Photos part 10: Mule Ride

The next excursion for me in Lalibela was a mule ride. Here is the kind of ride you can rent for 150ETB, for a three hour trip. The guide who pulls it along definitely wants a tip, and given that you will be led safely through some narrow trails, I think the tip is well earned.

This photo is meant to give you an idea both of the landscape you will see and the width of the trail.

Another view of some of the high ground.

A view of the valleys below.

Photos part 9: Churches of Lalibela

The city of Lalibela is home to fabulous rock-hewn churches. The largest of them is seen here.

Some of the interiors are better decorated than others. It has much to do with the quality of the rock from which carving took place. The better quality rock allowed for finer detail, and in this case it even got painted.

Remember that even if you have visited the main complex of churches, the last-to-be-built and stunning Church of St. George is away from all the others and easy to overlook. If you have traveled all the way to Lalibela, don't walk past this one!

Photos part 8: Lake Tana

The next excursion happened on Lake Tana, where pelicans are plentiful. If you go there in the morning, the waters are calm; after noon, waves start to pick up a bit.

The islands in Lake Tana are home to monasteries. You can see some original art works and also have access to handicraft vendors, including a man who paints in the traditional style.

You may also find hippopotamus on the lake. This is one reason why I preferred to travel via motor boat, instead of the more traditional papyrus boat method.

Photos part 7: Blue Nile Falls in the dry season

The Portuguese Bridge, or the Egg Bridge. A knowledgeable guide can tell you much about where this came from, and how it got its names. Alternately, Wikipedia has a good history of the bridge and its repair.

This is the water level you can expect during the dry season because of a hydroelectric diversion.

There is still certainly a lot of walking and sightseeing you can do even when it's not the rainy season.

Photos part 6: Mentewab's Palace and Gondar Market

It's a less extensive site than Fasil Ghebbi, but that was the point. Empress Mentewab was made to feel unwelcome in the same palace complex as the rest of the dynasty, so she built her own palace far from it.

These were formerly the quarters of Scottish explorer James Bruce.

The palace comes bundled with a church which exhibits many ancient art works. It also holds the final resting place of the Empress and her son and grandson.

Following the palace visit, I explored the parts of the Gondar market containing more traditional handicrafts. Clothes, metal works, jewellery, plenty to be found.

The rest of the set can be found here.

Photos part 5: Simien National Park

Simien National Park is home to peaceful Gelada baboons. I was surprised at how close I could safely get to a mother suckling her child. Then again, whenever the baboons had a problem with me they would just move away.

The park is also home to ibex and foxes, among other wildlife, but the easiest thing to find is a view which reminded me at the time of the Grand Canyon. Except this one is greener.

The park is also the traditional home of people living in agrarian conditions. The people are friendly and quick to offer you their wares; I was only too happy to pay for a couple of photographs.

Photos part 4: Debre Birhan Selassie

On the roof of the church you can see ostrich eggs affixed to the cross. The guide said this is because when ostriches are laying eggs they crane their necks around to look at the process, and that this is symbolic of how God watches us from the very beginning.

The other direction shows you the gate with its style of architecture. Space inside churches is limited and often attendees will experience mass from outside.

The place is lined top to bottom with artwork in a traditional style. The colour scheme, as far as I know, comes primarily from what pigments you can generate with local natural sources.

Photos part 3: Fasilidas Baths

The Fasilidas Baths are a more popular attraction during the Timkat festival, but the grounds afford plenty to see at an off time of year. I like how ficus and banyan trees tend to have their roots extending down surfaces and walls.

A river can be diverted to fill the sunken area with water. A drainage system allows that water to head back out again.

 

There is also a building which presently serves as a memorial for a most beloved horse, one belonging to a king.

Photos part 2: Fasil Ghebbi

This was the first attraction I toured in Gondar. There are seven castles in the compound and this was the first most prominent one I saw.

This was called the Lovers' Window because the benches could allow two lovers to sit opposite each other by the window.

There are a lot of different angles on each accessible room and area in the full set from which I bring these images, but as for the post, I would like to finish a thought. If you recall, the first photo post ended with me spotting Fasil Ghebbi from the hotel where I was staying.

Well, there's my hotel, as spotted from Fasil Ghebbi!

Photos part 1: Hotel lookout in Gondar

The Goha Hotel is perched up a mountain with a great view of Gondar. What you also get are a lot of larger birds-of-prey flying fairly close.

In addition, you also get a long-distance view of the Fasil Ghebbi castle compound. More images, mostly test shots and landscapes, are available in a set by following this link.

Day 13: Entoto (March 24)

Since my departure is at 10:15 PM, this became a thirteenth day of sorts. The B&B manager, same person that I met on Day 1 (same B&B), was kind enough to let me stow my bags in a locked room while I went to visit the Entoto Highlands and the palace of Emperor Menelik II. The Highlands offer a great view of Addis Ababa.

She also gave me a big piece of help which I will try to pass on to you. Sadly, I don't know the minibus system in Addis well enough to give you a comprehensive guide, so all I will do is illustrate exactly how my journey went.

(place a cut here)

It was a four-stop system. Minibuses travel in one direction along a particular stretch, and once you hit the destination you switch to another minibus. Each leg of the trip costs between 2.5 to 3.5ETB. In my case, to get from Wollo Sefer/Bole Road up to Entoto, there were four stops:

1. Arat kilo
2. Sheromeda
3. Gusukame
4. Entoto

For the trip back home afterward, subtract Entoto, reverse the order, and add Bole/Wollo Sefer as the fourth step.

So, let's say it averaged out to 12ETB each way. 24ETB round trip. The transport is shared so you are sitting with eight to twelve other people at any given time and it stops to pick people up or let them off. If you're okay with the lack of privacy, then you can save hundreds of ETB.

If I had figured this system out on Day 1 instead of giving up, I could have reached the National Museum and the University on a similar fare schedule, except those destinations are both closer than the Entoto Highlands. I used private taxis. Those are okay in the sense that they make things simpler for you, they get you to the destination without having to change vehicles a lot, and you get privacy. They might do that for 100ETB, 150ETB, or 200ETB depending on the destination.

It's the same for private transport between cities. You can get it public, and slower, for a much lower rate; I note that getting to Wolisso and back was 72ETB round trip. Take a guess at how much that would have been with private transport. I can't answer, because I went public that time.

It figures that my first tour guide preferred to arrange private rides with affiliates. His motto was "Don't worry about the money". That's a perfect motto to use on tourists who have a lot of money but never spend enough of it to enrich markets; might help free up some capital, bit of economica, who knows? It also probably helps build affiliate networks. I also noticed an expectation that tourists would use taxis, not minibuses; nobody in the minibus industry had anything against accepting my money, but everyone involved was curious at the sight of me.

I'm not the kind of tourist that guide would hope for, though. I would be well off if I lived in Ethiopia and kept my Canadian income value, but that says little about what that income means in Canada. I'm going home to a heap of work and probably won't think about flying anywhere international for a year and a half at least, even if my book does better than I imagine it will.

I finished my editing sweep. OpenOffice pegs the word count at 83K, so I expect the material should hold up well to the "adverb cleanup" editors will no doubt commit. I may yet have to take out a couple of flashback scenes if the ideas didn't work, but that alone would still leave it above 80K somewhere.

Now I get to relax for several hours in the common lounge of the B&B before heading to the airport, having spent much less than I thought I would today.

D. Madeley

Day 12: A night in Addis (March 23)

There isn't much to say for today. I am back in Addis, in good shape and with all belongings intact. I am quite ready to go home and I am a bit apprehensive about any possible baggage fees. The way I am playing things now, I expect a particular cost for the shuttle from Dulles to Reagan, but that's all I can assuredly ready myself for.

I should hope that one bag which is not particularly heavy, and which only needs to be checked because it contains souvenirs made of metal, will not incur a particularly hefty fee. If it weren't for the souvenirs this could be carry-on luggage; that's what it was on the way to Ethiopia.

(Funds from two different sources would subsequently hit my accounts and ease my anxiety.)

D. Madeley

Day 11: Public Transit Musings and the Hornbill (March 22)

Ah, public transit: something I should have experienced sooner if I wanted to spend wisely. The cab driver gave me a quick primer. The bus station is a busy place, so always securely watch your bags and pockets (less worried about money, pickpockets would have to get under my shirt to snag my money belt and so would have to be a bit more committed to robbing me). There are people everywhere, and look for people repeating the word "Wolisso" to find the right bus.

Day 10: From Lalibela to Tazina (March 21)

Today being a travel day, I discuss catching critters in a hotel room or lobby. I also have an evening of traditional entertainment at Yob Abyssinia, and then I consider my current lodgings.

Day 9: Mule ride (March 20)

It isn't even noon as I write this; I returned from my excursion in time for breakfast. The day is just beginning for most people, but I already feel like most of one has elapsed.

At six in the morning, I met my guide and my ride. It looked like I was being offered a choice of mules, but when I tried to go with the pretty black one I was strongly advised toward the other. For probably the only time that day, I swung myself up in the saddle with little assistance. I was headed for Asheton Mariam, the church of St. Mary, which is nestled up a mountain.

Day 8: Social experiences and the churches in town (March 19)

My morning plans changed; the trip to the churches in town would have to wait for the afternoon. In the meantime, I did have a short experience which illustrated an unfortunate truth: people will try to rapidly befriend you in order to get something from you. Expect all contact to be purposeful, even if it appears accidental.

Day 6: Bahir Dar day 2 (March 17)

It is a lovely day in Bahir Dar. People tell me it must be hotter than Gondar; it's always hot here, compared to the March temperatures I experienced in Toronto, but in any case it doesn't [i]feel[/i] hotter. I suspect it's because I have spent more time walking or in a tiktuk[look up spelling] (think of an auto-rickshaw) here, while in Gondar I spent a lot of time in cars. I have experienced a good wind and plenty of shade.

Regarding cars, and this is a tangent, there's a "window" game. A driver taught it to me purely by example. If you see a large dust cloud coming toward the vehicle, you roll up your window. If all is clear you roll it down again. Unless you visit this country during a wet season, you can expect a lot of dust to come from the wheels of large vehicles heading in the direction opposite yours. It's not fun to inhale it or get it in the eyes. To make the game easier, don't even watch for clouds: roll the window when the driver does, and always in the same direction.

Anyway, enough of that. This post will talk about amateur bird-watching on the patio of my B&B, my experiences on Lake Tana and in an island monastery, and also the reality of travel budgets.