Ethiopia: not just war and famine records the independent meanderings round Ethiopia, mostly by ramshackle public bus, of a pair who waved goodbye to their youth some time ago, but still retain a spirit of adventure, curiosity, perhaps a degree of recklessness and sufficient wind and limb to ‘boldly go’. Annual visits since 2006, travelling with the local people, staying in their villages and communicating as well as possible has revealed much about rural life. Friends have been made, warmth and generosity have been extended, adventures have been survived and the old folk have never felt unwelcome. Places visited include the ‘historic triangle’ – Lalibela, Axum, Gondar; the Omo Valley; the Bale Mountains; the Rift Valley; the Blue Nile gorge and falls and Lake Tana, to list but a few. There is however much to interest, excite and wonder at between all those places, not least the stunning scenery of the Ethiopian Highlands. The writing aims to show some of the rapid changes that are going on and to dispel the image of Ethiopia as an unsafe place of war and famine. In doing so, it tells the tales of some ordinary and extraordinary Ethiopian people. Although the first three sections of the book provide general information which a traveller might find useful, they need not be laboured through if you are keen to read about Ethiopia’s historic sites and numerous attractions.