Noel's Adventures

  Ox-plowing in third world countries is very much alive. These animals are rented just as farming equipment is in developed countries.

  This is a typical countryside scene with someone tending to livestock.

  We reached this area too late in the day to get the best light but the rolling hilss and greenery still make for a nice landscape.

  Typical Ethiopian taxi/ minibus. I have never been in one but I am sure that the three to four hour ride into the countryside interacting with the people would make for a very interesting blog entry.

  The San Diego trip was great but it is time to say bye until the next time. I will switch gears to Ethiopia for a day or two. This rose was taken on the way to Debra Berhan which is approximately in the center of Ethiopia. I think the city is about 600 years old and it is very interesting how it has maintained that feel. We ate at a restaurant that is owned by an Ethiopian olympian. Cannot remember the name now but the food was awesome (will re-post on the name). The scenery is simply breathtaking and it is quite interesting to see how the vegetation changes as you move from an elevation of approximately 2350m (7709ft.) in Addis Ababa to about 2771m (9091ft.) in Debra Berhan.

  The guy yesterday was taking of the "Stoneman". I guess the guy yesterday was shocked that both of them made it into the 21st century.

  I did not know they had digital cameras during his era. Tomorrow I will show you what he was photographing.It was refreshing to see the Caribbean represented at the event. The steel pan music (see the musicians in the background) gave the San Diego bay a tropical feel.

Entertainment from the Hispanic culture was very colorful and exciting.

I cannot believe five days have gone by since I last made a post. Time really moves quickly! Anyhow, we had an outdoor reception the second to last evening of the conference. There was food and entertainment to satisfy all cultures. This was the first party I have been to that had a few thousand people, and believe it or not food was left over. To be honest I really haven't been to many parties, I can easily count them on my fingers (and I only have ten). Here is the first of a short series of pics from the event.