MAY 6-9, 2012 DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

May 6-9, 2012  DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

(2 days and 3 nights daytime temperature 108 degrees F, 97F in the shade!)

Sunday May 6, 2012 - Addis Ababa to Dubai, United Arab Emirates

We arrived at 8:38 pm into DUBAI after a smooth flight with Emirates AIRLINES from ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia.  We could hardly believe it was only 16 nights since we had spent the night here while flying through from Seattle on our way to Addis Ababa Ethiopia.  Tonight it was 30 degrees Celcius - and the forecast for close to 40 tomorrow!  The process was the same - checkin with the “eye” people on arrival (Canadians require a Visa and before going through Immigration we have to get our eyes scanned - one line for the men and a different line for the women).

Then the immigration line up - I got there before Terry and held a spot since his eye scanning line was longer than mine.  For some reason the immigration takes a long time - there were only about 15 people in the line in front of us (more than that behind us) and it took about 40 minutes to get through (no problems).  Then we picked up our 2 bags and and a couple of items in the Arrival Duty Free at the Dubai Airport (sales were 1.12 billion dollars in 2009!  They claim it is the highest Duty Free spending in the world by 3 or 4 times, average $45 USD per passenger), before passing through the “nothing to declare” customs line and on to the Arabian Adventures office who were looking after our transfers (about 30 minutes on a major highway with lots of traffic and many vehicles with aggressive drivers cutting each other off) to the Millennium Plaza Hotel (Arabian Adventures is owned by Emirates Airlines) arriving at 10:25 pm.

The Millennium is a brand new hotel, in modern contemporary design, opened in 2012 and we were given a beautiful room on the 40th floor - sheer luxury after the last 2 weeks in Ethiopia.  We have an extra large room with king size bed, large soaker bath tube and separate shower, toilet with BD, flat screen TV with coffee table and 2 easy chairs, and a desk and chair (where I am currently sitting).  Room Service brought us ice and it was 12 midnight when the light was switched off and we crashed!

CAMEL RIDE ANYONE?

Monday May 7, 2012 - DUBAI City Tour and Sundowners in the Desert

We had prebooked a very busy day with Arabian Adventures in order to take advantage of our time in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).  United Arab Emirates is a young country, only 41 years old.  It used to be a British Protectorate and was called Trucial State.  The British left UAE on December 1, 1971 (just before oil was discovered!) and the UAE started Dec 2, 1971.  The UAE consist of 7 emirates (or monarchies):Abu Dhabi, the richest producing 2 million barrels of oil every day and holding gas reserves as well; DUBAI, the second richest country with 3% of their GDP attributed to oil but their reserves are almost gone.  They also are trading partners with Asia, Africa, China and Europe and they are perfectly situated in the centre of all of 4 of them.  Their third contributor at 20% of GDP is Tourism, then Real Estate which is still important even after the real estate collapse in 2008, and Banking.  The remaining 5 emirates are: Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quawain, Fujairah, and Ajman.

The UAE flag is red, green, white and black, and their currency is the AED Arab Emirates Dirham - known as the dirham.  Currently the exchange rate is 3.66 dirham per USA dollar. The gas (petrol) here is probably cheapest in the world - it costs $1.72 dirham per litre, about 50 cents per litre!   This means oil is cheaper than water here, it costs $1 liter for bottled water.

Dubai  is located on the Gulf of Arabia so Dubai has beautiful beaches with white sand - the public beaches are free, to go to a beach where a hotel is located costs you about $100 per person.  The population of UAE is 8.2 million, consisting of 88% foreigners or expatriates, and 2 million of these are in Dubai, 66% are male and only 33% are female!  This is because many foreigners (especially from India and Pakistan) move to Dubai for work (especially in construction) and send money home to their families who they leave in India and Pakistan.  We met, and talked to, several of these foreign workers - by the way, they hate being called foreigners - but that’s what the Saudi’s call them and they do not get permanent residency just a work permit.  We met a 28 year old from Pakistan living with 6 other Pakistanis in a 1 bedroom apartment working 12 hour shifts 7 days a week to send money home to his mother and sister (father dead).  Another guy was from Bangladesh working on a contract basis (i.e. paid by the hour when required so his elapsed time would be 12 hours each day even though he wouldn’t have 12 hours work) again living with 3 other men in a 1 bedroom apartment.  There are also many Asians (Thais, Chinese, Vietnamese, etc) and the same story - no one likes the heat, they find it very expensive and impossible to save money but are there just for the jobs.  DUBAI is very multi cultural and open minded with all religions: Catholics, Hindu, Muslim, Protestant and others, and every country’s restaurants as well!

This is the desert - unbelievably hot - today it went from 97F (36C)  in the shade to 108F in the shade!  They use water from the ocean after being processed through a desalination plant which is outside the city.  They also have lots of trees and flowering shrubs  in Dubai - but the watering system is all from recycled waste water - when you pass by new buildings under construction, and new gardens being laid - you see the miles and miles of thin black piping all for the waste water to keep the desert green and looking like an oasis!

BUEJ AL ARAB HOTEL, DUBAI

The story behind Dubai is that it used to be a small oasis, in fact we visited here 20 years ago and even though Dubai was a city then - it was a small city.  For us, this was like going to a brand new country!  There is nothing about Dubai today that resembles Dubai 20 years ago.  Dubai was the centre for trading as mentioned before, and at the end of the 19th century the Shah of Iran wanted to introduce taxes on the traders.  The traders had no desire to pay taxes, so the Dubai Sheik invited the traders from Iran to move to Dubai and told then that he would not charge them taxes - so they moved to Dubai.  As a result, much of the old traditional architecture in Dubai was very much influenced by the Iranians.

Our driver arrived at 8:35 am (after a very tasty buffet breakfast in the METRO restaurant on the 5th floor included in our package) and transferred us to JUMEIRA where we transferred to a large luxury 48 passenger bus - there were in total maybe 16 of us on this tour.  Now you may be aware of JUMEIRA and that is because where some of the most luxurious and amazing architectural hotels have been built including the Jumeira Beach Hotel (shaped like a wave), the Wild Wadi water park, and the amazing Burj Al Arab hotel 321 metres tall which is the hotel you would recognise being the one which is shaped like a sailboat right on the beach.  The Burj (as it is known) was opened on December 1, 1999 and was reported as that it could be called a 7 star hotel.  There is no 7 star hotel classification but you understand what they mean.  The price per night per 2 floor suite, ranges from $3,000 to $20,000 USD per night (from 140 sq metres to 700+ sq metres) - oh, by the way, that doesn’t include breakfast!  You cannot enter without a reservation but apparently you can go for dinner or a cocktail with a reservation - they have the most expensive cocktail in the world, just one drink in a cocktail glass, $7,000 USD each!  (You do get to keep the glass!)

Located very close to the Burj is a new development called the Souk Madina Jumeira - with 3 hotels, 44 restaurants and gets rave reviews for a great place to go in the evenings when everywhere is lit up and delightful to eat at and look at.  It is built in the Arabian style so very attractive to look at.

We then drove from Jumeira through the area known as “Beverly Hills” the expensive part of the city and through to the old part of the city.  The city of Dubai is known to be clean (graffiti is almost non existent) and safe - no pick pockets and very little crime.  We were warned about crossing the road which can be dangerous (coincides with my thoughts driving in from the airport last night!).  There are 4,000 taxis in Dubai (all beige with various coloured roofs) and they are all metered, so no bartering for taxi fares - save your bartering for the Souk (or market).  

It was only 9:15 am when we transferred from van than picked us up to the tour bus and already you would not stand anywhere in the sun, you took a photo and looked for shade and hopped back on the bus - around 87F already!  As it got hotter during the day and went over 100F I’m not sure it felt any hotter, because when it feels like your skin is frying and someone is blowing hot air on you with a massive hair dryer - it just feels unbearably hot with no escape at any temperature!

Jean Francois was our Tour Guide (from France) and everything he told us was repeated in German and English - they run different tours for different Nationalities (languages), the driver Shafi was from the UK.  Our first stop was really the origin of Dubai the Majlis Ghorfat Um Al-Sheef (majlis means “meeting place”).  Today the traditional homes still have a majlis in their home - and  it is still the custom to visit with your guests in the majlis which is just inside your front door - there is a majlis to the right for the men and to the left for the women,  They are a very private people and it is not usual to go inside their home just to do the visiting in the majlis.

 This Majlis that we were visiting was built in 1955 and it was in the desert at that time, far outside of the city boundary,  by Sheikh Rasheed bin Saeed El Makhtoum to meet with the nomadic desert Bedouins.  The creek that runs from the Gulf Of Arabia into Dubai kept getting silted up and Sheikh Saeed El Makthoum needed help to dredge it and keep it clear for the trading with China, Europe, Asia, Africa, so he negotiated with the Bedouins to help him.  The lower storey is an airy verandah and the top a large meeting room  with cushions on the floor all around the sides, and it was amazingly cool  and comfortable.  In the garden there was also an irrigation system - the same system used for the past 3000 years, bringing water from a well via small channels to where it is needed, then blocking the channel to send it to a different direction if required.

So in the 1950’s it was trading - importing rice and spices from India and Iran, and exporting pearls from Saudi because there was a very large natural pearl diving industry  based out of Saudi.  Then in 1966 they discovered oil in Saudi Arabia and that was the start of the wealth and the huge glitzy city in the middle of the desert sands today that is the modern Dubai!

After the Majlis, we took a photo stop at the Jumeira Mosque surrounded by grass and large trees - you can visit 4 mornings each week at 10 am and be taken inside, it is apparently beautiful.  This was inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth in 1979, built in the modern fatimat? style (from 9-10th century when Cairo was built).

THE ABRA - FERRY ACROSS THE DUBAI CREEK

The main road / highway in Dubai is the Sheikh Zayed Rd and many of the hotels and stores are on this road, or set back from it.  The buildings are just tower after tower after tower - many modern designs, and an unbelievable number of them  There is also the Metro (train) that runs down Sheikh Zayed Rd and you can travel from one end to the other quickly and at reasonable cost.  Unfortunately several of the places you like to visit are a few blocks from the train and believe me, at this time of the year (and progressively hotter through the end of September) it is too hot to walk those few blocks!  We ended up taking taxis which are quite reasonable - the max we paid was $14 for a 30 minute ride.

There is now a new building higher than the Burj Al Arab - it is 828 metres tall, located next to the Dubai Mall, called the Burj Khalifta tower.   There is an unbelievable amount of shopping in Dubai and the highest end stores you can imagine with brand names from everywhere in the world having a location here.  In fact as we drove down the Sheikh Zayed we passed names we see every day at home like McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Circle K, and Tim Hortons - can you believe it!?  Anyway, also at the Dubai Mall is a large lake with fountains just like the Bellagio in Las Vegas - only twice as big!  The fountains dance every night with music each 30 minutes starting at 6:30 pm.

We continued driving around the city and seeing the Palaces - and the continued construction in progress everywhere - as well as construction that had been started and then ground to a halt when the recession hit the skids starting in 2008.  The creek that runs into Dubai is where the old city of Bastakiyo was built at the end of the 19th Century - these have been restored (20 houses, Art Galleries and restaurants) and show the architecture from that period which actually came from Iran.  There are no windows on the outside (remember I said they are very private people) so the home has a courtyard inside for relaxing and enjoying the fresh air.  They are built from coral and the architecture is that no front door faces (or can see) any other front door - so that each family cannot see the other family’s comings and goings.  Each house has a tower in the corner with wooden poles sticking out in all directions to give them air conditioning - you ask how?.   Each tower is built to get the wind from all 4 directions - they used to (and still do) hang wet sheets on the wooden poles so that when the wind blows the hot air will cool as it passes through the sheets and then blow into the home.  The coral (for the walls) was collected and dried for 1 year before they used it for building, and all the wood was imported from India - so it was only the richest people who could afford to build this type of home.

THE OLD FORT - DUBAI

The 18th century Fort built in 1787 next to the old city (all located on the creek) has now been converted into a really nice museum with a huge wooden traditional dhow (sailing boat) out the front, and underground the museum has a large number of diorama showing the daily life as it used to be - excellent life size models and setups with a description next to each of the activities being portrayed.  By the way, when someone is a Sheikh it just means the elder or wise old man - it’s not a title like a Prince or anything like that.  There used to be 1 Sheikh per tribe who gave advice to the rest of the tribe or family.  When the Sheikh died the next ruler is decided by the family - it is NOT necessarily the eldest son who becomes the next Sheikh.

After the Fort (which I might mention is in the textile district - we were on a pretty tight schedule so I did not get chance to check out the stores and buy fabric but I saw some wonderful patterns in the windows!) we headed to the creek to take an ABRA (or water taxi) which is a wooden dhow across the creek to the other side where the SPICE and GOLD SOUKs can be found!  The Abra costs 1 AED per person (about 30 cents) - you just get on the ABRA (they are at the dock and there are lots of them there) and pay the Captain your 1 AED then as soon as the Captain feels he has enough people on board then he crosses the creek to the other side.  20,000 passengers per day cross the creek on the ABRA’s.

SPICE MARKET SOUK

First we walked around the old Souk, (the DEIRA  Spice Souk) and oogled at the massive sacks of every spice that you could imagine, and the dates - they were so fresh and so good!  There are also booths there selling hardware, clothing, shoes, sandals, and all sorts of things.  The gold Souk is a short walk away - imagine a big cross with an open centre and on each length of the cross both sides are just loaded with gold, silver and diamond jewellery - something for everyone at every price point - the top point being very high!  We were in Dubai 20 years ago, and not only does it now seem like a completely different city, it has also become very cosmopolitan.  The jewellry 20 years ago was very local - lots of very fancy, very yellow, 22 and 24 carat filigreed jewellry - very indian and Arabic and not the styles we would typically wear in the Western world.  Now there is jewellry in the Gold Souk for every taste and pocket book.

By now we were all very hot and sticky and were so glad to get back into the air conditioned bus - it was now 108 F in the shade! I should mention that all the stores in the Gold Souk are air conditioned so you have to go inside and shop to feel comfortable!  You could also buy camel burgers and chocolate (expensive fine chocolate) made from camel’s milk at some stores and restaurants as we drove along.  This was the end of the tour - a very full 5 1/2 hours from pick up to drop off at our hotel.  

We went up to our room and were so happy to kick off our shoes and just relax for a couple of hours - we were getting picked up again at 4:30 pm for our Sand Dune and Sundowner 4 wheel drive into the desert!  We had again booked this with Arabian Adventures (owned by Emirates)  about $120 USD each.  Our driver Habib arrived and there were 4 Aussies in the Land Cruiser already (max 6 passengers plus driver) - on their way from Perth to Europe for a river cruise on the AVALON, this was a stop over in Dubai to break up the long flights.  

After reading and signing the Liability Release Form we drove out on the highway into the desert, passing the Dubai Outlet Mall and the Margham Race Track - camel racing and horse racing are huge sports here.  Our first stop was outside the gates of the Dubai Desert Conservancy - where each driver got out and had to let air out of all 4  tires so that the Land Cruiser would steer correctly as soon as we got into the sand dunes.  Next stop was for the falconry display.  There has always been a connection between the Bedouins and the falcons, who spend all Winter in the desert and then migrate back to Europe and other cooler climates during the hot Saudi summers (April - October).

CLIMBING THE SAND DUNES

The falcons they now keep for the demonstration are kept in the air conditioning when they are not performing in the summer and just come out for the display - they start panting pretty quickly when they are outside in the heat (and so do we! never go anywhere without a bottle of water).  This stop had a couple of hundred palm trees planted to provide shade, and there were also 3 camels here with their owners for those who wanted a photo with  a camel - there were professional photographers taking photos for pick up at the end of the tour.  There were lots of Arabian Adventures Land Cruisers - Habib told us they have about 60 vehicles - this is now getting into low season and we counted 36!

After the falcon display, it was back into the Land Cruiser again (Terry and I were in the back seat) and we were off again - this was now a crazy but very fun ride! The land cruisers are in excellent condition, and there are roll bars covered in upholstery fabric inside the vehicle.  The land cruisers all follow one after the other - hopefully with enough room between each other not to run into the back of the one in front.  We went screaming up one side of the sand dune so that at the top you could only see the blue sky, then over we would go sliding down the opposite side - and this went on for  maybe 30 minutes - it was a hoot!  All the Land Cruisers follow the same tracks but it is absolutely in the dunes, no man made road or anything like that.

FABULOUS SUNSET

Then we all stop next to each other and get out to take photos of the sun just above the sand dunes - people and land cruisers everywhere.  When you start off again - there is a boss directing everyone and sending the land cruisers out one after the other.  When we got back in this time I went in the front and took some video while Terry sat behind me - just too much fun although the first drive was the best dunes  I think.  Then we parked again and got out behind a large dune that was so hard to run up to the top to take the sunset photos - if you stopped on the way up the sand just started sliding down and burying your feet and shoes completely in sand!  After about 30 minutes we changed into the back seat again (a good seat for getting car sick really fast) and by now we were starting to level out a little as we drove into the area where the Bedouin tents were set up for dinner.  When we arrived there were about 18 camels and several handlers ready for anyone who wanted to go for a camel ride.  There was a walkway in the sand lit by exotic lanterns and this opened up to the inside where there were hundreds of pillows set up on the floor, which was covered in huge persian carpets - each being about 30 feet by 30 feet - lots and lots of them all overlapping so that you were walking on carpets everywhere.  Soft drinks, beer and wine were all included in the price as was dinner - starting with Arabic appetizers with tabouleh and hummus, then a little later the main course of lamb, meatballs, chicken, bean salads, buns, potatoes, green salad and fresh fruit for dessert. 

TERRY ARRIVING FOR DINNER IN THE DUNES

There was also an artist making incredibly fine sand art in bottles - how he managed to make these desert scenes complete with palm trees and camels - all perfectly detailed - was amazing to watch.  In another area you could dress up in traditional Saudi dress and have your photos taken - again all the photos ready for you to take home with you,  The area they have set up is large - perhaps 500 feet by 300 feet and behind are several massive sand dunes and they have some lights up in the dunes so as it gets dark, they are subtly lit up - just beautiful!  And this was the night of the super moon as well, so it was huge.  Music was playing while we ate and drank, followed by a lone belly dancer who performed for maybe 6 different songs - she was very agile and looked spectacular in her gauzy pantaloons and scarf .  Afterwards, they turned out all the lights and you just lay back and looked into the sky - what a great way to finish the evening. We were back at our hotel shortly after 10pm and were ready for bed after a spectacular day!

DINNER IN THE DUNES, DUBAI

TUESDAY MAY 8, 2012  DUBAI

We had decided that we wouldn’t put the alarm on last night, but we still woke up and were showered and eating breakfast by 730 am in the METRO at the Millenium Plaza hotel.  The Millenium Plaza is a pick up location for the shuttle to the Dubai Outlet Mall - so we decided to give that a shot.  We were picked up at 9:35 and caught the shuttle back at 12:30 - so it gave us just over 2 hours there.  The mall is huge and 2 levels - essentially we walked around window shopping and looked into a coupe of stores - my favourite (non purchase) was a pair of turquoise blue very high heeled peep toe shoes covered in Swarovski crystals - on sale for $500 after a 60% discount!  I saw so many incredible Italian shoes and sandals, I could have bought several - but even window shopping was a lot of fun!

TERRY IN HIS OWN BEDOUIN TENT

We did find a “Beyond the Beach” store with a few Tommy Bahama items too good to pass up and if we had more time before the bus departed we could have found more, but we took the shuttle at 12:30pm and got off the bus when we hit the Al Karama area and took a taxi the few blocks to the market area.   This is where the market is for the knock off handbags and purses, wallets, etc - which you should be aware is illegal in Dubai to buy!  We started at the Blue Marine store, then store after store after store was selling the knockoffs - brands like Mulberry, Jimmy Choo, Bugatti, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, etc  and ROLEX watches.  We went into several but I didn’t find anything I had to have so we left holding a single teeshirt!  In these stores many of these items are on display when you walk in (think of small market stores) but some very nicely displayed.  Many vendors try to harass you to enter, others just stay put and let you browse with no sell job.  Most of these purses are leather and the pricing starts at 380 AED and up (so from $100 USD and up).  I addition, many of the stores will take you “upstairs” up creaky old narrow stairs where they have another showroom where they keep a lot of Chanel and Louis Vuitton goods.

Next we were off to the ATLANTIS hotel built right on the edge of PALM Island in the Arabian Gulf.  This was quite a way but cost 65 AED (less than $20) and it was air conditioned comfort!  We walked into the lobby and down through to where you can buy your ticket (abut $100) for the day to use the Atlantis Waterpark, or buy your ticket to go inside and see the massive aquarium full of sharks, rays, fish and other sea creatures - beautiful!  You don’t get into the hotel unless you are staying there - there are security guards everywhere asking for ID.  By now it was after 2pm so we sat at TBJ (the Burger Joint) and shared a burger, fries and milk shake (oh so good!) for 100AED (almost $30). 

The Atlantis sits at the end of the causeway called the Palms - I know you will have seen this in pictures or on TV - it is a large man made island that looks like a palm tree with a circle around it.  Each frond of the palm tree is a subdivision with expensive private homes on them (most of the Manchester United Soccer Team bought a home there a few years ago).  Anyway - there is a mono rail that you can take (15AED) from Atlantis to the other end - essentially back to the Sheikh Zayed Rd.  When we went up to the monorail station at Atlantis - it was perfect - we could see the entire waterpark at Atlantis, waterfalls, pools, etc and in addition we got great views of The Palm as the mono rail went back to the Sheik Zayed Road  perfect!

Then it was a taxi to the Jumeira Madina we had seen the previous morning - this is really a nice SOUK built in the old Arabic style with lots of restaurants and tiny stores -really fun to walk around. lots of places to sit outside and enjoy - there is even a great photo opportunity for the Burj Al Arab hotel (looks like the sailboat).  We had been wanting to take a boat ride to see everything from the water, and in the Madina we saw a Tour Company desk - sure enough we could take the Yellow Boat (200AED about $60 each) at 5 pm from the Dubai Marina and it would take us out past the Atlantis, the Palm and the Burj Al Arab - perfect!

WE caught a taxi back at 4:35 to the Marina and there were just 4 of us on the Yellow Boat - like a big zodiac with proper seats - the same as we use in Victoria BC for whale watching.  It was wonderful to be out on the warm aquamarine water, and our Captain stopped to let us take photos, as well as giving us information about what we were seeing - it was a fun ride and cooler on the water when we were moving!  Stuart and Sylvia from the UK were the other two passengers.  We even passed the beach houses (think Palaces) for the Royal Family. 

WE returned about 6:20 and then walked the 1 block to the Radisson Hotel and up to the 53rd floor where they had Happy Hour while overlooking the Arabian Gulf, Atlantis, the Palm and the Burj Al Arab - it was wonderful.  We ordered calamari and a plate of Arabic appetizers, along with a bottle of cold Pinto Grigio all at Happy Hour prices - total 200AED about $60USD.  It was a very pleasant couple of hours watching the sun set and enjoying the view.  In the harbour there are an amazing number of large and beautiful yachts - this is definitely life style of the rich and famous.  On the other side of the Dubai Harbour is the area known as New Dubai - this is 39 sky scraper buildings, all looking very similar, all sand yellow in colour, and all built by the same developer in the last 5 years.  Just beyond New Dubai are oil storage tanks and plants.

But we were not done yet!  When the wine and appies were finished it was back in a taxi (55AED $17 USD) to the Dubai Mall - we wanted to see the fountains!  The Dubai Mall area is nicely done and when you arrive after dark, as we did, there are twinkling lights everywhere - and everything is a big production - there are men getting you out of the taxis quickly into the semi circular drop off zone and telling the taxi drivers to leave quickly!  There is a large lake here with a bridge across the middle, and we found a perfect spot with two comfortable chairs and a footstool / table in front right next to the lake.  We ordered a date shake and a 7 Up Light (55AED $17) and enjoyed every ice cold sip as we watched 2 fountain displays.

Then it was another taxi from the Dubai Mall back to our hotel and believe me, we crashed as soon as we could.  Our alarm was set for 5am Wednesday morning - we had to finish packing and have a quick bite to eat before our transfer arrived at 6:50am to take us to the airport for our flight from Dubai to Seattle.

We had spent two very enjoyable, busy and full days in Dubai and also two very hot days.  The heat is hard to manage, and it gets hotter over the next 3 months as high as 45 to 50 degrees Celcius!  I can’t imagine anyone living in that heat unless you are in air conditioning or hanging out in a traditional cooled home.  Almost without exception the people we met don’t like the heat, and are only in Dubai for the money - they would rather go home to where they come from if their was work available for them at home.  There is a lot of money and a lot of rich folk in Dubai, it is expensive to eat.  It is a big concrete city with some fascinating architecture and lots to do for a stop over but for a destination vacation I think there are nicer places to go with much better value, and much more comfortable environments! 

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.

MAY 4, 2012 JINKA to MURSI to ARBA MINCH, ETHIOPIA

FRIDAY MAY 4, 2012   JINKA to MURSI to ARBA MINCH

(250 km asphalt and 140 km gravel, 8 hours)

A very early morning for me awake at 4 am in JINKA LODGE so I read for a couple of hours, Terry sat at the computer read the diary (he’s good at correcting my typos!.  We have to take advantage of all the time we have for recharging computers and camera batteries!  As I mentioned last night, it is very damp here - and it had rained overnight so everything felt damp - I had even folded the clothes I was wearing and zipped them inside my bag last night so that they weren’t damp and cold when I put them on this morning!

We were leaving at 6:30 am to head Southwest to where the MURSI people live - these are the people who believe in self scarring (lines and curves of bumps over their chests and arms) for self beautification, and the women wear clay disks in their lower lips and ear lobes - the bigger the clay disk the more beautiful they are considered.  Apparently this tradition started centuries ago - maybe as long ago as the 13th Century when slave trading was in full throttle.  They saw this as a way to frighten away those Africans  and Arabs looking to kidnap them and take them to sell them as slaves.  The young girls do not start with the clay disks until they reach maturity at age 15.

As we left the JINKA Hotel we first made our way over the very muddy road under construction - just imagine how miserable that is with all this rain and damp! This passes right next to the dirt and grass strip used for charter flights from Addis Ababa with Abyssinia Charter Flights.  We soon crossed the Neri River, brown with sediment, a fast flowing river about 30 feet wide with a few local men naked bathing in it.  Women also bathe in the river, but at a different location.  The Neri flows into the much larger Mago River, and then they both are tributaries into the OMO River before it flows into Lake Turkano.

We first drove through the MAGO NATIONAL PARK before reaching the MURSI people, total population approximately 10 - 15,000 located in many villages.  The park is very green with thick bush and scrub so even though there is lots of wild life they are hard to see.  The animals in the park include  leopards, lions, jackals, African wild dogs, spotted hyena, baboons, dik dik antelope and debrasus monkeys - we were lucky enough to see my favourite, several beautiful black and white colobus monkeys, defassa waterback, lesser Kudu, haartebeest, grey duiker, a large family of small mongoose, and lots of birds: hadadab, lesser blue eye starling, yellow necked spurfowl, guinea fowl, black bellied bustard, (male) paradise fly catcher with the beautiful long tail, and black eyed eagle.

We have to pay Park Entrance Fees (but the HQ is 8KM off the main road which we couldn’t get to because the road was too muddy for the Land Cruiser - more about that later).  The fee per person is 180 birr for the Park 150 pp for the Mursi Village, 20 birr for the vehicle, and 100 birr for the Mago Park Scout (+ tip of 100 birr) - the fees continually increase every year.  There was massive road construction (there is a high hill with switchbacks all the way up and then down into the lower OMO valley) with huge construction equipment.  We also saw a couple of very large tractor trailers struggling oh so slowly up the hill - at one point one of the construction front end loaders was behind the tractor trailer helping to push it up the hill.  We discovered that beyond where the MURSI live there is a huge sugar cane factory under construction and these tractor trailers contain materials for the sugar cane factory.  So perhaps next visit there will not only be local gin and Ethiopian wine for sale, perhaps there will be Ethiopian rum as well!  They will be using water from the OMO river at the new sugar cane factory.

MURSI WOMEN - Lower OMO Valley Ethiopia

Around 7:45 am we saw our first 2 Mursi man and woman walking along the road with a shawl thrown over their shoulders, carrying a large package on their head, and one bare breast on the lady - the first of many!  At one point we came across about 8 Mursi men blocking the road wearing almost no clothes, jumping up and down with everything, and I mean everything including his prized possession, waving in the breeze!  They wanted us to go and visit their village (and pay for the photos and entrance fees) but Malcolm had a different village in mind where he felt that the villagers were not grabbing at the tourists so much or trying to get photos taken so that they could be paid.

We stayed at the village for about 45 minutes arriving at 8:15 am.  The MURSI live with their cattle - lots of cow dung everywhere, and it seems as if each family keeps their own round hut with very small and low door for entrance, with a thorn fence of sorts between them and the next family.  Flies were really bad!  There were also lots of dogs and puppies (they all look the same) but when some MURSI arrived with their dogs there was significant growling, baking and biting between the dogs from the different families - and even the MURSI all jumped away in a hurry to get away from the dogs and not get bitten!  My favourite scene (no photo) was the little naked dark brown baby boy about 12 months old with a warm blanket which the tiny puppy was pulling at - it was quite a long tug of war before the baby boy managed to pull his blanket away from the puppy and wrap himself in it!

MURSI WOMEN, Ethiopia - Lower OMO Valley

The MURSI ladies and children present themselves to you and vie with each other to get their photos taken.  The young girls have no clay discs in their lips, or wooden disc in their ear lobes, until age 15, and there is no scarring for girls until maturity at age 15, and the boys when they feel mature - typically the scarring is for something they did - like killing a wild animal.  The men don’t put anything in their lips but some do put the wooden discs in their ear lobes.  Their idea of beauty is somewhat different than ours!  The shawls on the ladies are often hung down between their breasts so that their breasts show, some wear clothing which is cow skins or bark and decorated with beads and/or metal.  Many of the MURSI wear silver or brass bracelets - some have as many as 20 on each wrist, above the elbows, and around their legs between ankle and knees.    Imagine how you would react to a somewhat shy MURSI woman wearing a decorated goatskin dress over one shoulder, bracelets around her ankles and wrists, carrying a gourd with a brightly coloured straw basket woven around it on top of her head, and an AK47 rifle over her shoulder?  All she wanted was 5brrr for each photo - would you say “NO?”

There was one very pretty young lady with wooden discs in her ear lobes (no lower lip clay disc) and a hat that was made from the white fluffy cottony looking potato sacks and a large strap underneath her chin covered in shells which come from Lake Turkana - she had one wrist with about 20 silver bracelets, the other lower arm with the same number of brass bracelets, and around her biceps there were several coloured beaded bracelets.  Another beautiful young girl had lots of rings on her fingers and a large head strap with two large cow horns hanging down - in the MURSI tribes individuality is most definitely encouraged.  Most of the tiny babies and children have no clothes on at all and we passed many MURSI men on the road wearing a few beads and nothing else.  Donga is the name of stick fighting - by MURSI, SURMA, and BODI all practise stick fighting, and we had 4 MURSI men whose bodies were all painted white (with sand, limestone or sorghum) in varying patterns and were proud to stand together for a photo.

MURSI men can take multiple wives, and they are pastoralists with owning mostly cows.  They do grow limited sorghum and maize on the banks of the Mago river, and a few tobacco leaves which they chew, they also get honey from the hives which they hang in the trees. The time with the MURSI flew by and really until I looked again at my photos it was impossible to absorb everything we had seen.  

The safari drive back through MAGO National Park was pleasant spotting animals and birds, and we stopped for mango juice and cookie after we left the Mursi (not at a roadside stand - we had left before the restaurant opened so brought these along).  At the checkpoint after leaving the Park Malcolm had a heated discussion about why we were paying there for the entrance fees and had not paid at HQ in the Park since we could not get up the road - while this discussion was taking place we were watching the other Park Ranger with rifle over his shoulder selling the Khat leaves to anyone who was interested in buying.  Bale showed us the leaves and how they only chew the very small tender leaves not the larger more mature leaves - so not all the leaves that are sold in the bunch would be enjoyed.

In JINKA we returned to the JINKA hotel (it was still raining there) and enjoyed a toilet break and coffee of our choice (I had machiatto) before continuing the drive heading North to Arba Minch - retracing our steps - yes, our trip home was starting.  On the way we passed lots of young children who wanted money, candy, pens, teeshirts, photos or anything.  We didn’t stop but they are very clever and funny - they stand on their hands and dance upside down - or the right way up!  They will wiggle their hips and shoulders and are very funny as you drive up the highway towards them.  We frequently travel fast (for these roads) up to 100 km per hour -but even 60 km per hour can be very fast when there are so many people and animals on the roads, and needless to say any photos at that speed are usually blurred!  

It was Friday afternoon so everyone seemed to be on the road heading into the village, or heading home from the market,  and the KONSO are the ladies who wear the two tiered skirts which are so cheerful.  We made it KONSO for lunch at 1:45 pm at the KANTA LODGE - we repeated the tomato soup and spaghetti bolognese which was so good last time, and just as tasty this time.  We ate pretty quickly on the terrace (we still had some miles to do) but there were lots of flies this time and I had a couple of bites. 

The miles to Arba Minch flew by with us spotting blue naped mouse birds, colobus monkeys, tawny eagles, cattle egrets, chanting goshawks, white winged black tits, fantailed ravens and black and white magpie starlings along dead sea fruit bushes all along the side of the highway (poisonous fruits to us).  We also passed a huge cotton farm.

DORZE house which looks like an elephant

Before checking back into the Paradise Hotel for the night, we managed to take the 50 minute drive from 1500metres altitude at Arba Minch to 2500m up the mountains to see the DORZE peoples in the CHEACHA Village.  The DORZE (population around 1 million) are called Mountain People and are smart - they have set up several homes into which they will take the tourists and show you how they make their cotton from the raw cotton balls and how they weave.  They are living in a large plateau at 2500m which we arrived at after we had taken the switchbacks and the DORZE are famous for the brightly coloured and varied design hats, as well as the beautifully coloured shawls and scarfs, which they also sell, 250 brr for the fine cotton scarfs and from 500 brr ($30) for the fancier fine scarfs.

COCHO - False Banana Bread
with chili paste and fresh honey

They also make the bread from the false bananas for which they are famous, first shredding the leaves, storing the paste under leaves underground for 3 to 9 months to ferment - it then smells like very ripe cheese.  They then take the fermented paste, roll it into a ball with a little water, then press into a flat pancake - which is again put in between two banana leaves and baked on a pan sitting on charcoal open fire for about 5 minutes both sides.  This is then eaten (we had it warm) with chili paste - VERY HOT chili paste, and fresh honey.  The false banana bread is called  Kocho and is a little sour (do NOT think sweet Banana bread in North America which is actually cake made from real bananas) and we also had a shot of the 50 proof local brew made from sorghum and water called Ghaka (or Araki) - very potent!  They wear skins (leopard, goat etc) when singing and dancing but we did not see this.

Outside this village, the local kids tried to sell us more shawls, coffee pots, necklaces made from seeds, carvings and the like - again surrounding us as we climbed back into the Land Cruiser.  It was close to 6 pm by now and we headed down the mountain.  The DORZE mostly walk up and down this mountain - and you could see the women struggling up with huge bundles of firewood on their back, as well as the women who had taken produce to sell at the bottom of the mountain on the main road, carrying back up everything they did not sell at the end of their long day - no wonder they are all so fit and skinny.

The road into Arba Minch was very busy and hundreds of the students were walking together, sitting in couples in a quiet spot in the fields, or gathering in larger groups drinking coffee in all the outdoor coffee shops (think a few wooden planks and open charcoal fires for roasting the coffee on) in front of the University.  We checked in and headed for dinner after a quick freshen up, ordering dinner and our G&T at the same time - glad to say they ordered more gin after we cleaned them out 4 days previously (and we’d only had 2 G&T’s that night!).

The internet was working but incredibly slow - so I spent 3 hours downloading over 700 emails and trying to delete the majority which were unimportant but still have to be checked over first to be sure.  We fell into bed around 10:30 pm - a long but very interesting day - again!

MAY 3, 2012 TURMI to KEY AFER & JINKA, ETHIOPIA

THURSDAY MAY 3, 2012   TURMI to KEY AFER market, & ARI Village to JINKA

(265 km gravel rd, 6 to 7 hours)

I was up (in the dark, no generator on yet) showering and getting dressed to carry on with our journal.  It was much cooler this morning and then we heard the rain start!  It poured for under 1 hour then the birds started singing again, the frogs started croaking - and I think Mother Nature was glad of the rain!  Terry was glad that he had no more bug bites!

This morning it was a slow morning - we were scheduled for a late breakfast at 8:30 and departing for the town of JINKA at 9 am, stopping at the Market in the town of KEY AFER first.  This colourful market is where the HAMMER and BENNA tribes meet every Thursday.  It took about 1 1/2 hours to get to Key Afer, and within the last few miles the roads were packed with everyone walking to market carrying their wares to sell - including honey in gourds.  The local honey is very good, I had some on my toast this morning and believe me it does not taste processed, it has a beautiful rich taste.  Apparently there are two seasons in the year for fresh honey so we were lucky enough to have some today.  

The local men also carry their wooden BORKOTA with them everywhere they go (so they were all walking along the road holding them)- this is an anvil shaped piece of carved wood, with a pattern burned into it - they use it for both a pillow, and also a seat.  Now understand me when I tell you this is about 8 to 10: high by about 4” wide - let me assure you I will never use a piece of wood for a pillow and I am pretty sure I could never balance my rear end on it either - although these tall skinny handsome people are sitting quite comfortably on their BORKOTA wherever we go!

While driving we talked to driver Bale about the staff from the BUSKA hotel who he had taken back to the medical centre this morning before breakfast.  They were to be given glucose, and Bale explained about how the staff who come here from Addis Ababa have no resistance to the water borne diseases like typhoid and bilharzias so they suffer.  Only the tourists get all bottled water, not the staff, because it is too expensive.  The locals are already used to this water but the Addis people have a difficult time with it.

On the horizon we could see the majestic BUSKA mountains, after which the BUSKA Resort is named, where we stayed for the last 2 nights.  Everywhere is so quiet you could hardly comprehend how busy they are in high season (October through January, September and February are shoulder season) when there is not a room to be had anywhere, the villages get 20 vehicles a day of tourists and everyone wants to visit the markets and the “Bull Jumping” ceremony where young men prove they are old enough to be married by running across the backs of the bulls.  Also on Jan 19 is the TIMKET Festival in northern Ethiopia (the colourful rebaptism ceremony which everyone attends) so you can see that timing for your tour to Ethiopia is critical.  We didn’t see as many birds this morning (no doubt they were hiding under the trees and shrubs to stay dry after the rain!) but amongst those we saw were three beautiful African orange bellied parrots, found only in North Eastern Africa.

When we arrived in Afer Key there was a tour 4x4 pulled over on the side of the road, brake problems.  So Malcolm took us off to the market while Bale helped the driver and tourists get their vehicle fixed (apparently he had quite some difficulty finding a store which had brake fluid for sale).  We are truly out in the wilds here and so every Tour Operator is very considerate of every other Tour driver, or any driver, with any kind of problem - it’s a very long way to go for help, or wait for assistance to arrive.  In town Malcolm hired local guide Shigo (more about him later) and off we went to the market.  There is a goat and cattle market in one part of town, and about a 10 minute walk away, the general market for everything else: spices, dye for the hair (as in red sand), fruit, vegetables, honey, butter, clothes, blankets (which are clothes for most tribal people here), brass bracelets and beaded jewellery (all the bracelets are different shape and pattern depending on which tribe you are from), a few carvings, shell belts, and skirts made from bark or goat or cow hides, again depending on which tribe you are from, and lots of North American/European shirts and designer jeans!  Even brand name men’s underwear (Terry looked but resisted!).

It was very hot and the sweat was running down my face as we walked around.  It was fascinating watching the various sales being conducted - none as noisy as the cattle sales.  The Benna men are very quiet and say almost nothing, but if they don’t like the price they are being offered for their cow or bull (to buy or sell) then they just walk away without a word.  The BENNA men and women look very similar to the HAMMER people - the men are dark, tall, very slim and handsome.  They have braided hair, sometimes with bits of fluffy rope from potato sacks, or rope, woven into the top of their hair.  They have shell earrings, necklaces, and armbands, brass bracelets, and wear a small wrap or sarong around their waist and hips - a very narrow wrap I think if they bent forwards or backwards their priceless possessions would all be on display for everyone to see!  The women use butter and the red clay powder to dye their hair red (all in short little braids or bobbles) and they also wear half a gourd on their head (think of German helmets in WWII).  They use the gourd for a hat, and they also wash it out and then use it to eat or drink from.  Yes - just walking around this market was a lot of fun.  We took many general photos of everything and paid 2 birr for a couple of individual tribe members that we took photos of.  The 2 hours we were there just flew by, then we walked back to the Land Cruiser parked in the shade at a cafe where we enjoyed a cold sparkling water (Ambo) before continuing on to JINKA where we would spend the night.  While at the cafe several vendors from the market came to try to sell us carvings, jewellery, and other miscellaneous items.

Shigo, our local guide, was a 17 year old young man who spoke good English and was interesting to listen to.  His background is a shame.  His family live 37km away and are farmers, they absolutely do not want Shigo to be educated and go to school and will not support him in his desire to be educated or assistance to live in Afer Key to go to school (closest school to his home).  So Shigo left home with another boy from his village and they shared a tiny straw hut in Afer Key cooking and looking after themselves.  The other boy (slightly older ) is now in Addis Ababa where someone sponsored him to go to University.  Shigo now lives on his own in Afer Kay and acts as a guide at the weekly market to support himself.  When his parents come to the Afer Key market they refuse to recognise him as their son or talk to him at all.  He does visit his home occasionally but his parents do not welcome him - what a sad story.  He is adamant about how important eduction is and is insistent that he will persevere even without his parents’ support.  Shigo explained local dress and customs as we walked around the market.  When discussing photos he explained that until a few years ago no one would allow their photo to be taken - they thought that if someone took your photo they were stealing your blood.

We arrived at JINKA Resort at 2:45 pm after stopping by the road side a little erlier for our boxed lunch - a huge bun with hamburger patty.  There were also cooked / baked potatoes in the lunch box (Bale and Malcolm enjoyed those and we gave the rest to a local boy and Hammer lady walking by) followed by cookies (KOJJ ARIF biscuits which look just like our Nice biscuits at home but are a lot drier and not so sweet).  JINKA town has a population of approximately 40,000, with a mix of Orthodox, Protestant and Animist religions and arriving in JINKA we saw a large number of motorbikes - the most that we have seen since we arrived in Ethiopia  13 days ago!  From here West to the border is the wettest part of Ethiopia in every month of the year, it is also full of coffee plantations which comprise 70% of Ethiopia’s exports.  The government is focussing on training the Ethiopians how to grow and harvest coffee beans to improve their crops and income!  It is certainly very green here, and feels really damp.  There is green moss everywhere and it’s just like being home in coastal BC Canada after the winter, or all year on any north facing slope in BC!  The rooms are very basic but clean - the bathroom is all tiled and cleaner than when we were at the GOBA in Wabishebele (Bale Mountains).  The bed is double and very low to the floor - I can’t wait for my first King size bed after this trip - we have not seen (or slept) in one in Ethiopia yet!  For a shower the Manager told us to turn on the heater (most of the hotels have individual heaters in the bathrooms European stye) for 20 minutes, take a shower and turn off the heater.  Terry followed instructions and enjoyed a 20 second very lukewarm shower followed by lots of cold water!  Not impressed but feeling much refreshed!  Spent about 2 1/2 hours trying to catch up on the diary.

No tonic at this bar but they did have local red wine to accompany our pepper steak and roast chicken (with stir-fry vegetables) which were quite tasty.  The lights here burn bright and then dim in repeated cycles every few minutes which makes us think there is just too much demand on the power supply.  At dinner every time the coffee machine was used the lights dimmed!  We heard some good music last night and when we asked about one song, the Manager went and wrote down the artist, itle and meaning of the song - D Madingo Afendel (artist) Abay Vg Vigas - Song.  Meaning” he is comparing the American life with Ethiopia li and he is telling all Ethiopians living in America that they should come back to Ethiopia” - pretty telling eh?

We had arranged with Malcolm to forget breakfast an leave at 630am in the morning to get an early start on a long day - we visit the Mursi People, the ones who wear the plates in their lips and body scarring as a way to decorate themselves - then back to Paradise Lodge - it should be a great day!  So we were back in the room by 8 pm and actually got caught up on the diary for another 1 1/2 hours before a good night’s sleep - not far too fall out of bed to the floor - a large blue mosquito net over us.