Simien Lodge, Simien Mountains NP, Ethiopia, 20 Feb 2014
House in Debark, Ethiopia, 20 Feb 2014
Tony & Corinne, Kosoye Befiker restaurant, near Gondar, Ethiopia, 20 Feb 2014
Our scouts, Kosoye Befiker restaurant, near Gondar, Ethiopia, 20 Feb 2014
Walk from Kosoye Befiker restaurant, near Gondar, Ethiopia, 20 Feb 2014
Coffee making ceremony, Kosoye Befiker restaurant, near Gondar, Ethiopia, 20 Feb 2014
Kosoye Befiker restaurant, near Gondar, Ethiopia, 20 Feb 2014
God's thumb, near Gondar, Ethiopia, 20 Feb 2014
Onions and tomatoes for sale, Werota, Ethiopia, 20 Feb 2014
Ethiopian woman #2, Werota, Ethiopia, 20 Feb 2014
Ethiopian man #2, Werota, Ethiopia, 20 Feb 2014
Scales, Werota, Ethiopia, 20 Feb 2014
Ethiopian onion farmer, Werota, Ethiopia, 20 Feb 2014
Ethiopian woman, Werota, Ethiopia, 20 Feb 2014
Ethiopian boy, Werota, Ethiopia, 20 Feb 2014
Our day ahead was to be a 4-5 hour drive but this plan soon came unstuck not long after leaving Bahir Dar. In a small village near Werota, two trucks had collided side-on as a consequence of avoiding a bajaj taxi. One was a B-double freighter and the other was a double fuel tanker carrying petrol and aviation gasoline. To make matters worse the coming together occurred on a two lane bridge and thus the road was blocked. Fortunately no-one was injured and no fuel was spilt but it took 90 minutes to clear the road during which time a traffic jam ensued a kilometre or so on either side of the bridge. We were going nowhere so we all took the opportunity of meeting the locals in the area where we’d come to a halt. It turned out to be great photo location as normal business trade and activities continued such as the selling of vegetables and the weighing and trading of grain. As expected there was the inevitable gathering of children keen to chat, beg for money and request pens. Janet E. had the kids doing gymnastic exercises and games much to the delight of the assembled adults. Chris was requested by the forensic police to take photos of the traffic accident for them as their camera was not working. We eventually got underway and headed towards Gondar, passing a spectacular and unusual geological feature being a monolith called God’s Thumb or Devil’s Nose. It is cylindrical basalt(?) and we guessed it to be 150m high and about 50m in diameter. Apparently no-one climbs it!
Next we passed through Gondar which is an impressive city that was a former capital of Ethiopia. It was founded in 1635 by Emperor Fasilidas because of its strategic position at 2120m on a hilltop in the southern foothills of the Simeon Mountains.
Further northwards we stopped for lunch at Kosoye Befiker Lodge, which is a remarkable eco-restaurant, perched high on an escarpment overlooking some stunning valleys below and surrounding mountain scenery. The internal section of the restaurant was decorated with local artefacts, the chairs were upholstered with cowhide and the floor was strewn with fresh green reeds. We had a delicious meal and were then able to witness a traditional “coffee ceremony”. A young woman in her local costume roasted fresh coffee beans over a small fire in a terra-cotta pot and ground them in a wooden mortar. The final coffee was remarkably good and even the coffee aficionados amongst us gave full marks for the outcome.
After lunch we walked for an hour down into the valley below looking for gelada baboons. They were sighted below but we didn’t get very close to them.
The final part of the day was a progressive climb in the bus through winding mountain ridges until we reached Debark where we obtained official passes to enter Simien National Park. Debark is a place well worth passing through and from the amount of litter apparent and the level of poverty it is undoubtedly the least appealing town we’ve seen since arriving in Ethiopia. Having obtained the required passes and engaged park guides for tomorrow we drove a few more kilometres to our destination, namely the Simien Park Lodge. This is a delightful accommodation centre with fairly new stone bungalows set on a hillside at 3260m. The thin air here is quite chilly and some are already aware of slight altitude effects. The Lodge’s restaurant has a nice open fire with a bar that claims to be the “Highest Bar in Africa”. As we departed the restaurant, we were presented with hot water bottles for our beds.
Tomorrow we spend much of the day walking in this National Park that is regarded as the best of its kind in Ethiopia.