Phew, wow, yay, awe! I’ve just had two incredibly wonderful
weeks travelling around the main tourist spots with my love Erik. After
spending two weeks in Addis in training I was more than ready to get out of the
big city. We hopped a short Ethiopian Airlines flight up to the old city of
Gondar known for its ancient castles. It was a lovely city and we wondered
around imagining the time when it was full of royalty and nobles. Fasilada’s
pool was a beautiful castle area with a deep reflecting pool, currently dry but
I could imagine how beautiful it could be during the Timket holiday
celebrations. We sat for a long time there in the shade of the huge ficus like
trees watching cool exotic birds. Another great place in Gondar was the Diebre
Selassie church on a hill that had beautiful wall and ceiling paintings of
angels and saints.
Next we headed to the Simien Mountains where we met a nice
young German couple Lassa and Leonora, who were medical students on a short
break. We combined funds and headed into the mountains with our gunned scout
Bazih. It was expensive with the silly park fees, scout, mule, mule driver,
lodging and transport but worked out to be about 3,000 birr for the both of us,
way better than the 200$ per person scam posed to us in Gondar. Hiking in the
Simien Mountains was awesome- gnarly crazy steep drop offs, open high plateaus
with grass and Dr. Seuss like lobelia. The first day we drove up to Sankobar
then hurriedly hiked up to the remote village of Geech Staying in a little “lodge”
felt like being in the Himalaya minus the snowcapped peaks. Erik had fun
sharing his harmonica with the village boys and quickly got swarmed by their
enthusiasm. Hiking up just past a Grand Canyon esk waterfall canyon we bought
some great tribal worn hats with funny antenna tops. At night it was cold and
clear as we devoured our peanut ginger veggie pasta.
The next day after some route clarification we decided to stay
another night at Geech and do a day hike out to the belly dropping Emet Gogo
cliffs. It felt like Kauai with crazy steep cliffs dripping in green. Often we
saw the massive 9ft wing span bone breaking Lammergeier bird soaring overhead
and we fed our leftover lunch bits to the big bold thick billed ravens.
Occasionally we heard the bickering’s of Gelada baboons and in Chenneck watched
the hairy red chested animals eat, play and be social. So cool! The hiking was
tiring at 3,000 meters and the sun was intense but the scenery was breathtaking
it keep us all trekking along. I would love to go back after the rains when it
is all green. We even saw Ras Dashen (the highest peak in Ethiopia) with some
snow on it.
The ride out was a confusing frenzy of convincing Bazih we
wanted to take the “illegal” local transit rather than contracting a ridiculous
2,000 birr minivan. Squished in among many rural local people we drove out
passing many treacherous drop offs and cliffs. Along the hike our kind German
friends were treating people by applying antibiotics to a nasty leg wound on
our mule driver, and saline solution to the infected eye of a boy- both
preventing serious ailments with simple medicine. Mind boggling to think what a
few simple medicines can do for so many people.
Back in Gondar we bought plane tickets and hopped on a plane
to Lalibela the next day. Lalibela is the “must visit” destination for
Ethiopian travelers- ancient stone churches carved out of rock. It was a lovely
little town perched on a steep hill surrounded by more big cliffy mountains in
the distance. After getting feisty bartering for a taxi ride (and hanging out
with rural village kids while we waited), we drank juices at a peaceful green
garden café. At the airport we met a fun New Zealander guy so our group grew,
still hanging out with the Germans. The next day we forked over a ridiculous 50$
each to enter the stone churches and spent a long beautiful day exploring the
ancients (along with our dud of a guide). The churches were beautiful,
spiritual and awe inspiring- all hand carved out of red rock. I loved how it is
still totally vibrant and active with lots of priests, nuns and elderly locals
praying, singing, circumnambulating around the churches. It had a peaceful
ancient feel. It was interesting that they are still a mystery of exactly when
and how they were built. Local legend say’s by one person assisted by angels….
Erik and I had fun spending the next two days exploring the
outer walls and passageways convinced there were additional hidden caverns and
rooms. Next to the churches were old and still used tukuls- circular stone and
mud houses. Another ancient feel as people were still living in them. Lalibela
was a great town but sadly the kids have become pests in their smart English
skills, eventually asking for money, books and clothes. Hard to know if it was a
genuine need or not.
Back in Addis, after a nice short plane ride, we did a little
shopping and ate dinner at a delicious Indian restaurant. The next day we took a
bus down to my favorite city Hawasa and splurged on a nice hotel along the
lake. For a full day we had a lot of fun taking photos of birds – there are so
many funky beautiful birds along the lake shore- and eating good food. That night
we took a boat ride out to see the hippos and watched them bob in the water as
the sun set in the distance. Ah tropical paradise. Finally we took one more bus
back up into the Bale mountains to my home in Goba. It is nice being home
showing Erik around (and showing him off to the Ethiopian men that I am not
available). The rains have returned which means great storms in the afternoon
and lovely sunshine in the morning. Beautiful and green. Ah I love my home.
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