There are some places that hound the imagination of a traveler years before they actually have the opportunity to visit. This is how the ancient lands of Eritrea and Ethiopia beckoned to author Julia Stewart.

Breathtaking landscapes, attractive citizens, intricately spiced foods, a gentle culture and rich history - it was all waiting for her. All of these things, Stewart came to experience and appreciate with abundance. What she did not predict were several mysterious happenings: harassment at the hands of "union busters," an impromptu running of the bulls, coming face to face with abject poverty, and her own reactions to these unpredictable events.

Stewart's travels to Eritrea and Ethiopia are of a current vintage, unlike those of famous explorers of an earlier period such as Richard Burton and James Bruce. Her travels took place during a post-war era when tremendous changes were occurring in the political and social lives of the people.