Back to the Western World, Bromsgrove, England

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It was a fairly low profile re-entry into the western world and our first week back was just a big sigh of relief, really. Martin, for the first time on our trip got quite ill with a tummy bug the first day back and so it was definitely low-key for him. It was great to spend some time with my family noting that not much had changed - a good thing! While we're flitting around UK and Europe for the next few months we will be staying with my brother, Richard, and his family. It was great to see how much my niece and nephew had grown into nice, fun children.

Becky and Michelle in Leeds

So that we could have some freedom and not feel immediately trapped, my brother found us a run-around car (thanks Rick and Helen). This meant we could start to get out and see old friends. Our first trip was North to see my good friend, Becky, in Leeds from Secondary school.   It was great to catch up with her life, her fast-growing little boys, reminisce on old times and just plain old hang out. Claire and Ralf were friends from Martin's first worldly travels and they live in the Lake District.  Ralf and Claire are well traveled and have lived in East Africa (specifically Tanzania) so we could recount our numerous stories assured that we wouldn't bore their socks off! And what a great reason to get to see my favourite place in England too - The Lakes. It was rather wet up there and the day before we arrived it had rained one month's-worth of rain in one day! The flooding was amazing and

Martin with Ralf and Claire in Ireby

there were stories of firemen having to rescue sheep trapped in fields etc. Ralf and Claire had only just moved into their new house three days before we landed on their doorstep (impressively they were pretty much unpacked and settled in too!). Ralf gave us a quick tour of their area, a favourite of mine, Keswick and Borrowdale (including the school where Ralf is head master). A couple of days there then a quick pop-in on Colin and Flo who live on the edge of the Lakes, now in their 80s and avidly following our blog on the internet. Finally it was over to the east of the country, a part of England that I don't know well, to see a new friend Gill near Newcastle. We had a great time remembering last Christmas which we spent with her in one of our favourite countries, Malawi. She spoiled and pampered us rotten and we explored a little of the Northumberland coast together and it's stunning Durstanburgh Castle. An enjoyable travel week in England and fab to see old and new faces alike. * Mush

Michelle with Colin and Flo in their garden - Culgaith

Gill and Michelle at Durstanburgh Castle

Out of Africa

Here, as I sit on the eve of our return to England and reflect upon Africa - what we've experienced, how we've felt, people we've met and the complexities and challenges of independent travel, I can honestly say we have thoroughly and absolutely enjoyed this mighty continent. I would not say that we absolutely LOVE Africa. We've met many people who feel their heart and soul are in Africa, but we don't feel that intensity. There are some countries that have stood out for sure - Madagascar, Malawi, Namibia, Burundi, for example. And I can see why people fall in love with Africa - the wide open spaces, fantastic landscapes, big skies, diverse cultures, amazing wildlife. I love the weathered faces of the people with their varied cultures, colourful traditions, 'logic', thinking and attitudes - and how challenging all at the same time! Just thinking about how people live too: in anything from mud huts and woven grass to huge concrete mansions surrounded by barbed wire and electric fences. There may not always be electricity and water (and certainly not hot water), but many live by firelight, the stars and the moon.

So, yes, as I look back, as much as we are tired and SO ready to be 'home', we will come back one day. Indeed, Ethiopia, about which we have yet to share our adventures, has been a great note to end on. It holds too much magic and mystery for us not to come back! But right now I'm looking forward to leaving dusty, brown landscapes (though transformed in raining season) and trading it in for the green, soggy land of my birth, England. British soil: Bring It On Baby! * Mush

Cheering on the Dutch, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

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Martin with Dave, Marly and Jochen at National Cafe

We were excited heading back to Addis Ababa.  It would be the last leg of the Africa portion of our trip, and would lead to family and friends back in England.  So, we boarded our last bus, this one direct from Harar to Addis Ababa, and what a ride it was.  It took us basically along a very high ridge with fabulous views to both sides, steep down into the valleys below.  Ethiopia is quite green and lush in places, from what we have seen, and this was no exception.  Interesting round houses dotting the hillside.  The trip went well, and was comfortable, but got a little long as we were entering Addis - turns out we hit the rush hour's' traffic!!

Back to Wim's Holland House, and familiarity.  We were also excited because we could go to our lovely little local cafe - National Cafe, which we did frequently.  Also, we found our tent neighbours from the previous time were still there.  Dave and Marly from Holland had some motorbike troubles

Martin, Michelle, Marly and Jochen heading to the embassy

and were waiting on a new engine from Holland, so in Addis they stayed.  To our good fortune though, because we really enjoyed spending time with them.  Along with Jochen, a German guy biking from Germany to Cape Town, we enjoyed many meals at National, along with some friendly times around camp.

We had expectations of doing some day trips around Addis, but that never really materialized.  We were happy just to hang out with new friends.  We did manage to walk around Addis and see a few sights.  The Red Terror Martyr's Museum showed the difficulties and deaths attributed to the fight with the Communist military dictatorship.

Loving the orange

On our last night before our flight back to England, Dave and Marly managed to get us invited to the Dutch Embassy for a party celebrating the first game the Dutch were playing in the Euro Football/Soccer Championship.  How lucky were we!!!  Along with Jochen, we dressed in as much orange as we could find, and made our way to the embassy.  It was quite the building and grounds, and they put on a great spread.  For us, FREE beer/wine and food including cheese!!  What a score for us, and as much as we wanted!  Only problem was the Danish..... Nobody told them they were supposed to lose to the Dutch, so most went home from the party disappointed.  Michelle, Jochen and I were probably the last to leave the embassy!

But, the party didn't stop there.  Back at Wim's there was another game showing and plenty of beers (not free) flowing.  The girls were all dancing the night away.  Then, after Wim's was slowing down, we got invited out to a local club with one of the local guys.  Michelle was too tired to partake in any more fun, but I joined Dave and Marly 'shaking our cans' in a local dance club until the wee hours of the morning.  First time I had been out in a club in ages, and it was good fun.  Hot and sweaty, crazy dancing!!  As we were about to leave, we got dragged in to a coffee ceremony, and I

Martin and Marly at the Addis Club

drank two of the espresso-like coffees.  Tasty, but for a non-coffee drinker, probably not the best idea at 4:30AM!!!  I was wired!

Other than packing the next day, we didn't have much energy for anything else.  We did have time for eating though, and National Cafe it was!  Good eating with good friends.  When we came back to Wim's, we found a guy waiting to see us.  He was a friend of some guys we met briefly in Uganda, and we had tried to meet up with him without any luck.  Well, he happened to show up just in the knick of time, as we only had an hour before we were off to the airport.  In true Ethiopian and African generosity, Samson bought us a final drink on the continent, and even drove us to airport, saving us the final taxi hassle - thanks so much Samson, and sorry we didn't connect sooner!!!!   *Stub

Marly and Dave at the Dutch Embassy

Jochen and Martin celebrating at the Dutch Embassy

Feeding Wild Hyenas in Harar, Ethiopia

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Martin walking the Market Street in Harar

The colours in the market street

Landing in Dire Dawa after a free nights stay in a fancy, but dated massive room in Addis, we were on our way to Harar.  Another battle with mini-bus drivers as the asking price always kept going up.  Luckily, some locals stepped in and straightened them out, allowing us to pay the normal price!  It was an hours drive through the dry, hilly terrain on the Eastern side of Ethiopia towards Somalia.


Harar is an ancient walled city, with 368 alleyways crammed in to 1 sq km.  Again, in the Unesco books as a World Heritage Site, it has hidden gems of architecture deep within the walls.  We decided to tour ourselves around the alleys first, getting a feel for the place.  We did this with relative disappointment.  We are usually able to find some great places and cool people, but we had limited

Loaded Down Peugeot 404 taxi

success in Harar.  At first glance, it was a pretty scruffy Muslim city, with little character.
However, what it lacked in charm in the daytime, it made up for in adrenaline in the evening.  Mostly on our own, we tracked down the local hyena man outside the city walls.  What I know of the story is, the wild hyenas around town were becoming a pest, as they would come in to town looking for food.  A wild animal with jaws that can chew through bone, is not great to have around the playing kids and such, so the animals were being killed.  One of more men took it upon themselves to feed the hyenas nightly, therefore, take away the threat of them coming in to town, and therefore, preserving them.  Well, this has continued for about 30 years or so, and may now be some sort of religious ritual, as well as a bit of a tourist attraction.

Martin feeding the wild hyena

Nervously, we awaited the arrival of the hyenas, as the locals actually 'call' them each night.  And, slowly, the hyenas crept towards us.  Before we knew it, there was about 8 or 9 hyenas within 10m of us.  They seemed quite timid though, and more scared of us than we were of them.  Up close, they are actually quite beautiful animals, with wonderful eyes!    And then, the hyena man started pulling out pieces of meat, and one by one, the hyenas came to get a piece.  Then it was our turn, and I must say, I was quite nervous.  Even more nervous when he convinced me to place a stick in my mouth, with a piece of meat only 20cm away from my head, on the other end of the stick.  Watching the powerful jaws, gingerly taking the meat from the stick, SOOOO close to my eyes was a nerve-wracking experience to say the least.  Michelle was also brave enough to feed them from her mouth, but was pretty scared too.  I think I was shaking

Local Coffee Pots in the market

after the experience.  But it wasn't over there.  He actually made me get down on all fours, and hung a piece of meat over my head.  The hyena climbed up on my back, with it's massive paws on my shoulders, reaching up for the meat.  Whoa!!!!  That didn't feel right, but I made it out in one piece!!!  What a crazy evening.   We went out for dinner with two nice Japanese girls who also took part in the feeding.  After feeding the hyenas, we fed ourselves with some delicious local injera and stews!!

The next day, we had arranged to get a local guide, as we figured that we had to find the gems in town.  It was a great decision as Abdi would walk us down little alleys, and through some non-distinct doorways, finding wonderful buildings that were so hidden.  We were in traditional houses with crazy decorations, museums from where Ras Tafari

Abdi and Michelle in a Traditional Harari Home

(the former name of Emperor Haile Selassie) used to live, another in Rimbaud's (the famous poet) House.  City walls and gates, temples, churches, merchants, tombs, coffee factories, and markets (in which we bought one of the traditional coffee pots).  All the while, giving us good historical information and having a wonderful personality.  We enjoyed our time with Abdi, and meeting some of his relatives and friends in town.  He even took us to another hyena man that night, a similar experience to the previous night, but still no less scary.  It really changed our feeling of the town, and made it much more special.  We met lots of locals on his tour, having Coca Cola with the kids and taking photos with them, being a very special time.  Thanks Abdi for making our time more special.  And thanks to the people of Harar, for their culture, colourful clothing, friendliness, and bizarre nightly rituals!!   *Stub

Enjoying a Coke with the Peugeot 404 behind

Coca Cola and photos with the kids

Wild hyena on my back - check out the size of the paws

Michelle's turn at feeding the hyena

Africa's Camelot, Gonder, Ethiopia

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Fasilada's Castle in the Royal Enclosure

Our next stop was Gonder, about an hour's flight from Lalibela. Sad to leave the surreal history of Lalibela, as we could have easily spent more time soaking up the local culture and amazing sights.  Again, to save about a day's drive, we took a 45 minute flight to Gonder.  We were lucky to grab a free ride with an older American couple into town. And then found a hotel that had been recommended but was not the best.  But as is typical of our travels, we made do with this as it was much more within our budget.

It was quickly off to the Royal Enclosure, home of ex-Emperor Fasilada's castle.  Yet another Unesco World Heritage Site, as it was built during his, and subsequent emperor's rule in the 17th and 18th centuries.  Not at all what you would expect to see in Ethiopia, or anywhere in Africa for that matter.  I felt like I was back in Ol' England.  The

Turret and Wall around Fasilada's Bath

castle has a very Camelot look to it, and I half expected some knights to be feasting inside.  Each Emperor seemed to add his own building to the enclosure, and there were even lion enclosures or cages, for their pet lions!

Attached to the ticket was a secondary site, Fasilada's Baths.  We weren't even planning to go there, but because it was free with our ticket, we thought we take a peek.  Glad we did, because this place had even more character and ambience than the castle.  Possibly Fasilada's second home, there was a square building sitting in a stark white pool, with a bridge over to the entrance.  Apparently, the pool is filled naturally from the flowing river, and is still filled for a yearly celebration/water baptism called Timkat -  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timkat.  It is quite the celebration from what we hear.
The large bath is surrounded by a protective wall with cool turrets, and then a series of seating bleachers for Timkat observers.  Immediately surrounding the bath is an ancient wall, that has been overgrown by tree roots in a site reminiscent of Angkor Wat.  A wonderful setting,

Walls around the Bath, overgrown with tree roots

made even more interesting by four wild Spotted Eagle Owls that were sitting on the low tree branches above the pool.  They were beautiful creatures, and they sat unfazed, just watching us.

The Simien Mountains are relatively close to Gondar, and we had hoped to make a trip there, as we had heard wonderful things.  Unfortunately, we found it was too difficult to see in a short period of time, and would need a few days hiking to see the most spectacular sights.  So, we put this info in our back pocket, for the time we return to Ethiopia.  Instead, that afternoon, we walked out of town to Debre Berhan Selassie Church.  Not expecting too much looking at the exterior, the interior was a great surprise, with some amazing murals, still very clear to see. 

104 cherubs on the Ceiling of Debre Berhan Selassie Church

They depict many scenes from the bible, and also some interesting gruesome scenes, and depictions of Hell.  On the ceiling were 104 individually painted Ethiopian cherubs, all with a slightly different expression on their face!  The Lonely Planet describes it as 104 Mona Lisa's!!

An early final morning, we arranged with a local guide Philimon, to take us to some mountains closer to Gonder.  Philimon had great English, and we really enjoyed his company.  Turns out, we did go to a portion of the Simien Mountains, and had some wonderful mountainous views in the crisp, morning air!  The other highlight of this area is the rare Gelada Baboon.   Also called the Bleeding Heart Baboon for the distinct chest patch that is used to attract a mate.  They are only found in the Simien Mountains, and are the last remaining grazing baboons, which means they stay out of the tree and find their food on the ground, grazing for grasses. 

Above the Simien Mountains

We were lucky to see a troop of baboons, but none really close enough to see the Bleeding Heart.  We could, however, see the wonderful light brown coats of shaggy hair.  
The previous day, we had reserved our next flights on Ethiopian Air, with a less than helpful, but grumpy agent.  We were trying to book a flight back to Addis Ababa, and then another on to Dire Dawa, and I think we interrupted his lunch plans.  He advised us against the booking as there was only 1.5 hours layover in Addis.  We've been on much shorter connections, so ignored his warnings.  Today, we arrived at the airport to find the flight had mechanical difficulties, and they ended up flying another plane up to complete the journeys.  That means we were 4 hours late arriving in Addis, but somehow we had sweet talked the Ethiopian Air officials, and they put us up in a hotel in Addis for free, AND gave us dinner and breakfast.  Not bad service considering we had only missed a flight valued at $40 US in the first place.  We get really lucky sometimes, and chalk it up to good karma!!!  **Stub

Beautiful Spotted Eagle Owl

Going Underground in Stunning Lalibela, Ethiopia

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Martin overlooking Bet Giyorgis

I remember my father gave me a book "The Earth from the Air".  Beautiful photos of some of the world's most interesting places, taken from above.  One of the most intriguing photos in the book was an underground, cross-shaped church, carved out of solid rock, called Bet Giyorgis.  Turns out there are actually eleven individually shaped rock-hewn churches, along with underground tunnels, and deep carved walkways in the Unesco World Heritage Site in Lalibela.  These are the type of things from a fairytale, and a sight that Michelle and I thoroughly enjoy visiting.

Packing up at four in the morning is not much fun especially as it's hard to do quietly without disturbing other campers. Thankfully, our arranged taxi - an old Peugeot 404 - was there on time. We were a little concerned to find the driver hidden under the bonnet/hood tinkering with the engine muttering something about 'problem with car', but we were encouraged when he opened the doors for us and we got in. The airport is 5km out of Addis and thankfully for us we had lots of time and at 4:30 in the morning there is little traffic, because we sputtered and limped our way at only about 5km/h, on what was certainly not all four cylinders! - in a battered old yellow and green striped Peugeot taxi.  We made the flight easily on time, too bad the flight wasn't!!

High above the moat of Bet Gabriel-Rafael

King Lalibela ruled over the kingdom and area called Roha in the 12th or 13th century.  Legend has it that the king was exiled to Jerusalem, and intrigued by the buildings he found, vowed to build a new holy city upon his return.  And that, he definitely DID!!  With features like the River Jordan, and the Tomb of Adam, it seems like he was trying to recreate Jerusalem on African soil.  The work force and time to create this masterpiece, must have been astronomical.

Lalibela is probably the best known of Ethiopia's tourists attraction, and for good reason.  The eleven very different styles of rock hewn churches were carved and dug out of the red volcanic rock!!  Sometimes giving the sense that they are carved into the hillside, and other times, entirely under the rock surface, complete with underground tunnels to enter.  These churches are not built, but carved from the solid rock, and are therefore, one SOLID piece.  Exterior and interiors all chiselled from the rock, and at times, with great details.

After arriving by plane, we took a shuttle through the barren landscape, up the steep pass to Lalibela.  We found a place to stay called Tukul Village, which had rooms in beautiful round houses in a style typical to the area.  The rooms cost about $70, but they let us camp on the grounds for much less.  With this, they also provided us access to an unused room for showering and bathroom facilities.  It was the nicest shower we had seen in quite some time!!

Colourful Local at Prayer

Hustling excitedly over to the church areas, we were greeted often by locals along the road.  Friendly, and chatty, but we always felt there was a hidden agenda.   The masses of locals were directing us towards the ticket office, and some hoped to be our guide.  Buying a ticket for about $20 US, gives you access to the church areas for 5 days.  Most people wouldn't spend that much time, but in our experience at amazing sites like this, WE just might need that length of time.  We decided to explore the areas on our own first before possibly hiring a guide to get more information later.  We spent about 2 hours that day picking our jaws up from the floor, after seeing the stunning marvels that King Lalibela had created!  You basically walk through tunnels or deep channels carved through the rock and arrive at the base of yet another amazing monument.

St. George Day worship at Bet Giyorgis

The atmosphere around the churches is full of interesting character too.  Walking around the church areas, the local Christian Orthodox worshippers are often seen praying, chanting, reciting the bible, or just being there with their gods at their holy places.  The last stop of the day was at Bet Giyorgis (St. George Church), King Lalibela's masterpiece.  This is one of those types of places that defies all reason.  It is a totally underground, and the entire building is in the shape of a Greek cross.  The drained rooftop contains seven carved crosses, and is at ground level.  The base of the church is 15m deep from the surrounding hole, with vertical walls surrounding and no railings.  It was an unbelievable sight, hanging over the edge and looking down into the surreal church in the hole.  We were able to enter using the tunnels, and see the place from another perspective.  We were awestruck.

Worshippers down inside Bet Giyorgis

As we are often lucky during our travels, wouldn't you know it but we happened to be there on the monthly St. George Day worship.  We woke early the next morning and returned to Bet Giyorgis to see the ceremony.  Hundreds of white clad worshippers surrounded the church, while the sermon was being read.  Down the bottom, various colourfully dressed priests were blessing the followers by either rubbing a cross all over their bodies, or showering them with holy water from the pools.  And, another priest was sat on a carpet, collecting all the donations given, or thrown in from above the walls.  We were so enthralled with the whole scene, that we sat and watched for 3.5 hours, and at times joined some of the people at the church edge to feel the moment.  Definitely a type of sight that we will seldom have the pleasure to see again in our lifetime.

Even though we had already spent the equivalent of one day in the churches, we hadn't even seen any of the second group of churches.  These ones included Bet Gabriel-Rafael, Bet Merkorios, Bet Amanuel, and Bet Abba Libanos.  Walking up to Gabriel-Rafael, there was a large rock-hewn wall called the 'Way to Heaven', and then curiously, when it was built there was no bridge over the deep trench to the entrance.  It is unknown how they used to enter, or whether this was used as protected palace for the King.  From here, there was a long, and pitch black tunnel, probably around 50m to the next church.  You actually climb out of a hole, between two door flaps to access Bet Merkorios.  And then weave through more tunnels to the

Priest at Bet Abba-Libanos

monolithic (free standing) Bet Amanuel, the most finely carved exterior of all the churches.  Each of the churches has a specific interior style or trait, and this one has a double Aksumite frieze in the nave, and actually has a second floor.
And the final church in this group is accessed by a steep walled, skinny hallway and tunnel, leading to the semi-monolithic Bet Abba Libanos.  This church is not free standing, but actually is attached to the rock at the base and the roof, although it is carved clear all around the walls.  We were met here by a white clad priest, sitting on the steps which made for a great photo.
After leaving this group, we accidentally stumbled upon these little doors, about 1m tall, carved in to the rock face - they looked like little hobbit houses.  An old man gingerly walked along, unlocked and essentially crawled into one of these little houses.  Turns out it was a convent and monastery, where they actually live in these little rock dwellings - bizarre!

Tukul houses in Lalibela

The village of Lalibela was quite scenic and perched on the hillside.  It contained many local style houses called tukuls, and were basically round stone huts covered with mud.  Interesting in the fact they were actually two storey huts, so much taller than anything we were used to seeing.  Also, plenty of interesting characters walking around in various religious clothing, with some wrinkly, weathered faces.

We managed to find two great little local restaurants in town, nothing more than tiny buildings with plastic chairs or benches, that served some delicious national food, complete with injera.  We returned to these friendly places a couple of times, and also found ourselves a friendly lady for our ice cold Coca Cola fix, that we frequented.  But, all places offer the coffee ceremony, warming the coffee pot over the fire, with a table full of expresso coffee cups at the ready.

Martin and Wondale at Bet Abba-Libanos

On our final day, we decided to hire a guide to get even more info about the places, and hopefully find some hidden gems.  We haggled for price, and finally hired Wondale for the day.  Turns out Wondale is a priest, but a relatively young one at that.  It was interesting touring around with him, as often a local would approach and he would bless them both with words and a hand cross that he would tap on their forehead and then they would kiss the cross.   Once again, Michelle and I had arrived at the churches early in the morning, and were present for the morning mass, but sat quietly off to the side.  Wondale did give us the extra information we were after, and with him, we toured the SouthEast group in the afternoon, but first the NorthWest group of churches in-depth.  This included the largest church of all, Bet Medhane Alem that resembled a Greek temple, with pillars all around.  Bet Maryam was the most ornate interior with frescos and carvings, but also had symbolic

Our Coke Lady, and her Coffee Ceremony

window shapes.  Bet Golgotha, had large carved figures in the recessed wall, and is said to contain the tomb of King Lalibela himself.  As it is a rather holy place indeed, it is no surprise that tourists aren't allowed to see the tomb.

All in all, it was a surreal experience in Lalibela.  Clambering around through underground tunnels, seeing the church marvels, mixing with the very religious locals, and enjoying the town for all of it's history, people and amazing culture and religion was an time that I will never forget!  One of the highlights of our trip for sure and we leave with not only wonderful memories, but quite likely with FLEAS that we picked up from the grubby carpets inside all the churches!   *Stub

Bet Amanuel

Bet Medhane Alem

Hobbitt Houses??

Local Characters