but that's probably because I grew up in Washington, D.C., where Ethiopian food is in our blood. I've been eating kitfo, doro wat, shiro, and injera since I can remember, and I always dreamed of visiting Ethiopia to gorge myself on good food every day! Thankfully, I got my wish in early 2020 when a layover in Addis Ababa turned into a four-night stay in the country, including an impromptu visit to the Simien Mountains to see the gelada baboons.

The following are some photos I took on this trip, which I really enjoyed and would wholeheartedly recommend to any other travel enthusiasts looking for a fun combination of adventure, nature, and eating. We stayed at the Simien Lodge in the mountains, which was a bit expensive but still of decent value, especially considering that large troops of gelada roam through its grounds, providing ample opportunities to observe the animals up close.

Endlessly searching for Chadden Hunter - Simien Mountains, 2020

Our assigned scout - Simien Mountains, 2020

The Simien Lodge is an all-inclusive resort, and there are no other restaurants around, so you have no choice but to have the nightly dinner buffet. I wish they had served more yummy Ethiopian food, but it was clear that the kitchen catered to the more pedestrian culinary preferences of elderly Western tourists. On the plus side, every evening, they light up the big stone fireplace in the bar and play different documentary movies about Ethiopia, which were hilarious and entertaining. This was where I first encountered the adorable Chadden Hunter, an Australian biologist and filmmaker who spent years living with the gelada and clearly picked up some of their humor!

Excellent food at the Four Sisters Restaurant - Gondar, 2020

If you come to the Simien Mountains, you'll likely fly through the city of Gondar, in which case it's worth stopping at the Four Sisters Restaurant for a fantastic lunch. Here we ate a vegetarian mixed plate, kitfo, and special tibs. All dishes were excellent, but the kitfo -- served raw, naturally -- was the star of the meal and probably the best I've ever had! It was delicately spiced, tender, juicy, and so fresh I could almost hear it moo! Sure, I had decided earlier in the year to not eat red meat, but this was just one dish, and there was no way I would pass up trying an excellent kitfo in Ethiopia! I mean, what kind of food anthropologist would I be if I did that? ;)