Jan Polatschek's Page

Hi Jan.  There is a lot to see in Ethiopia, most of which I did not get the chance to see for myself...notably the rock-hewn churches in the highlands north of Addis and the hottest place on earth, the Danakil Depression.  These are on my list for the next time I go.  I traveled south of Addis because I was doing field work near the Kenyan border.  There is one place in particular where we stopped for the night (twice) that I would recommend.  It is the town of Arba Minch - the Swaynes Hotel...and there is a nature reserve a few miles down the hill from the hotel on Lake Chamo.  I'm not sure who gives tours or how to go about doing a little safari, but it looked stunning from afar.  Here's a link to the Swaynes...http://www.swayneshotel.com/...they have a lot of info about the area.  Really beautiful place and very little tourism (at least when I was there)...and the food at the Swaynes is really good!  Be sure to try the nile perch.  In Addis I can recommend one very good Indian restaurant - Jewel of India.  Don't recall the neighborhood.  Oh...one last idea...the hotel site suggests a trip to the town of Turmi.  It's kind of touristy, but might be worth it if you are traveling around the area anyway.  My only caveat is be prepared to have some tummy issues if you eat there!  Have fun...let me know what you decide.

I love Ethiopia but sadly cannot travel at the moment.  I hope you get to see a lot of it.  It's stunning!

Hi Jan, thanks for the comment.  My academic studies, eh?  Well, the short version is that I study human evolution via the fossil record, but I'm taking a semester off and trying to decide if I still want a PhD.  It's a long haul!

Hi Jan! Thanks for checking out my blog! Your blog is very interesting. The letter format is definitely different from the rest of the travel blogs (art least those that i have seen :) ).
Look me up if you find yourself near Costa Rica! Pura vida!