Ethiopia: Churches, Mountains and Sharing the Road

“Ethiopia is travel, not vacation” – Xander

“Travel opens the mind and loosens the bowels” – Goshe, Cutting for Stone

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The misty cool, lush mountains surrounding Addis Ababa that we descended into are nothing like the scorched desert landscape television show images we saw growing up.  We arrived on an overnight flight from Rome on Ethiopian airlines, an airline that still serves full meals, even if it’s 2 in the morning.  After getting our visas and a surprisingly quick trip through customs, we were greeted by the tour group owner and whisked to the Land Rover, where we’d be spending the majority of our time in the country.  After breakfast at a hotel (turns out the kids don’t like Ingria, the ubiquitous sour flatbread that’d made from the grain Teff) we got some Ethopian Birr and headed out of town.  The highest ETB bill is a 100 note (about $5), so we were sporting large rolls of cash throughout the trip.

Debre Libanos monastery stained glass

Our first stop was the Debre Libanos monastery, which would turn out to be the first of many Ethiopian Orthodox churches we visited throughout our trip.  For kilometers before we arrived hundreds of people draped in white were walking towards the monastery on a pilgrimage to a celebration of the founding of the monastery that would be held a few days after we visited.    All eyes were on us as the local guide we hired (all churches have an entry fee and a guide fee) took us around.  We were all pretty intimidated because we were out of our element (if ever there was a euphemism), the center of attention and sleepless-- but the stained glass and paintings vividly depicting bible stories were awe inspiring. 

Blue Nile Gorge

The next stop on our 10+ hour drive to Bahir Dar was at the Portuguese Bridge, the “first” (one of several with this claim) bridge in Ethiopia overlooking the stunning Blue Nile Gorge.  Troops of baboons played near us on the rocks and accompanied us on the way to the toilet.  Many of the toilets in Africa (and Asia) are “squat” toilets (i.e. a hole in the ground with footpads), so that added an additional element of adventure and exercise

Ethiopia (at least where we were in the north) is lush and mountainous.  We spent the majority of our time driving through the Northern part of the country.    Although many of the days were butt numbingly long (8+hours) (and surprisingly tiring) having the opportunity to see so much of the landscape and lifestyle was amazing.   

Sharing the road

We definitely needed the Land Rover and the impressive skills of our driver, Asi, to navigate among the people, donkeys, sheep, goats, cattle, camels, mini buses, washed out roads and other hazards throughout our travels.    

At Bahir Dar we took a boat on huge Lake Tana to a peninsula where we visited another monastery and saw the source of the Blue Nile, the source of the majority (85%) of the Nile river that travels north through Egypt.  This region is also the birthplace of coffee, which grows wild throughout the area.  Coffee was discovered when a farmer wanted to figure out what his goats were eating that were making them so frisky.  That night Xander was the first of us to get sick--  Ultimately, Liam, mister “nerves of steel and stomach of iron” was the only one of us who didn’t.  According to our ex-pat friends who live in Addis, it’s inevitable for Americans to have some sort of stomach issues- but it we were very happy when Xander recovered in a few days.

Gonder castles

Axum Stele

The route we traveled took us through the historical centers of Ethiopia—Gonder, Axum and Lalibela.  Gonder was the capital in the 1600 and 1700s and contains Camelot-esque stone castles ruins of successive emperors and bloody battles, including lion cages that were in use until the 1990s.  Axum, a sister city of Denver (there’s a sign for “Denver Street”) is the home of many “stelaes” from the 3^rd and 4^th century—huge (some are over 100 feet) obelisk granite tombstones (think Washington monument with a curved top) that mark hidden tombs beneath.  Although most of the artifacts from the tombs are long gone, we felt like intrepid explorers as we climbed underground and discovered a bat and a “tomb frog”.  J )   Ethiopians believe Axum is the home to the actual Ark of the Covenant, which is maintained by a monk who cannot leave the small  gated area and dreams of the next monk  who will succeed him.  This belief is so strong that every Ethiopian Orthodox church contains a replica of the Ark.  We also toured a small museum with hundreds of years (and millions of dollars) worth of emperors’ crowns and other treasures displayed in rickety cabinets covered in decades of dust.    Axum is also the site of Balthazar’s tomb (one of the three wise men who attended the birth of Jesus; Balthazar brought Frankincense).  All pretty amazing.

 Incredibly, the stones were carved by hand from the mountains then transported 10-15km by elephant and slaves to mark the tomb sites of the rulers.  When the Italians briefly occupied Ethiopia in the 1930s under Mussolini, they cut one of the biggest steles into 3 pieces and transported it to Rome to put in the Circus Maximus (ironically, the same place we were the day before we came to Ethiopia).  After WWII, Italy had to give the stele back—it took until 2007 to finally get it back and set up properly.  (government bureaucracy and foot dragging at its finest)

Lalibela

Our next stop was Lalibela, probably the most well-known place (at least by people we know) in Ethiopia, containing stunning “rock-hewn” churches carved out of stone from around the 12^th century that the Lonely Planet aptly describes as “history and mystery frozen in stone, its soul alive with the rites and awe of Christianity at its most ancient and unbending.”   At one point we had to all hold hands and walk through a pitch black tunnel to get from one church to another (we couldn’t use our phones as flashlights because it was represented going from hell to heaven and apparently there’s no assistive lighting allowed in that transition, symbolic or not).

After the historical tour, we drove down (and by down, I mean 13 hours) to Awash national park where the temperature topped 40C (104F) and we saw the effects of the current regional drought in the empty streambeds and dead cattle along the road.  At the park we saw Ornx, warthogs, Kudu, crocodile and gazelles who are competing with the local tribesmen’s herds of camels, goats and cattle for the sparse vegetation.  Our entry fee to the park included the services of a “scout”—a guy with a rifle that sat on top of the car to hypothetically try to keep livestock out of the park, but mostly to avoid conflict with the tribesmen (who had their own guns).  It’s hard to promote nature conservation when your livestock have nothing to eat.

Awash national park falls

The last few days we made it back to Addis Ababa where we were thrilled to see family, Lisa and Jarod, for a quick 36 hours as part of their whirlwind Africa tour.  We also got to meet up with new friends Sue and the Tyo-Dickerson  family who moved to Addis about 6 weeks ago to work at the international school.  (And people say we’re  adventurous).  With Lisa and Jarod we drove to Sodore hot springs where we had the deep end to ourselves, as the vast majority of people in the pool couldn’t swim and were all piled onto the shallow stairs at one end.  During our short swim, we witnessed multiple rescues and Jarod even made a heroic save of a kid who got stuck underneath the swarm—diving down and hefting him out of the water so the lifeguard could perform CPR (seemingly the wrong way). 

As Liam put it “I enjoyed Ethiopia, but I didn’t really enjoy it.”  It’d hard to come up with the right (or any) words to describe how it was there and how we felt about it.   Memorable, for sure.

Incredible scenery, history and beautiful people.  One of the most striking differences (at least as it appeared to us) was the kids’ lives.  A TED talk we listened about growing up  discussed how in the US before the industrial revolution children were treated as an economic asset—working on the farm or earning money at a factory—as opposed to now, when they are primarily an emotional asset (and an economic liability).  Driving throughout Ethiopia we saw tons of very young (or at least very small) kids sans parents on the side of the road tending livestock or carrying water and/or loads of wood that would impress weightlifters.   No danger of being double booked with soccer practice and piano lessons for these kids.  Xander said that seeing these other kids in different circumstances makes him feel “special and spoiled” and Liam says he feels “privileged and glad” to be him (but he is always glad to be him).  They said they don’t know how some of their friends would survive if their roles were reversed “with no electronics, and just old fashioned sticks.”  Ahh, perspective.

Now we’re in South Africa, coveting the hot water and consistent electricity for a few days of RS&L (relaxing, school and laundry) before heading to Madagascar on Tuesday.  Can’t believe we’ve been gone over two months already!

Notable Senses:

Liam: The blocky multi-shaped stained glass shining dark colors in my eyes as we walk into the smelly monastery and became the center of attention; the camels standing majestically as the beautiful green mountains stretch behind them in the distance; the miniscule frog hiding in the dark gloom of old partially flooded tomb of King Balthazar; the intricate church that was carved by chisel and hammer revealing itself as I walk down the stairs at Lalibela; hurricane speed winds forcing the door inward as I jump under the bed in fright

Carolyn: Watching a family of baboons scamper over the Portuguese Bridge getting misted by the thundering waterfall cascading into the Blue Nile gorge; the smell of frankincense wafting through the circular monastery as we learn about bible stories from the vibrantly colored paintings covering the inner walls; the bright yellow of the eggs from Xander's breakfast splattered on the ground as I helplessly watch him throwing up on his hands and knees on the side of the road; the small children herding cattle and goats on the side of the road shimmying their shoulders in hopes that we'll throw them an empty water bottle out the window; the feel of the uneven rocks under my toes as I listen to the chanting and chimes reverberating off the chiseled stone of the Lalibela church

Jim: Wandering through the rain forest full of wild coffee and being surprised by a white bearded monkey near the Lake Tana monastery; amazement as we travel down the cliff face of the gorge surrounded by beautiful clean waterfalls kilometers away from towns to see small kids collecting rocks to sell for construction; the magical energy climbing into the muddy mound which opens to the tomb of Balthazar the Wiseman who followed the star to the birth of Christ; the sweet joy of the restaurant being out of avocado juice and offering fresh squeezed mango juice as an alternative.   Delicious.

Xander: The hundreds of dark eyes watching our pale skin as we walk through the dimly lit monastery the day before founder's day; the hornbill cackling its devilish laugh as the fish in the 3000km2 Lake Tana lazily jump out of the water; each twisting turn revealing a spectacular view of the mountains and the bizarre sight of camels during long drive to Lalibela; The wind howling through the hallway and pushing the bird backwards, bringing in a thunderous storm that warped the glass balcony door; the scalding hot water singing my pale feet into a deep pink hue while I avoid the splashes of locals and gingerly tiptoe through the soldore hot springs showers

Lessons Learned:

• Ethiopia has 90 million people and is the most populous land-locked country in the world
• Addis Ababa (2300m/7500ft) is at a higher elevation than Denver
• Until recently all of the Ethiopian "popes" were from Egypt
• Women typically wear skirts and cover their heads
• Ethiopian orthodox churches are in three parts.  Men and women worship on different sides and the churches are typically circular.
• Some baboons in Ethiopia have a red hour glass chest and long flowy hair.  They aren't aggressive.
• Angria (spongy sour flatbread) is made from Teff, a grain that’s gluten free so it will probably be all the rage in the US soon
• In Ethiopia, when you shake hands you bump shoulders 
• Honey is not always clear (especially if it still contains the honeycomb)
• The amount of space you take up is proportional to  your size. For example Liam takes up the most room in the car,  Xander takes up the most room in a bed.
• Power goes out frequently in Ethiopia  (often for several hours a day). Running water can be hit or miss as well. 
• There is a connection between the treasures at axum in their prime and Ravenna Italy.   There was an Italian carved irovy tusk found at the site.
• If you hit an animal while driving you need to buy a new one.   Goats range from 200-1000 birr, horse 2000 birr, camel 10000 birr.  If you hit a female animal you need to pay more because it could’ve had babies.
• The Ethiopian alphabet has 32 letters and looks like people dancing
• Camels are used for transport in the north and food and transport in other areas of the country
• In the far north of the country (near Axum) there are refugee camps for people from Eritrea (the country to the North of Ethiopia)
• Lions were kept in cages at Gondor until 1991
• Ethiopian Orthodox Christians have over 260 fasting days
• In Ethiopia “Chinese are like oxygen—they’re everywhere”
• Rastafarians in Jamaica worship Haile Selassie, the emperor of Ethiopia  who ruled from 1930–1974.  There is a statue of Bob Marley in the middle of a traffic square in Addis Ababa