http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Ethiopia/Amhara-Region/Bahir-Dar/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Africa , Ethiopia , Amhara Region , Bahir Dar en-us Sun, 03 Jan 2010 17:17:49 +0000 Sun, 03 Jan 2010 17:17:49 +0000 What a great name to a great community... we found some info in the guide It's a small community isolated secular believes that education is the key to development so one can find adults attending primary school they are socialists they believe in Gender equality and childrenrsquos rights the kids are not allowed to beg money from foreigners and visitors the community charges the same pr http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Ethiopia/Amhara-Region/Bahir-Dar/blog-440465.html Where do I begin There is so much to tell I donrsquot know where to start. We arrived in Bahir Dar and almost immediately went to Feledge Hiwot Regional Hospital where the CEO of the hospital along with a doctor from Spain who is working on the sewage project and my friend Charlie who is assigned here from the Clinton Foundation met us with open arms. Nolawi my filmmaker with camera in t http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Ethiopia/Amhara-Region/Bahir-Dar/blog-411918.html Charlie and Deehellip The best way I can describe my first face to face meeting with Charlie was a white man in a sea of Ethiopian faces who spots me with my bags in tow at the hospital and runs up and hugs me like a long lost favorite uncle would. His smile was warm and his hug was deep. I know in that instant he was a man I was proud to know. He couldnrsquot have helped more in my visit http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Ethiopia/Amhara-Region/Bahir-Dar/blog-411891.html I love the Bahir Dar area. I love it. But it is so sad because it's citizens deserve more. The city by the lake is a mixed blend of new and old with condos and huts within the same area of town. Just walking the streets you get a sense of all these time periods colliding into one. There is so much I could write and I have volumes of photo's of the rural areas the hospitals and Bahir Dar. http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Ethiopia/Amhara-Region/Bahir-Dar/blog-411768.html Up very early or late I couldn't sleep with the upcoming trip tomorrow actually today. This is very windy night and I lay in bed wondering about the little subdivision next door to the hotel and what it must be like inside a press metal house with strong winds that roar like lions half the night. I am sure they are use to it but I know in my own strong house my kids coming running and jump rig http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Ethiopia/Amhara-Region/Bahir-Dar/blog-410304.html Continued...But I quite enjoyed my journey from Addis to Bahir Dar actually Although the windows remained closed the entire 12 hours sweltering some of the mountain scenery was incredible and we wound our way through villages which reminded me of how I felt as if Irsquod been transported back to medieval times upon arrival in Twifu Mampong Ghana six years ago.Everybody is walking somewhe http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Ethiopia/Amhara-Region/Bahir-Dar/blog-341311.html Well HelloTypically I seem to have chosen to start a travel blog when traveling in a region with terrible internet service So apologies for the lack of entries thus far. I am yet to find a computer which will allow me to update the photos and maps too so I apologise in particular for its relatively plain nature I may have to wait until my return to spruce it up a littleSo how is Ethiopiahe http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Ethiopia/Amhara-Region/Bahir-Dar/blog-341293.html Travel to Tisisat Falls07 September 2008 800 AM 1355 PMTisisat Falls Tisisat Falls on the Blue Nile in northwestern Ethiopia are among Ethiopia's major tourist destinations. The falls are located on the Ethiopian Plateau about 32 km 20 mi southeast of Lake Trsquoana.Departure 800 AMMy travel to the Falls was a short journey on 7th of September using a pubic transport.I was accompanie http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Ethiopia/Amhara-Region/Bahir-Dar/blog-330337.html There is a lot top be said about expectations especially if they are not met. I read about the famous monasteries which are dotted around the shoreline and islands of Ethiopiarsquos largest lake Lake Tana. I imagined extensive compounds and large impressive decorated churches. Well there is non of that. The compounds are small and so are the churches. From outside they are unimpressive as ther http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Ethiopia/Amhara-Region/Bahir-Dar/blog-328876.html This was my second trip to the north of Ethiopia with the National Road Safety Coordination Office we went last summer to see what was happening with a pedestrian campaign in Amhara Region. The main purpose this time was to observe a childrenrsquos pedestrian training scheme that is being trialled by a local NGO called JeCCDO.We had to be there for the session on Thursday morning so we decid http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Ethiopia/Amhara-Region/Bahir-Dar/blog-326721.html After an uncomfortable number of travelling issues throughout Europe I was glad to return briefly to Dubai where a fabulous evening awaited that certainly improved my mood. Though I enjoyed the party I attended filled with socialising expats it did not fully assuage my weariness from the rollercoaster of misfortune I rode in Europe. The party lasted to the early hours after which I headed t http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Ethiopia/Amhara-Region/Bahir-Dar/blog-277961.html March 17 2008Hotel Hotel Summerland 45Today we had arranged a tour to go out to the island monasteries in the morning then in the afternoon we would go out to the Blue Nile falls. The Blue Nile starts its journey from Lake Tana the largest in Ethiopia. There are a dozen or so monasteries scattered on islands throughout the lake. Breakfast at the hotel took forever in general you can't be in http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Ethiopia/Amhara-Region/Bahir-Dar/blog-258122.html So far on our journey we have visited 17 countries over 172 days and have taken approximately 11000 photos now who wants to see our slide show when we get back. We have 188 days to go and several more countries to visit.We would like to say thanks to everyone who has been following along and all the nice comments we've received. We're actually quite surprised at the number of people who are http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Ethiopia/Amhara-Region/Bahir-Dar/blog-246569.html Fresh bread tomatoes and more diesel the usual start to the day.The road south was beautiful newly tarred smooth with hardly any traffic. On more than one occasion we saw great faliclike rocky pinnacles towering beside the road most spectacular and we wondered if anyone had ever managed to climb them or had even wanted to Lake Tana appeared to our right and a great surprise for http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Ethiopia/Amhara-Region/Bahir-Dar/blog-219697.html On Monday morning our series of meetings continued and then we visited the Blue Nile Falls. Although the falls are used to generate electricity and I had been told that it is best to visit on a Sunday when the hydroelectricity plant doesnrsquot work as it was the rainy season it was very impressive. Locally it is know as Tis Isat Smoking Water. It was such a beautiful site none of http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Ethiopia/Amhara-Region/Bahir-Dar/blog-201323.html Sebsibe Daniel and Bahayilu collected me and we set off for Bahar Dar. There were many pedestrians walking along the highway impressively I estimated that around 95 were walking on the left i.e. facing the oncoming traffic. We stopped to photograph them and Daniel did some filming. When people in Ethiopia are asked about their road behaviour e.g. walking on the right or speeding I have http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Ethiopia/Amhara-Region/Bahir-Dar/blog-201316.html Right first things first. Leave your stereotypes of Ethiopia at the door. Get those images of barren deserts out of your head. Eliminate any lingering images of starving hungry villagers. Try to blink away that picture of Addis Ababa as a small collection of mud huts surrounded by goats. Ethiopia has bad PR officer working on its international image. The reputation and the reality couldn't be m http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Ethiopia/Amhara-Region/Bahir-Dar/blog-194750.html The journey from Shihedi to Bahir Dar was a really pleasant journey.. I drove most of the way so that Dave could rest further.. From the border to Shihedi the gravel road is still relatively flat.. shortly after Shihedi the gravel road starts climbing as we begun to be greeted by Ethiopia's mountains.. As we came round the mountainshills.. we passed by so many villages.. many without electric http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Ethiopia/Amhara-Region/Bahir-Dar/blog-146885.html Happy Easter Sunday everyone I dun celebrate Easter but it is a great day for many Ethiopians.. especially in this area.. where many follow the orthodox christianity faith.. I am now at Bahir Dar the southern tip of Lake Tana which feeds into the Blue Nile.. well it's not really the source of the Blue Nile... as the lake is itself fed by many tributaries.. of which one main tributary the http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Ethiopia/Amhara-Region/Bahir-Dar/blog-146365.html Left Addis around 6am to make the 12hour jaunt to Bahir Dar roads and most other infrastructure get a lot more attention in the North apparently because the politicians are from the North and so the drive was quite a bit more comfortable than the South. 3 or 4 hours into the drive however there's a 42km section under construction that was pretty miserable took around 2 hours road crosses http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Ethiopia/Amhara-Region/Bahir-Dar/blog-132343.html