Trip to Ethiopia and Jordan

We are about to head off on a new adventure to Ethiopia and Jordan. We're travelling with the group of friends that we did the Trans Siberian and Silk Road trips with so we're know that we'll have lots of fun. We'll try to keep you posted, however we're not sure how reliable our access to the Internet will be.

Wednesday 5th February 2014 Melbourne

We've spent a day in Melbourne with our children & grandchildren. It was a great opportunity to be together.We've now joined the Melbourne couple who are travelling with us. Great excitement. We'll meet up with the rest of our crew in Dubai.

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Thursday 6th February 2014. Melbourne - Addis Ababa

Thursday 6th February 2014. Melbourne to Addis Ababa Our fourteen hour flight from Melbourne to Dubai was our first flight with Emirates and was on an Airbus A380 which is a massive airplane with upper and lower seating levels and can accommodate around 700 passengers. We had good seats with a bulkhead in front so we could stretch out our legs. Yet despite this, sleep was spasmodic and when we arrived in Dubai we were pretty weary and our body clocks were confused as the actual pre-dawn early morning time seemed more like evening.

The Dubai airport terminal is a monument to middle-east consumerism with glitzy shops by the thousand swarming with eagre shoppers in an environment that left us keen to move on!

Our principal task was to find our fellow Ethiopian travellers who had also arrived in Dubai on other flights from Sydney and Adelaide. By random wandering through this ant’s nest of humanity we eventually found everyone so our team of ten was over the first hurdle of ensuring no-one was lost or had suffered problems of delayed flights.

We had a five-hour wait before we could board our next flight to Addis Ababa and during this time we had some snacks and drinks and caught up on everyone’s news and thoughts on our adventure ahead!

The flight to Addis was around four hours and crossed over the Saudi desert before crossing the Red Sea near Yemen. Our first sight of Africa below was of Djibouti and it all looked parched as was the scenery right through to Addis. The airport at Addis is pretty much a central point and the city of three million has radiated outwards from it. Our contacts with Getts Travel were there to meet us and after arranging our travel visas (US$20 pp) we were loaded into an old Toyota Coaster bus and on our way to our hotel for the next two days. The traffic and road rules in Addis Ababa are reminiscent of Cairo or Bangkok with the key point being to give way to the driver who is in front of you irrespective of left or right or how they managed to wedge themselves into that position.

The trip from the airport gave us an initial insight to Ethiopian life with merchants plying their trades in the streets and overloaded buses and blue Lada taxis weaving throughout the traffic mayhem.

Our Hotel was up a very narrow back lane and turns out to be surprisingly clean and comfortable. Toilet and shower both work although the hot water is limited and water pressure is about one micropascal.

We then went to the Gett’s Office and paid the remaining part of our travel costs before returning to the hotel for a much required shower, a beer/gin and a very nice meal before heading for bed for some much needed sleep. We await tomorrow when our Ethiopian adventure will get underway for real!

Friday 7th February - Addis Ababa

Orthodox priest, Holy Trinity Cathedral, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 7 Feb 2014

Model of Lucy, National Museum, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 7 Feb 2014

Mercato market scene #2, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 7 Feb 2014

Mercato market scene #1, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 7 Feb 2014

Haile Selassie's throne, National Museum, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 7 Feb 2014

Eucalyptus plantation, Mount Entoto, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 7 Feb 2014

Ethiopian students, National Museum, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 7 Feb 2014

Friday 7th February 2014 Addis Ababa.

The whole day was spent sight seeing in and around Addis Ababa the present day capital of Ethiopia.

Addis is at an altitude of 2400 m (the world’s third highest capital city) and has a population of around three million. The altitude results in a temperate climate and today the overcast skies resulted in a maximum temperature in the mid-twenties. As is typical at his time of the year there was a short but torrential downpour in the late afternoon.

Our first visit of the day was to the Holy Trinity Cathedral which is the most imposing and significant Orthodox Church in Ethiopia. Its other claim to fame is that it holds the tombs of the Emperor Haile Selassie and his wife. As is the case for other Ethiopian Orthodox churches, this cathedral claims to have (hidden) a replica of the Ark of the Covenant used by Moses to bring the Ten Commandments to the Jewish people.

We then visited the National Museum that amongst other objects houses the remains of the 1974 discovered hominid skeleton now referred to as “Lucy”. This almost complete skeleton is estimated to be 3.5 million years old and has been assigned the genus/species Australopithecus afarensis or what is considered the ‘missing link’ to the genus Homo. The Rift Valley of Ethiopia has become an archeological treasure trove for fossil hunters and these recent discoveries suggest that this may well be where human beings and their hominid ancestors evolved making it the ‘cradle of humankind’.

We then ventured into Mercato, the main market area of Addis Ababa. This huge market occupies several kilometres of roads, alleys and buildings and is quite overwhelming in terms of the number of people and the high density of stalls and their diversity. The area is one frequented by pick-pockets so we were advised not to venture into the markets alone. Amongst the market stalls one sees cripples, beggars, taxi drivers and hawkers all clamouring for money and attention. Young children are seen hard at work carrying heavy sacks weaving in between carts, donkeys and the never ending jam of cars and buses.

After a lunch break we drove nearly to the summit of Mt. Entoto which is at about 3000 m. The view over Addis was severely affected by smog but we could still get and idea of the vast size of this sprawling city. The mountain slopes are densely wooded with imported eucalypts and women collect sticks and leaves from the forest area for sale as firewood. The women carry large bundles of firewood on their backs down to the city for selling. We then went to the Ethnological Museum which is housed in Emperor Haile Selassie’s former palace.

The final visit for the day was to St George Cathedral where we saw interesting religious paintings as well as mosaics and other ecclesiastical paraphernalia.

A visit to two supermarkets for tonic and other drinks was followed by a very pleasant evening meal and then we headed back to our hotel to prepare for tomorrow 450 km drive into Southern Ethiopia.

Saturday 8th February. Addis Ababa to Arba Minch

Donkeys & road works machinery, Lake Abaya, Ethiopia, 8 Feb 2014

Dorze lady making bread from false banana palm, Ethiopia, 8 Feb 2014

Dorze people's market, Ethiopia, 8 Feb 2014

Downpour at lunchtime, Sodo, Ethiopia, 8 Feb 2014

We were on the road by 7.15 and our group of ten was now travelling in a convoy of three 4x4s (two Landcruisers and a Nissan). Our first stop was at the small but very busy town of Butajira and then we went on to Hosiana where on the side of the road we viewed teff (a very fine grain) being threshed from its grass like stems by way of ten cattle walking around in circles and using their hooves as threshers. We then headed on to Sodo for lunch at which time it started to pour with rain. This torrential downpour and associated thunderstorm was spectacular in as much it turned dusty roads into mud and dry creek-beds to rivers. As is typical here, the storm was soon over and once again the roads were clogged with cattle and goats being herded to new grazing sites. The roads in Ethiopia are the ‘arteries’ of human movement as well as agriculture and everywhere you go one encounters people, cows, goats, sheep … moving along the roads many of which are in need of repair. There are lots of old Chinese built trucks but relatively few cars and these vehicles are often occupied by tourists. When they see a car coming some of the local children will perform traditional dances on the side of the road. These performances involve hip wagging and “Charleston” knee bending type dances followed by the extended hand begging for a financial reward.

In the later afternoon after five hours on the road we visited a local Saturday market which turned out to be bedlam. We were immediately greeted by several hundred children who crowded around us and shouted with excitement “forens” which we were told means foreigners! The kids were so unruly and wanted to touch us and pinch us which is was quite disconcerting. Adults in the market reprimanded the naughty children but we decided the easiest way to solve this situation was to head off.

After a quick stop at Lake Abaya the rain returned and with fading light we took a very rough rocky mountain road for 15 km up to a village of the Dorze people who live in intricately woven bamboo huts and weave traditional cotton clothes. It was so dark and now raining so heavily that this visit was a bit disappointing. The Dorze people grow a palm that looks like a banana (called a false banana) to extract a pulp from its fleshy trunk to make a fermented bread which we tried with their local honey. The taste was memorable but not inspiring. They also prepare a highly alcoholic drink called arake which makes neat vodka taste like water.

After a very long day we headed for Arba Minch for the Swayness Hotel and a late meal and bed. The room we stayed in was along way from the dining and in the dark we were warned of the presence of hyenas but none was seen or heard!

Sunday 9th February Arba Minch – Turmi

Lunch, Konso, Ethiopia, 9 Feb 2014.

Gate to house, Konso people village, Ethiopia, 9 Feb 2014.

Konso people village #3, Ethiopia, 9 Feb 2014.

Child eating a mango, Konso people village, Ethiopia, 9 Feb 2014.

Konso people village, #2 Ethiopia, 9 Feb 2014.

Pathway, Konso people village, Ethiopia, 9 Feb 2014.

Hut, Konso people village, Ethiopia, 9 Feb 2014

Woman carrying cornen route to Konso people village, Ethiopia, 9 Feb 2014

Young boy performing on roadside en route to Konso people village, Ethiopia, 9 Feb 2014

Women carrying produce, en route to Konso people village, Ethiopia, 9 Feb 2014

Beehives in acacia, Lake Chamo, Ethiopia, 9 Feb 2014

Acacia, Lake Chamo, Ethiopia, 9 Feb 2014

Crocodile after eating fish, Lake Chomo, Ethiopia, 9 Feb 2014

Crocodile with fish, Lake Chomo, Ethiopia, 9 Feb 2014

Crocodile #2, Lake Chamo, Ethiopia, 9 Feb 2014

Water birds, Lake Chamo, Ethiopia, 9 Feb 2014

Crocodile, Lake Chamo, Ethiopia, 9 Feb 2014

Lake Chamo, Ethiopia, 9 Feb 2014

Hippopotamus #1, Lake Chamo, Ethiopia, 9 Feb 2014

Breakfast was in the dining area that gave us a panoramic although hazy view across Lakes Abaya and Chamo. The cars were loaded up by 7.00 and our departure from the Swayness Hotel was overseen by a baboon having his breakfast in a tree above us.

We drove a short distance to the edge of Lake Chamo where the group climbed into a steel 6m boat powered by a 25 hp motor and headed out into the lake. We traced a path to the edge of a large reedy area where the bird life was spectacular with beautifully coloured herons, ibis, fish eagles and a number of other unidentified birds all in close range. We then entered a small cove and came face to face with three hippopotamuses which seemed unaffected by our presence. We got sufficiently close for good photos but there is danger, as these giant animals have been known to submerge and then resurface under a boat to tip it over! Further around the edge of the lake we encountered dozens of large crocodiles most of which were lying in the water with only the top of their heads visible. Corinne photographed one as it grabbed a fish. The largest croc would have been about 5m.  Several more hippos were sighted on our return to the car park. This was a very exciting adventure and the lake was so calm and serene.

The next event on our agenda was to visit the Konso people’s village. These people are famous for their cultural landscape of stone walled terraces and fortified huts built of straw with conical thatched rooves topped with terra-cotta pots. The settlement and its remarkable stonework have recently been added to UNESCO’s list of world heritage sites.

The drive south took us through hills and gullies, where one area was barely above sea level.

A long drive on a mostly dusty road brought us finally to Turmi. Along the way we encountered a number members of the Bena Tribe who are adorned with colourful beads and elegant flowing clothes.

The evening meal at Turmi was accompanied by some G & T as a preliminary celebration of Corinne’s birthday (it was already her birthday in Australia so that was sufficient excuse). Our meals are generally 3 courses - soup, followed by a main course (e.g. beef stroganoff, spaghetti with vegetables, fish..) and a dessert (pancakes or fruit). It is always more than we can eat and we feel guilty wasting it but they don’t seem to understand small servings.

Our accommodation at Turmi Lodge was very comfortable and we are getting used to charging batteries before the generator is turned off.

Monday 10th February – Turmi (Corinne’s Birthday!)

Hammer tribe child, Turmi, Ethiopia, 10 Feb 2014

Hammer tribe girl, Turmi, Ethiopia, 10 Feb 2014

Hammer village panorama, Turmi, Ethiopia, 10 Feb 2014

Hammer village girl, Turmi, Ethiopia, 10 Feb 2014

Hammer bracelets, Weekly market, Turmi, Ethiopia, 10 Feb 2014

Hammer girls at Weekly market, Turmi, Ethiopia, 10 Feb 2014

Weekly market #1, Turmi, Ethiopia, 10 Feb 2014

Desert rose, Murelle, Ethiopia, 10 Feb 2014

The morning took us on an excursion to Murulle (80 km on a dirt road) to visit the Karo people who are considered the masters of body painting. On route we stopped to photograph a large termite nest and met up with a man and young girl on their way to the market. The young girl was apparently betrothed to the man but was not yet old enough to be married. She was pre-puberty and he was probably about forty. We thought he was her father or even her grandfather until informed of the true situation. We spotted several animals on route, including, camels, ‘dik dik’ (small antelope), meer cats, squirrels and birds. Amongst the normal desert flora, were very colourful pink ‘desert roses’ which looked like a variation of a pink frangipani.

The extraordinary thing is that in this desert landscape one sees hundreds of herds of cattle and goats subsisting on little visible feed. The cattle forage on thorn bushes and the availability of water seems next to nothing. The herds are usually attended by children who don’t have schools to attend as they’re too far from civilization. Even when close to towns it is difficult to encourage school attendance as there is a need for child labour to look after the wandering herds.

The people of the Karo village tribe decorate their bodies with chalk and paint, often imitating the spotted plumage of a guinea fowl. We were all armed with a wad of small notes (1 and 5 birr notes, the equivalent of 5 cents and 25 cents) to pay for photos. They have become very adept at listening for camera clicks and heated arguments ensued if they thought they had been tricked. Video filming for as long as you liked was often not worried about by the people and no charge was sought.  Although the village people were taking advantage of us, we realised that the people we met on the road were almost equally adorned with beads, feathers, corn cobs, shells, bits of metal and flowers – it is just their natural attire.

On returning to Turmi, we visited the local weekly market. The people were mainly the Hammer tribe who enjoy body decoration and wear quantities of colourful beads and make their hair into ringlets caked with clay and butter. Again we were accosted to take photos for a price. It is quite sad that they now see tourists as fair game. The usual trick is for an 18 year old male to start talking to us about his education. Once he has us engaged, he then asks us to go to the book-shop and buy books such as a dictionary for him. If you oblige, once your back is turned the books are promptly returned to the shelf for the next unwary customer!

The Hammer people’s market involves locals selling grain (sorghum and corn) and other produce such as coffee and tobacco. In the intense heat of the day many of the women’s decorations of clay and buttered hair ringlets were melting and dripping down their faces.

The market seemed to be dominated by women and at the end of the day the loads of produce are carried by the women whilst the men walk with their wooden head-rest pillows and sticks. Women are the real workers in this tribal group!

In the later afternoon we visited a Hammer Village and spent an hour or so wandering in amongst the village huts and being confronted by children (mainly) wishing to have their photos taken for a fee (usually 2 or 3 birr).

We were given the opportunity of entering a village home which was a mud-walled circular building of about 10m diameter with a thatched roof incorporating a ‘second floor’ if the family had too many children to accommodate on the base level. The ground level area serves as the kitchen and bedroom with the only comforts for sleeping being cattle skins on the dirt floor. The wife was busy grinding coffee husks to use for a drink. She had 5 children which is below the average of 7 per family. Rich men in the village are able to afford two wives and wealth is gauged by the number of cattle and goats you possess. We met two women married to the same man and they seemed good friends although they wear different neck ornaments to distinguish between number 1 wife and number 2. The entry to the circular home was through a narrow ‘window’ making access difficult. This was described as a strategy to make access to the home by potential invaders difficult and give time for the occupants to kill the perpetrator.

The local girls are topless and are often tall and stunning in their intricately decorated costumes.

Many photos were taken and the continuous haggling about prices was a little tiresome.

On return to our ‘hotel’ we showered and prepared for dinner and celebrations for Corinne’s birthday. Much gin was consumed and a birthday cake made from two pieces of bread with four candles was presented and accompanied by “Happy Birthday” and much laughter and merriment.

A most exciting and interesting day.

Tuesday 11th February 2014 Turmi – Jinka

Whipping, Bull jumping, Hammer tribe, Ethiopia ceremony, 11 Feb 2014

Dancing girls, Bull jumping, Hammer tribe, Ethiopia ceremony, 11 Feb 2014

Dimeeka market scene, Ethiopia ceremony, 11 Feb 2014

Dassenech girl, Omo River, Ethiopia, 11 Feb 2014

Crossing Omo River in dugout canoe, Ethiopia, 11 Feb 2014

The first excursion for the day involved a 150 km drive southwards from Turmi to the town of Omorate which is the border town and immigration centre for crossing between Ethiopia and Kenya. Kenya is 15 km from Omorate and we were required to produce passports even though we didn’t cross into Kenya. The road was dusty and rough but is being progressively reconstructed and widened by contractors from China. Omorate town is built on the banks of the mighty Omo river which takes water from the Ethiopian highlands to Lake Turkana on the border between Ethiopia and Northern Kenya. Very large areas of highly fertile alluvial soil exist and cotton production is being developed in this region using the Omo River for irrigation. This may have long-term problems if the water flowing southwards is depleted as was the case with the Aral Sea.

We all scrambled down the steep bank of the Omo River and clambered into dug-out canoes (3 passengers + oarsman) to cross the 100m wide river which brought us to the village of the Galeb (Dassenech) people. We spent an hour or so in their village which has very low circular huts built from sticks and dried mud. Often the thatched roofs are supplemented by sections of corrugated iron. The women were mostly attired in animal skins (monkey and cheetah) and often carry large earthenware pots on their heads. These people are nomadic and move from place to place wherever there’s adequate food for their animals (predominantly goats). The village children pestered us for photos for which the going rate was 3 birrs. To photograph adults was 5 birrs but it became tricky if the mother was holding a child. Much negotiating went on and the price decreased as we were about to leave.

After a further dug-out canoe ride, we then returned northwards and visited the weekly Dimeka market after which our three drivers arranged a picnic lunch for us.

The highlight of the day was then the afternoon Evangadi dance and bull jumping ceremony. These are Hammer tribes people and the dance ceremony involves women (mostly young) dancing and chanting whilst moving in circles adjacent to young men who jump high vertically whilst holding their whips. The women have dozens of small bells around their ankles and the noise they create adds to the atmosphere of unbounded excitement for the group. Occasionally a female would break from the group and “request” to be whipped. A male suitor would strike the girl across her back with a stick leaving a bleeding wound which seemed to not deter the girl at all. Many of the 20 or so dancing girls had blood running down their backs. The ceremony is supposed to represent preparedness to withstand pain for the one you wish to marry. The wounds are then treated with fire ash which results in the wounds developing raised scars which are then visible to the world as signs of commitment.

This dance and whipping ceremony went on for about 3 hours and then the bull jumping commenced. One young man (about an 18 year-old) was to undertake this task today as part of his transition from youth to manhood. Ten or so smallish bulls were brought into an open area where a highly enthusiastic and chaotic group of men attempted to get the cattle to line-up side by side. After much effort and some injuries inflicted by angry bulls eventually the event could start. The completely naked youth then had a run-up across open ground and then leapt onto the first bull’s back and then ran across the other 9 bulls before returning to the ground. He then repeated the task in the other direction without fault. Then he did it once more which was sufficient evidence for the tribal elders to acknowledge that he was now a man which means he will be ready for marriage and will wear different attire indicating his new status. Had he failed or fallen several times he would not be allowed to attempt the task for a further twelve months.

After a great day with much excitement and unusual entertainment we headed westwards towards the border with South Sudan, our over night stop being at the town of Jinka. This travel at night which took us about three hours was once more on dusty and corrugated roads! Even in the darkness there were dozens of people wandering along the road and we had to weave in amongst cattle sleeping on the road. At the Jinka Eco Resort we are accommodated in safari tents with very cold showers.

Wednesday 12th February 2014 (Sinclair’s Birthday) Jinka and surrounds.

Sinclair's birthday drinks, Omo Eco Resort, Jinka, Ethiopia, 12 Feb 2014

Butterfly #1, Omo Eco Resort, Jinka, Ethiopia, 12 Feb 2014

Frangipani, Jinka Eco Resort, Ethiopia, 12 Feb 2014 (1)

Safari tents, Jinka Eco Resort, Ethiopia, 12 Feb 2014

Sentry at Pill Box, Jinka Eco Resort, Ethiopia, 12 Feb 2014

Picnic, Mago National Park, Ethiopia, 12 Feb 2014

Colobus monkeys, Mago National Park, Ethiopia, 12 Feb 2014

Colobus monkey, Mago National Park, Ethiopia, 12 Feb 2014

Mursi Tribe panorama, Mago National Park, Ethiopia, 12 Feb 2014

Mursi Tribe woman grinding corn, Mago National Park, Ethiopia, 12 Feb 2014

Mursi Tribe hut, Mago National Park, Ethiopia, 12 Feb 2014

Mursi Tribe village, Mago National Park, Ethiopia, 12 Feb 2014

Woman #2 from Mursi Tribe, Mago National Park, Ethiopia, 12 Feb 2014

Woman from Mursi Tribe, Mago National Park, Ethiopia, 12 Feb 2014

Bird, Mago National Park, Ethiopia, 12 Feb 2014

Vultures, Mago National Park, Ethiopia, 12 Feb 2014

Baboons, Mago National Park, Ethiopia, 12 Feb 2014

After yesterday being a late finish we had a somewhat slower start today with “heading off” time being 8.30 am. We had a 70km drive up and down steep hills on a very rough and dusty road to an area comprising the Mago National Park. On the way we photographed baboons and bush-bucks plus a number of birds. We finally arrived at a tribal village belonging to the Mursi Tribe.

The people are famous within the Omo Valley region for their piercing and progressive enlargement of the women’s lower lip to hold a (usually) circular clay disc some of which were the size of large saucers. The supposed story behind this extraordinary custom relates to the slave trade three or so centuries ago when ugly women were not seen as desirable as potential slaves. To increase their ugliness some women would progressively stretch their lower lip. This custom has taken an unexpected turn as today, this self-inflicted deformity is seen as a sign of extreme beauty and even young girls wish to participate in the practice.

Some of the Mursi women no longer get involved but because the clay plates are quite heavy they remove them when they’re going about their everyday tasks. This leaves a thick black rubbery extension hanging on their chin which believe me is most definitely unattractive. The large clay discs are best inserted with the two middle lower front teeth removed. We’re not sure who or how they pull these teeth out!

In addition to the lower lip, many women and girls also enlarge both of their lower ear lobes and insert objects like sections of cow horns or other circular objects. Many photos were taken and the usual price was 5 birrs for adult photos and 2 or 3 for children. We were pestered relentlessly by the Mursi women for us to photograph them. Not many men were on site as most would have been out in the adjacent regions attending their herds of cattle. Some men who were there to greet us were adorned with colourful head bands and body painting. Many don’t wear any clothing at all. A custom amongst men that is now forbidden is stick fighting where two metre long sticks are used somewhat like swords to render your opponent injured or dead! Youths were sighted carrying these duelling sticks but they are not used now so we’re told.

After leaving the Mursi Village we drove through a section of the Mago National park to where we had a picnic lunch in a secluded and shady area next to a small river. In the National Park the only wildlife we saw apart from lots of birds were dik-diks (a tiny antelope), bush-bucks and a family of black and white colobus monkeys that we managed to approach sufficiently to take photographs before they scurried off through the tree-tops. On the track into the river we saw several piles of large animal droppings that Bini assured us were from elephants but unfortunately, none was sighted but there’s always tomorrow!

We then returned to the Jinka Resort and once more had cold showers before preparing to join in on celebrations for Sinclair’s birthday.

Thursday 13th February 2014 Jinka - Yabello

Dik Dik on road to Yabello, Ethiopia, 13 Feb 2014

Shoes made from tyres at market, Key Afer, Ethiopia, 13 Feb 2014

Produce at market, Key Afer, Ethiopia, 13 Feb 2014

Pots and dishes for sale at market, Key Afer, Ethiopia, 13 Feb 2014

Woman #2 at market, Key Afer, Ethiopia, 13 Feb 2014

Woman at market, Key Afer, Ethiopia, 13 Feb 2014

We had a relatively relaxed start to the day and were on the road just after 9.00 am. We first visited the Omo Research Centre in Jinka village. This is a small museum specialising in the cultural aspects of the main tribes found in the southern Omo River region. The central gallery had display cases showing the different kinds of clothing, tools and body decorations that are used by the Karo, Mursi, Hammer, Ari and Benna tribes. In addition there were very interesting notes and photographs describing the day to day lives and work expectations for men and women of the tribes. The universal impression gained is that women are regarded as servants to their husbands and the accounts of frequent wife-bashing and abuse were quite distressing. Tribal life for women involves much of the heavy carrying of wood and supplies, grain grinding together with child rearing and food preparation. To add to the distress for women, female circumcision is still practised by many of the tribal groups and young girls are encouraged by their elders to regard this as a natural progress to womanhood.

We then drove back towards Karat Konso stopping for an hour or so at Key Afer to visit the local market of the Ari and Benna tribes. The market had farm produce, clothing, souvenirs and general merchandise on sale and we were quickly surrounded by hawkers wishing to sell us copper and brass bracelets. There were the usual colourful beaded bracelets and necklaces on sale too. Carved wooden statuettes representing local tribal men and women were the best wooden carvings we’ve encountered so far but the prices asked were very high and no amount of haggling would bring them down to a more reasonable level.

After lunch we headed eastwards from Konso towards Yabello a trip that would take us three hours on another rocky road that wound its way along river valleys and over mountain ridges. The scenery was impressive and the arid nature of the environment is reminiscent of outback Australia especially as in some parts there are large areas of eucalypts. Apart from the usual herds of cattle and goats on the road we encountered a number of camel herds. The tribal people use these principally for their milk and for transport.

We also managed to photograph a number of different bird species along the way. The most impressive birds seen were the red-beaked hornbill and the lilac breasted roller bird. Quite a large number of dik-dik antelopes were sighted too but to get good photos one had to be very lucky as these shy animals disappear very quickly.

We arrived at Yabello and booked into the local motel to find the showers were cold as they’ve been for the last two days. C’est la vie!

Foot Note: Jak found the switch-board for the three rooms in our corner and turned on the power to the hot water heaters.

Friday 14th February 2014 Yabello – Dublock – Yabello

Deer, near Singing Springs, Ethiopia, 14 Feb 2014

Picnic near Singing Springs, Borena, Ethiopia, 14 Feb 2014

Goats drinking at Singing Springs, Borena, Ethiopia, 14 Feb 2014

Raising water at Singing Springs, Borena, Ethiopia, 14 Feb 2014

Ethiopian houses, Borena, Ethiopia, 14 Feb 2014

Jak & Corinne at the top, Saline crater lake, Borena, Ethiopia, 14 Feb 2014

Tony at the top, Saline crater lake, Borena, Ethiopia, 14 Feb 2014

Starlings, Saline crater lake, Borena, Ethiopia, 14 Feb 2014

Man collecting salt, Saline crater lake, Borena, Ethiopia, 14 Feb 2014

Saline crater lake, Borena, Ethiopia, 14 Feb 2014

Our vehicles, Yabello, Ethiopia, 14 Feb 2014

Although we had warmish water at 6.00 am there was no electricity for lights or power. The hot water had stayed reasonably warm from the brief heating period last night before the generator was shut down. We all had a meagre breakfast of cold scrambled eggs, bread and very strong coffee and were on the road by 7.30 am.

The road southwards towards Mega (near Kenyan border) is a recently built highway and is of superb quality; the best we’ve seen anywhere in Ethiopia! The Chinese built the road and there are still two bridges yet to be completed so there was a short gravel detour around these construction sites. There was an immigration point on the way checking for Kenyan and Somali entrants. We were not stopped or questioned which is just as well as Corinne had unintentionally left her passport in our room back at the hotel.

About 65 km south of Yabello we turned off the highway onto a rocky road and after 20 km came to a small Borena village on the rim of a saline crater lake. After some discussion on prices and the hire of walking poles we started heading down the steep, rocky and rough pathway to the crater-lake 340 m (vertically) below. We had a guide and there were other ‘hangers-on’ who wished to act as personal guides but we declined their offers. Donkeys use the path too for transporting the salt back up to the top. At the bottom two local boys demonstrated the procedure for wading out into the black salty water and in one metre of water they brought armfuls of grey/black mud to the surface. This mud is later dried and the highly impure salt is then used for cattle in the nearby Ethiopian and Somali regions. We walked 400m around the crater-lake which is littered with discarded plastic bins and associated rubbish. The walk back up the path was reminiscent of parts of the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. This climb took about 45 minutes and involved some rest stops and opportunities to photograph birds. The red breasted azure starling is common and much more attractive than our starlings at home!

We then drove a short distance through more Borena village homes to a so called singing well. In a small evergreen grove the Borena people have dug by hand and shovel an alleyway through the clay rock to a well that is at the base of a 50m deep shaft. During the dry season the locals form a human chain and with buckets and much chanting bring the water up to troughs which are accessible to stock. While we were there only three water lifters were operating near the top just to show the tourists how the system works. We were surrounded by several hundred goats and sheep eagerly seeking out the cool water.

After a picnic lunch under a nearby tree we headed for home. On our return journey we managed to get quite close to and photograph gazelles that were grazing along the roadside. They were very shy and soon ran off into the acacia thorn trees that abound.

Our return journey was interrupted by our vehicle hitting a stone causing a puncture which the drivers teamed up to change wheels very swiftly.

We arrived back at the hotel at 4.30 pm in time for showers and pre-dinner drinks!

Another great day in this remarkable country!!

Saturday 15th February 2014 (most of us had no idea that it was Saturday!) Yabello – Hawassa

The girls dressed for dinner, Haile Resort, Hawassa, Ethiopia, 15 Feb 2014

Sunset over Lake Hawassa, Ethiopia, 15 Feb 2014

Girls at Sadama people village, Ethiopia, 15 Feb 2014

Child with toy near Chelba Tutiti Megalithic Stele site, Ethiopia, 15 Feb 2014

Stele, Chelba Tutiti Megalithic Stele site, Ethiopia, 15 Feb 2014

Chelba Tutiti Megalithic Stele site, Ethiopia, 15 Feb 2014

House near Yabello, Ethiopia, 15 Feb 2014

This was a day where huge contrasts were encountered! We left the hotel at Yabello all quite relieved to be away from this grotty accommodation where there was hardly any electricity, sub-standard rooms and food that made some of us ill. Our path was northwards and the roads varied from super smooth bitumen (a rarity) to very broken pot-holed roads where our drivers had to weave at slow speed to avoid damaging the cars too much. The surrounding environment started to change from dry desert and the flatlands of southern Ethiopia to the more mountainous and hilly wet tropical regions within the Lower Rift Valley. The changes in agriculture are quite dramatic too with the soil being highly fertile and cropping abundant albeit at subsistence/small farm level. There were large holdings of enset (false banana), mangoes, pineapples, avocadoes, bananas and especially coffee. It is thought that coffee originates from the region around Kaffe from which the Europeans derived the name coffee.

At a place along the way called Tutu Fela we left the main road and headed several kilometres through coffee plantations to a fenced paddock area on a hillside. This is a stelae field and is a graveyard dating back about 1200 years. Each of the graves was marked with a vertical round shaped stone (a stela) often several metres high. A good number (there are about 300 here) have now fallen over and there’s been no attempt to seriously investigate what’s under these monoliths. Many of the stelae are shaped as penises and their carvings indicate that male circumcision was commonly practised. It is thought that women were buried here too but as yet there’s been no archaeological detailed study.

We had lunch at Dilla village and then continued north. It’s true to say that in today’s 300 km of travel there was practically nowhere along the road where there weren’t humans. About every 10 km we’d come to a town or village where the Saturday market action was frenetic and people in their hundreds were milling around the edge of the road buying and selling their wares.

Children seeing us foreigners (faranji) would excitedly call out “you, you, you” and put out a begging hand.

We then stopped at a village where the Sidama people live in circular houses with thatched roofs and bamboo cladding. The house we visited was divided into three rooms one for cooking and sleeping, one for sitting and one for the cattle as they provide heating during the colder nights. The people were very friendly and welcomed us into their community which is famous for coffee production. Photographs were taken without any fee being demanded but there was raucous laughter when the children got to see their images!

We finally arrived at Hawassa and the hotel we’re staying in is magnificent, a total contrast from the last night two nights. The hotel is called the Haile Resort and is owned by Haile Gerbselassie an Ethiopian marathon Olympic gold medallist superstar. He set the world record for the marathon in 2008 in Berlin in a time of 2 hours, 2 minutes and 59 seconds.

Our room is 5 star and has its own private balcony looking out onto the Awassa Lake which is a few hundred metres away. There’s a swimming pool with its own waterfall and a golf course too, the only one we’ve yet seen in Ethiopia. Wow, what a contrast but we’ve only one day here and tomorrow is back to reality we’ve been warned!!

Sunday 16th February 2014 Hawassa - Goba

Red buck, Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia, 16 Feb 2014

Bush buck deer #2, Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia, 16 Feb 2014

Bush buck deer, Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia, 16 Feb 2014

Endemic tree used for medicine, Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia, 16 Feb 2014

Wart-hog, Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia, 16 Feb 2014

Mountain nyala, Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia, 16 Feb 2014

Sabsibi Washa, en route to Goba, Ethiopia, 16 Feb 2014

Anubis baboon with baby, en route to Goba, Ethiopia, 16 Feb 2014

Cactus fence, Dodola, Ethiopia, 16 Feb 2014

Pineapples, Fish market, Hawassa, Ethiopia, 16 Feb 2014

Cooking fish, Fish market, Hawassa, Ethiopia, 16 Feb 2014

Cleaning fish, Fish market, Hawassa, Ethiopia, 16 Feb 2014

Malibu stork, Fish market, Hawassa, Ethiopia, 16 Feb 2014

Fish market, Hawassa, Ethiopia, 16 Feb 2014

Malibu stork face, Fish market, Hawassa, Ethiopia, 16 Feb 2014

Fishing boat, Fish market, Hawassa, Ethiopia, 16 Feb 2014

After a sumptuous breakfast at the Haile Resort we headed to the local fish market on the nearby shores of Lake Awassa. At around 8.00 am local fishermen who use monofilament nets return to the shore in their 4 m wooden boats and display their catch of fish, which are mostly (fresh water) perch and catfish. The market is a throng of activity with the inevitable hawkers and children hassling one to buy baskets, shoe-horns and local souvenirs. In amongst all this activity are large and incredibly ugly Malibu storks who await bits of fish gut that are thrown from the gutting tables. The children grab a handful of fish guts and toss little pieces in the air for the storks to catch and then ask for money from photographers who are nearby. There was a long row of tents where fish was being cooked in large woks filled with very black cooking oil. We sampled small pieces of the cooked fish and it was quite tasty despite the less than hygienic cooking environment. We all worked on the principle that the hot oil would surely kill any nasty bugs.

Raw fish was also available but none of us was courageous enough to try this local specialty.

We then drove for about 4 hours (245 km) due eastwards having a coffee stop about half way at Dodola. Our destination was the Bale Mountains National Park. The first half of our travel was through highly fertile agricultural land where barley and wheat crops have recently been harvested. The area is very flat and the soil is a rich red soil much like the North West Coast of Tasmania. This contrasts dramatically with the dusty deserts of the southern Ethiopian Rift Valley. This was the first time we’d seen combine harvesters, big John Deere tractors and huge grain trucks.

The road then climbed to 3800 m into more craggy mountainous terrain and then we dropped down again into the Bale Mountains National Park. A picnic lunch was partly interrupted by about 10 excessively hungry wart-hogs with designs on our sandwiches. Our drivers threatened them with rocks and waving sticks and eventually they left us in peace.

After lunch we walked for an hour or so with a local guide and encountered three different species of antelope; red-bucks, bush-bucks and the rare and endemic mountain nyala. We walked very quietly and slowly and were rewarded with some good photos despite the extreme shyness of these animals.

Finally we left the park and drove a short distance to Goba where we have two nights in a 1-2 star hotel; quite a difference from last night!!

Monday 17th February 2014 Goba – Bale National Park – Goba

Colobus monkey, Bale Mountain National Park, 17 Feb 2014

Old man's beard on tree, Bale Mountain National Park, 17 Feb 2014

Orange flower, Bale Mountain National Park, 17 Feb 2014

Picnic, Bale Mountain National Park, 17 Feb 2014

Soccer field, Bale Mountain National Park, 17 Feb 2014

Young Ethiopian wolf, Bale Mountain National Park, 17 Feb 2014

An early start had our 4x4s climbing steeply 1300m from the Goba township up 25 km to the Sanetti Plateau which is regarded as the world’s largest expanse of Afro-alpine mooreland. This vast expanse of montane habitat is at the 3500m – 4500m altitude and being an incredibly isolated region it has a substantial number of endemic plant and animal species. The vegetation is clumped grey heather interspersed with lichen covered rocks and stands of giant lobelia which at first glance looks to be palm-like and most unexpected in this cold alpine region. The lobelia grow to 3m and have a corky bark and waxen leaves maybe reminiscent of the pandani of Tasmanian highlands.

Much to our great excitement we encountered a number of the Ethiopian wolves (Canis simensis). This is the rarest of the world’s canid species. These very handsome wolves are very shy and the best photos we managed to get were by staying in the car as the presence of humans causes rapid scattering.

There were numerous small mole rats that scurry between the tussocks and then dive into their small burrows. We also sighted two species of alpine geese and auger buzzards and moorland francolin (a ground bird somewhat like a native hen). Many unidentified small bird species were seen too.

At the highest point on the road we were at 4377m. The Harenna Escarpment offers an outstanding view over the forest almost 2000 m below.  We then commenced a steep descent down a series of tight ‘s’ bends eventually through forest where gnarled pines were covered with lichens and moss presenting a scene one might expect in the “Lord of the Rings”.  After passing through a small village Rira we then drove into a reserve area and parked. We all went for a walk amongst the jungle plants many of which were very thorny, including blackberries, which caught our clothing so progress was slow. There was also a nice fern glade, trees covered with moss and old man’s beard and native violets. Being middle of the day animal activity is minimal and during our bush treck we encountered little except wart hogs, ibis and colobus monkeys. Although we didn’t see them, there is supposedly a pride of lions in the area.

After a great picnic lunch, again arranged by our wonderful drivers we retraced our path for the day and returned to Goba.

Tomorrow we leave southern Ethiopia and head northwards again to Addis where we’ll fly up to Bahar Dar to start phase two of this extraordinary adventure!

Tuesday 18th February 2014 Goba – Addis Ababa – Bahar Dar

Bombardier Q400, Bahar Dar, Ethiopia, 18 Feb 2014

Sunset, Bahar Dar, Ethiopia, 18 Feb 2014

Baha the mechanic, Ethiopia, 18 Feb 2014

Gabazi, Ethiopia, 18 Feb 2014

Baha, Tadi, Gabazi & Bini, Ethiopia, 18 Feb 2014

Breakfast time at Asala, Ethiopia, 18 Feb 2014

To ensure that the traffic in Addis Ababa didn’t result in us missing our plane later this afternoon, we all agreed upon a particularly early start and left Goba at 5.00 am in semi darkness partially lit by a waning moon. The outside air temperature was 4C and stayed below 7C until sunrise an hour and a half later. Whilst the rest of us were nearly asleep again, Corinne being very observant noted that the Southern Cross was clearly visible in the early morning sky. The route we took was now the westerly reverse track of previous days across the Balé Mountain range, past Sol Omar Caves and then through the dark and dormant towns of Adaba and Dodola. We then turned north onto the highway to Nazret. Despite the semi darkness there was a lot of traffic made up almost entirely of Isuzu trucks usually overloaded with freight which made many of them ‘top-heavy’. This explains the number of trucks we saw along the way that had rolled on corners or crashed off the road. Typically the truck drivers work driving shifts of excessive hours and to cope, they dose up by chewing on ‘chat’ a mild plant stimulant that also causes dizziness. Hmmm…..

A hearty breakfast of poached eggs, orange juice, toast and coffee was served on outside tables in early morning sunshine at the Derartu Hotel in Asela which lies at an altitude of 2300m. The hotel is owned by Derartu Tulu who made history at the 1992 Barcelona Games by becoming the first black African woman gold medallist.

The Asela region of the Arsi zone is famous as many of the Ethiopian athletes to achieve international recognition come from the town of Bokoji in the area. Several athletes like Derartu not only own hotels but have made very substantial financial contributions to the region by paying for the building of sporting facilities, maternity hospitals and community recreation centres for orphans of HIV parents. Our driver said that Ethiopians are disappointed that Haile Gebrselassie who has achieved more than most has not yet shown the same degree of philanthropy despite his amassed millions!

The 400km journey from Goba to Addis was quite fast for the first 300km but as we neared the capital the traffic became increasingly chaotic and making any distance became unbelievably slow. Masses of large trucks were weaving in amongst cars, pedestrians, bajajs, goats, donkeys and broken down vehicles. Bajajs or tuk-tuks are Indian built three wheeled covered motor taxis. They can take 4 passengers and at peak hour the roads are infested with these tiny blue taxis with their canvas awnings flapping in the breeze as they squeeze between cars and trucks. The number of near misses we experienced as opposed to crashing was testimony to the high skill of our drivers who showed inordinate skill in conditions that would scare the hell out of most Australian drivers.

After an extended lunch break in Addis where we farewelled our drivers we headed to the Addis Ababa domestic air terminal and caught a Bombardier Q400 plane for a 40 minute flight to Bahar Dar on the southern shores of Lake Tana, the origin of the Blue Nile River.

For the next two nights we’re staying at the Abay Minch Lodge in Bahar Dar which seems considerably more up-market than we’ve had for the last two nights. Yeah!!

Wednesday 19th February 2014 Bahir Dar

Our ferry #2, Zeghie Peninsula, Lake Tana, Ethiopia, 19 Feb 2014

Door of Ura Kidane Mehret Church, Zeghie Peninsula, Lake Tana, Ethiopia, 19 Feb 2014

Stone chimes, Zeghie Peninsula, Lake Tana, Ethiopia, 19 Feb 2014

Coffee trees, Zeghie Peninsula, Lake Tana, Ethiopia, 19 Feb 2014

Tony with Grade 4 students, school near Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, 19 Feb 2014

Grade 4 students, school near Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, 19 Feb 2014

Boatman crossing the Blue Nile Falls, Ethiopia, 19 Feb 2014

Hay stack near Blue Nile Falls, Ethiopia, 19 Feb 2014

Chat crop near Blue Nile Falls, Ethiopia, 19 Feb 2014

Group photo at Blue Nile Falls #1, Ethiopia, 19 Feb 2014

Blue Nile Falls #3, Ethiopia, 19 Feb 2014

Suspension bridge near Blue Nile Falls #1, Ethiopia, 19 Feb 2014

Blue Nile Falls #2, Ethiopia, 19 Feb 2014

Blue Nile Falls panorama, path to Blue Nile Falls, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, 19 Feb 2014

Tree, path to Blue Nile Falls, Ethiopia, 19 Feb 2014

Cooking injera, path to Blue Nile Falls, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, 19 Feb 2014

Boy with green plastic sandles, path to Blue Nile Falls, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, 19 Feb 2014

Portugese stone bridge, path to Blue Nile Falls, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, 19 Feb 2014

Woman getting water, on route to the Blue Nile Falls, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, 19 Feb 2014

Local house, on route to the Blue Nile Falls, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, 19 Feb 2014

Bird of paradise, Abay Minch Lodge, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, 19 Feb 2014

Bahir Dar (sometimes the spelling is Bahar Dar) is a large town on the southern shores of Lake Tana which is the largest lake in Ethiopia. Lake Tana is at an altitude of 1830m and has a surface area of 3673 square kilometres. Most significantly, it is the source of the Blue Nile River which eventually joins with the White Nile at their confluence in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan and then the Nile flows north through Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea. Our morning adventure was to head for the Blue Nile Falls that are about 30 km from where the Blue Nile exits Lake Tana. The trip involved our bus bumping its way along the dustiest road imaginable with houses and schools all suffering this terrible dust but all apparently going about their lives unperturbed. One motorbike pillion passenger’s solution to the dust was to place a plastic bag over his head as facemask. We stopped briefly at a small village to pick up a guide and then drove to a parking point overlooking the river in a deep ravine below.

A short walk down a steep track brought us to the Portuguese Bridge (Agam Dildi) built of stone in around 1640. We then visited a family home where enjira (a type of pancake) was being prepared and then proceeded to a high point where the waterfall was visible. Being the dry season, there was not a huge water flow but nonetheless was still pretty spectacular. At full flood the waterfall is 400m wide and the plunge over a 45m wall is into a gorge below where the water has carved a channel through the rock leaving a course estimated to be 37m deep in places!

We crossed a fairly new suspension bridge and then went down to the base of the waterfall where the air was misty and windy as a consequence of the spray produced.

We then walked a couple of kilometres upstream from the waterfall and crossed the river in a small steel boat that was powered by the most dilapidated Johnson 9.9 HP outboard motor one could ever imagine. Despite this, we made the crossing safely and our bus was there waiting for us. The pathway up the other side of the river took us past the hydroelectric power station that has been built with a concrete dam just a few hundred metres upstream from the waterfall. This diverts water from the fall and there are serious concerns that the energy benefits are not balanced by the long-term environmental factors; as is the case with the Aswan High dam.

On the return journey to Bahir Dar we had a brief interlude to visit a school. We were invited into a grade four afternoon class with 27 students whose ages range from about 10 to 17. The older students had been deprived of education earlier in their lives as they were required to help on their family farms. There were no facilities in the classroom apart from a chalkboard and 3 small pieces of chalk. Despite the basic nature of the classroom, the students were the best-behaved children we had met on our travels. They sang to us and we then chatted with them and handed out pencils while they proudly showed us their workbooks.

In the afternoon we boarded an old tourist boat in Bahir Dar and crossed the southern part of Lake Tana to Zeghie Peninsula. The 15km of travel brought us to a village where the 14th Century Ura Kidane Mehret Church is located. We walked up through coffee plantations past a myriad of souvenir benches to a hilltop where this ancient mud brick church has now been enclosed within a newer external building. The old church is adorned with hundreds of strangely crafted murals depicting Christian stories and inevitably (and no-one is sure why) St. George and the Dragon are featured. The doors to the church are 5m high and all made from single pieces of timber.

We returned to Bahir Dar near sunset and a brief rainstorm gave us the first hint of rain for nearly a week. The weather today was pleasant with the maximum temperature being around 28C.

We leave Bahir Dar tomorrow for the Simien Mountains National Park.

Thursday 20th February 2014 Bahir Dar – Gondar – Simien National Park

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.

Friday 21st February 2014 Simien Mountains National Park

Walya ibex #4, Simien Mountains NP, Ethiopia, 21 Feb 2014

Walya ibex #1, Simien Mountains NP, Ethiopia, 21 Feb 2014

Truck, Simien Mountains NP, Ethiopia, 21 Feb 2014

Valley #3, Simien Mountains NP, Ethiopia, 21 Feb 2014

Panorama, Simien Mountains NP, Ethiopia, 21 Feb 2014

Valley #2, Simien Mountains NP, Ethiopia, 21 Feb 2014

Gelada baboons #1, Simien Mountains NP, Ethiopia, 21 Feb 2014

Gelada baboon #3, Simien Mountains NP, Ethiopia, 21 Feb 2014

Gelada baboon with baby, Simien Mountains NP, Ethiopia, 21 Feb 2014

Valley view #1, Simien Mountains NP, Ethiopia, 21 Feb 2014

Horseman, Simien Mountains NP, Ethiopia, 21 Feb 2014

Priests, Simien Mountains NP, Ethiopia, 21 Feb 2014

Gelada baboon #1, Simien Mountains NP, Ethiopia, 21 Feb 2014

Eagle, Simien Mountains NP, Ethiopia, 21 Feb 2014

Yellow flower, Simien Mountains NP, Ethiopia, 21 Feb 2014

Wild iris, Simien Mountains NP, Ethiopia, 21 Feb 2014

The highest Bar in Africa, Simien Mountains NP, Ethiopia, 21 Feb 2014

After a breakfast of porridge and scrambled eggs we began our visit to the Simien Mountains National Park by walking from the Lodge for about a kilometre around the nearby grassy hills to a point where below us was a spectacular valley with a backdrop of the Simien Mountains studded with jagged sawtooth peaks extending into the distant smokiness. Far below in the valley we could see numerous small farms with their terraced paddocks which are a feature of all Ethiopian agriculture. The terraces make farming possible in steep areas and also minimize soil erosion during the wet season. As we wandered along the cliff-tops with the breathtaking scene below, we sighted several large eagles riding on the thermals induced in the air by the warming effects of the sun. Our local guide introduced us to the natural history of the region and explained that a number of the local plants have medicinal benefits for humans as well as cattle.

We then met up with our bus and headed along the rockiest and dustiest road imaginable to Sankaber where we had our first encounter for the day with the endemic gelada baboons.

These animals are quite used to humans and were not concerned by our presence. They were busily digging up grass roots which are their staple diet. The group (apparently called a ‘herd’) of baboons was made up of 60 or so of which at least half looked to be juveniles or even tiny babies. These baboons are quite social animals and have many families living in harmony although the adult males seem to squabble a good deal due to the harem nature of the families. The social structure is regarded to be the most complex of any animal apart from humans! The males are quite distinctive and recognized by being larger and much hairier possessing manes not unlike a lion’s and having a heart shaped red patch on their chest.  Our guide informed us that gelada baboons have an average life-span of 14 years.

We then ventured on in the bus heading for Chennek Camp about another 30 km away. The road was terrible but the scenery was dramatic. The road wound its way along cliff-tops and then down steep sections with a 500m fall over the road edge in some places. Our Toyota Coaster bus was not the sort of vehicle one would have recommended for such a rocky track but it coped in the most appalling conditions of big rocks, pot-holes and deep ruts.

Just before reaching Chennek we left the bus and stared a walk which took us up a gully with many giant lobelia, (a bit like pandani) with some of them flowering with a 2m high vertical flower stem. Lobelia flower after twelve years of growth and the die!

We then came to a grassy gully where there were possibly as many as 600 gelada baboons. The young were playing by rolling, jumping and generally frolicking while most of the adults were lying in the sun or grooming each other. We managed to get very close to them without them being concerned.

Our walk continued upwards as we were now in search of the elusive endemic walya ibex. We were at an altitude of 3800m so the lack of oxygen made the trek fairly hard going when going up steep sections. We searched for ibexes with our guide and his two scouts who carried Kalashnikov rifles to fend of the leopards or other beasts that might jump out and get us! (It’s a bit of a joke really but you are not allowed into the National Park without two armed scouts).

With no ibexes seen we decided to have our picnic lunch and Bini had arranged it to be on a cliff top at Chennek with a view over the Simien Mountains with 4000m peaks aplenty.

In a final desperate attempt to see ibex we drove a little further up into the mountains past Chennek and one of our scouts spotted a single ibex on a rock 100m up a steep bank from the road. We carefully clambered up the bank and came within 60m of the female ibex which was eating the dried lobelia leaves. After five minutes of watching and photographing her, she then started moving closer to us, maybe unaware of our presence. At a distance of 10m she suddenly decided she’d had enough and raced off but not before we all had good photos and video footage of this beautiful animal.

We clambered back onto the bus headed for home at Simien Park Lodge. The return journey was just as dusty and rough (they call it an “Ethiopian Massage”) and at one point we all had to get out and walk because the bus couldn’t make it up the steep gradient because of the roughness and loose rocks.

Another great day in Ethiopia!

Saturday 22nd February 2014 Simien Mountains – Gondar

Buffet at Four Sisters Restaurant, Gondar

Waitress serving honey wine at Four Sisters Restaurant, Gondar

View over Gondar from Goha Hotel, Gondar

Bathing Pool of Fascilidas, Gondar

Old books in Kuskuam Maryam Church Museum, Gondar

Women working on road, Gondar

Ceiling inside Debre Birhan Selassie Church, Gondar

Group photo with Binny, Royal Enclosure

Royal Enclosure, Gondar

Coffee on terrace at Goha Hotel, Gondar

Tailor, Market, Debark

Men fashioning milling wheels, Market, Debark

Market scene, Debark

Having left the Simien Mountains National park we retraced our steps southwards towards Gondar 125 km away.

Being Saturday the local market at Debark was in full swing and we spent an hour or so wandering in amongst the dusty stalls selling mainly farm produce such as beans, tomatoes, onions and all types of grains. We also ventured into a nearby shed where men were trimming and fashioning large concrete milling wheels for the making of flour.

Our second stop was at Kosoye 32 km from Gondar where there is a sweeping view across the lowlands back towards the Simien Mountains. It’s apparently the spot where Queen Elizabeth II instructed her driver to stop so she could take in the spectacular view and enjoy a cup of tea! At this site on the cliff’s edge was a small wooden kiosk selling “traditional” beer. Some of us tried this muddy liquid served in a tomato can, and commented that it was a cross between kava and a sour beer.

We then continued on and at 5km from Gonda we stopped at Wolleka to visit the Felasha Village. The village was originally an enclave of Ethiopian Jews who between 1985 and 1992 were airlifted to Israel by the Israeli government to liberate them from the repressive Mengistu regime. All that remains now is the old synagogue and a few replica “Black Jew” shops selling tourist items, principally clay pottery and associated trinkets.

Our arrival in Gondar after several days in the wilderness was an opportunity to go to the bank and we cashed US$70 for Ethiopian birrs. This involved much writing out of forms with carbon paper and multiple checking by a veritable army of bank clerks all eagre to participate in this ‘major’ transaction.

We then ventured to our hotel (The Goha Hotel) which is situated on a high hill overlooking the city. Incidentally, as is the case throughout Ethiopia the hillsides are almost always forested with eucalypts which grow as spindly but straight trunks, ideal for use as scaffolding in the many buildings being constructed in the country.

The hotel is deceptively attractive with an elegant entrance lobby, dining room and front deck leading to a swimming pool. The rooms don’t quite match the front of house décor but we’re grateful for what appears to be a clean room even if the plumbing is a little dodgy.

After lunch we spent the afternoon visiting various historical sites in Gondar city.

The ‘must see’ tourist attraction in Gondar is undoubtedly the Royal Enclosure. This is a walled compound containing several 17th century castles and associated buildings such as stables and even a sauna. These castles were built during the period of time when Gondar was the capital of Ethiopia. The stonework in these buildings is in remarkably good order except in some areas where it was damaged during WWII and later during the Civil War. The Castles are in spacious grounds with grassed areas between the castles giving one a sense of openness in an otherwise highly crowded city.

Our next visit was to the lavishly decorated Debre Birhan Selassie Church. The inner walls and ceiling are covered with artworks regarded by experts as the finest art of its period anywhere in Ethiopia.

We also visited the Kuskuam Maryam Church which was unimpressive but the adjoining residence of Empress Mentewab which is under restoration was most interesting architecturally as was an associated (mini) museum holding hand written religious texts dating from the sixteen hundreds.

Of similar architectural style as the castles in the Royal Enclosure is the Bathing Pool of Fasilidas. This huge (2800 square metres) swimming pool remains empty except for the Epiphany Festival on January 19th. At this time the local priests convert (?) the water to holy water and worshipers in their thousands come to be blessed!

Our day was completed with a lovely meal at the Four Sisters Restaurant followed by watching some traditional dancing. The features of the meal were injera with a variety of sauces washed down with local honey wine or Dashen beer depending on your taste buds.

Tomorrow we have an early flight to Lalibela to see, amongst other things what many say is the eighth wonder of the world; more to come….

Sunday 23rd February 2014 Gondar – Lalibela

Burial site, Monastery of Yemrehanna Kristos, Bilbilla

Priest with icon, Monastery of Yemrehanna Kristos, Bilbilla

Monastery of Yemrehanna Kristos, Bilbilla

Bet Medhane Alem Church, Lalibela

Bet Medhane Alem Church, Lalibela

Bet Medhane Alem Church, Lalibela

Bet Medhane Alem Church, Lalibela

Bajaj, Gondar airport

A forty-minute flight east from Gondar had us landing at Lalibela airport at just after 9.00am. A thirty-minute bus ride then followed and we arrived at our relatively luxurious (based upon previous experiences!) hotel in Lalibela.

Lalibela is an isolated town set high in the Lasta mountains at 2630m set amongst craggy peaks and vast chisel sharp escarpments. Lalibela has the reputation of being the number one tourist location in Ethiopia because it is where there are eleven amazing 12th/13th century churches, hewn directly from the mountains.

The town of Lalibela derives its name from the most famous of the Zawge Dynasty rulers of the 12th century, King (now Saint) Lalibela. King Lalibela whilst in exile in Jerusalem had a vision in which an angel transported him to heaven and showed him a city of rock hewn churches and as soon as he was crowned King of Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) he gathered together 40,000 labourers and craftsmen and over the period of 23 years, had these magnificent structures built. There are all sorts of strange stories such as ‘angels helped build the churches and that ‘one church was hewn from a mountainside in a day!’

Lalibela’s churches are divided into two clusters, the northwest and the southeast, separated by the Jordan River, named by King Lalibela after he’d returned from a visit to Jerusalem.

The first church we visited was Bet Medhane Alem which is in the northwest cluster. This is the largest rock hewn monolithic church in the world! It is 11.5m high and is rectangular being approximately 20m x 40m. Its roof top was the original ground level of the mountainside and the construction required the masons and labourers to dig downwards into solid rock for 11.5m over a large area leaving a ring of trenches and courtyards on the outside of the church. Both inside and outside there are 36 massive pillars and the internal part of the church has the classical three chambered sections, one for chanting, one for praying and one for the replica of the Ark of the Covenant. Surrounding the church is a trench and the walls are pockmarked with recessed regions and holes that originally served as graves or hermits’ caves.

We then entered a short tunnel that led us to a second courtyard enclosing three more churches the largest of which was Bet Maryam. This was probably the first church built in Lalibela and is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. This church is more elaborately decorated with intricate carvings and murals than Bet Medhane Alem and has a more intimate interior layout. One of the internal pillars is enshrouded with a white veil and is not to be viewed by the public. It is thought to be inscribed with the Ten Commandments in both Greek and Ge’ez as well as information on how the Lalibela churches were excavated. Our guide informed us that it also tells of both the beginning and the end of the world. It is claimed that it would be too dangerous for its information to be viewed by researchers!

We also took time to view the interior of the tiny chapel of Bet Meskel and then the external surrounds of Bet Danaghel.

After lunch we drove about 40 km on a very rough and dusty road to Bilbilla to view the Monastery of Yemrehanna Kristos. We walked up a stone path for 300m to a point where we were confronted by an unimpressive concrete block wall. Stepping through the gateway we were immediately taken with a built-up church inside a very large cave. The church was built by the predecessor of King Lalibela, namely Yemrehanna Kristos in the 11th century from granite imported from Egypt and gypsum and timbers from Jerusalem. The structure is a fine example of late-Axumite architecture using alternating layers of granite and timber faced with gypsum giving the appearance of a layered chocolate cream cake. It has domed ceilings and many fine stone carvings such as the cruciform window frames and the internal timberwork has fine panelling with inlaid hexagons and other fancy geometrical shapes. As with the other Lalibela churches we’d visited earlier, there are six small rooms ‘upstairs’ for the storage of church treasures. The ceiling in this church originally had diamonds incorporated into elaborate candelabras.

Behind the main building at the back of the cave are the skeletons of some 10,740 Christian pilgrims who travelled from near and far (e.g. Egypt, Syria and Palestine) to die at this monastery. This is a macabre sight and in this ancient setting gave us a “Raiders of the Lost Ark” feeling!

This has been a fascinating introduction to the extraordinary architecture of ancient churches in Lalibela. Tomorrow we mountain climb to over 4,000m to see more of these ‘wonders of the world’.