Ethiopia - Addis Ababa - Back Again

I caught a summer cold, bronchitis. Spent a day in bed resting in Axum.  I’ve flown back to Addis Ababa.  Ethiopia Airlines with their Bombadier Q400 jets are a delight.  I’ve returned to Best Western Plus Addis Ababa and am very happy to be here.  I’m on the 9th floor on the other side of the building with a better view.  Also I have a balcony.
 The girl at the front desk spoke 6 languages. I’d witnessed her speak three while she was waiting on me so asked. 6 languages.  I’m amazed.
I had thought to spend a night here and fly overnight to Gondar coming back on Wednesday but it’s just too much hustle. I’m rather tired out with this cold and travel so I’m going to enjoy what’s available around Addis.  Gondar is famous for it’s palace and a grand old church with ancient manuscripts.  There was civil unrest outside of Gondar so I wasn’t able to drive there as planned but could fly in. The town is safe.
It’s some sort of celebration occasioned by the latest war.  Last night there was lots of horn honking and noise making. Today the television has repeated speeches and wreath laying.
It’s been a whirlwind so I’m glad for this vacation to slow down a notch and enjoy
Just had lunch, lamb Tibs with injerah downstairs with Elias. If I’m feeling better tomorrow I may drive out to an old church and Menelik old palace on a hill nearby. I also emailed Abyssinian Balloning to see if they have anything available. Their first take off on their site is Friday.
There’s an English speaking meeting I’m going to at St Matthews Anglican Church at 6:30 pm.
These are just some pictures I’ve taken on the norther historic route that I don’t think I ve shared.

Axum

Axum camels

View from Best Western Addis

Axum

Best western Plus Addis

Guide Sabean Hotel Axum

Dawn view Sabean International Hotel Axum

Sabean International

Ethiopia - Axum - Queen of Sheba - out and about

I’ve just come from Queen of Sheba’s bath and palace. It’s a grid of rocks and shows a very large palace was once there. This was only found not long ago and is more evidence of how much remains to be found.

My driver took me through the market.  I was amazed at the variety there. I saw camels. I liked that.  

Back at my hotel I walked across the street to where there was a lovely outdoor shaded table.  Unfortunately I was only there  minutes before an old wizened lady came up and demanded money and food. Shaking my head, repeating no would not stop her. Then a collection of 6 to 11 year old boys in uniform surrounded me eyeing my camera and iPhone.  It was all so uncomfortable that I escaped in doors where there were a number of men working quietly away on lap tops while others watch a television show of some modern Ethiopian war footage. Somerebels were being captured at gun point. It’s incongruous to see young men in short shorts laying down their weapons and holding their hands high.

I liked Lalibela better for the less intrusive salesmen. Here if I look at something the salesman begins chasing after me down the street trying to make a deal. It’s  annoying. It invariably has resulted in my not wanting to do any shopping here.  I was in an excellent shop,  St. Geoge’s gifts where I bought an Axum cross. Lovely man.  It’s the street vendors that are a trial.

Of course I have a summer cold and my tolerance is low so it may simply be my perception. Right now all the trucks are driving back and forth on the Main Street loaded with kids and young people.A cacaphony of blaring sound.

I’ve heard from one of the folk I talked with that the DERG were terrible but that it was for several years after the liberation that the killing persisted. Pay back I guess. Everyone I’ve asked tells me the present leadership is the best and that things have been getting better for a decade. 

There’s still such poverty.  Basic living.  Vans and trucks but very few cars. The Tuk Tuks prevail. There’s also lots of donkey pulled flatbed carts.  I’ve got a summer cold so am irritable and not good company for myself even. 

I will pray and meditate and have lunch. One of those should help.  Bicycles. It’s incredible watching the streets here. A man with 2 feathered chickens with the heads cut off walked by with one in each hand. A green camouflaged man carrying an AK followed. Then some kids in T-shirt’s with western inscriptions

Ethiopia - Lalibela - Traditional Coffee

Ethiopians maintain that coffee was first drunk here and recognized for his energy giving potency. Khalid the goat herder found it in Ethiopia goes the apocryphal tale. By 15th century coffee was drunk in Yemen’s Sufi Monasteries.  Coffee beans were first exported from Ethiopia to Yemen and Yemen was part of the extensive Axumite kingdom.
I do love the ritual and ceremony in the village.  With Endy, my guider the Yemrehanna Kristos Monastery by Bilbilla we stopped for coffee in the village after the climb to the cave church. I bought a silver Lalibella cross in the gift store there and did enjoy the unintrussive sales man.  The people overall in Lalibella have all been nice and non aggressive. I loved taking pictures on the drive up on the country side, where mud huts and grass roots.  Cattle, goats, sheep,  donkeys,  mules and chickens were everywhere to be seen.  Also little children waving.  Men with picks and shovels. Women with water buckets and bags on their necks and backs.
There was road construction with a relatively new dump truck and a plow being used. machinery being unusual in the rural land dominated by human power.
The fig trees and abyssinian bush was all over the land.

Mountainview Hotel, Lalibela, Ethiopia

I have really enjoyed the Mountainview Hotel Lalibela.  I was able to phone ahead from Lake Tana and book it over the phone.  The manager spoke English well.  A lot of the staff spoke English as well. It was only about $70 US a night and well worth it. Clean and friendly. The great view from the room and from the roof top balcony were terrific. I had several meals in the restaurant and enjoyed them all.  Wifi has been pretty good.  The bathroom was clean with bath and  shower with hot running water.

A Tuk Tuk motorized rickshaw took me to the churches for a 100 Ethiopian Brr. I could walk safely walked there and would have if I hadn’t re-injured my knee this trip.   This hotel is the last one on a line of tourist hotels with the centre of town about a 15 minute walk.  Banks machines and shops are there but sheep and donkeys and goats share the town with us.  I liked the Tuk Tuk.  I really enjoyed drinking the coffee with milk on the balcony well writing and sorting photographs.  The Rock Hewn Churches reall are truly amazing.  

The view from my balcony was  incredible and so relaxing.  I had a couple of nights of rain with great electrical displays. It’s an arid country and everyone was pleased with the rain.   

Endy the guide recommended for the church tours was very helpful and informative. I learned a lot and at  $50 a day for me individually it was well within my budget.  

Ethiopia - Lalibela-Yemerehne Kirstos Cave Church

The Bilbilla Church Circuit is 30 km north of Lalibela.  Endy, my tour guide, organized a delightful driver with a Toyota 4x4 crew cab truck to take us the 42 km to the Axumite cave church of Yemrehana Kristos.  Bradt describes 3 other medieval church’s but I was content with just going to the one. I think the very exciting donkey ride tired me out.    Just as Bradt described the rental for a 4x4 necessary for the trip given the rough unsaved roads was $65.  The hike to the churches was described as 20 minutes. This was also true for Kristos. George and Laura Bush visited this church.

Yemrehanna Kristos church is at an altitude of 2700 feet and the gentle hike up was still a slog in the heat but well worth it. I rode the donkey for a stretch, the poor thing screaming at his owner ,”He’s too heavy.”  Meanwhile the cinch wasn’t tight enough for my weight and another big man came to the owners rescue as the donkey threatened to suicide over the side of the cliff rather than carry the fat man any further. I was laughing too hard but would recommend this ride up the mountain to anyone not 6 foot tall and over 200 lbs.  The donkey told me he had a contract and it said 150 lbs and he was going to be speaking to the Ethiopian Donkey Union.  

The church architecture is an example of Axumite alternating layers of wood and granite faced with white gypsum.  Inside the church there was this beautiful wood interior like the original door. The church is a thousand years older than the rock hewn churches. It dates from the 11 th century. Endy was glad I had my ‘Mountain Coop headlamp’ as he used this to point out the amazing inlaid and coffer ceiling.  There were even paintings of elephants in the ceiling.   Cruciform carved windows and the etched door were particularly intriguing. The priest showed us a remarkable Coptic gold cross.

St. George , martyred in 303 is a great saint in Ethiopia. Originally from Capadocia, he is also called the victory bearer. As a young Roman soldier under pagan Roman Emperor Diocletian he was martyred for his faith in Jesus Christ brief years before Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the empire. He is most commonly depicted as spearing a dragon/serpent/crocodile from atop his white steed. The story goes this water creature prevented the townspeople from getting their water so they began to sacrifice virgins. When the princess was to be sacrificed St. George appeared and slay the dragon.  

Outside the cave church there was the other building where the Zagwe emperor a predecessor of King Lalibela was said to live for a time. It’s more a storage area now but shows a large room cool in the heat of the day.  Behind the church is an area where many skeletons have rested sometimes for hundreds of years. People from as far as Egypt wanted to buried there near the holy church their bodies were transported here, their  bodies wrapped in skins.  

There is a large area of cave space with drums and cymbals used for groups chanting.  There is also a tomb of the king there covered in colourful canopy.  

Outside there was a pool where ‘holy water’ dripped off the cave roof.