Latest Posts

by James Murren 29 February 2008 1
Ethiopia

Meskel: The Finding of the True Cross

The 26th of September is the eve of Meskel, the “Finding of the True Cross,” the day Orthodox Christian EthiopiansContinue Reading

by James Murren 29 February 2008 Number of comments0
Ethiopia

We are a Bouncing Kaleidoscope Playground Ball

Children walk home from school in the early evening light that artistic photographers dream of.  Everything has taken on aContinue Reading

by James Murren 29 February 2008 Number of comments0
Ethiopia

Happy Ethiopian New Year—1998

So you think it’s 2005?  Getting ready to celebrate 2006 in a couple of months?  Hold on!  It’s only 1998Continue Reading

by James Murren 29 February 2008 Number of comments0
Ethiopia

A Walk through Africa’s Largest Open-Air Market

Reputed to be the largest open-air market in Africa, Addis’ Merkato is many blocks wide and stretches several blocks longContinue Reading

by James Murren 29 February 2008 1
Ethiopia

l-i-f-e, LIFE, in a Refugee Camp in Northern Ethiopia

Before the CleanCook Stove, I would gather fuelwood one time each week with my camel. It would take four hours.Continue Reading

by James Murren 29 February 2008 Number of comments0
Ethiopia MTB Nigeria

Journal entry, 23 August 2005, Addis Ababa

It did not rain today…seems the rainy season is winding down. Days are getting warmer, which I am wholeheartedly welcoming…hopingContinue Reading

by James Murren 29 February 2008 1
Ethiopia

Ethiopia’s Runners, Among the World’s Elite Athletes

Our introduction to Ethiopia’s running elite occurred happenstance. My wife was coming out of an elevator at a local hotel/restaurantContinue Reading

by James Murren 29 February 2008 Number of comments0
Ethiopia

“In Defense of [Our] Dignity,” a Search for Imagination

“Because the people never revolt just because they have to carry a load, or because of exploitation. They don’t knowContinue Reading

by James Murren 29 February 2008 Number of comments0
Ethiopia

Sights and Sounds of Life in Addis Ababa

We have been living and working in Addis Ababa for a month. Like all cities, there are sights, sounds andContinue Reading

by James Murren 29 February 2008 Number of comments0
Ethiopia Honduras

Kite-flying under a July Ethiopian Sky

  I remember reading somewhere that the children of Afghanistan were not allowed to fly kites under the Taliban. TheContinue Reading

by James Murren 29 February 2008 Number of comments0
Ethiopia

“Some Aloe Vera, Vitamins, and a Lot of Prayer”

We arrived in Addis Ababa (“New Flower” in Amharic) around 7:15 p.m. local time after 15 hours on the plane.Continue Reading

by James Murren 29 February 2008 Number of comments0
Brazil MTB

Why I Mountain Bike: Escapism and the Wish to Fall off the Face of the Earth (in Brasil)

The knobby tires spin round and round, going on the downhill as I hesitate to pull the brake, wanting toContinue Reading

by James Murren 29 February 2008 2
Ethiopia

Shinile: 40 Wells and Thousands of Camels

  From the roof of the beaten 1980s Land Cruiser, camels could be seen for as far as I couldContinue Reading

by James Murren 29 February 2008 Number of comments0
Nigeria

MEND and the War for Justice in the Niger Delta

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, has been receiving considerable attention in the world press overContinue Reading

by James Murren 29 February 2008 Number of comments0
Ethiopia

So long “Dispatches from Africa ,” Hello “Dispatches from the Land of the Free”

Ten months ago, we started walking on a journey that took us places we could never have imagined on aContinue Reading