Day 7 - Hair and Stuff

This afternoon after a long-needed nap, Bethany and I went to see King Menelek II's first palace in Ethiopia in the mountains overlooking Addis Ababa. It's 124 years old. Not quite what I expected for a King's palace.

The entrance to the palace!

The King's palace!

History Lesson: King Menelek kept the Italians from colonizing Ethiopia by defeating them in the Battle of Adwa (or Adowa) in 1896. It was a David defeats Goliath battle that maintained Ethiopia's sovereignty. He was also an early environmentalist. A natural resource in high demand to this day in Ethiopia is wood for cooking. The country was in danger of deforestation but Menelik introduced the fast-growing eucalyptus tree from Australia. Right next to the palace was the first eucalyptus ever planted in Ethiopia. The view overlooking the city from the mountains was amazing. However, being a hazy winter day it was hard to get a good picture.


Meanwhile, the other girls stayed back at the hotel. Rhonda doesn't know how to repair corn rows should they come desheveled on the trip home so Neti, Meke, and Kailey all got their hair braided.