This morning we flew into Lalibela, home of 11 magnificient rockhewn churches–another UNESCO World Heritage Site. On the flight over we met a group of French-Canadians who had also been touring Ethiopia’s historical sights. We all ended up staying at the same hotel (the Tukul Village), so we had lunch together and exchanged travel stories while waiting for the churches to re-open (churches are typically closed from 12 to 2:30).
After lunch we toured the churches, which were built by King Lalibela in the 13th century. The churches were incredible! They were carved entirely out of a mountainside and each was strikingly beautiful and unique. Our favorite was St. George church, pictured above.
Lalibela really was a highlight of the trip…a “must-see” if you ever travel to Ethiopia. (Just remember to bring your flea powder! Fleas live in the carpets on the church floors.)
Categories: June 2008
This morning we set out on our second Simien excursion…to the Chenek campsite to search for the endemic Ibex. We drove two hours through the chilly mountain mist to the site, glimpsing more heart-stopping views through the clouds along the way. Unfortunately all of the Ibex were hiding out somewhere else, but we did get to hang out with another bunch of Baboons who were busy with their morning grooming sessions and breakfast.
We then headed out of the mountains back to Gondar, where we said goodbye to our driver Amde who was making the 2-day overland trip back to Addis while we flew on to Lalibela. (We had been planning to drive to Lalibela, but the thought of a quick 1-hour flight instead of another 10-hour trip on a bumpy dirt road inspired the change of plan.)
Categories: Uncategorized
Today we departed Gondar for the Simien Mountains, one of Africa’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It took three hours to reach the town of Debark, which is the entry point for the National Park. There we paid our entry fees, and hired a guide and an armed scout (which is mandatory for entering the park). The seven of us all piled back into the car and set out for the Simien Lodge. At 3260 meters, it calls itself the “highest hotel in Africa.” When we arrived at the lodge we were greeted by chilly alpine air and a group of Gelada baboons who were snacking on the grasses in front of the tukul huts. We settled into our tukul, which was equipped with solar hot water and in-floor radiant heating. What luxury!
After lunch we set out on our first excursion…a 2.5 hour hike to the Jinbar Waterfall. The hike took us along a crest overlooking some of the most amazing views any of us had ever seen. Although we hit some rain along the way, the hike was well worth it. Jinbar falls was a beautiful sight! It fell from a lush cliff nearly 500 meters into a deep gorge.
The evening was spent warming our toes in front of the fire at the lodge and watching a documentary about Gelada Baboons. After seeing the film Michael considered abandoning his career in music to study Baboon life!
Categories: June 2008
Today we left Bahir Dar and drove three hours to the city of Gondar, the former imperial capital of Ethiopia. After checking into our guesthouse (which was an old villa built by one of Mussolini’s buddies) we met our guide Abebe, who showed us the sights. We started with a tour of the church Debre Berhen and its beautiful religious murals. Afterwards we took a break for for lunch at a local eatery, where we dined on shiro (chickpea stew) and injera (Ethiopian bread) while restaurant’s pet ducks looked on!
After lunch we toured the fascinating castle compound that was built by Emperor Fasilides in the 1600s. Unfortunately the castles were partially destroyed during the Italian occupation, but most structures were still somewhat intact due to the lime compound that was used to build them. The photo above is of the lion cages!
Categories: June 2008
Today we took a boat to the 12th century monestaries located on the shores of Lake Tana. We saw three monestaries, each constructed with bamboo, mud, and wood with beautiful religious murals on the walls. A couple of the monestaries had adjacent museums with ancient crosses, crowns, and religious books. Swamiji had a chance to meet some fellow monks living at the monestaries!
In the afternoon we drove 30K outside of Bahir Dar to the Blue Nile Falls. At one time these falls were the second largest in Africa (after Victoria Falls). Today they are only a small portion of what they once were (due to hydroelectric dams), but they were still spectacular!
Categories: June 2008
This morning we woke up before dawn and set out on our long car ride to Bahir Dar. Our VW bug wouldn’t have made it outside the city, so we hired a Toyota 4×4 and a driver named Amde. Although the road was paved, the trip took over 10 hours! We traveled through through many rural villages and the scenary was stunning. This particular region is in the middle of the rainy season, so everything was green and lush and the crops were thriving. We hit a huge storm just outside of Bahir Dar with exremely heavy rain and hail and were forced to pull off the road for a while. We arrived to our hotel just in time for Hillary’s concession speech.
Categories: June 2008
Apologies for the lag in blog entries. We just returned from a nine-day trip in northern Ethiopia! We’ll recap each day of the trip in seperate blog entries. Enjoy!
Categories: Uncategorized
This past Saturday we went with Stan, Antje and Lilly to see an all Italian ballet dance performance, at the Ethiopian National Theater. It was the first time Italian ballet had been brought to Addis since the 1960’s. The performance was lovely and a refreshing departure form the usual chaos of the city. The theater was interesting as well, it seemed like a stylish relic of the Salassie era, the outside of which was overgrown and dilapidated but the interior was dated but beautiful.
It is finally cool and rainy here which is very important because people are literally starving in parts of the country due to lack of rain and hence lack of crops.
Yes we’ll post photos soon, sorry its a real process…
-l&k
Categories: Uncategorized
On Sunday evening we went out bowling for the first time in Addis with a bunch of friends. It was a pretty surreal experience but we had a great time. The ceilings were bowed and the lanes weren’t 100 percent level so it was definitely interesting and a little tricky. Also the pins are which are set by hand are old and rickety and occasionally (one or two) will fall before the ball even reaches them.
We are looking forward to a visit from Katie’s dad and brother, they arrive on Thursday night. We are departing Addis on Saturday morning by Toyota Land Cruiser (the vehicle of choice in Ethiopia) on an 8 day whirlwind tour of the historical circuit in the North of Ethiopia. Wish us luck.
-l&k
Categories: Uncategorized
Yesterday May 28th marked the downfall of the Derg (or Dergue). The Derg was the Soviet backed communist regime that took down Halie Selassie in 1974 and basically scewed up the country for the next 17 years under the communist rule of Mengistu.
During the mid ’80’s there was a rise in opposition groups in the north that was accompanied by a famine that destroyed many thousands of lives across Ethiopia. In 1991 Mengistu under attack, and with the fall of the Communism, finally fled to Zimbabwe. Mengistu still lives in Zimbabwe under the protection of his buddy Mugabe, and Ethiopia is currently still run by one of the former revolutionaries a guy named Meles Zenawi (no comment).
So how did we celebrate the downfall of the Derg? Katie had the day off from work so we spent the day relaxing, hanging out with friends, and watching movies. The photo above is of Katie tending to her herbs in the garden (that one is for you, Jill!).
l&k
Categories: May 2008
