Week 9: Ethiopia

Selam! (hello)

We have been busy learning a lot of Amharic words, including common phrases and words related to ordering food. The most important word we have learned is “alicha”, which means ‘little spice’… they LOVE their berber here!

On Wednesday, we had a very full day exploring Bahir Dar. After a delicious breakfast at a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant, we set off for a six-hour boat trip on Lake Tana. This is the largest lake in Ethiopia, and is home to over 30 islands, most of which have at least one monastery on them. Our first stop was Azuwa Maryam, a beautiful monastery that happened to be hosting a huge celebration. Although we didn’t understand most of what was happening, it was incredible to watch the crowd of people moving around the outside of the monastery. We especially loved the drumming! After exploring the monastery and enjoying the celebrations, we walked to Ura Kidane Mihret, another monastery on the same island. The paintings inside this monastery were very similar to the first, but the building was a bit larger. This monastery also had a small museum, where we saw a number of items from the 9^th century. We then took the boat over to another island, where Will visited a monastery with an Israeli traveller named Emmanuel. After spending some time on this island, we took the boat over to the source of the Blue Nile. We have now visited the source of both Nile rivers!

In the afternoon, we took a minibus without any suspension on a very bumpy dirt road for nearly two hours to read the Blue Nile falls. As this is a popular tourist destination, it was filled with people trying to get money from us any way they could. We were also the last tour group of the day, so the pressure was high. In order to get to the waterfall, we had to take a very short boat trip, and then walk along a very muddy trail. At one point, I had a local on either side of me, insisting on grabbing my wrists to make it over the rocks in the mud. We enjoyed seeing this spectacular waterfall, and tried not to let the experience of a terrible guide and people swarming us ruin the beauty entirely!

The following day, we headed for Gondar. We took a minivan, and after spending some time in town filling it with people, we took off on the four-hour ride along winding roads with views of huge fields and a few mountains. In Gondar, we found a little local restaurant where we could take part in a coffee ceremony. We saw the whole process, from washing the beans, to roasting and crushing them. The smell and taste were out of this world! We then visited Debre Birhan Salassie church, which is famous for its beautiful Ethiopian church art.

On Friday morning, we took off for a four-day trek through the spectacular Simien Mountains. After driving 3 ½ hours from Gondar, we started hiking. We travelled with Desu (our guide), Fitalo (our cook), and Tibobo (our scout). We ended up as a private trek for the two of us, but hung out with a group of Israeli travellers at camp on Day 2 and 3. We had been looking forward to this trip for quite some time, and we certainly were not disappointed!

Day 1: 7 km hike, approx. 3 hours, camping at Sankaber Camp (elevation: 3200 m)

Day 2: 13 km hike, approx. 5 hours, camping at Gich Camp (elevation: 3600 m)

Day 3: 20 km hike, approx. 7 hours, camping at Chennek Camp (elevation: 3620 m)

Day 4: 3 km hike, approx. 1 hour, then drive four hours back to Gondar

Weather: We had a pretty cloudy first day with low visibility. This made us appreciate the beautiful clear skies and sunshine we had for the rest of our trekking time in the mountains! It got fairly warm each day, but there was usually a breeze, so we didn’t get too hot. The Ethiopian sun is very strong though, and despite wearing lots of sunscreen each day, we both got a bit burned. The evenings got very cold, so we were thankful for our warm layers. The first two evenings were cloudy and rainy, but the third evening was very clear.

10 Experiences We Had in the Simien Mountains:

• Standing in the middle of 80+ Gelada monkeys on our first day of trekking! We watched and listened as males fought (and then make up immediately), babies played, and females groomed each other.

• Seeing a number of waterfalls on day 2, including a huge one we were able to take a break at and admire.

• Hiking to the highest point of the trek (4070 m) on day 3.

• Seeing a Walia Ibex on day 3. We watched as he ate from a lobelia tree, moving his massive horns and camouflaging well with the ground.

• Learning about the local plants and birds. Plants we saw: red hot poker, meskel flower, thistle, daisy, crocus, lavender, mint, thyme, St. John’s wart, lobelia trees, African knapweed, and solaniam species (better known as “super spiky plant). There were so many small, awkwardly shaped plots for crops (niger seed, linseed, barley, sorghum), and many were terraced up the side of the mountains. Birds we saw: thick billed raven, lammergeier (or bone breaker), rock martins, griffin vulture, ogre buzzard, and white rumped babblers.

• Having breathtaking views for each break spot. We couldn’t get enough of these amazing mountains, sheer rock faces, and treed valleys. We even had a long lunch break on Day 2 that was right next to a stream where we could dip our feet!

• Experiencing varied trails. We hiked along steep rocky trails, through thick forests of trees, through wide-open fields, along skinny trails created by cows in the fields and mules on the hillsides, and over a few creeks.

• Seeing a number of villages sprinkled across the countryside. The families here have an average of six children, with children as young as five years old watching over crops and shepherding sheep and cows during the day. Women in these villages are responsible for collecting water and firewood, cleaning, cooking, and caring for the children. The men in these villages are responsible for working in the field.
• Gorgeous evening skies, including a clear sky of stars, moon and Milky Way on our last night.
• Ending each night with a campfire, two of which were inside the cooking hut so we were sheltered from the rain.

Our guide, Desu, was incredible. He was very knowledgeable about the park and its plants and animals. He was raised in a village within the Simien Mountains, and was able to teach us a lot about Ethiopian traditions and life in the countryside. While hiking, he would check to make sure his pace was ok for us, and planned amazing break spots for us along the way. He was very attentive, but also gave us our own space. He even took us for an extra hike around the third campsite, which allowed us to see the Walia Ibex! For those interested in hiking in the Simien Mountains, we strongly recommend Desu as a guide (contact: 251 918305925 or Desalgn2012@gmail.com).

When we go hiking on our own, we will really miss our cook, Fitalo! We were provided with a warm, filling breakfast each day, a packed lunch for the trail, snacks and tea/coffee as soon as we arrived back at camp each afternoon, and a huge dinner each night. We especially loved the soup he made each evening, and the roasted barley we had for snack. He even showed Will how to make full, our favourite Ethiopian breakfast!

For the safety of tourists, you cannot travel into the Simien Mountain National Park without a scout. Our scout, Tibobo, took his job very seriously, hiking behind us each day armed with a Kalashnikov, and sleeping right outside our tent each night wrapped in a tarp.

Random act of kindness: During the coffee ceremony on the first day in Gondar, we met a really kind guy named Desu (common name here!). Although he was finished his coffee, he sat with us and interpreted what we wanted to Fanta, who was making our coffee. He also answered questions we had about the city, and gave us his contact information in case we need any help during our stay. We had been experiencing some frustration and uncertainty, and his kindness made us feel so much more comfortable and welcome here.

*We realized September 25 just marked the date that we have been out of our home country for two months now!

Amesegnalaw (thank you)