ethiopia – Traveling Epic!

Bob Marley Adventure Guide to Reggae Jamaica

April 10, 2014April 21, 2014Posted in Caribbean, Culture, Favorite, History, Island, Nature, North America, Religion, Road Trip, Tourism, UniqueTagged bob marley, bob marley birthplace, bob marley masoleum, culture yard, ethiopia, Haile Salassie I, history, hope road, jamaica, kingston, Lion of Juddah, reggae, tour, trench town, trenchtown2 Comments

I’ve been wanting to go to Jamaica really bad. When a few of my friends were asking when we’d go, I knew I was going to be in Orlando and said why not? At first I was planning on a dive, but most of my friends that were joining weren’t divers, so instead we made this an interior trip. Why not explore the parts of the island that the tourists miss and be real travelers and go on adventures . I did see a lot of Jamaica and I write about the other parts of Jamaica in my follow up post “Get all right in Jamaica”.

I was excited to connect with one of the greatest artists Bob Marley. Robert Nesta “Bob” Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) He’s had such an impressive impact on the music industry with popularizing Reggae on the world scene and bringing light to Rastafarian way of life. More than just having a few Bob Marley songs, I’ve met some real Rastafarians that helped me understand it’s more of a lifestyle. Many wouldn’t realize the commitment of the Rasta folks including not drinking alcohol and eating veggie. Most seem to focus exclusively on the fact that marijuana is accepted and taken religiously. It was in Zanzibar where I really gained an appreciation for the Rasta music and sacraments. It was then that I really wanted to visit the island and see what it was all about. In addition, it was visiting the grave of Haile Selassie I and the castles of the empire of Ethiopia that made me feel like I both needed to learn the ancient and modern manifestation of what was going on with the line of Solomon and Bob Marley as a Prophet? There was a lot I needed to learn. There were really three main places on the island we visited. Most of the tours be prepared to pay $20 USD on the spot. For some reason most of the attractions on the island are twenty US dollars and yes you can pay in USD or Jamaican Dollars (approximately 9 or 10 to 1), while we were there it was even better to pay in USD as the dollar was stronger, wasn’t even worth exchanging the money…

1. Bob Marley Experience – House and Record Label on 56 Hope Road in Kingston, Jamaica (also where the attempted assassination took place) Tour required to see the house.

2. Trench Town Culture Yard – Birthplace of Reggae and where Bob Marley learned to play and where he lived after running away a few blocks. (a bit rough) Tour available. More on Trenchtown on Wikipedia

3. Birthplace, Mausoleum, and first home of Bob Marley in Nine Mile, his real retreat on his grandparents land. Deep inside the island. (Multi hour drive from Kingston or much closer from Ocho Rios) Tour required to get to the mausoleum.

There are a few ways to see the islands of the Caribbean, and while many simply get the all inclusive resort and catch a cab or van to their particular resort with a big fence and a private beach. If they leave they are visiting a tourist attraction called an excursion where the entire path and time is laid out where very little interaction with the *real* islanders happen. This trip on the other hand was the complete opposite. While I did see a few attractions, where I drove, slept, ate, and spent my time was amongst the people.

Popular Bob Marley Statue… One Love, One Life!

I had some great opportunities to visit the homes of Bob Marley. There are really three main areas to visit.

Bob Marley House on Hope Road – Bob Marley Experience

This is the house where Bob Marley lived until his attempted assassination in 1976. The house is now known as the Bob Marley Museum in Kingston, Jamaica dedicated to the reggae musician Bob Marley. The museum is located at 56 Hope Road, Kingston 6, and is Bob Marley’s former place of residence at his peak. It was home to the Tuff Gong record label which was founded by The Wailers in 1970. They don’t allow any pictures to be taken inside the home, but there’s a great collection of the news, records, and history. The guide takes you from room to room giving you history about Bob Marley and his success concluding in the theatre where they show a number of music videos and you get to listen to his music as it evolved over time.

Trench Town, Kingston Culture Yard – Birthplace of Reggae and where Bob Marley learned to play guitar – Not a place some tourists will want to drive by themselves. But for the adventurous traveler you’ll find a poor part of Kingston where the cement is the walls, floors, and many live in small spaces. The place itself has a rough history.

Bob Marley’s mom moved to Trench town, a poor but cultural part of Kingston a few streets up from the Culture yard. Bob moved to Trench town when he was 12 and wanted to stay on first street.

Today Trench Town boasts the Trench Town Culture Yard Museum, a visitor friendly National Heritage Site presenting the unique history and contribution of Trench Town to Jamaica. Trench Town is the birthplace of rocksteady and reggae music, as well as the home of reggae and Rastafari ambassador and prophet Bob Marley.

“Though raised as a Catholic, Marley became interested in Rastafarian beliefs in the 1960s, when away from his mother’s influence. Marley formally converted to Rastafari and began to grow dreadlocks. The Rastafarian proscription against cutting hair is based on the biblical Samson who as a Nazarite was expected to make certain religious vows including the ritual treatment of his hair as described in Chapter Six of the Book of Numbers.”

Trench Town Culture Yard… birthplace of Reggae and where Bob Marley ran away from home and learned to play guitar. There you can see his first guitar and see his room.

Left: Bob’s first guitar. Right: Statue of Bob Marley in the Culture Yard.

Out in Ocho Rios the Ganja smoking is not welcome in some areas, but you can find people who can get you whatever your heart desires. There are many plants all over the island.

This weed seems to spring up everywhere. I can’t say I tried any, but I did see a few plants and was offered much of the Reggae sacrament.

Bob Marley Mausoleum, Resting Place, Birth Place and first home in Nine Mile.

Bob Marley’s home where he grew started his life on his grandparents property. The mausoleum in Nine Mile (deep in the island) contains family members on his mothers side of the family.

While I couldn’t sit on the bed, I was offered the rock which was where many songs of inspiration came to the Bob.

I had an incredible time on the island. I’ll follow up this post with the non Bob Marley things I saw, but felt like the Reggae experience was worth a post alone. I hope this post can stand as a reference that there’s a lot to see to better understand the great legend of Bob Marley, one of the most influential singers of the decade a man taken before his prime.

The landscape in 9 mile is beautiful. In my opinion it’s worth the drive. You get to see a very different part of the island and if you can find a way to relax with the people… I recommend slowing it down and listening to the music. Don’t be so afraid to leave your resort. Jamaica is amazing!

In my search for the origins of Reggae I found Marcus Garvey and read all about Haile Salasie I, then looked up more quotes on his rein. You can also get a lot more history of Bob Marley with tons more detail on Wikipedia.

Empires and Castles of Ethiopia

November 23, 2012October 14, 2014Posted in Africa, Culture, Favorite, Religion, Tourism, Travel, UNESCO, UniqueTagged aksum, axum, Castle, christian, coptic, Debre Damo, ethiopia, fasilidas, Jewish, king solomon, Kingdom, sheba, timket8 Comments

When you think of Ethiopia you think of impoverished people where 3/4ths of the country live on less than $1 a day. When I first came across the fact that not only there were castles Ethiopia, but a vast Kingdom that rivals the Kingdoms of Europe and was larger than the greatest kingdoms of the world, I was blown away. Ethiopia has quickly become one of my favorite places in Africa. In fact what I’d discover was wild stories of King Solomon of Jerusalem of the famous Temple of Solomon and his many wife’s including the Queen Sheba whose kingdom is believed to have been in modern Ethiopia and Yemen. The more Kebra Nagast I read the more I was fascinated and even becoming convinced of the connection between Ethiopia and the old Judean kingdom. In Ethiopia you can’t separate religion and these vast kingdoms. As a Kingdom there are strong Judean traditions and Christian influences and is the first Christian Kingdom. If you read the Ethiopian scriptures you’ll find the marriage and first born son of Solomon and the connection to Sheba and her son Menelik.

Aksumite Empire and Kingdom

The Aksumite Obelisks marked the reign of the old kingdoms. One of them was taken by Italy and then returned in 2005. Imagine if England and France returned the obelisks from Egypt? I know the Paris one was for a trade for a clock that never really worked.

The Empire of Aksum at its height extended across most of present-day Eritrea, Ethiopia, Western Yemen, southern Saudi Arabia and Sudan. The capital city of the empire was Aksum, now in northern Ethiopia. It was known as one of the four great powers of his time along with Persia, Rome, and China.

Right: St. Mary’s church which contains the Arc of the Covenant behind the curtain in the Holy of Holies according to the Ethiopian Coptic church. They wouldn’t let us go back there. Instead they wanted to show us their old colorful Holy Book or Bible.

The Aksum empire achieved prominence by the 1st century AD, and was a major player in the commerce between the Roman Empire and Ancient India.

Aksum’s capital is found in northern Ethiopia in modern Axum which is now smaller than it once was. The Kingdom used the name “Ethiopia” as early as the 4th century. It is also the alleged resting place of the Ark of the Covenant and the purported home of the Queen of Sheba.

Abyssinia (Ethiopian) Empire – Solomonic Dynasty

The Solomonic Dynamisty claim direct male line descent from the old Axumite royal house. Menelik II, and later his daughter Zewditu, claim direct male descent from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. The importance of this is very significant for Rastafarians and much of Ethopia. The last emperor of Ethiopia born Tafari Makonnen Woldemikael, known as Haile Selassie I was Emperor of Ethopia from 1930 to 1974. He was the heir to a dynasty that traced its origins by tradition from King Solomon and Queen Makeda, Empress of Axum known in the Abrahamic tradition as the Queen of Sheba.

I took this picture of Emperor Fasilides (1603-1667) Castle in Gondar, which was one of the best preserved of the many castles in a small area in the city of Gondar.

Here Paul and I were messing around amongst the castles.

Above: Emperor Yohannes I Castle in Gondar – 1667-1682

We were a little surprised to find a heard of donkeys running down the road. The castles are on the other side of the rock wall.

These cool Banyan roots remind me of Cambodia.

Below: Coffee Ceremony. Coffee is originated in Ethiopia. If you love coffee I highly recommend the personal roasted coffee bean ceremonial experience. I’m not much for coffee being LDS, but my friend Paul must have tried it a half dozen times and loved every one of them.

Fasiladas’ bath – created by Fasilidas back in the 16h century. It’s a beautiful place where they perform baptisms.

Timket – Once a year the Ethiopian church celebrates the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan river on January 19 (or 20 on Leap Year), corresponding to the 10th day of Terr following the Ethiopian calendar.

Below: This blue house appears made of dung and this fabulous blue color.

Below the ancient kingdom of Yeha even older than Axum as the capital for Ethiopia and has the oldest building in Ethiopia dated to somewhere around 700 BC. We were definitely out of place in this little village. If you really want to see people who rarely see outsiders this is a great place.

The Monastery of Debre Damo is on a flat-topped mountain with and contains a 6th century monastery available only to men. While on top of this plateau you can see hills and landscape in Sudan and Eritrea. It’s a real treat for multiple reasons. The only entry is via a rope made of animal hides that’s dropped. You tie one it around you and start climbing up the other animal rope. It’s an incredible experience climbing up 100 foot cliff straight up.

If you visit Axum Ethiopia it’s a short 2-3 hours through an amazing countryside ride. Yeha is less than a half hour away. We were able to see much of Axum in the morning and make it out to the amazing unique monastery.

Lalibela Ethiopia and the Famous Rock Hewn Churches

October 15, 2012October 15, 2012Posted in Africa, Bucket List, Favorite, Food, Nature, Religion, Technology, Tourism, Travel, UNESCO, UniqueTagged canyon, caves, christian, cross, ethiopia, Hiking, Lalibela, orthodox, Rock Church, St George12 Comments

In our world there are few places shrouded with as much mystery, culture, and history as Lalibela the second holiest place in Ethiopia. Designated as the 8th wonder of the world, and a UNESCO world heritage site. These rock hewn churches made in the 16th century are an ancient treasure built by Angels.

Lalibela starts with the story of a King that as a baby was shrouded in bees. The bees weren’t bees at all, but angels. The angels took him up to heaven and showed him how to make tools and how to carve churches from rock.

The story doesn’t end there. King Lalibela shared the ideas of the tools that were ahead of their time, and the humans took the day shift and the angels took the night shift and together they built amazing churches that are built with deep symbols of early Christianity. Rather than pilgrimage to Jerusalem at a time when the Christians had been kept from safely visiting Jerusalem and the other holy sites of Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and the life of Jesus.

Narrow valleys carved into the rock can take you from church to church, each with it’s own story. The largest megalithic church in the world is found among the 11 rock hewn churches in Lalibela. All of them are within a couple of miles, and easy walking distance. You can easily spend a day or two. Loyal Christian orthodox priests act as guides for a negotiated price. I was trying to explain that these churches were a lot like the church caves in Cappadocia, but our guide wouldn’t have it. These were literally carved by Angels. It was great to have a guide who was so loyal.

At lunch we stopped at a little place. We were told it was Friday and so we couldn’t order the lamb. It’s fasting day. So we ordered the fasting food.

The Ethiopian fasting food is made up of various veggies. The food is designed to be eaten with your hands and is designed to be a social family experience. Beets, potatoes, lentils, cabbage, tomatoes, amazing food. It’s served on a traditional injera which is not only edible, but is how you eat the food. Rip off some injera and wrap it around whatever you’d like. Sometimes it comes in a roll so you can rip off a little and have plenty to eat a nice big pile of food. There really is a lot of variety in the food, served on large platters. Ethopian food really grew on me. I had some in Zanzibar and a few years ago in Capetown. It’s really a fun food.

Ahead of time I did a little research and came across the Tukul village hotel. I *really* enjoyed it. They were cheap enough, around $50-60 that both Paul and I got our own rooms. The nicest rooms in town. We had hot water 24×7, plenty of power, and free wifi and it almost reached to our room. I say 24×7 cause some say they have hot water, but it’s only on in the morning. One also said they had wifi, but it was a hard wire in a room behind reception. Across Ethiopia this was our favorite city and favorite hotel.

The rock churches were about a mile or two walk from the hotel. When we’d walk around, a group of kids that would grow as we’d walk would tell us stories about their lives. They were from the countryside. In a sort of boarding type situation. Groups of kids put together sharing a room. Most, basically all, don’t have money. Part of the story you hear from the kids is that they are going to school and need supplies. Notebook, dictionary, and more. If you’re around long enough you hear about how they are months back in rent and will get kicked out of their place. Some don’t have shoes. In some places I wouldn’t believe the stories, but I was convinced.

After a day of walking through the rock churches, I overheard some amazing traditional music and as we got closer found what looked like the whole of the 15,000 of the village gathered to watch the dancing in a festival. I was offered a prime seat, but instead found a spot next to some young kids. One of the children was a blind boy, and his faithful friends who he held onto, one behind and one in front. They filled me into what was going on. None of them had parents around… they too were from the countryside and were here in Lalibela for school. They told me about their need for notebooks and that they would struggle without them. After hearing the price and seeing the sincerity I walked with the boys to the little store and purchased a pack of 10 notebooks which they shared. Word got around, and we saw some kids that we’d seen earlier in the day, so we went back and decided we’d buy them out. 70 more notebooks, but this time the story was more sincere. The 3 of us will share. Ok. I’ll get a notebook for all the children, there can’t be more than 70 around here. I was warned by one of the older children that the kids will fight over the books. Paul and I weren’t sure how to take the advice we were given of giving him all the books and have him distribute them. Images of him running off, or only giving books to the older kids concerned me. We gave him a pack of 10 and committed him to promising to share. Then another and another and then Paul and I each took 10 or 20 to distribute to the growing crowd of children. To my surprise, it was as if we were handing out food to a starving crowd who hadn’t seen food in ages. Fights broke out, emotions ran high, as older kids pushed and little kids tried to find a way to get close to us. I was nearly in tears as I saw the thirst. As I saw one notebook ripped to shreds I put the rest under my shirt and said no! I wasn’t going to waste these. The needs were too great. We were beyond sincerity. This meant their ability to learn. One child then explained to me that 3 kids could share one book. I appreciated his willingness to share and gave him a book. Another tried to line up and smile. Those that were surrounding me reminded me of what I had seen earlier in the evening before all the amazing cultural dancing. It totally reminds me of chickens fighting.

At the beginning of the festival a sort of sacrament or communion moment was happening. It was loaves and fishes Ethiopian style. A large platter with a large loaf of bread was split among the elders of the group, then to the guests like myself and other adults. I shared my ripped off piece with the blind child and his friends, really felt the spirit of what was going on, that is until it never made it’s way to the children, and others were chastised for grabbing at the loaf of bread. I needed to find a way to distribute the books in a way that wouldn’t result in ripped up pages. As I walked away to see how Paul was doing I secretly pulled out a book at a time with no one looking and gave it to the children who seemed heart broken. It really lit them up. Paul had given out his books and had a similar experience of kids fighting over them. We were both really shaken by the experience and knew we’d never forget it. Paul vowed to buy a dictionary, which he did, and ended up giving away wads of local currency to the children we walked with. Hoping that they could buy some shoes for the boy with no shoes. We don’t know how it worked out, and if the dictionary purchase was a ploy. That one to me did seem that way me, but we both hope that it ultimately would be used for good.

Lalibela is in my top places of the world. It has has special place in my heart. I was only there for a couple of days, but it did change me. It also makes me consider the wonders of our modern world and make me wonder what we’re contributing to our future. How will they judge us based on our megalithic buildings propped up around economics. These walls will fall much sooner than those in this little town of Lalibela, Ethiopia and they won’t mean as much as these either.

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