I don't know if it is the injera or the local chilies (berbere), or maybe all the local coffee I have been drinking, but there is something hard to describe here, an almost mystical quality. I mean, this area is called Gondar for one thing. People here resolutely believe that it was here that Mary and young Jesus fled when escaping King Herod. The Ark of the Covenant, of biblical and movie fame is also believed to be here. In fact the island in the second picture, is where many believe the Ark was first kept after it was taken from Israel. In fact you can see the exact spot where it was kept for several centuries. It actually makes sense to me that if you were trying to protect an object of such significance, one would want to take it to a place where it could not be easily found. And this place certainly fits that description. Way up in the highlands, historically inaccessible and far from major trade routes and then on a tiny island in the middle of a pretty big lake (even today it takes 2.5 hours by boat to get there). I don't know myself but like I say, there is something that makes one want to believe.

Blue Nile Falls, just downstream from Lake Tana, so quite close to where the river starts. Much of the river is now diverted for hydroelectric power and what you see here is only 25% of the whole thing. Also this is after rainy season so it can get much bigger. The Blue Nile is one of two main tributaries of the Nile, the other being the White Nile, but volume wise, the Blue Nile brings the majority of the water. In fact this creates some water resource management issues between Ethiopia and the countries downstream (mainly Egypt).

A woman serving coffee at the Blue Nile Falls was wearing this coin, an Austrian thaler. First minted in Austria (of course) in the 1700's (you can see the date 1780 on the coin), it was commonly--but not exclusively--used as currency in Ethiopia even into the 20th century. Now worn as jewelry I guess. This coin was almost certainly not minted in 1780 since that date has apparently been stamped on all thalers since that time.

The first pouring of the coffee ceremony, abol

The second pouring, tona

The third pouring, baraka

Alem Saga mountain, in S Gondar region, Ethiopia.

A massive, beautiful tree that I could only capture using the panorama function on my phone. I think the trunk is at least 3 m wide. In behind is Lake Tana, effectively the source of the Blue Nile. A very peaceful and relaxing place with gentle almost hypnotic maskino music playing in the background.

A new savings group in a new watershed in Congo. This new watershed is next to a watershed where farmers have already been forming savings groups, planting trees, practicing more environmentally friendly ways of farming for 3 years now. People in the new watershed (where photo is taken) have been watching and waiting and are now doing what they have seen their neighbouring watershed doing (with a little training help). In fact there is a chant that savings groups say at the beginning of every meeting and some people in the new watershed had already tried to memorize it before they had received training.

No hippos this morning but tiny jumping fish that you obviously can't see in the photo. I don't know exactly how coffee is made here but it is so strong that I ask for hot water to dilute. This morning I did one part coffee, 3 parts water and it is still too strong. The quality of coffee beans here is generally very good though.

Finally after 6 days of hiding

I'm at one of the more touristy restaurants in Moshi, and I decided to order their coco ndizi, a traditional dish with boiled bananas. The menu caters to the tourist palette, having mostly things like burgers, pizza, pasta etc, so local food is not that much on the menu. Generally when travelling I try to eat local. Partly because if I want pizza, I can eat all the pizza I want (and often do) when I'm home. Partly because my experience has been that local food is more likely to be better prepared 4 to 5 times out of 10 when I'm on the road. Partly because I'd rather try new or less familiar things (see the first point). When I made my order, the waitress cautioned me that it would take 30 to 45 minutes, which made me think two things:

1. "how is that different than so many meals I've ordered in so many different places?"

2. "it's Saturday, and I have time to kill, and sitting on this pleasant shaded patio in the nice garden sounds ok"

This farmer is running his own native tree nursery in a very dry part of the Sanya River watershed. He showed us probably a dozen species that he is propagating, planting on his own land, and sharing with his neighbours. He told us he is doing this to preserve species that are important and are disappearing. I think it also seemed clear that he is doing it because he has a passion for trees. Shown below is a species that according to tradition, brings rain and peace.

This savings group has an agreement with the nearby national park to collect seed of native trees from the park, raise seedlings, and then plant those seedlings within park boundaries to restore native species. The group started in 2014, and had their own tree nursery for their own tree planting project, which just happened to be right outside the park gate. Park authorities took notice and offered to fund the group to do a native tree planting campaign. This is a win-win because the group is now generating income, and the park is getting native tree restoration at a much lower cost. In addition to this collaboration with the park, the group is establishing their own community forest just outside the park boundaries. This is a real breakthrough, because for many years, it has been difficult or impossible to have any kind of community based activities in collaboration with the park authority. Our experience in Thailand tells us that CFM (community forest management) can be a huge success, and it is exciting to think about the possibilities that may now open up for this group and perhaps others. The best part? The name of this group is 'Planet'.

These photos show an association of savings groups that have come together to form a larger association. There are about 20 groups in total involved and they combine the savings to form a larger fund allowing them access to larger loans. There is a lot of discussion these days about the merit or lack thereof of this type of umbrella organization, but this group has been operating successfully now for 10 years. In fact, this is their celebration of those 10 years. I am guessing there were about 300 people in attendance. There were displays of various projects of groups or individuals and shown below are some teas and spices made and sold by two women who are part of the association. Also a video to give you a taste of electric slide--Tanzania style.

A group of farmers getting training on more sustainable, more productive farming.

So my concerns about hurricane Michael affecting my flight home were misplaced. Everything looks calm and in order here in Atlanta

I am sitting here in sunny, calm Port au Prince watching the weather channel coverage of Hurricane Michael as it makes landfall in Florida. Really remarkable. No affect on me, but I am supposed to fly through Atlanta tomorrow. Hopefully Georgia will survive unscathed and I will make it home.

On this spot, Christopher Columbus and his soldiers fought a battle against the Taino, the original inhabitants of this island where the DR and Haiti now are. Columbus and his men were outnumbered and were forced to retreat up this hill, but then, as the account goes, they had a vision of Mary, and the Taino were unable to defeat Columbus. With the benefit of hindsight, we now know that what ensued was decades of carnage, enslavement, and disease resulting in the destruction of hundreds of cultures, and a complete upheaval/transformation of the Americas. How would things have been if the Taino had won that battle? We'll never know of course, but for me there is something really profound about being able to stand on the exact spot where such an important event took place, and reflect on history, and our place in it.

Just because everyone thinks that these trips are just me going to the beach anyways:

Another this-is-kind-of-hard-to-see photo. The 3 arrows point to 3 hills where trees have been planted as part of a reforestation project supported by the government, the local organization that we work with, and farmers groups. I hope you can see that there are a tonne of trees here.

I don't know if anyone can see much of a difference here, but the photo on the right shows maize planted with a green manure (the bean like thing), which adds nitrogen and organic matter to the soil. This is the third season of repeating the same experiment on the same piece of land. The soil on the right is gradually improving while the soil on the left is gradually declining. It would be easier to see if you were here.

A cacao farm in the DR. Looks like a forest. Basically is a forest. This farmer makes his living essentially from a highly managed forest. One where nearly every plant on the property is there because he wants it to be there.

How to effectively share information with farmers is a big challenge. Farmers are busy trying to survive. Farmers may not read or write. Farmers may not believe you. Farmers may not want to take a chance on something new when failure might mean not being able to put food on the table.

Here you see a training in DR using large posters with lots of pictures. This makes it easier to explain things, and seems to hold people's interest more.

You know, it still amazes me how this morning  I could be running from the airport parking lot in the cold rain in the dark at 9 degrees C, and by lunch time I could be enjoying fresh tilapia in a Creole sauce with rice and fresh avocados in 28 degree sunshine. I only regret that I didn't take a photo of the fish to share with you. It really looked almost as good as it tasted. 

These are a bunch of wall prototypes that have been built in the San Diego area right on the border. In fact you can see the current border fence behind these prototypes. Sorry, but couldn't quite figure out how to get closer to these. If you find a way (that doesn't get you into trouble) please let me know.

Can someone please explain to me what is happening in the Korean peninsula? I can't tell from scanning the news whether these latest events are unorthodox but brilliant diplomacy or a hasty and naive blunder. Opinions are clearly extreme.