"Im a dirt person. I trust dirt. I don't trust diamonds or gold."- Eartha Kitt
Place: Lalibela, Northern Ethiopia
Time:: June 29-30
I pass scores of shoe shine boys on the streets of Ethiopia. All of them look at my white skin, spy my black boots and assume I wish them both to be equally clean.
-Not so!-
I love to get dirty. I love to mix it up with the locals. I love to walk the filthy alley ways where no white man would walk and see the surprised looks on the locals faces as I am lace deep in puddles with spatterings of mud on my jeans.
You see, I love people. REAL people. And if you want to meet real people, you don't go looking for them on Rodeo drive Hollywood. Hang out there and you will find spoiled, plastic tarts like Paris Hilton and all the other phoneys who are all money and no character.
No, you don't find diamonds in a California plastic factory. You find them in dirt.
I spend a fair amount of my time in the third world just walking the streets. I meet the locals. I talk with them. I play with their kids. I sip coffee with them. I find out what they think. I observe what they do. I understand what challenges they face. Sometimes they tell me of their aspirations, and their troubles.
Below....just a few shots from the alley ways and streets....
A typical mud hut and door. I have yet to find a single door in Ethiopia in any residential construction that fits properly.
MMMMmmmmm Spices!!!!...Im determined to learn how to really cook when I get back home...
Seeds of the Teff plant ( a grass) are ground up and added to water to make that ubiquitous sour dough pancake in Ethiopia called Injera.
Lets hope the AIDS program is in better condition than the sign.
A road side kiosk. I was so impressed I had to take a photo.
This photo explains why those "Scratch and Sniff" books waned in popularity.
"What's 'taters precious?" - Golumm
A very typical african dwelling. They use whatever they can. Wood, mud, corrugated metal for roofing, stones and misc. paint.
Africas real wealth lies in the character of its people.
A GIANT fly attacks and starts eating the face of the right wing. "Oh the humanity!"
Guys chilling out at the market playing cards while they wait for a sale.
Selling coffee...the unroasted variety..
You often have to roast your own coffee. Few smells are more enticing.
Kids on the street playing FüBball.
The table has seen better days.
"Bread,- .23 cents"
"Fly Swatter $1.26"
"Striped shirt .89 cents"
"Striped shirt .89 cents"
"Putting pants on Roger?
- Priceless!"
"There are some things money can't buy. For everything else there is MasterCard."
