No! says the taller girl, shaking her head. Itxe2x80x99s the only English word she seems to know. She leads us in the opposite direction, over a stream and up a boulder-strewn hill. We walk for 20 minutes. It begins to rain and the shorter girl insists on sharing her umbrella. I offer to hold it and she refuses. When her strength falters, Ixe2x80x99m treated to a poke in the face.I begin to resist their directions, convinced that theyxe2x80x99ve misunderstood me. They tag along for a while, curious and concerned, abandoning their mission only when the path Ixe2x80x99ve chosen vanishes into long grass and I canxe2x80x99t be persuaded to turn back. The taller girl wags her finger at me and runs off. The umbrella girl shrugs and follows her. I wait until theyxe2x80x99re gone and double back, my dignity notionally intact.To no avail: By noon, Ixe2x80x99m still lost and itxe2x80x99s pouring. I come across some men sheltering under a tree. Their sheep huddle nearby, a sodden mass. I greet them in Amharic, the local language. They nod and smile in reply. A young shepherd stands and calls out to me.I join him under the tree and we quickly exhaust our reserves of each otherxe2x80x99s language Their voices drone with the patter of the leaves.

Bahir Dar is perched on Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile. The once-mighty Blue Nile Falls has been largely choked to a trickle by a dam, but dozens of monasteries and churches dot the lakexe2x80x99s islands, making Bahir Dar well worth a visit. Built mostly in the 16th and 17th centuries, some sites have fantastically painted interiors and ceilings. Boat tours will take you from island to island but some sites are off-limits to women.Aksum, near the sometimes volatile northern border with Eritrea, was the capital of an empire that flourished for centuries beginning in the fifth century BC. Ruins of what was a major hub on a trade route between the Roman Empire and India dot the outskirts. Towering obelisks and remains of royal tombs and ancient castles are now UNESCO World Heritage sites.Elsewhere in the country, east of Addis, is Harar, a mostly Muslim city that was once a hub for trade between East Africa and the Persian Gulf region. Itxe2x80x99s also a UNESCO World Heritage site, with a bustling market and profusion of mosques, most of them small shrines built during the cityxe2x80x99s heyday in the homes of successful merchants.Head south of Addis for the countryxe2x80x99s best safaris, at the Yabelo or Stephanie Wildlife Sanctuaries or the remote Omo National Park The sprawling park, which covers some 40,000 square kilometres, and the surrounding Omo Valley region are also home to a patchwork of tribes: The Mursi are known for their elaborately scarified bodies and oversized clay lip plates, while the Hamar people are herders with distinctive clay-coloured rag-doll braids, known for their bull-jumping ceremony (An initiation for young men, itxe2x80x99s exactly what it sounds like).

The boys performed the track on this Sundays X Factor results show. Ethiopian music: TraditionalThe ballad is the second release from the album Messy Little Raindrops and is the follow-up to her number number hit Promise This.The videos been shot by Sophie Muller who directed thevideo for Promise This Three Kenyan paramilitary troops were injured in the clash.

The Seattle rockers, who headlined Lollapalooza in Chicago last summer, reunited in April this year after breaking up in 1998.In an interview with Canadian radio station CFNY-FM, Thayil said that the band have been demoing ideas for new songs. Soundgarden could extend their reunion to record a new album, guitarist Kim Thayil has hinted.When we get together to rehearse its natural for us… to start jamming and inventing, Thayil said. Weve come up with instrumental, and certainly on occasion, lyrical ideas. Im not confirming anything, but its impossible for us to get in a room and not come up with ideas.Thayil also said that the band are readying a B-sides collection and live album to go alongside their recently-released CD/DVD retrospective set xe2x80x98Telephantasmxe2x80x99.

Sheraton Addis, a member of the chainxe2x80x99s luxury collection, is one of the finest hotels in Africa. Its vast pool and gardens, excellent shops and Italian, Indian and fine dining restaurants make it a lovely oasis in a sometimes chaotic city. Doubles from $181 US a night. 888-625-4988 or 011-251-1-171717; www.starwoodhotels.com; Taitu Street, Box 6002, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.The Hilton Addis Ababa, on six hectares in the heart of the city, features a heated pool, four tennis courts and a spa (where a one-hour massage costs roughly $8.50). The hotel has a vast array of shops and restaurants, and rooms complete with balconies. Doubles from $151 a night. 800-HILTONS or 011-251-1-518400; www.hilton.com; corner of Menelik II Avenue, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.Ghion Hotels, a chain run by the Ethiopian government, are the best available on the Historic Route They are well located (on the shore of Lake Tana, on a hill overlooking Axum, for example), but the accommodations tend to be rather simple Prices vary, and will be included in tour packages Phone: 011-251-1-1513-222; Ghion Hotels Enterprise, Res Desta Damteu Ave, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.