MAY 5, 2012 ARBA MINCH to ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA

Saturday May 5, 2012 ARBA MINCH to ADDIS ABABA 

(440 km asphalt rd (with many bumps and lots of unpaved sections!, 8 hours)

VIEW FROM PARADISE HOTEL, ARBA MINCH
ETHIOPIA OVER LAKE ARAYA

We were awake before 6 and after a hot shower!! up for breakfast by 6:30.  We can get internet (when working) only in the restaurant area so we had about 30 minutes before breakfast sitting on the outdoor terrace - French Toast (the best yet - just plain no syrup in any hotel) and coffee, and of course the amazing papaya juice - I guess that will be our last fresh papaya juice since we are heading back to Addis Ababa today - our Ethiopian trip is almost over.

Last night was a massive thunderstorm so everywhere was soaked this morning but not raining.  Over Lake Abaya the sun shining through the clouds looked just like our own Sunshine Coast in BC Canada with the islands in front and different layers of colours as you looked back into the mountains.  We can also see the dirt runway down in the valley near Arba Minch from the Paradise Hotel where we staying which sits up on the edge of the escarpment.  Right behind the Paradise there is new construction in progress as they expand the University here - for another 2000 students classrooms and dormitories - I think it may not be so peaceful 12 months from now!

We departed at 7:30 but first we enjoyed watching the bright yellow (with black head) village weaver birds who were noisily and busily building their new nests in the acacia trees - the nests still green from the grasses they were using.  I gave the reception staff my room key - a carved piece of wood - which he looked at then asked me for the key!  The rooms are locked in many hotels including the Paradise with a padlock and key -and the actual key had come off the ring into my pocket!  So fortunately we resolved that before we left!

Minutes after we left we passed the large Ethiopian Orthodox Church where outside the gates there were very many ladies with their shawls over their heads praying - they are not allowed into the grounds or Church when they are menstruating.  There are also lots of beggars and handicapped people sitting there who are helped with food, water or money as the villagers come to pray.

Our route then took us past the main University where the road is covered both sides by large old flame trees all in bloom with the beautiful red flowers - glorious!  Last night when we drove past all the students were out meeting, greeting and visiting with each other sitting on the rough hewn planks of wood all set up in coffee drinking squares - hundreds of them enjoying their Friday evenings after a long week of studying.  The Ethiopian Government is working hard to have an educated population - the University Education is free for all students who achieve the passing grade in the Government Examination (School Leaving Exam).  For those students who then graduate from University they are required to payback half the cost of their University Education fees when they get a job (if they don’t pass they don’t have to pay it back).

BUYING MANGOES ALONG THE HIGHWAY

It was soon raining again as we bumped and swerved along the dirt track - most villagers were heading into town using a variety of things to help them not get wet (umbrellas, shawls, plastic sheets) my favourite was the guys with large banana leaves being held over their heads as they walked!  Driving through the area where they grow mangoes (the mangoes are prolific hanging down at the end of the branches on long green stems) Bale and Malcolm bought mangoes to take home today (less than 1 brr each (about 6 cents) in fact they each bought a large plastic shopping bag full of mangoes for 10brr!  This transaction takes place like this:  the Land Cruiser slows down to a stop - the girls, boys, and ladies on the side all rush together to the windows thrusting their baskets of mangoes into your face or through the windows trying to convince you they have the best mangoes!

We had already seen lots of birds along the sides of the road in the bushes and trees:  grey herons, Hammerkopf, wooly necked stork, dabdion’s stork, red eyed dove (their song can be identified if you sing along with “I am a red eyed dove”), common kestrel, Ruppell’s starling, long crested eagle and Abyssinian roller - by 8:50 am we had driven in and out of the rain several times but eventually we were out of the rain and back into the sun.  Our drive today was heading pretty much due North, the first 80 km past Lake Abaya on our right (East) to Sodo where we stopped for coffee - I am getting quite used to these fine coffees from the large fancy Italian coffee machines in these small cafes!  This morning I had macciatto.  The Ladies’ toilets were 3 squat, 1 western style, but no water or toilet paper - certainly you never visit a toilet here without first checking your pockets or bag to make sure you have everything you might need!

The drive to SODO took 2 1/2 hours to cover the 125 km.  SODO is quite a big town with population approximately 50,000 so it was a very busy town as everyone was busy arriving to sell and buy at the Saturday Market.  The other noticeable item, besides the beautiful purple Jacaranda trees in bloom,  was the huge number of large tractor trailers along the side of the road as we pulled into town- one huge convoy - at least 50 maybe more. Malcolm told us these are picking up grain from everyone to store for when the rains fail and there are no crops or the crops are poor - the government now stores from good crops in an effort to prevent future famines.

Today we were hoping to check into the Sheraton in Addis Ababa for one night but we just got the word that it would be $379USD for 1 night including breakfast - absolutely ridiculous!  We shall stay at the Panorama instead not as nice, but we have already paid much less for this.

Our route today after SODO will be on secondary route 9 (all paved) which will take us through DOUBO, HOSAINA (which has a single gravel air strip for charter flights only), alongside Rift Lakes Abijatta Shalla National Park. ZIWA, BUTAJAIRA, GOFETTI, SEBETA, ALEM GENA and into Addis.  This route is a good route (as per Bale and Malcolm) but nowhere near as busy as the main highway heading North #6 which picks up all the traffic from Kenya, Sudan and Somalia as well as the huge number of animals and people.

JAN AT THE TRADITIONAL COFFEE CEREMONY

We climbed up to 2700m altitude to the Great Rift Valley escarpment on the drive from SODO to Hosaina, a city of 80,000 Hadaiya people, where we had lunch at the REDIET Hotel.   Bale has nerves of steel which required a few screeching breaks for animals, donkeys, or people running into, or out of, the path of the Land Cruiser. Lunch was really special - this is a fairly large hotel and we sat in the gardens in the back of the hotel listening to excellent Ethiopian music by Teddy Afro including Bale’s favorite track a love song which includes the sound of the big drums played in the Orthodox Church being heard.  The song Kalala Yehonal with the message everything will be all right - with love and peace we will walk up the hill together, when you see clouds and everything looks dark, don’t give up - everything will be alright.  We have all had several discussions about mankind and religion and how everyone is the same and should live peacefully together.  It turns out that Teddy Afro (the very popular singer) spent a couple of years in prison for the songs he has recorded which are very open and critical about the current state of affairs in Ethiopia. As much as Ethiopia currently has  a democratic government which is light years improvement on the previous military Marxist style government - it is still not wholly democratic.

Lunch was excellent - Terry had lamb TIBS with onions and green chilis served in a very hot crock pot on top of live charcoal with enjera, Bale and Malcolm had Kitfo (raw minced beef very slightly cooked with a paste on the side of their local cheese IAYIB, and a spinach paste GOMEN with enjera on the side.  I had tomato soup (my stomach a little off this last couple of days).  This was followed by traditional coffee served in a baked coffee pot and popcorn FANDISHA (they always serve this together).  The popcorn is just like popcorn in Canada - but just a touch of sugar on it, no butter like in Canadian theatres!  While at the hotel in Lalibela another snack we had was roasted barley - Malcolm told me this when I asked if the poorer villagers also ate popcorn, he said no they have roasted barley KOLO.

TERRY AT THE STELLAE PARK,
TIYE - UNESCO SITE

After lunch we stopped to look at another Unesco World Heritage Site (1 of 9) of the carved rock stellae in TIYE village.  These were like a head stone for men and women believed to have been carved and brought here between the 9th to 12th century AD.  They show carvings to represent breasts (men and women - two circles, necklaces, and knives and shields for the men.  There are also some rocks which are believed to be phallic symbols for fertility.  As recently as last week there was a dig by one of the Ethiopian University here which uncovered more carved rocks very close to the surface.  In answer to the question why weren’t these discovered earlier when farmers ploughed the land, the answer was that this has always been considered sacred land by the locals and never ploughed or farmed.  The tallest stellae here is 3 metres.  I needed to use the local squat toilet facilities here - I think I need more practise!

Belet (Driver), Terry, Jan and Melkamu (Guide)

By 4 pm we were 52 km from Addis Ababa in the town of Awash Melka, the sky was very dark and we were getting rain drops on the windshield - looks like it was pouring in Addis.  The traffic immediately increased and pretty soon we were in Saturday night rush hour in Addis Ababa.  Back at the PANORAMA Hotel at 5:30 pm and into a good room - roll on the shower!  We had a chance to change before we were picked up at 6:45pm by Malcolm and Bale who had managed to get us copies of the Teddy Afro Ethiopian CD - we were thrilled!  Then it was off to the 2000 HABESHA CULTURAL Restaurant where we had the most amazing evening with front row seats.  This is a large restaurant and by 9pm it was packed full - more locals than tourists - everyone there for an excellent meal and great entertainment.  The food was buffet with a selection of everything Ethiopian - always two dishes of everything - one with hot chili and one without (the Ethiopians like everything very hot!).  There was a 5 piece band with traditional instruments who played for more than an hour while we had a cocktail and ate dinner (excellent - highly recommended) and then there were three singers (2 men one woman) who sang in between the dancing - 4 women and 4 men always in the traditional costume of the peoples or area they were performing. It was so much fun and unbelievable to see some of the dancing moves they made!  It is like ech part of their body moves independent of the others - and the faster the better!!  All I can say is that you must go when you visit Ethiopia!  

We were back in the room with huge smiles after a great evening before 11pm and could hardly believe this was our last night in Ethiopia.  Tomorrow morning we will be packed and ready to go shopping with our driver Bele for an hour on the way to the airport and off to Dubai for 2 full days before flying to Seattle (15 hours) then driving and taking the ferry back to Sechelt BC.