Again, despite being utterly exhausted the night before, I didn’t sleep well the night before our Nile River Gorge excursion. I was up every hour or so for a bit, having breathing issues again. Nothing terrible, just annoying feeling that I could not get my breath. I didn’t go up to eat breakfast, but instead, decided to just have one of my Cliff bars in my room. It was a beautiful sunny morning, with just a slight mist over the city. Mesfin had arranged for a larger, more comfortable bus and a new driver to take us on our day-long trip into the countryside. I had been looking forward to this for days. I longed to get out of the city for a bit to see what was beyond the rim of the extinct volcano that was Addis Ababa. We all prepared for the day, taking water, boxed lunches prepared by the hotel, extra snacks, sunscreen, hats, insect repellent, etc.
We began to see some incredible scenery as we topped the caldera and started down the other side. The countryside was beautiful, not unlike the Shenandoah Valley, except the the fields were far more expansive, and the mountains were much farther away. We had heard about the forests surrounding the area, and how they were completely deforested at one time by the natives for firewood, etc., and how most of the new plantings are eucalyptus trees, which are much more sustainable, and grow very quickly. All along our way this day, we say many people, some who appeared to be very old women, carrying large bales of eucalyptus branches and boughs on their backs, presumably to go back home to burn for heat and cooking.
We drove for several hours, through expansive views of farms, small compounds of multiple huts, families and even small children working in the fields, tending cattle, sheep, donkeys laden with water jugs and other loads. We passed communal or community wells, surrounded by people, all waiting their turn to fill large jugs to carry back to their huts or homes. We saw many people winnowing their massive piles of grain at the edges of fields. We drove through small towns or villages comprised of shacks and storefronts, and an occasional ‘resort’ hotel or guest house. In some places, there were large developing communities of what looked like condos or apartment houses amidst the older, smaller tin shacks and tukuls (traditional thatched-roof huts). Also along the way, we saw a large concrete factory, a huge Chinese-Ethiopian leather export factory, an asphalt factory, and a Saudi-Ethiopian project that was listed as “Ethiopia’s First Rice Fields.” Many of these industries represent involvement of other countries’ governments using farmlands and resources in Africa to their advantage. Ethiopians, it is supposed, are hoping to gain development and modernization of their ailing agricultural areas.
Driving along, we also changed elevations, often changing from long flat roads through small towns to steep, winding mountain passes with breathtaking scenery. Even in the higher elevations, people could be seen working diligently, gathering firewood, herding animals, etc. The road was paved, but at times we would find people in the middle of the road, manually fixing large axle-swallowing holes in the pavement. Our bus was dodging other buses, cars, trucks, small three-wheeled taxis, horses, cattle, goats, sheep, donkeys, and PEOPLE! The driver would blow the horn to essentially signal everyone to get out of his way. Sometimes, they would just barely make it!
The bus driver asked if we would like to stop at an overlook at one point. Of course, he’d been there before, and recognized that this was a great place to take pictures...a beautiful vista, a raised platform, nice easy pull-off. I swear, before the last person stepped off the bus, we were surrounded by children, selling baskets, soapstone and marble crosses, candlesticks, necklaces, all made by them or someone in their families. They were very persistent, and of course, we couldn’t resist! It’s hard to ignore such beautiful children! Nearly everyone bought something they probably didn’t need or want, all just to help these kids. We reminded ourselves also that we were contributing to their economy, and helping them as individuals and as families.
Next stop was the monastery of Debre Libanos. The monastery sits on a ledge between a cliff and one of the tributaries of the Blue Nile. The original structure was built in the thirteenth century, but the church building that exists today was built in the early 1960s.
In the cliff on the side of the mountain above the church is a cave where Saint Tekle Hamanot is said to have lived and prayed. In the cave is a spring which produces water, thought to have holy properties, which is gathered in barrels for church rituals. People also gather there to bathe in the waters thought to have healing powers. Driving in toward the compound, we passed a cemetery full of elaborate stones, tombs and mausoleums, most of which were covered by iron cages. We were later told that the cages protected the graves from both robbers and baboons. Past this cemetery was a large wall with gates, and beyond the gates, the large church, surrounded by lush plantings of palms, succulents, and flowering plants.
The driver parked the bus and we went to the gate, paid our fees, were greeted by a small-framed Ethiopian gentleman who spoke fluent English, who would be our guide. This gentle man told us later that he had been an English teacher in Addis years before. We were then led to the church, where we took off our shoes, and put them just inside the door as we entered. This church had the most incredible modern stained glass windows, most of which were said to be the work of a famous Belgian stained glass artist. Our guide explained all about the three areas of the church, the separation of the genders, discussed with us each and every stained glass window, and showed us where Selassie and his wife would sit for services.
After the church tour, we put on our shoes and went to the adjacent museum, where the guide led us around and showed us much the same kinds of things we had seen at the Trinity Cathedral museum...crosses, manuscripts, translations of the Bible, photos and portraits of Selassie and family. All this was evidence of how the emperors in Ethiopia kept the church on their sides. Our guide, a happy little gentleman, is now studying to be a monk or priest. At one point...gave us a sermonette about faith in God, and the good that can surround you if you believe. We were all enthralled.
After our museum tour, our guide offered to have someone take us on a tour of the cave up on the mountainside. One of the young ladies wasn’t feeling well, and I offered to stay with her while the others went to the cave. The bus driver let us into the bus, and while we waited there, we began to hear some loud noise coming from the direction of the road into the area. We watched as a large funeral procession moved toward us. There was a man in front who carried a portrait, presumably of the deceased. He was followed by a wreath-and flower-covered hearse. Beyond the hearse, a hundred or so mourners, priests, etc., carrying parasols, incense, banners and the like. The procession moved through the gates, and up to the steps of the church, and a cacophony of wailing arose, lasted only a few minutes, and subsided again. The procession then moved back out of the compound gates, and back up the road where they cam in. We watched, but out of respect, did not take photos or video. I wish everyone could have seen this, though...it was very interesting!
It wasn’t long until the others, down from the cave, joined us again, and we were loaded up and moving to our next stop, the so-called Portuguese Bridge. Some say the bridge was built in the 16th century by the Portuguese, of limestone and ostrich eggs, others say it was built by Ras Darge, Menelik’s uncle, in the 19th century. It’s a beautiful spot, nonetheless, and very near where, during the rainy season, the 600m waterfall can be found. When we arrived we were immediately set upon by a couple of young men who offered to unofficially be our guides down to the bridge. They were harmless enough, very mannerly, and very knowledgeable about the area. While some of the folks followed one young man across the bridge, I was taken by the other, Solomon, down under the bridge to the flat rocks and near some pools of water, obviously left there by recent rains, or even last rainy season’s downpours. He knew my purpose there was to take pictures, so he was showing me the best spots for that! This whole area, he told me, would, in the rainy season, be covered in water, and that water flowed over the falls, just beyond where we were standing.
As Solomon and I talked, he pulled some of the rose quartz crosses from his pocket and asked if I were interesting in buying one. I tried to change the subject, asking him if he had any relatives in the US. Surprisingly, he told me that he DID, in fact, have family in Washington, DC, and in California. He was hoping to come to America for his own secondary education. We talked for a bit about him, his family, how he treks across the canyon to a spot directly opposite us to dig for quartz and marble to make the crosses he sells to tourists like me. He also told us about a cave opposite where the baboons live...a small colony or family of about thirteen, who, during the day, are playing and hunting for food in the fields just above us at the tops of the cliffs. Eventually, the conversation came back around to the rose quartz cross, and, just like before, I am a sucker for this kind of free enterprise, and I really wanted to help this young man out, so I bought one. It will make a great memory to hang on the Christmas tree.
While we were talking, the others began laughing and making lots of noise, and so we walked closer to investigate. Turns out that Des had decided to jump into one of the deeper pools of water, soon to be followed by a few of the others! One of our young guides then walked over to the cliffside above that pool, emptied his pockets, took off his shoes and socks, and jumped the thirty feet or so into the pool below!
After their brief swim in the obviously VERY cold water, we all gathered once again, and scaled the jagged rocks back up the hill to the pathway out. This was one of the times that the exertion really got me short of breath again, but I stopped every once in a while and just breathed, and I finally finished the walk.
We boarded the bus again, and headed off to the next stop, the Abay (Blue Nile) Bridge. On the way once again through the winding, often steep and precarious road, the bus driver stopped again at a very scenic area so that we could get out and take some pictures. It was very remote, without a home or farm in sight, but again, almost before the bus door opened, kids appeared seemingly from thin air, baskets and handcrafts in hand, and crowded round us as we tried to take our pictures. It was uncanny how they showed up in these desolate areas!
When we finally reached the bridge over the Blue Nile, we stopped to take some more pictures. This bridge was completed in 2009, built by the Japanese, and is a very important link in the trade route for Ethiopia. The scenery there was awe-inspiring. While looking through my viewfinder at one of the angles, I had to lower my camera and just stand there and look around me for a few minutes. The river below, the beautifully striated mountains around us, the sun lowering in the western sky....I felt the presence of God, and I marveled at this world we are given. And I suddenly also felt very small and insignificant...and just as quickly, felt very important! How fortunate I am to be able to see this, I thought!
All too soon, we were back on the bus, headed back up the steep grades, and on our way back to the city. It had been an amazing day in the countryside. I reflected on the day’s sights and activities, and I silently prayed a prayer of thanks for this opportunity I had been given, and for everything I have and often take for granted. At one point on the way back, we asked the bus driver to stop for just a moment so that we could get some photographs across one of the endless fields, where the sun’s rays reached earthward through the clouds, and slathered the land below with the last light of the day. It was magnificent!
We stopped by the hotel to splash some water on ourselves, and some even confessed to using spray deodorant and Fabreeze to freshen up a bit, and we were back in our little transport van and off to meet Mesfin for dinner at a wonderful Lebanese-Armenian restaurant called Aladdin. Looking back, I think this may have been my favorite of all the places we ate. It was a beautifully-appointed place, with simple classic furnishings, and they served us the best food! We had a huge array of appetizers served family-style, like warm pita bread with hummus and eggplant dips, small oblong meatballs, deep-fried chick pea patties, tasty little crisp fried meat and cheese pies, and then the main courses of grilled chicken and grilled beef with rice and fries. Outstanding meal!
We then returned to the hotel, where I tried once again for about two hours to update the blogs, but the internet service was still not cooperating. I finally conceded it was time for a hot bath and bed.
We drove for several hours, through expansive views of farms, small compounds of multiple huts, families and even small children working in the fields, tending cattle, sheep, donkeys laden with water jugs and other loads. We passed communal or community wells, surrounded by people, all waiting their turn to fill large jugs to carry back to their huts or homes. We saw many people winnowing their massive piles of grain at the edges of fields. We drove through small towns or villages comprised of shacks and storefronts, and an occasional ‘resort’ hotel or guest house. In some places, there were large developing communities of what looked like condos or apartment houses amidst the older, smaller tin shacks and tukuls (traditional thatched-roof huts). Also along the way, we saw a large concrete factory, a huge Chinese-Ethiopian leather export factory, an asphalt factory, and a Saudi-Ethiopian project that was listed as “Ethiopia’s First Rice Fields.” Many of these industries represent involvement of other countries’ governments using farmlands and resources in Africa to their advantage. Ethiopians, it is supposed, are hoping to gain development and modernization of their ailing agricultural areas.Driving along, we also changed elevations, often changing from long flat roads through small towns to steep, winding mountain passes with breathtaking scenery. Even in the higher elevations, people could be seen working diligently, gathering firewood, herding animals, etc. The road was paved, but at times we would find people in the middle of the road, manually fixing large axle-swallowing holes in the pavement. Our bus was dodging other buses, cars, trucks, small three-wheeled taxis, horses, cattle, goats, sheep, donkeys, and PEOPLE! The driver would blow the horn to essentially signal everyone to get out of his way. Sometimes, they would just barely make it!
The bus driver asked if we would like to stop at an overlook at one point. Of course, he’d been there before, and recognized that this was a great place to take pictures...a beautiful vista, a raised platform, nice easy pull-off. I swear, before the last person stepped off the bus, we were surrounded by children, selling baskets, soapstone and marble crosses, candlesticks, necklaces, all made by them or someone in their families. They were very persistent, and of course, we couldn’t resist! It’s hard to ignore such beautiful children! Nearly everyone bought something they probably didn’t need or want, all just to help these kids. We reminded ourselves also that we were contributing to their economy, and helping them as individuals and as families.
Next stop was the monastery of Debre Libanos. The monastery sits on a ledge between a cliff and one of the tributaries of the Blue Nile. The original structure was built in the thirteenth century, but the church building that exists today was built in the early 1960s.
In the cliff on the side of the mountain above the church is a cave where Saint Tekle Hamanot is said to have lived and prayed. In the cave is a spring which produces water, thought to have holy properties, which is gathered in barrels for church rituals. People also gather there to bathe in the waters thought to have healing powers. Driving in toward the compound, we passed a cemetery full of elaborate stones, tombs and mausoleums, most of which were covered by iron cages. We were later told that the cages protected the graves from both robbers and baboons. Past this cemetery was a large wall with gates, and beyond the gates, the large church, surrounded by lush plantings of palms, succulents, and flowering plants.
The driver parked the bus and we went to the gate, paid our fees, were greeted by a small-framed Ethiopian gentleman who spoke fluent English, who would be our guide. This gentle man told us later that he had been an English teacher in Addis years before. We were then led to the church, where we took off our shoes, and put them just inside the door as we entered. This church had the most incredible modern stained glass windows, most of which were said to be the work of a famous Belgian stained glass artist. Our guide explained all about the three areas of the church, the separation of the genders, discussed with us each and every stained glass window, and showed us where Selassie and his wife would sit for services.After the church tour, we put on our shoes and went to the adjacent museum, where the guide led us around and showed us much the same kinds of things we had seen at the Trinity Cathedral museum...crosses, manuscripts, translations of the Bible, photos and portraits of Selassie and family. All this was evidence of how the emperors in Ethiopia kept the church on their sides. Our guide, a happy little gentleman, is now studying to be a monk or priest. At one point...gave us a sermonette about faith in God, and the good that can surround you if you believe. We were all enthralled.
It wasn’t long until the others, down from the cave, joined us again, and we were loaded up and moving to our next stop, the so-called Portuguese Bridge. Some say the bridge was built in the 16th century by the Portuguese, of limestone and ostrich eggs, others say it was built by Ras Darge, Menelik’s uncle, in the 19th century. It’s a beautiful spot, nonetheless, and very near where, during the rainy season, the 600m waterfall can be found. When we arrived we were immediately set upon by a couple of young men who offered to unofficially be our guides down to the bridge. They were harmless enough, very mannerly, and very knowledgeable about the area. While some of the folks followed one young man across the bridge, I was taken by the other, Solomon, down under the bridge to the flat rocks and near some pools of water, obviously left there by recent rains, or even last rainy season’s downpours. He knew my purpose there was to take pictures, so he was showing me the best spots for that! This whole area, he told me, would, in the rainy season, be covered in water, and that water flowed over the falls, just beyond where we were standing.
As Solomon and I talked, he pulled some of the rose quartz crosses from his pocket and asked if I were interesting in buying one. I tried to change the subject, asking him if he had any relatives in the US. Surprisingly, he told me that he DID, in fact, have family in Washington, DC, and in California. He was hoping to come to America for his own secondary education. We talked for a bit about him, his family, how he treks across the canyon to a spot directly opposite us to dig for quartz and marble to make the crosses he sells to tourists like me. He also told us about a cave opposite where the baboons live...a small colony or family of about thirteen, who, during the day, are playing and hunting for food in the fields just above us at the tops of the cliffs. Eventually, the conversation came back around to the rose quartz cross, and, just like before, I am a sucker for this kind of free enterprise, and I really wanted to help this young man out, so I bought one. It will make a great memory to hang on the Christmas tree.
After their brief swim in the obviously VERY cold water, we all gathered once again, and scaled the jagged rocks back up the hill to the pathway out. This was one of the times that the exertion really got me short of breath again, but I stopped every once in a while and just breathed, and I finally finished the walk.
When we finally reached the bridge over the Blue Nile, we stopped to take some more pictures. This bridge was completed in 2009, built by the Japanese, and is a very important link in the trade route for Ethiopia. The scenery there was awe-inspiring. While looking through my viewfinder at one of the angles, I had to lower my camera and just stand there and look around me for a few minutes. The river below, the beautifully striated mountains around us, the sun lowering in the western sky....I felt the presence of God, and I marveled at this world we are given. And I suddenly also felt very small and insignificant...and just as quickly, felt very important! How fortunate I am to be able to see this, I thought!
All too soon, we were back on the bus, headed back up the steep grades, and on our way back to the city. It had been an amazing day in the countryside. I reflected on the day’s sights and activities, and I silently prayed a prayer of thanks for this opportunity I had been given, and for everything I have and often take for granted. At one point on the way back, we asked the bus driver to stop for just a moment so that we could get some photographs across one of the endless fields, where the sun’s rays reached earthward through the clouds, and slathered the land below with the last light of the day. It was magnificent!
We stopped by the hotel to splash some water on ourselves, and some even confessed to using spray deodorant and Fabreeze to freshen up a bit, and we were back in our little transport van and off to meet Mesfin for dinner at a wonderful Lebanese-Armenian restaurant called Aladdin. Looking back, I think this may have been my favorite of all the places we ate. It was a beautifully-appointed place, with simple classic furnishings, and they served us the best food! We had a huge array of appetizers served family-style, like warm pita bread with hummus and eggplant dips, small oblong meatballs, deep-fried chick pea patties, tasty little crisp fried meat and cheese pies, and then the main courses of grilled chicken and grilled beef with rice and fries. Outstanding meal!
We then returned to the hotel, where I tried once again for about two hours to update the blogs, but the internet service was still not cooperating. I finally conceded it was time for a hot bath and bed.
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