Ethiopia Highlights (2014)

Ethiopia was quite amazing --- a rough trip, but I am glad I went before it all changes.   

Most of the country has not changed for a 1,000 years -- little fields, donkeys, cattle, goats, primitive tools.   They thresh right in the field with cattle walking on a little clear circle in the dirt marked out with stones.  I guess after that they sweep it up.   They also make fermented drinks in a dirt hole in the ground --- all very very primitive.   

Most of the country is at high altitudes.  We were usually between 2200 and 3200 meters, and breathing especially on the uphill was a struggle.  They are damming rivers for electricity but there is no industry there to use it, and the people have no money to buy anything so there is nothing to buy.   They export some agricultural products, such as coffee and flowers (grown in greenhouses).

Extremely dusty, very poor (poorer than India), very high altitude, bad food, simple hotels (they don't sweep the yard and keep things clean like in India).   The dust in Addis and on the roads is so horrendous I had to wear a scarf over my face, and I immediately became sick with a head and chest cold.   Addis looks like they just had an earthquake, and walking around is a challenge, not to mention breathing.  

We found the best restaurant in the country.  It's called Casteli's and has been run by the same Italian family for 100 years.  The antipasti is the best I've had anywhere in the world.   All we could think of was going back for more.   

The country houses are all the round mud African style type.   Eucalyptus poles upright, then mud and straw plaster.  Straw roof.  That's it.

The history and archeology are something to see and it is largely unprotected.  UNESCO is helping with some roofs over a couple of the churches and they have moved the people living on top of some of the sites to nice clusters of concrete block houses with metal roofs. The churches are carved out of rock and under ground level to hide them from attack. Quite unusual.  Inside there are ancient paintings of Bible stories.   Some awful restorations have been attempted, but largely the churches and monasteries are original.

They say Petra doesn't compare so I am very glad to have seen the wonders of Ethiopia.   

The Timkat festival was a lot of fun, and the crowds were friendly and gentle even in the worst presses.   They bring out the Ark of the Covenant from the local church (every church has one) and parade around the town for hours.  The music is fantastic.   

You seldom see any westerners anywhere, only the odd tourist.   

The roads are really bad so we usually flew between places (no reserved seats).   

The whole country is a high, dry and stony plateau, with deep canyons cut into it, not peaked mountains as we know them (rocks, trees, snow), more like Arizona but way bigger and higher.   

In Lalibela, there is a retired Scottish woman Susan who started a restaurant there instead of going back home to be an OAP.  It's on the edge of a canyon, made of concrete in the shape of a flower.  So you are sitting on a concrete lily pad way high up, drinking awful local gin and fresh lemonade watching the sunset.  You can sort of see for miles over the canyons through but the horrible dust.   Her cuisine is stuff like shepherd's pie, which is very welcome after a week of tragically bad local food.   

The country has had some really bad times, with the Italians, Haile Selassie and famine, and then the Derg (communists), all very violent times with many deaths.  

There are loads and loads of monks, nuns, and priests, all living off the very poor people.  

Apparently, FGM is still practices on 75% of girls by both Christians and Muslims.   Barbaric.   

We were invited to a celebration of the death of a person in one remote village where we visited the ancient church.  The celebration is held a year later, after the family has raised the money for the feast.  We drank and ate the food and alcoholic drink out of politeness, but it was pretty awful.   

The coffee is the best in the world and it is quite a prolonged process to make it but worth the wait.  First they make the charcoal, then roast the coffee, then grind the coffee with a stone grinder, then boil the coffee.  Often they make popcorn to serve with it or while you are waiting (?)  Then they put some charcoal in a dish and add incense.  It is a wonderful smell but very smoky.   They do this indoors including in the airport as well as outdoors.  By this time everybody's asthma is so bad from the dust that the smoke isn't a further bother.  

Another high point is the music -- from singing in the churches starting at 4 am, to the many weddings in the hotel grounds with African music and dancing, to the traditional songs and shoulder dancing, all wonderful.  

Another interesting and sad aspect is the high rate of addiction to khat.  Most of the men use it, and especially down in Harar, you see them lying on the ground passed out all over, after their sprees.   We went to the biggest khat market in Africa, very aggressive people who touch you all over and push you around and even drag you into their stall, but LM was right in the middle taking photos.  

On the other hand, they only have 7% rate of AIDs (which is really low for Africa), which is probably because they don't have trucks shipping goods to/from the country -- no money to buy anything.

So, yes I would go back to see more --- a very unusual trip.  If you go, take a full medical kit, lots of toilet paper, and scarves to wrap around your face for the dust and pollution.  

Actually, through a wonderful young Chinese-Canadian couple, I discovered the best remedy for diarrhea ever.  It is a herbal remedy called Seirogan (made in Japan).   I found it in Vancouver at the Beijing Trading Company in Chinatown.  It has a powerful creosote like door but I am told they make tablets.   Now to track those down.

The tour company was Explore and our guide was fantastic at organizing and taking care of the many medical emergencies.  She'd never been to Ethiopia though, and I was very disappointed not to get a lot more information about the country.   Not really a personable or fun person either, just did the minimum -- got us to the places she was required to get us to.   The absolute opposite to the India guides and Turkey guide I've had with Imaginative Traveller in the social side.  Unfortunately, I am not any more impressed with Explore than I was after my long ago Egypt trip.  

For pre-trip logistics, see the previous post on Getting Ready to go to Ethiopia.

Lx