Blogs from Amhara Region, Ethiopia, Africa - page 8

Od tygodnia jestesmy w Etiopii. Dotarlismy wczoraj do Bahir Dar, skad do Was pisze. Jest to pierwsze miejsce z internetem , nastepne za 600km w stolicy. Wrazenia poki co mieszane - od euforii i zachwytu nad wspanialymi widokami, rdzennymi mieszkancami zyjacymi w slomianych chatach , swietnym jedzeniam, po totalna nienawisc i zniechecenie do zyjacego tu narodu.... Niezwykle jest to, ze dorosli sa niezwykle mili i gdyby zyli tu sami dorosli, bylby to wspanialy kraj. Niestety nasza zmora sa wstretne dzieciaki!!!! Na podjazdach biegna za rowerem (a kondycje maja) i krzycza "money.money, give me money", "give me a pen", "give me t-shirt" probuja otwierac sakw, zeby cos ukrasc. Na zjazdach wrzeszcza "give me money" z jakas tylko sobie znana wizja ze rowerzysta pedzacy 60km na h zatrzyma sie i zacznie rozdawac pieniadze! Na prostych rzucaja w nas ... read more

I felt like I was cheating flying into Lalibela. From Addis it can take 2 days by bus, most locals walk here or arrive on donkey but that generally is for one special day on January 7. Laddet or as we know it, Christmas. I booked this flight months ago after tackling some hellish bus rides in Malawi so I got it for a bargain price of $60 and the aerial reward for showing some initiative was one of the best decisions I made in Ethiopia. Aerially Ethiopia is spectacular, the rigid hills just seem impenetrable and you can understand why buses are just a torturously long process. The flight went via 2 other airports, Bahir Dar and Gondor. Bahir Dar is on Lake Tana and the view was impressive, after seeing a dry yellow desert ... read more

Yes, the 10 hour bus ride to Lalibela was enough to calm me down and digest the previous day. After Alex tried to get into my hostel and called me several times the day after to apologize, I am apologizing now for the generalization that was offensive and disrespectful. I wrote my blog entry while I was still pissed off and it was the anger and disappointment that spoke. But still, telling my stories to my friends they agreed that for a girl travelling alone and trying to make friends in Ethiopia is pretty tuff. I was always jealous, how Moritz could easily make friends and hang out with them without any problem, but neither Susi nor me found it smooth to get on well with guys here. You always have to consider that they might ... read more

Woooow, the view from my window was stunning!!! But visiting the 11 churches carved from the rock was even more amazing. The trip started with the so necessary and unavoidable negotiation with the tour guide, who wanted to charge us 500Birr for one day (approx 20€). Which for a tourist is not too much, but knowing my friend Esset who is a primary school teacher and earns 600Birr/month, I felt it very unfair. With my Amharic knowledge and with my mom’s heritage of being good at bargaining I made betam kennesed it to 100Birr each. The churches are divided into 3 groups, representing the 3 first, second and third heavens. According to the legend in the 12th-13th century King Lalibela was poisoned by his half-brother and while in a coma he went on a journey to ... read more

As we drove the long, very bumpy road north of Gonder, I kept my eyes peeled for some sign of the mighty Simien Mountains that I would soon be trekking. But it seemed they were nowhere to be seen. All around were gently rolling hills. Where were the mountains, the highest in Ethiopia? It wasn’t till we practically were falling off the edge that I realized that in fact we actually HAD been climbing into the mountains, gradually making our way up a “gentle” slope that would give way to a jaw-dropping plunge along a dramatic escarpment, with views to put the Grand Canyon to shame. The Simien Mountains were sort of stealth mountains, if you will. When I signed up for this adventure, I opted for a five-day, four-night trek, which would not get me ... read more