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EDITORIALS
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SCORE CARD
Destination
Towns and Cities in Africa
by
Jerry W. Bird
  Jerry
W. Bird, Editor
This page features two categories; the first being
African communities our editors, writers and
associates have visited recently. The second list
will be items from material sent to us by
convention and Visitors Bureaus, Airlines and
National Tour Offices. Many of them will be on this
WorldScene site, while others will be in the more
than 1,200 pages developed by our magazine for its
comprehensive site. The towns and cities featured
below are just a start. Many more will follow:
Discovering
Casablanca
 As
originator of a travel series called
Railways
of the World,
going to Casablanca, Morocco's largest city, by
rail was a wonderful way to start off the week and
celebrate the new year. We enjoyed the journey so
completely that the route from Marrakech (3 hours
in total) seemed far too short. However, as we soon
learned from the staff on board, visitors can
travel between many of Morocco's principal cities
by rail. That includes the Northern port of
Tangier, a few miles from Spain with its famous
Talgo Train service. We were on our way to visit
Benachir Akli (right) of Olive Branch tours who
worked with ATA on the last two great events hosted
by Morocco National tourism Board. continued
At
home in Yaounde, Cameroon
After
spending several fun weeks in Yaounde. Cameroon's
capital city, the place really started to feel like
home. Almost everyone we encountered knew who we
were and made us
welcome, and the local print and broadcast media
were anxious to record and publish our views on the
country and its potential for trade and tourism. To
say that I am yearning to return at the drop of a
hat is truly an understatement - the Yaounde
experience stands out as one of the most
uforgettable periods of my life. Our book of
memories is full to the brim with images of
Cameroon and its people, and our magazine's photo
library is loaded with great scenes. Having a
background in audio visual writing and production,
one facet I remember most vividly about Yaounde was
the endless number of superb cinemascopic vistas,
starting with the view from the Hilton Yaounde's
penthouse. Cruising the winding road to the Mount
Febé Hotel is awesome, and the impressive
route that leads to the modern government complex
makes you think you're on the Riviera. After all,
like Rome, this emerging Africa capital
incorporates seven charming hills, and each
offers a different set of perspectives.
Continued
 ..
The
Rock-Hewn Churches of Ethiopia
Lalibela's Bet
Giyorgis, most famous of the eleven rock-hewn
churches in this mountainous area, is believed to
have been built in the late 12th or early 13th
century by King Lalibela. These incredible
edifices, which were carved inside and outside from
solid rock, are ranked among the wonders of the
world. Our
team of North American journalists came to Ethiopia
with few preconceived notions, yet each had some
special areas of concern. For every member of the
group, it was a first time journey to this ancient,
mysterious, storybook land. What a spiritual
awakening it proved to be. The tour of Ethiopia's
Historic Route began in Addis Ababa, the capital
and geographical center. For starters, Ethiopian
Airlines, flew us north to Lalibela, the holy city;
to Gondar- Africa's Camelot, and to Bahir Dar on
Lake Tana, source of the Blue Nile. Dire Dawa and
the walled city of Harar in the eastern sector
completed the agenda. Nothing
I had read about the Holy City of Lalibela, its
mysteries, legends, saints and monarchs, could have
prepared me for what we were about to encounter on
this trip. The brief morning flight from Addis
Ababa's Airport north was a delight, winging
through the cloudless skies, as an ever-changing
panorama of awesome gorges, deep canyons and broad
plateaus unfolded below. (continued)
Gondar:
Africa's Camelot
As
our minibus rolled into Gondar, after a short
flight from Lalibela, there was ample evidence that
here was an area destined for long range
development as a destination resort. Several new
industries attest to this growing trend, as did our
conversation with entrepreneurs at the airport and
later at the hotel. Our modern, government operated
hotel, the Goha was perched like a sentinel on a
hilltop, with a commanding view of the city and
countryside.
Gondar
was Ethiopia's capital and principal city during
the reign of Emperor Fasilidas in the 17th century.
Perhaps that's why I expected to find it a shrine
to past glories, instead of an active, bustling
community, with people filling the streets, shops
doing a brisk business, and scores of gaudily
painted horse and buggy taxis (garis) scooting
every which way, like bumper cars at a
midway. Several
of our group decided to try this hair raising means
of transport, and it became a highlight of their
day, trotting through the narrow alleys of this
centuries old capital. (continued)
Bahir
Dar, Lake Tana, Blue Nile Falls
A
pleasant surprise occurred on day 3 of our Historic
Route journey through Ethiopia. Following a short
flight on Ethiopian Airlines from Gondar to Bahir
Dar Airport, the gut-wrenching condition of the
road leading west led me to believe our group of 11
journalists would be staying at some dusty lakeside
village. However, like several of my colleagues, I
was completely bowled over when tall palms and
jacarandas suddenly appeared out of the blue. Like
part of a royal procession, we entered a modern,
well laid out community with broad, tree-lined
boulevards. Bahir Dar would rival many seaside
retreats on the Mediterranean or Florida.
(continued)
Features
on the following African
cities
already on this site
Abidjan
Addis
Ababa
Agadir
Cairo
Cape
Town
Casablanca
Conakry
Dar
es Salaam
Essaouira
Fez
Marakech
Meknes
Rabat
Timbuktu
Yaounde
More
city and country pages are available on our
Africa
Travel Magazine
site:
http://www.africa-ata.org
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