Best From The Rest: Soul-stirring Ethiopia review: 5 best experiences of country that smelled the coffee first

4/5

Story:

The series Best From The Rest offers the top and some lesser-known experiences of a country in about 12 minutes. The first episode 'Romantic Mauritius' is about Mauritius and what constitutes it as a perfect destination for romance and celebration of love. The second episode Soul-stirring Ethiopia offers some intriguing facts and experiences of the east African country that is said to never have been colonised by the Brits. 

Review:

The Travelxp show Best From The Rest: Soul-stirring Ethiopia portrays the beauty and rawness of the lesser-explored country. After an episode on Mauritius, showcasing the romantic look and feel of the country, it was least expected that the makers would go for a completely different destination - Ethiopia, a place of ancient culture - for its next episode. But the unexpectedness of this series, keeping the audience guessing what's its next episode is going to be about, works well.   

The 12-minute visuals from the episode complement the official text that describes Ethiopia as 'the country where mankind has its roots' and offers a quick guide to the 'top five enriching experiences in this ancient and often overlooked African destination that will nourish your soul'. The experiences include watching and learning about Gelada baboons or the bleeding-heart monkeys that are only found in the country now; Mursi tribe, an ethnic group in the landlocked country; national museum with remains of one of the first few human beings who ever inhabited the earth; coffee making and how the culture of having this favourite beverage helps in breaking the ice; and music and dance of Amharic tribe.

The direction by Rohan Patoley, camera by Amit Bharte and voice over by Daniel Coll are of fine quality that captures the essence of the birthplace of coffee, land of rare primates and beauty of the lowly populated landscape. It shares some great insights and explores why the Mursi tribe wear small wooden plates on their lower lips and many other such intriguing facts.    

Verdict

The episode makes for a great watch to gain some understanding of the customs and ancient history and heritage of a country where a year lasts 13 months.