We began our Ethiopian sojourn in the country’s capital, Addis Ababa. Not long after touching down it became very apparent that we had left our safety net of Nairobi! We knew that Ethiopia wasn’t going to be a picnic, but it’s always hard to adjust out of the comfort zone. Within the first few days we were attempted pick- pocketed, pinched, pulled and ominously shouted at in the streets with calls such as “the white man is the devil” – What a warm welcome to Ethiopia!
However, despite the shaky start, one thing that was a pleasant surprise was how unbelievably green and beautiful Ethiopia was – There wasn’t a sandy, dust-hole, desert to be seen anywhere? It looked more like Ireland than the desert wasteland familiar to those with images from the famine in the 80’s and 90’s. They also had amazing coffee, very interesting traditional food, and also Lucy- 3.5 Million year old link to human kind. Maybe things weren’t that bad?
Ren with Lucy!
With mock heartache we left Addis and headed out on the northern historical circuit flying first to the town of Lalibela (the 600km trip would have taken 48 hours on a bus….so plane it was). Lalibela was undoubtedly the most gorgeous town in Ethiopia – set high in the mountains and hugely inaccessible to the masses, it was one of the most peaceful places in all of Ethiopia. The actual village of Lalibela was very similar to a smurf village, with round tukul houses surrounded by green pastures and amazing mountains and valleys, as far as the eye could see.
Lalibela Town
The major draw card of Lalibela, and its actual claim to fame, were the series of Christian churches almost 1000 years old. The churches aren’t built, but were actually carved out of the ground from a single rock piece within the mountain – They were truly gob smacking. The best thing is that the churches are still the centerpiece of village life today. Thousands of Christians make pilgrimage to Lalibela every year for Lent and Christmas – We always seem to end up at the religious sights!?
Next stop was the city of Gonder, considered Africa’s ‘Camelot’, which was also a very beautiful spot. The city is home to the famous Royal Enclosure which holds 6 castles built over the past 500 years by the Emporers of Ethiopia. It was also our jumping off spot to the world famous Simien Mountains.
Originally we had hoped to do a 4-5 day trek in the Simiens however, mother nature had other plans flooding the access river to the summit we wanted to reach and making it totally impassable - At least the waterfalls would be good! Undeterred, we decided on a 2 day, 46 km trek instead. On day one, just as we arrived at the most important viewpoint, that callous bitch called mother nature intervened again, and we were hit with both torrential rain and hail for the last 4 hours of walking - Bugger!
Next stop was Bahir Dar, home to the source of the Blue Nile (although the water is brown), the picturesque Lake Tana and the yummiest breakfast doughnuts thus far (for 20 cents!). We spent a day here chilling out and eating the national dish injera (looks deceptively like a pancake but is sour and cold and tastes more like play dough – It does grow on you!). After a week on the norther circuit we high tailed it back to Addis for the next part of the trip.
Visiting the tribes was in general an intense experience, one that definitely put us out of our comfort zone. The people we’re quite aggressive towards faranji (foreigners) and demanded to have their photo’s taken for cash - We had to hire a gunman to take us to the village because the people can get a little to boozed and violent! Out of all the tribes we saw – about 9 in total - the two most fascinating were the Mursi and the Hamer people.
The Mursi tribe makes you cringe in empathy at what can only be described in western terms as total facial disfigurement. The women are the most fascinating with their split bottom lip (slit with a knife/razor under the lip), which holds a round clay plate of an unimaginable weight and width. Small plates are inserted until gradually the lip is stretched enough to hold a plate almost 20cm in diameter. Apparently, this tradition is for those women old enough to marry and is considered by the tribesmen to make the prospective wife more pretty (or to pre-empt incessant nagging/talking?).
The Mursi tribe on the whole were very impressive for their body painting and elaborate decorations, but they were also really aggressive and somewhat intimidating people. This sentiment was further cemented by the fact that every second one of them – regardless of age or sex – carries an AK47 slung around their shoulder, which in some cases is mistakenly aimed at your chin! Needless to say we were breathing a little easier back in the 4WD.
The Churches
The major draw card of Lalibela, and its actual claim to fame, were the series of Christian churches almost 1000 years old. The churches aren’t built, but were actually carved out of the ground from a single rock piece within the mountain – They were truly gob smacking. The best thing is that the churches are still the centerpiece of village life today. Thousands of Christians make pilgrimage to Lalibela every year for Lent and Christmas – We always seem to end up at the religious sights!?
Next stop was the city of Gonder, considered Africa’s ‘Camelot’, which was also a very beautiful spot. The city is home to the famous Royal Enclosure which holds 6 castles built over the past 500 years by the Emporers of Ethiopia. It was also our jumping off spot to the world famous Simien Mountains.
Gonder - Royal Enclosure
Fasillada's Pool - No water, no bombs :(
Originally we had hoped to do a 4-5 day trek in the Simiens however, mother nature had other plans flooding the access river to the summit we wanted to reach and making it totally impassable - At least the waterfalls would be good! Undeterred, we decided on a 2 day, 46 km trek instead. On day one, just as we arrived at the most important viewpoint, that callous bitch called mother nature intervened again, and we were hit with both torrential rain and hail for the last 4 hours of walking - Bugger!
Ren and the Baboons
The whether made it virtually impossible to see even each other in the total white out, let alone the view! Fortunately though, day two turned out to be a little better and we could actually make out the view, which was spectacular – I can only imagine how amazing it would be on a clear day. Getting back to base turned out to be a pain in arse, cause by both mother nature and human error, but eventually we got home for a well deserved hot shower!
GUN VIEWS!
Next stop was Bahir Dar, home to the source of the Blue Nile (although the water is brown), the picturesque Lake Tana and the yummiest breakfast doughnuts thus far (for 20 cents!). We spent a day here chilling out and eating the national dish injera (looks deceptively like a pancake but is sour and cold and tastes more like play dough – It does grow on you!). After a week on the norther circuit we high tailed it back to Addis for the next part of the trip.
Source of the 'Blue' Nile - Brown?
The unrivaled highlight of our Ethiopian escapade was our 6 day 4WD trip to the South Omo Valley. The entire trip was dedicated to visiting the traditional living tribespeople in the south of Ethiopia, which as recently as 50 years ago did not even know that the country of Ethiopia or the world existed. Therefore, it is believed that they are some of the most untouched tribal villages in the world.
The unrivaled highlight of our Ethiopian escapade was our 6 day 4WD trip to the South Omo Valley. The entire trip was dedicated to visiting the traditional living tribespeople in the south of Ethiopia, which as recently as 50 years ago did not even know that the country of Ethiopia or the world existed. Therefore, it is believed that they are some of the most untouched tribal villages in the world.
Our 4WD and our driver Fish!
Visiting the tribes was in general an intense experience, one that definitely put us out of our comfort zone. The people we’re quite aggressive towards faranji (foreigners) and demanded to have their photo’s taken for cash - We had to hire a gunman to take us to the village because the people can get a little to boozed and violent! Out of all the tribes we saw – about 9 in total - the two most fascinating were the Mursi and the Hamer people.
Sticking it with the Mursi Tribe
Some of the women have bottom lips hanging so slow they can pull them over the back of their heads! Their ears also hold smaller plates (or gaping holes). Two young girls stood fiddling with the small studs in my ears and laughing themselves silly, comparing our ears, obviously wondering how I had such inadequate holes and jewelry – such a surreal moment!
Traditional mouth-ware, modern warfare!
Body Mass competition!
The Mursi tribe on the whole were very impressive for their body painting and elaborate decorations, but they were also really aggressive and somewhat intimidating people. This sentiment was further cemented by the fact that every second one of them – regardless of age or sex – carries an AK47 slung around their shoulder, which in some cases is mistakenly aimed at your chin! Needless to say we were breathing a little easier back in the 4WD.
Wrong on too many levels.
The Hamer tribe, in contrast to the Mursi, were a beautiful people! The women wear a traditional hair-do, similar to thin, tight dreadlocks, but covered with a red muddy dye. The men have their heads mostly shaved, but with a peacock type feather-hair cap – The photo’s will do this justice.
The most exciting part of visiting the Mursi and probably our Ethiopian trip, was watching a Hamer bull jumping ceremony. Where to begin? Basically, the ceremony is held as a coming of age tradition for the tribes-boys entry into manhood and prospective marriage. The ceremony starts with all the Jumpers female relatives, dancing and chanting together as a curtain raiser for the main event. During this dance, the women grab the prospective husbands and ask (well, GAG) to be whipped with a thin stick across the back – This is to show their dedication to the prospective males. Wow! Let us say, the guys don’t hold back!
Dancing....
Whipping! Ouch.
The whipping and dancing lasts up to several hours, therefore leaving the poor women scarred for life. In fact, the women are not allowed to wash or clean the wounds afterwards. (They’re also NEVER allowed to wash their privates for fear that water will ‘wash away’ their ability to conceive – Hmm, no 69-ers going on there!).
After the whip-dance, the locals and faranji were led further into the bush to see the main event – The bull jumping. The idea is as simple as its name – The object is for the Jumper to jump or run across the top of several bulls, back and forth, to prove he’s ready to be a man. The Jumper’s family herd together all their cattle and select 5-8 of the biggest bulls. This alone proved a difficult task as the bulls we’re happy being jumped on (Jee, I wonder why?) and the melee of wild cattle and tribesmen was a sight to be seen!
Once the bulls were aligned together side by side, the women began their chanting and the ceremony was ready to begin. Our jumper for the day was about 17 years old, 6ft5, and naked! Cocksure and ready, our jumper stacked his first 3 jumps, once almost impaling himself on the bull horns, much to the laughter and ridicule of the crowd! After the few attempts the jumper got it together and made the best of 4 or five runs winning the crowd and his manhood – Hurray!
Another tribe...
Overall, the Ethiopia trip was difficult and sometimes frustrating, but as cliché as it sounds, it was rewarding. I don’t know if we’d head back there in a hurry, but it will definitely be a destination we’ll never forget!
Next stop is Uganda – If you’ve read this far thanks very much!
All the best,
Renee and Johnny!
All the best,
Renee and Johnny!
Love your blog, love your photos, love you more :-) x x
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