Smoking Water

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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 doesn’t 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 my colleagues had been there before either, which made the trip even more special.

On the walk up to the falls, children selling scarves, gourds and other gifts mobbed us. The majority were young girls with an amazing stream of sales patter: “madam … you buy from me … you already have one? This one is different colour…you buy for a present … my name is … I give you good price … buy from me … I can give you change … you want to buy? You promised you would buy …OK, you said maybe!”

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