Lalibela and Lake Taner

We have bee in Ethiopia for 9 days now and each day I have grown more in awe of the people here. Ethiopia is one of the poorest nations in Africa. Life is pure survival, with most living hand to mouth, growing their food and material resources such as timber for housing or to make a small income to purchase kerosene. Those living in rural areas have it much harder than those living in villages or towns,where central wells provide access to water where pipes haven’t been laid. In the rural areas the nearest well might be kilometres away.

While driving through the mountainous countrysidewe have seen many women walking along dirt roads or busy tarred highways carrying yellow jerry cans full of water on their backs. Some have young children in tow, who are also carrying jerry cans or other smaller children. We have seen other women carrying baskets or sacks of produce balanced on their heads and an infant strapped to their back. We have seen many children probably under the age of 10 tending to herds of goats and cows, or carrying loads of sticks or brush piled high above their heads, long distances from settlements. Often their younger siblings are assisting in some way.Men are typically ploughing fields either with rudimentary tools or animals.

Despite this hardship, as we drive past fields and huts small children come running from all directions, waving with excitement. Adults often stop what they’re doing and stare, more cautious ofour presence.

As a result it has also become harder to pull over for toilet stops and to make our lunch, as crowds gather in minutes. While we try to find isolated places to prepare food, by the time lunch is over there are usually more than 20 people standing within a meter of us. While most are not starving, they are very thin and it’s quite awful eating a fresh sandwich in front of them. Sometimes they want our leftovers or ask for money or pens, but often they are just curious.

After leaving Gonder we drove about 8 hours to Lalibela, another town across the mountains known as Ethiopia’s holy land. About 20km from Lalibela we experienced our first mechanical drama when the gas cylinder for the airbrakes fell off the truck. We were in the middle of nowhere, yet as the boys determined how to tie the thing back on, children came running from across the fields and soon we had quite a gathering.

For about 90 minutes we entertained the children – or they entertained us – while trying to score pens, earrings, tshirts and sunglasses from us. I gave one girl a plastic drink bottle I’d finished with, and when we drove through the same area two days later on our way back I saw her using it to carry water.

Ethiopia is an overtly Christian country and most people wear elaborate crosses around their necks, with many also sporting tattoos of a cross on their forehead. I suppose faith is about all people can believe in, and they sure have a lot to pray about.

In Lalibela there are 11 churches carved into rock and connected by a labyrinth of tunnels. They were built in the 12th century but continue to be used by the extremely devout Lalibelans, many of whom are also the oldest, poorest or sickest in the community. As we walked into each small chapel an overpowering stench of sickness and body odour hit us, to the point where I couldn’t go inside any more. The amount of coughing inside each chapel was more consistent with a TB clinic, and with a chest infection of my own I didn’t want to hang around. Outside each chapel there were ponds of holy water, which people still bathe in or drink, depending on their ailment. For those who are already sick I suspect this water provides a fast-track to the afterlife rather than a medical cure.

After two nights in Lalibela we spent another long day in the truck driving to Bahir Dah, the second biggest city in Ethiopia. The landscape changed drastically again from high, mountains to flat tropics. We are staying at a campsite/motel on Lake Taner, which is enormous and reminds me of south-east Asia with its jungle-like trees and flowers.The python and crocodile skins hung decoratively around the gardens give it an African touch.

From here we’ll drive to Addis Ababa and then begin the slow journey into northern Kenya, along what have been described as the worst roads of the whole trip.