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Published: December 17th 2014
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And on the 7
thday they rested… Sorry all these churches are influencing us J… It is so hard to believe we have been here less than 2 weeks, and I have about 4 blogs worth of material, not to mention about 800 photos! The diversity and beauty of this country is amazing!
After leaving Gondar, we arrived in Debark to get our trekking permit, guide, cook and scout for our 4 day trek. Driving into the park, we stop to see the amazing Gelada Monkeys. Going down towards the river, there must have been at least 400 of them. And they had absolutely no fear of us, coming within 3 feet of us, fortunately they are vegetarians, as they made their way to the river. On occasion they would stop and eat some grass. Many of the females were carrying small ones on their backs. They make an almost sneezing sound when they talk, and loud screeching noises when the young males fight. Incredible to see. We would later see small groups of them on the trek, but never again so many.
We drive to the Jimba waterfalls for lunch. The waterfalls was about 1500’
drop, but just a slow stream of water in it. The rains stopped in Oct, so there is still some green in the landscape, and the trek is not too dusty. After lunch, we begin the 4 hr trek to Geech, our first campsite. Throughout the next 3 days we will hike from @ 12,000 – 14,000 ft. We are slow, but steady and overall hold up ok. The scenery is amazing as we reach Giant Lobelias (remind us of Kili) and a taller fescue grass. The only other tree structure is a type of Heather, @ 10-15’ tall . The ground cover also has lots of wild thyme, and as we rest, I always seem to be sitting in it, which smells quite pleasant.
The second day is a long 8 hr trek, but the views keep you going. When we finally see the mtns and valley, it is like a giant Grand Canyon with Monument Valley inside. It is abit hazy with some cloud cover, which makes the hiking easier, but the views not quite as clear. But even with that, it is amazing. Photos below as I won’t try to describe it.
The day is long, and as David, our guide, points to 3 ridges away, and tells us that will be our lunch stop, I seriously doubt I can get there in a week. But, it is up and down with amazing vistas, and we manage to reach the campsite by 4:30. At the highest point, David is checking his email, as he can get cell service! We send Ed’s Mom a Happy Birthday email, although we do not know if she received it. There are about 20 trekkers at Geech, and @ 16 at Chennek for the next 2 nights. The first day we hike with Marion from The Netherlands and Jenna from Australia, but they are only on a 1 night trek, so after that it is just Ed and I and our guide and scout, wandering on the well marked trail, not seeing anyone else until the campsites. It is incredibly peaceful.
The 3
rd days quickly becomes my favorite as we just hike around the campsite area. I am feeling the effects of yesterday, so when we see a Walia Ibex wayyy up there, I am doubtful he will still be there by the
time I get up there. Ed and David go up ahead, and amazingly there are 2 Ibex and they wait for me. I feel like Art Wolfe (TV photographer) as I sit just below the Ibex with about 20 Baboons nearby and snap away. We would have loved to stay, but our lunch is down below, and as we begin to leave the Ibex gets up, too and allows some beautiful pics of him, with the brilliant blue sky backdrop. We see the 2
nd Ibex again on the road back to the campground.
Later, David tells us, that if we go out at night, we will be able to see the rare Ethiopian wolf, endemic to this park. But by the time night comes, it is very cold (each morning we wake to frost), and I am snuggled in. Ed and David go out, with their flashlights and see 3 wolves near the area where the local farmers kill the sheep and the pit that they throw the remains of the sheep carcass. They look like small dogs.
On the fourth day, it is a long, 8hr drive from Chennek to Axum. It includes
a short stop in Debark. Market day is tomorrow and there are 1000s of people coming into town. After out solitude of only 3 days, it is almost unsettling with so many people. We stop at a café to order a machiatto, which is quickly becoming our favorite coffee. Starbucks has failed me as I had never heard of this coffee, much to the surprise of both the Ethiopians and the Europeans we have met. “But it is Italian, do you know Cappuchino??” The other favorite drink, are their juices. They layer a combination of avocado, guava and mango or papaya, which makes a colorful glass and is delicious when mixed together. It is called a spritz. At the café, we are amazed to have internet and have enough time to quickly check our emails.
The drive from Debark to Axum is fantastic, down the escarpment - the old Italian road with at least a 100 switchbacks. We had fortunately requested a car from Debark to Axum, the only vehicle we had reserved, as we had read it was difficult to get transport from Debark. After seeing the millions of people, it would have taken us a
day or 2 to figure out the transport situation here, so we are so glad to just get back into our 4x4. Also, the driver is great and we are able to stop as we please. About 1/3
rd of the road is paved with the rest under construction.
The view from the Simiens is almost as impressive as from Chennek, as we travel down into the wide valley, with the mountains as a backdrop. It is our first view of the very dry Acaia covered plains, and just as we thought we had reached the bottom, we would continue to drop down into another escarpment. We see fields of millet and barley with people cutting and threshing, all by hand. The occaisional team of 3 or 4 donkeys or mules would circle the cut stalks separateing the seed from the shaft. Then the farmer would be throwing it into the area using a pitchfork to separate it. A scene that has been repeated for 1000s of years. Also, Plowing the fields by oxen. And then the occasional camel comes lumbering down the road, loaded with dried grass, so all you see are 4 skinny legs and a
massive mound of grass. The first time was a ‘what was that’, the 2
nd time we had the driver stop for a photo!
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Grant Wiegert
non-member comment
Ethiopia Bliss
Nice photos as usual and descriptive text as well. In the future I will have to bring you a few bottles of wine for traveling advise. Happy travels. The marking on a few of the monkeys looked strange and to get that close with so many still might be intimidating even if they are vegetarians. Grant