Travelogue: Day 4, Lalibela to M’kele

It was hard to say good-bye to Lalibela. After all, everyone enjoyed the tour day of the stone churches and the hotel was given high marks by my family. But now another travel day was before us and no one in my family was looking forward to it (I was ok with it but then I was going to be driving). It was another 7 hours of driving with more of the same; the same scenery (spectacular), same roads, same dust, same weather . . . and of course no roadside rests or nice restaurants to stop at along the way. So once again the girls talked about the sheer cliffs on our right or left (with no guard rails) and shivered at the thought of the drop off. I knew I needed to concentrate in order to not make a mistake. Going down, going up, shifting up, shifting down, constant curves and switchbacks. The only thing that made the driving nice was the absence of other vehicles. I counted around 6 vehicles that came toward me on the open road over the entire time. There were still people and animals to contest with but they were fewer as well.

And so we drove through to M’kele. There was the incident of Sophia getting sick but other than that the girls did great the whole time. I played Keith Green music and the girls mostly slept after a rowdy start. We had the windows down but as we wended our way from the mountains to the desert floor the temperature rose to 34c (about 90F). The air flowing through the car prevented further car sickness for a while but finally we needed cool air and we closed things up and turned on the a/c. The girls became restless and we did the times tables with them (one of our summer goals). They also did the, “I went camping and I took . . .” game and got all the way to Z. Once again we didn’t have a meal until we got to M’kele.

Finally the road came out onto a plain and I could drive faster. By then we all needed out of the Land Cruiser. As we came over one final hill there was M’kele, a wonderful sight to see. We found our way to the main road, it was nice to see a paved road again after 7 hours. M’kele is one of a handful of rare modern cities in Ethiopia that was designed by a future looking individual (nephew of the last emperor, Haile Selassie). Along with Awassa and Bahir Dar, the city has wide city streets and sidewalks and it laid out like a grid. The most important thing, however, is that the city planners have followed his plan (not like in Addis) and the result is quite impressive. A beautiful downtown and a city that has both palm trees and trees of the highlands.

We found our friend, Berhan, and she invited us to her home where we enjoyed her hospitality. She is the founder of the ‘Anna Hofer orphan village’ which takes orphan children and places them in foster homes (sometimes with immediate family) and pays a stipend to the family to keep the children in food, clothing and school. The project is an MCC Winnipeg ‘Constituent Initiated Project’ (CIP) which means it was begun by constituents of MCC and MCC administers it.

We didn’t see the project, it was enough to get here and go to our hotel on Thursday. Friday morning we shall see the project offices and meet the children that benefit from this program. In the meantime we once again found ourselves quite ready for bed in the Milano Hotel. A nice hotel as you look at it from the outside, but with its own quirks. Our room smelled of sewage but the clerk assured us that the smell would go away when we opened the windows and doors. Ok, the smell did go. But then the loud live music downstairs began after dark and the EuroCup 2008 commentary was played on the loudspeakers down below as well so we closed the sliding glass balcony door. Bad idea. The smell returned. So we left it open all night and eventually everything quieted down. And that wasn’t all. All the doors had a crazy lock that needed one to exert much pressure to open. I had never seen such a lock before and I hope I never will again. To my embarrassment I had to ask the desk clerk to come and open our door at one point.

But the restaurant was the worst. Both supper and breakfast we had the same waiter who smiled and assured us that he would take our orders without pen and pad. He got the orders in English and Amharic (Mekonnen made the orders clear) but each time he screwed up royally. Forgetting some things, bringing the wrong dishes to the table, never delivering on certain requests. We were ready to forgive and forget the evening meal because it was busy with lots of people. But then in the morning we were the only guests for breakfast and he made even worse mistakes. Even Mekonnen, a man of patience, was finally fed up with him and berated him in Amharic (wish I could have understood). It didn’t seem to faze him. He didn’t get it up to the very end. *sigh*

So, Friday is half MCC orientation and half day travel. The wheels just keep rolling . . .

Travelogue: Day 5, M’kele to Axum

We woke up in another town today, M’kele. The excitement continues on our journey over northern Ethiopia. We stayed at the Milanos Hotel over night. As I said in the previous post, the Milanos hotel looks impressive from the outside but it will not be recommended to travelers, especially for the restaurant service.

OK, on to the happy part of the day. Berhan met us and we first went to her office. She had instructed all the families with children to meet us at her office. So they came from outlying areas, old grandmothers with their grandchildren mostly. One great uncle and grandnephew and one man who took in 3 children of his neighbors after the parents died adding to the 4 of his own. In cases like his, Berhan agreed to sponsor only one child not all three orphans and the family agreed to this. Even the modest stipend for one child (for which room and board and education costs were agreed to be covered) was worth it to the family.

This was happening in several family situations. So Wanda, myself and the girls were introduced by Mekonnen and Berhan and we asked for introductions of the families and to hear their stories. We offered words of praise to the guardians for what they had agreed to do and thanked them for their hard work. We encouraged the children to do well in school. These guardians responded by thanking us for coming all the way from Addis (and North America) to visit with them. Our presence made the monetary stipends more real to them. They knew in their head that the money was coming from somewhere but to actually see our ‘Ferenji’ faces made it real. We told them it was the good folks from near Winnipeg (from the Hutterite colony) that should be thanked and we would convey their gratitude. Yes, replied one, but just as they planted the seed for good growth, you have come to watch it grow and tend to the plants so we thank you too. We took pictures, said our good-byes and final thanks and departed.

We then went to see a home yet, with six children all being cared for by one woman. Although entitled to a piece of land, this woman had no means at all to develop it and had to live in a distant village. She was taking care of orphan children and with Berhan’s help she moved to her plot of land just outside of M’kele. The stipend from the AHOV program has helped her build a modest house, a nice courtyard, till her small plot of land to raise vegetables and some grain and even rent out the corral to a neighbor who has oxen. Three children go to school and 2 of the smallest don’t yet. One older child, a girl, is mentally handicapped and spends her days working in the compound. Berhan hopes to get the government to agree for some vocational training for her.

It was inspiring to see a woman like Berhan, trained as a nurse in Canada, coming back home and, thanks to the regular contributions of a family back in Canada, bringing hope in the small corner of her world. Many Ethiopians stay in North America where the opportunities are greater and the rewards are as well. So those who return against all odds, I applaud.

After getting gas, groceries and something to drink we said good-bye to Berhan and began our trip to Axum. On this day Mekonnen drove. I wasn’t feeling well and somehow managed to squeeze my body into the very back part of the vehicle to sleep for a while. That helped in spite of the fact that the a/c hardly reaches way back there (the girls had complained previously, now I understand). The road to Axum was paved part of the way but construction was happening from Adigrat to Besel and it was rather precarious dodging huge heavy machinery, oncoming traffic and the holes dug on the right side of the road (for a cement water drainage under the road) all the while keeping an eye on the left edge which always seemed too close. When I drive it feels safer to me in part because I am in control. Otherwise it is hard to watch. The Chinese foremen were everywhere leading the construction. There were long stretches of asphalt road in the mountain passes and that was nice. The temptation is to drive faster and not take into account the twists and turns (remember, no guard rails, so if you overshoot a turn that’s it).

It took us about 5 hours but it seemed longer than that. The girls’ attitude about the trip (especially the driving) is getting crankier by the day. Overall they are doing well. When they are out of the vehicle they are ‘crazy happy’ (loud, running everywhere, being silly at the table, etc.) but we understand, they need to get their ‘ya-yas’ out. Wanda and I are glad we are taking this trip but we won’t do it again, at least not exactly like this (as Sophia said, now we know why people fly).

We are staying at the Remhai hotel. It is a nice enough hotel. We had to move once from the old section to new section of the hotel so our girls had enough space to sleep. Both rooms have king-sized beds so 3 girls fit in one bed. We had a nice supper ‘al-fresco’ last night and the service was excellent (by comparison from the day before) and the food was good enough. On the way back to our rooms we stopped in front of a TV that had CNN on with Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in Unity, New Hampshire where they were giving a show of unity after a bruising primary. Many fine words were passed between them. I hope that those words hold up for the next 4 months. We agreed with both of them. The nation (and the world) needs a change of leadership and direction and the Republicans with John McCain are promising more of the same.

Tomorrow, we see Axum as our leadership orientation continues.

Travelogue: Day 6, Axum

We arrived at the Remhai hotel in Axum tired and worn from the day and each other. The hotel gave us two rooms but the girls’ room wasn’t going to work. Two single beds. So Wanda inquired about changing rooms. It turns out they put us in the old wing of small rooms. For a slightly higher price we moved to the new wing. Now both rooms were big and roomy with king-sized beds in each. Much better. We ate supper outside in the warmth of the evening and relaxed.

A note about food. Eating out at a restaurant has always been a special treat for our family. In North America we couldn’t afford to eat out as often as we saw other families do so our girls’ really enjoyed those experiences. Even here in Ethiopia, although we eat out after church every Sunday, it is still something they look forward to. But this trip may change all that. Almost every restaurant we’ve eaten at has had virtually the same menu. Yes, the menu is a problem, that sameness can be quite tedious. But the food, although acceptable yet bland, just doesn’t appeal to me after a while. The chicken is invariably tough because it’s not fattened chicken, it is ‘free range’ chicken (which means something a bit different here). The meat all tends not to be tender. The vegetables are all overcooked, boiled or whatever. That is probably good for us (kill the germs) but not appetizing. There is always pasta and usually that is OK. Salads are a toss-up (OK, pun intended), sometimes the balance of lettuce to veggies is one way (lots of lettuce, little veggies), another time the other way and the dressings also vary in quality. So to go day after day and find the same food meal after meal . . . There were some exceptions, it’s true. In the run-down hotel in Dessie the lettuce and vegetables came from their back yard and were washed and cleaned. That salad was good.

Saturday we went to a relaxed schedule and got up a bit later. We ate breakfast (almost always scrambled eggs, toasted bread, margarine and jam, juice or coffee) and went looking for the sites of Axum. We had to find the Tigray Tourism Commission Office in order to purchase our tickets for all the ‘secular’ sites for the day. Immediately a couple of young men saw us and offered to be our tour guides. We offered no promises but asked where the tourism office was and they told us. So naturally they raced behind our vehicle to the same office, eager to assist us. We got our tickets and again made no promises and went back to the large stelae field site (about 1 km away) and again they raced back to meet us there eager to ‘help.' One youth, Solomon, had offered a personalized hand carved black softstone necklace (he asked the names of the girls while Mekonnen and I were at the tourism office and Wanda wrote their names down for him) and of course sold them to the us for a nice price (for him) of 140 Birr. The other young man, Aferworki, was a licensed guide and pushed hard to get us to employ him.

But there was something about his attitude; an air of entitlement and arrogance. When I tried to barter with him he became defensive and almost hostile. We had just agreed on a price but he now acted annoyed and I asked what was the problem. He repeated, what was the problem? I said isn’t bartering normal? He didn’t seem to understand, but smirked and said everything was normal. At this point Mekonnen talked to him in Amharic and he didn’t respond well at all. So we three adults huddled and rescinded our offer and said we would go without a tour guide and Aferworki stalked off.

We had to say no to others as well as we walked in the stelae field but when we came out there was smiling Solomon. He had such a different attitude, always smiling. Yes, always inviting himself into our circle but willing to take no for an answer without being upset or defensive. For a young man of 17 he had a much better command of English than any of the others. Smart as a whip, you might say. He was a bit of a hustler, showing me some rare coinage from the Axum area (found by farmers in their fields when plowing) and an ancient looking palm sized ‘Bible’ or rare manuscript that his father had bought off of a churchman. These artifacts often show up at the local market he said and his father spots them and buys them off the locals. They then sell them to tourists (wonder how much of these valued artifacts leave Ethiopia this way). I’m not a collector and so I said no to both offers, he shrugged and put them away. No problem. He continued to smile and he offered to show us the sites as an unofficial tour guide (without the guide’s license he can’t get into the sites). So for about ¼ of the price, with much better English, he took us to what we wanted to see. He rode in our Land Cruiser, ate lunch with us and did a pretty good job of telling us about the historical sites and the city.

And we saw, as I said, the stelae fields of Axum, for which it is known. The stelae are obelisks which stand anywhere from 10 to 30 meters high (30-90 feet high) and are made of granite from a local quarry. Some are still in good shape in spite of the centuries, including one the Italians took in their short occupation time in the 30’s. They agreed to send it back around 1997 and it was returned in 2005. Now the Italians, with UNESCO, are helping to set it back up again. There is a huge scaffolding in place as they erect it and we saw the first piece in place (they had to cut it into 3 pieces to transport it, both in the 30’s and recently). The symbolism of the stelae to the Axumite kings are similar to the pyramids in Egypt to the ancient pharaohs. Powerful rulers always want to show their power and prestige and have a monument for generations to come. As the tombs were inside the pyramids, the tombs of the kings were in burial chambers below the stelae. The most impressive stelae belonged to the most powerful kings; King Ezbana and King Remhai of the ancient Axumite kingdoms in the 1100’s.

We did drive out of town to what is called ‘Donghai’ palace or also known as the palace of the Queen of Sheba. To the untrained eye it looks like a stone walled maze. The girls loved running through it exploring the ‘rooms’. A recent western media article reported that German archeologists have suggested that they may have found the palace of the Queen of Sheba in Axum so we assumed this was the one, although no evidence of archeological work was present. We also tried to visit the church where the Ethiopian Orthodox church says the Ark of the Covenant. Yes folks, they claim that they are the keepers of the true Israelite Ark of the Covenant read about in the Old Testament. Could it be true? Could be if you believe the author of The Sign and the Seal, a journalist named Graham Hancock, turned investigator into arcane mysteries of the world. But most ‘experts’ believe not. Solomon told us the priest that guards the Ark was an orphaned boy adopted by the church and raised inside the church, never again setting foot outside the church compound. He is 68 now and Solomon said he couldn’t even find his way around Axum much less know about the famous stelae in Axum (which are right across the street from the church). Well, they wanted 60 Birr per person and we would basically see nothing so we said, no thanks. So I decided just to snap a picture from about 20 meters (40 feet) away but they said, that will be 30 Birr. Forget it. So I didn’t get a photo of the ‘Ark of the Covenant’ church.

We had lunch at the Yehi Hotel, another government hotel which has the best view of the historical sites and the town of Axum. This has been our experience. The government run hotels have the prime real estate but the quality of the hotels varies widely. The Roha in Lalibela is actually quite nice while the Yehi and Goha hotels leave something to be desired. The same is true in the other government-run hotels down south as well. They have a slightly musty odor in some, the need for renovation is a constant theme. Only at the Roha did we see renovation happening. Anyways, the Yehi Hotel gave us a beautiful vista and Solomon conducted a portion of his tour there, simply pointing out sites and explaining their significance.

Finally the girls had had enough and we said good-bye to Solomon. He offered to find camels for the girls to ride (for a price of course) but after waffling back and forth we finally said no. So we went back to the Remhai hotel and rested for the evening, knowing that the next day would be one of the longest, and possibly the hardest, traveling day of the trip. We agreed to get up early and be ready to go at 6 a.m. in the vehicle. H-m-m-m, could we do it?

Travelogue: Day 7, Axum to Gonder

It’s hard to believe but our family of 5 actually was down at the Land Cruiser and already to go at 5:55 a.m.! I’m sure Mekonnen was amazed. But everything was packed, loaded and all paid for and we left the Remhai at 6 a.m., surely a record of some sorts for us. The morning was nice and cool from the cold front that had blown through the evening prior. As we headed out of Axum there was evidence of rain, a good sign for the farming community. We agreed to drive to Shire (pronounced “sheer-ah”) for breakfast as Mekonnen suggested. This was a good strategy because it got us going early, got us through the lowlands that warm up quickly and into the mountains after breakfast when the sun is rising.

Wanda and I were worried about this day from the very beginning. The guide book made it seem that this would be the hardest day. The Simien Mountains were reputed to have the scariest roads, cliffhangers where in places it was only one lane (who would win between a long distance bus and a Land Cruiser?). So we approached the day with trepidation. But the first 1/3 of the journey out of Axum was through the low flat lands and quite easy. Then came the second 1/3 into the mountains. Yes, they were as stated but as we climbed up and down on this Sunday morning with very little traffic either way, we started to relax. The road was actually better than we expected and the sun was wonderful. As we climbed the temperature dropped from 28C to 14C at one point! So the girls weren’t complaining of heat in the very back, they were actually complaining of feeling cold! As we relaxed the drive became much more fun (for me anyways, I was driving). The Simien Mountains are quite green compared to their counterparts further east. The gravel road is of better quality than their counterparts in the east. There were still hairpin turns and plenty of switchbacks and no one dwelled on looking over the edge of the road to the drop-offs of 100 to 1000 feet or more below, lest one would feel vertigo. The Simien Mountains are beautiful and hard to describe but let me try. They have the feel of the Alpines in Switzerland. Steep green mountains eventually level out on the top into green pastures on the top. Those green pastures of grass are kept short by grazing animals and look like a rolling golf course in cut. It was here that the temperature was as low as 14C.

We stopped in Debark for fuel and began the final 1/3 portion of our journey. Now the gravel/dirt road improved even more and straightened out and we were able to increase our speed. We had all guessed that it would take from 8-10 hours of driving to go from Axum to Gonder. Could it be that we all overshot with our guesses? Sure enough, we rolled into Gonder at 2:30 p.m. which meant 8 ½ hours of driving including stops! Incredible! Wanda and I both said later that this drive, dreaded as the potential worst, turned out to be the best leg of the trip! So we were in a good mood upon arriving (the girls, as usual, weren’t in the same mood as us, they were hungry. Understandably so, since we couldn’t stop for lunch. Actually all bathroom breaks have been ‘al fresco’ as well since public toilets are few and far between and the rare one you find is often a smelly, unsanitary ‘squat pot’. The girls are now quite happy finding a secluded spot outdoors to pee rather than in one of those settings.

So we checked in and rested at the Goha, another government run hotel. Once again, more of the same. The Goha has the best location for a hotel in the city, beautiful view on a hill overlooking Gonder. The restaurant and lounge facilities are impressive. The menu is the usual. The rooms need renovation but are relatively clean (these rooms had a strong musty odor). The weather was sunny and beautiful when we arrived so the girls could explore the grounds a bit. We ate at the unusual hour of 3:30 p.m. and then again at 8 p.m. (typical of the Ethiopian/ European crowd that was there). By then a storm front had moved into the area.

Thunder and lightning and a hard rain fell. It cooled down considerably and for the first time we used the warm clothing we had packed a week ago back in Addis. The girls were tired and went to bed almost of their own accord. Wanda was tired but we both wanted to watch the Euro2008 soccer/football championship match between Germany and Spain. Spain ended up winning 1-0 and we watched it in our room (which made it so easy to turn off the TV and fall instantly asleep).


Day 8 will be a combination tour and travel day. Touring the castle of Gonder and traveling in the afternoon to Bahir Dar. Our biggest travels are over (until the final day from Bahir Dar to Addis).

Travelogue: Day 8, Gonder

Gonder is history. OK, it’s a double meaning. I’m writing the day after our visit into Gonder. But Gonder is indeed full of history. We visited the large walled area in the center of the city that is the castle compound of the ancient kingdoms of Gonder. Impressive, amazing, interesting, historical, all of the above . . .

We packed up and said good-bye as a family to our last hotel experience on the road in the Goha Hotel. No one shed any tears about that. We left the mountaintop where we were staying and drove down into the city. We eventually met up with our friends from the Meserete Kristos Church AIDS Prevention Office (MKC-APO) who were going to escort us on a visit later. But first we all planned to visit the castles of Gonder. These castles looked like the castles of Europe from the time period around the 11th century but these were built in the 17th century in Ethiopia. The rise of the Gonder kingdom (1655-1835) was arguably the greatest kingdom of ancient Ethiopia. During this time the borders of the rulers of Ethiopia were expanded to the modern day borders and beyond. There were forays into Sudan and Yemen. The seat of power was Gonder. The kings’ compound (Fasil Ghebbi) was as large as 70 hectares at one time with each successive king building another castle or large structure inside the compound.

To quote from a section of Bradt’s Ethiopia Tour Guide book (by Phillip Briggs, 4th ed., 2005), inside the structure are "six castles, a complex of connecting tunnels and raised walkways, and several smaller buildings. The most impressive castle within the enclosure is the original built by Fasilidas, which was built circa 1640, partially restored in the mid 20th century, and more fully restored, using the original construction methods, with UNESCO funding between 1999 and 2002. Fasilida’s Castle is made of stone and shows a unique combination of Portuguese, Axumite and even Indian influences. The ground floor consists of reception and dining areas. The walls are decorated with a symbol similar to the Star of David, which became the emblem of the Ethiopian royal family after the Solomonic dynasty reclaimed the throne in the 13th century. The first-floor roof of the castle was used for prayer and religious ceremonies, and it is also where Fasilidas addressed the townsfolk. Fasilida’s prayer room, also on the first floor, has four windows, every one of which faces a church. Stairs lead from the roof to the small second-floor room that Fasilidas used as his sleeping quarters. Above this is an open balcony, which was probably the watchtower. This third-floor platform, 32m above the ground, offers views in all directions; on a clear day you can even see Lake Tana on the horizon, emphasizing the strategic advantage of choosing Gonder as a capital." (pgs. 226-227)

The other castles belong to Fasilidas’ sons and successors; Yohannis I, Iyasu, Dawit III, Bakafa, Iyasu II. It is one thing to read about these structures in a book but it is quite another to actually walk the castle grounds and imagine them in their lifetime. Various Europeans had visited and reported on Ethiopian kingdoms over the centuries and during this age there were Portuguese, French and English individuals who give us a fascinating insight into the customs and habits of dynasties long past.

So we were given a tour of the grounds by a guide, Belay, who was pretty good at his job. He tried to interject humor with the information and provided us with a few laughs. Our group of 10 was joined by 4 Ethiopian university students for the tour. The girls enjoyed running through the ruins much more than following the group and listening to the tour guide (which I have envied on our tours from time to time during our travels).

After we finished with the tour we went to the local MKC church to visit with local church leaders and especially the MKC HIV-AIDS worker volunteers in Gonder. These are people who have been affected by HIV-AIDS; either through infection or because of family members who have been infected. In all cases the persons were contacted by a person from MKC, befriended and invited to church. MKC leaders such as Solomon Teferi of the Addis APO office like to say that they are unique because they treat the whole person; physical, emotional and spiritual. And it would seem that hope is a powerful factor in the stories we heard; not just of people surviving but thriving in the midst of HIV-AIDS. Like Zelalem; living with HIV/AIDS and taking the ART (anti-retroviral treatment) and now is living a relatively healthy life. But even more, she was invited to come to a MKC worship service and Bible study and it was there that she found life and hope for herself. Now she is a full time worker for the HIV/AIDS program and meets so many people in her neighborhood, bringing hope to individuals through Jesus and counseling them if they have problems like AIDS.

So we prayed with the group and left. One more stop. There was a feeding center for elderly people in another part of town. We arrived just as lunch was being served. Although not part of the HIV/AIDS ministry, it was a ministry of the local church, they invited us to see it. Elderly women (didn’t see any men, perhaps there were some and we didn’t see them but men were welcome to come, we were assured) were coming into this very modest building, taking off their shoes, having their hands washed (Ethiopian style; water pitcher and basin is brought around by a servant, in this case an MKC volunteer, and water is poured over the hands. Soap and then more water, then a towel to dry). A large piece of injera and a generous helping of hot shero (a liquidy paste of chickpeas). The preparation was done by MKC volunteers in the basic kitchen next door. An inspiring sight.

We ate lunch in a small café downtown Gonder and left for Bahir Dar afterwards. Mekonnen drove, the girls mostly played in the back seat and I spent time in the back of the Land Cruiser napping for a bit. The drive took less than 4 hours on paved road, a real treat for us (and the vehicle)! So we dropped Mekonnen off at the hotel and we found our friends’ house. Charles and Dee Ivy, from Albuquerque, NM are friends of Anita who have become our friends. They arrived in mid-May and we hosted them in Addis for a meal and hit it off. They invited us to stay with them when they were settled. So when we planned this trip we contacted them and now we were showing up at their doorstep.

The Ivys are here with the Clinton Foundation for 2 years working in Bahir Dar in the local hospital. Charlie is a long time hospital administrator and is offering his expertise and experience in this area. Dee is looking for a place to plug in and volunteer. They have been overseas before, Ethiopia is only the latest stop. So we brought our bags in and sat down, tired as usual in spite of sitting in a vehicle most of the day. But it was so good to relax in good company. Included in company was an Ethiopian couple, friends of theirs, Fekadu and Martha, who had helped them in many ways as they were settling. In our conversation it came out that they were MKC and it felt like we were playing the ‘Mennonite Game’ with them. We asked them if they knew this person and that person and to our delight they did! They asked us if we knew so and so and to their delight we did! So we talked about mutual friends, about their stories, about the MKC church, about who we are and what MCC is. We talked about religion and politics and managed to stay friends after we were all through. They will be moving to Addis in a week, so we can meet up with them in the future.

We had our first home cooked meal in over a week and what treat it was! Dee is a natural in community organizing. She asked our girls to help her make the meal and they were very excited. So she took them out to their garden and they cut some collard greens and brought them into the kitchen. Soon the kitchen was bustling with activity. Amani was cutting up garlic and onions, Abby cut up carrots and Sophia helped with the pasta by watching the water come to a roiling boil. That night we ate wonderful vegetarian fare; bow-tie pasta with cooked collard greens, onions and garlic, sliced and cooked carrots, sundried tomatoes and capers. It was delicious change of pace. Our welcome was complete and we relaxed.

Travelogue: Day 9, Bahir Dar

Happy Canada Day! Celebrating Canada Day in Ethiopia is a quiet affair, even more so on the road. It pretty low-key, more like reminding each other that July 1 is Canada Day. But we are in Ethiopia, in Bahir Dar and no one knows or cares here. But that’s OK. We know our friends are enjoying themselves in Canada with the typical outdoor grill and holiday fare with red and white bunting.

Bahir Dar is like an oasis in a journey. Something very different from our hotel experience in all the different places we were in northern Ethiopia. A place to relax and it feels good. The Ivys served up a normal breakfast of cereal, fruit and coffee. And it prepared us for the day.

Our day was to be an ‘MCC’ day. We met in the morning with Mengistu, the MCC IVEP’er who would be traveling to the U.S. to live and work in eastern PA for a year. We met his mother and a brother at a nearby hotel in town. The idea was to meet the family and answer any questions they had about the program and Mengistu’s role in IVEP. But there was not much to say. I think that Mengistu had let his parents know all the info we knew. So we conversed for an hour before saying our good-byes. Mekonnen had joined us early on and now we had an impromptu MCC meeting, discussing the agenda for the day as well as issues that were waiting for us in Addis. We moved to the Tana Hotel for lunch and once again expected, and received, the normal hotel fare and service that we had become used to over the 9 days on the road.

After lunch we went to the MKC local church office where once again we met with about a dozen people who were connected to the APO HIV/AIDS program in Bahir Dar. Although men have been present in past meetings in other places, the majority who meet with us are women and children and it was so once again (as in Gonder). Once again the stories were of hardship and of becoming saved through the ministry of individuals who doubled as evangelists and counselors. The church program is a life saver and even though their problems haven’t all gone away, they now have hope and joy and have received care. Our meeting lasted a couple of hours in a hot, semi-dark basement room and it was hard to stay focused and awake in the afternoon but I managed. Our girls managed to hang in there as well. Sophia wandered in and out of the meeting. Abby and Amani did too for a while but finally sat down with Wanda and I towards the end. A young boy sang a song for our group, for he is a singer in the MKC church. In response I thought we could sing a farewell song. So our family sang, ‘As I Went Down to the River’. It was fun to sing and it was something different than just talking all the time.

We dropped off Mekonnen at the hotel and found the Ivys on the way to their house. We came back and settled into the plastic lawn chairs on the porch and just chatted. Conversation about politics and religion and life in Ethiopia. I think what is so relaxing is that we can talk in NA English and we have much in common in our world views and lifestyle. Charlie and Dee come out of the Methodist church tradition but are Christian pacifists in the Gandhian tradition, which we resonate with.

We went out for supper that night in ‘bejudges,’ three-wheeled blue and white mini-taxis, which the girls loved. We went looking for pizza. The Ivys’ favorite pizza restaurant on the far side of town didn’t have electricity so no pizza. So in the twilight we went walking to their second choice, Millennium Pizza. It was a 10-minute walk through crowded streets where our skin color made us stick out. And we stuck out too in the Pizza shop, it sorta reminded me of those westerns where a stranger walks into a bar and everything stops as all heads turn and stare at the stranger. All eyes followed us as we chose two tables and moved them together. To be stared at continuously can be a bit unnerving. Every time I looked up or scanned the room I would meet other eyes that seemed to be in a locked mode. How to respond? Staring back? Looking down again?

Anyways the pizza was good and we found bejudges and headed back to the house in the dark. The sky was lit up with thunder clouds and constant flashes of lightning far away. No sound, just lightning in the clouds. We expected a thunderstorm over night but it never came. And we all slept well under our mosquito netting.

Travelogue: Day 10, Bahir Dar

Our original schedule was ambitious; in the morning go by boat out on Lake Tana to the islands where the ancient Orthodox monasteries are and visit them, then in the afternoon to the great waterfalls of “Tississat” or “Tis Abay”. But the more I thought about how much work that felt like the less energy I had for it. The boat ride to the monasteries seemed the greatest hassle so Wanda and I decided to drop it. And it felt like a relief, a burden lifted. So now we devoted our energies to going to Tississat for the morning.

Our friends, Charlie and Dee Ivy were wonderful hosts. Dee volunteered to go with us to the falls so after a relaxed breakfast and early morning we packed a lunch and drove to the falls area. It was a pretty drive through fields being prepared for planting. Men, behind their single-pointed wooden plows and oxen, tilling the fields to make ready for corn, or wheat or teff planting. Dee had her new camera and snapped photos left and right. We were a relaxed group as we headed towards one of the largest waterfalls in Africa (perhaps second after Victoria Falls).

We found the ticket office in a small village and bought our tickets. Then we had to drive out to the parking site and begin our walk to the falls. Tourist-wise, it was wonderfully undeveloped. There wasn’t a parking lot, but rather an open field. And there wasn’t a person checking our tickets (guess we could have driven straight over to the falls without paying). And the walking path was as natural as they come, a 300 year old bridge was the only ‘unnatural’ structure which got us over the Blue Nile river. We trod the path thousands had come before us up and down over the rough terrain to make our way to a vista facing the falls.
. . . or one could look at it the other way, it was maddeningly chaotic. The person at the ticket office was a rather disinterested employee, taking his time in writing out our receipt/ticket as we waited. We bounced our way through a village, no paved road here, and somehow made our way to the parking site in spite of a minimum of signs marking the way (good thing Dee was with us and knew the routine and that we were following another vehicle of obvious tourists like ourselves). When we got out we were met by hawkers ‘volunteering’ to watch our vehicle or be our tour guide or trying to sell us trinkets or drink. They gathered around us like flies to honey. The desperation to make a living is a powerful driving force that overcomes natural shyness or suspicion of strangers. And the draw of seeing ‘ferenjis’ (white westerners), with the assumption of western wealth to each white face (a relative truth, but truth nonetheless), was a powerful attraction.

Our group of 6, our family and Dee, politely fended off all comers and started the trek. It was a rocky and difficult path, no paved walkways or railings to hang on to. Definitely not a developed tourist destination like Niagara Falls. We made our way through a village where a dozen children met us with surprisingly good English and a very aggressive sales pitch for their wares. “Hello mister, how are you? What is your name? My name is _____. Remember me when you return (from the falls, there is no real way to avoid coming back the same way). Promise me you will buy from me. Mister, what about me?” This is a running monologue with 3 or 4 girls all around me. One girls slipped her hand in mine and we walked through her village and up the hill. All were desperate to extract a promise to purchase their handmade products. At the top of the hill we found two boys in a tree playing a type of wooden flute, all for the hope of money. The narrow path snaked its way further until finally the falls came into view.


For all that hassle a spectacular falls would be worth the trip. Alas, however, the falls was a disappointment. A thin trickle of water spilled over a tiny section of rocks. I have seen bigger falls in secluded places in Oregon. But there was evidence that at one time a majestic falls once existed.

Nearby is a hydroelectric plant and we were told that up to 95% of the water was being diverted to the plant for badly needed power generation. Being as we had seen the effect of power cuts all over the country in our travels, not to mention our own travails with power cuts in Addis 2-3x a week, we were sympathetic to the situation. But it was truly a pathetic sight, to see once glorious waterfalls reduced to a sliver of water.

We sat there for a while trying to decide if we should try the long trek around the falls (several kms of more rough hewn paths) or turn around and go back. The sun was shining and it was quite warm by now and noon was approaching. Already the girls were talking about being hungry. So that settled it, time to go back. But facing the mob of tiny hawkers was not a fun prospect until Dee had an idea. Give each girl 10 Birr and make it a game. See how much you can buy and then when we get to the Land Cruiser we’ll share our stories. The girls were excited about this idea of ‘shopping’, not having a clue what was in store for them. So as we approached the village the multitude of village children came swarming up to us, zeroing in on the adults. But I told them that my girls had the money and would buy something. This really seemed to confuse them. A few went over to Amani, Abby and Sophia but the others came back to me in disbelief, “Mister, what about me? What about the promise?” I had made no promises other than that I would be back. And now I said, no, I won’t be buying anything, but my daughters would. Of course Dee, Wanda and I kept a sharp eye out on our daughters to make sure nothing happened. The village girls seemed unsure of what to do. They tried selling our girls things but kept their eyes on us as if to say, we know where the real money is but we’ll play your little game to humor you. But, mister/ madam, what about us? Remember us . . .

As we walked through the village and to the old stone bridge the hawkers became more desperate in pitch and tone and I was more than ready to run back to the vehicle. But our little group kept on going. The girls each bought something, hand-made trinkets that were not well made, to be honest. A couple of kids desperately wanted us to exchange U.S. dollars they had received from other tourists and give them Birr. After some hesitation that this may be a scam, I examined the $10 Thom Jefferson note and gave the kid 100 Birr, a slight advantage in exchange for him. Then it was time to leave. We said no to that last hawkers at the parking lot and paid the parking lot ‘attendant’ for watching our vehicle and drove out. The picnic basket remained in the back, there was no place to eat where we wouldn’t be accosted or stared at. We looked for a place on the way home to stop and picnic. The one place we stopped, where a huge shade tree stood and it seemed no one was around, we waited only 15 seconds. As I looked around I saw what I had expected, in the distance people had seen our Land Cruiser stop and had dropped their work implements and started to come running. There would be no place to picnic in public today. We went back to Dee & Charlie’s house and had a quiet, happy picnic on their front porch.

That evening I made a pizza based on the More-With-Less cookbook recipe. We had a very nice time hanging out talking more about life in Ethiopia, the politics in the U.S. and religion as well. Charlie & Dee are good hosts and engaging conversationalists, very knowledgeable about a wide range of subjects. Of course it helped that we agreed a whole lot more than disagreed on the subjects we touched upon. Wanda and I had to be aware of getting the girls to bed and packing in preparation for leaving in the morning. This we managed and still talked into the evening . .