http://www.TravelsWithSheila.com Endemic to Ethiopia, it's worth putting up with gritty Debark to see the furry, lion-like Gelada Baboons. An armed guard and local park scout must accompany you into the National Park where the over 6,000 Geladas go about their business, digging up roots, and procreating more little baboons. It's not unusual for one male to have at least five harems. That would keep anyone busy...

http://www.TravelsWithSheila.com Every time I heard the crack of a whip coming down on a woman, I cringed. And then, they walked around bleeding as if it was nothing. ( It probably helped that they were completely drunk but still....) By the way, the bull "jumpee" must accomplish his task naked. ex-Marine (husband, Steve) was obsessing over..."what if a horn caught his testicles..." A painful thought. The Hamer man must make three complete jumps and the tribe kept removing bulls to make each pass a little easier. This ceremony was certainly something that I'll never see again in my lifetime...."unique" isn't adequate to describe it.

http://www.TravelsWithSheila.com The Mursi pastoralists most famous tradition is the lip plates worn by the women. The girls make a slit in their lower lip upon reaching sexual maturity and begin inserting small clay plates. The plates become increasingly larger over time until the lip is completely distended. I don't know what sight disturbed me the most. The plate in a lip or the lip just hanging down without a plate in it. The women and men also practice scarification. The Mursi vlllage was not a pleasant experience. The Mursi's grab, poke and do everything possible to get you to take their photo. Don't even think of trying to get away without paying unless you want a little machete and/or spear practice.

http://www.TravelsWithSheila.com The Hamer Jumping of the Bull Ceremony is very unusual. A young man cannot marry until he succeeds in jumping a line of bulls, ranging from 12-20. This is not a "for tourists" ceremony. If tourists happen to be in the area when one is scheduled (lucky us, there was one today), you do have to pay for the privilege of attending and watching. Around 150 Birr ($16 U.S.) and then the money is used for the actual wedding. Part II to follow in another video and read all the gory details in a few months on my website....http://www.TravelsWithSheila.

http://www.TravelsWithSheila.com People travel through South Ethiopia to visit its unique tribes. The Hamer hold their weekly Monday market in Turmi. Their chance to sell, buy and socialize with friends. The Hamer use a combination of butter and ochre (an iron in soil) to make a red concoction then smeared on their bodies and hair. Scantily dressed in intricately decorated goat skins, beads and shells, they are an incredible sight. The only drawback? You must pay about 10 cents to photograph them...and that's per click. The Hamers keep an eagle eye on how many times you press the shutter!

Cultural Tourism DC is a non-profit that creates walking tours throughout the DC area with historic markers to promote cultural tourism.

Did you know that more tourist (410,000 of them) visit Eritrea each year than all of Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia and djibouti combined?? (SOURCE: http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/eco_tou_arr-economy-tourist-arrivals ). Eritrea's Wildlife habitats: Eritrea is home to a RARE mix of inter-bred Indian and African elephants that mixed when the British invaded modern day Eritrea in 1878 with thousands of Indian elephants on a rescue mission of British hostages.(SOURCE: http://www.mcp.com.au/sinus/newsletters/newsletter-11/newsletter-11.html ) ...

Check out what's hot in January, with our quick run-down of all the festivals on offer this month from all corners of the globe. For more videos like this visit www.travelchannelvod.com