Salem from the Queen of Sheba

Back in Addis Ababa, after our Ethiopia tour - what an amazing and unique country. We're both exhausted after a full-on two weeks, with long days driving on endless dirt roads, and the three-day Semien mountains trek which was hard yakka but definitely worth it. Proud to have backed up from a 22km day to slog up the near vertical, icy slope of Bwahit (second highest in Ethiopia at 4430m) for a spectacular view over the range. Thank god for the endlessly patient scout, who guided me down again, step by step for two hours, chatting away in Amharic and smiling a big gappy grin, thus avoiding broken ankles all the way.

We've been welcomed into the homes and hearts of people whose life is essentially unchanged in hundreds of years. In one mountain village we were invited into a mud hut by a woman we guessed was our age, but with six children and a lifetime's hard work and hot sun etched into her face. She roasted coffee beans, pounded them and brewed the coffee over a tiny open fire.

But we were at a loss to help a girl with an old dog bite on her inner thigh, abscessed and showing bone.

And we remembered that the life expectancy here is only 49.

But we also remember the strength, endurance and pride of the people, gorgeous kids smiling, waving and chatting with us everywhere we go (always, 'you pen!'), the beautiful rock churches from the 12th to 15th centuries with Biblical stories painted from ceiling to floor, spotting huge ibex on distant cliff tops, and jumping on cockroaches in the hotel room.

Thus we are treating ourselves to a few days at the Queen of Sheba hotel, where everything in the bathroom works, we have hot water and as yet have not seen a cockroach.