GETTING THERE
Our entrance was smooth with one exception, my passport was pretty much full. I noticed this after checking in for the first flight and knew it might become a problem - in the past I’d spoken with other travelers who had dealt with this complication and now I was faced with the same dilemma... I had to do some fast talkin’ convincing the customs officials to just take my $20 visa fee and figure out an open spot to stamp.
I GOT IN, but knew Tanzania would be another bridge I’d just cross when I got there. My passport still had extra pages, but not the official visa pages each countries state departments require. We collected the baggage and made our way through a few more checkpoints on the way outside.
A driver was waiting for us, a service that came with the Boutique style hotel we reserved. After 15 minutes we arrived at the “Lion’s Den,” checked in and unpacked... it had been 35 hours since we began, and I needed some fresh clothes before we set out to explore Addis.
DAY 1
We took off on foot a few hours later, it had been raining on and off so we took advantage of a break in the weather. Destination unclear, we walked away from the chaos we had driven through uphill towards where we hoped we'd find a public market. The streets were active with mid-day traffic and we were careful to stay clear of passing vehicles... the border between the roads and sidewalks was blurred, luckily we stuck out like sore thumbs being the only caucasians.
Or perhaps that made us a target... 15 minutes later Jablow had already made a friend, and this random “student” was inviting him to some sort of gathering. I quickly lied that we were in front of our destination, dodged into that random restaurant & we both decided to backtrack to a Radisson we'd passed for a beer. That “student” could have been attempting a scam we’d both read about in literature we’d received from our travel agency. The “gathering” may have been some festivities that, at the end of which, we would have been handed a bill for services rendered... Like I said, we’d JUST read about it in a doc titled “Practical Info for Visiting Ethiopia” so we weren’t taking any chances. Also, the language barrier was getting to be a bit much, verbally I had prepared for Swahili, not Amharic, so it was time for some western hospitality.
An hour later we felt replenished having each enjoyed a local brew, and were now utilizing the hotel concierge to secure a car to the Shiro Meda Market. We were looking for a few supplies, maybe some dry-food for the trek. Our driver zipped through Addis passing us a nickel tour along the way, and 20 minutes later we were driving through the market wondering if we had found what we were looking for. The driver dropped us at the far end and we proceeded on foot investigating the vendors and storefronts.
Produce, textiles, used electronics and clothing... no sun-hats, no sunglasses and no knives, we had been there less than 15 minutes and we were ready to take off. We found another cab and started back, stopping briefly a few minutes in to snag a pair of sunglasses from a street vendor I noticed as we were exiting.
We were leaving at 9am the next day for our “Safari.” Today was about people watching and our excursion had given us plenty including a view of the high security U.S. Embassy and the palace grounds.. another short ride and we were back at the Lion’s Den. We checked our email and sat down in the restaurant for a late lunch... I’d been looking forward to this local fare and it did not disappoint!
The bread (injera) and spiced meats (tibs) were perfect, we had ordered several dishes and our table was full. Some of it was spicy and some was crunchy, there’s no utensils and no napkins... the injera does it all. So much food we couldn’t finish, we took it to go, it was time to sleep now that we’d finally gotten some exploring out of our systems. Jet lag was setting in...
We woke up late, probably 9pm, and found a greek restaurant nearby. I knew I needed more sleep so we found a place with beer to wind back down for the evening. A little food and some shots to help us relax, we drank ouzo since that seemed to be a local fave. After an hour we were the last patrons in the lounge, and it was time to retire... tomorrow was going to be a huge day so we made our way back to the hotel where I spent time skyping with my wife and son before turning in. I was enjoying every minute near wireless internet, in the AM we would be leaving modern civilization for 48 hours, and then another day in Addis, and then who knows what in Tanzania... and then Kilimanjaro.
DAY 2
My sleep was good, or at least comfy - we both showered and packed before motivating down the stairs for breakfast. After an omelette with some fantastic coffee we “checked” our bags with the front desk and met Abay from Abeba Tours. This guy seemed cool and was in charge of our sweet Landcruiser, his shades reminiscent of Kanye ;) So far he seemed a little more urban than the bushmaster tour-guide we were expecting. Our backpacks were loaded and I jumped in the backseat ready for the several hour drive down to the plains of the Great Rift Valley.
When we planned this trip it seemed easy, book a driver to the nearest National Park - it was around 130 miles, so in California speak that’s under two hours - yeah, no. I was wrong, the roads here are horrible.
Mix that with obnoxious (but apparently normal) AM traffic and constant construction (in Ethiopias defense, evidence of their investment in infrastructure was everywhere), we now have the ingredients for a very slow departure.
We took the next few hours to people watch, Ethiopia was much more modern than I expected - everyone had smart phones and seemed in a hurry.
Apparently so in a hurry that rather than remove the bus it has become an add-on to this marketplace :) (Removing it looked like it would cause more harm than good)
We spoke a bit about the economic environment, Abay explained that although still in the developmental stages, Ethiopia’s independence has allowed them to outsource road construction to the Chinese - they’re scrambling to keep up with the rest of the world utilizing the aid money that has trickled in over the years. We continued down and out of Addis, as we did the structures became farther apart and the climate less damp - I was feeling the elevation change and starting to understand from the maps exactly how big Ethiopia is.. as we drove we learned from Abay about the various native Ethiopians and what parts of the country they called home. We were starting to see people garbed in traditional tribal attire and noticed the way they utilize modern construction with timeless mechanics.
From crowded city to hot plains we got a great feel for the geography of central Ethiopia.
As we drove through the farmland on the “Road to Djibouti” (this roads final destination, and Ethiopia’s primary port over ten hours away) we saw native herds of cows, camels & vultures.
I’m gonna guess three hours since Addis, we were ready for a rest stop. Abay requested our dietary preferences, we let him know we were hoping he’d surprise us & he parked at an outdoor grill-style cafe in the village of Adama.
“Tibs & Injera” again, which was just fine. Beef & pork with fresh spices & bread as the utensil/napkin, we scarfed it down... this cuisine was still new, and the eating style neat - I was about to order a second helping but made the mistake of visiting the restroom:
Yeah, that’s a little piece of poo paper on the ground, what you can’t see is the abundance of flies buzzing my extremities. Pit style toilets are gross enough, this one smelled like it looked and I was happy I only had to pee.
That was our last stop in civilization, the road cleared up and the settlements mostly homesteads constructed of earth and straw... it was evident that these people lived off the land. The only interaction a majority had was selling charcoal in bags from the side of the road to the truckers driving by. The road took us on a detour, apparently the road was washed out every “winter” by the rising waters - of course the Landcruiser was fine off-pavement, and after several hours on public roads we appreciated that not every travel agency maintains such classy rides.
We arrived at the main gate, Abay paid the park fees and an armed guard/park ranger assumed the navigator role. Abay had been here before but this guy knew the Awash National Park - of course our first question was about the gun... initially I thought maybe it was for a lion? Nope, the natives are literally restless.?.! In desperation they may attack an unarmed vehicle for their water. Oh and we’re not allowed to take these nomads picture, at least not without permission and it didn’t seem like our guides were up for a conversation anytime soon.
The ranger started pointing out native life: dik-diks (A fat blue pheasant-like creature); warthogs;
several species of birds.. and then more people! These bush-nomads that were collecting wood but carrying rifles. We were no longer in Cali, lethal weapons were being carried freely for provisions, protection, and probably some more reasons as well.
We drove on, determined for the hot springs in the northern part of the park, the road itself was pretty beat-up and exactly the type of terrain we hoped to cross on our day-trip to the bush. The scenery was like out of a movie, every shade providing Acacia Tree protected various wildlife from the afternoon sun, and every water crossing was littered with tracks from that same wildlife making a pit-stop for water.
After an hour and a half on a road that had obviously not been upgraded by the Chinese, we drove through a family of warthogs and parked amongst some huts labeled as campsites on the park map. There were residents, our guides labeled them as students possibly with a science background - regardless they had settled in for the long-term and welcomed the loaves of bread and soda the ranger had loaded up back at the gate.
Next was a 600 meter walk through a field that the warthogs and cattle used for grazing. There were piles of poop everywhere; Poop, once warmed from the afternoon sun, was liquefying and mixing with the meadow-swamp tributaries. These “rivlets” of brown were flowing towards us from the hot springs. We hopped from rock to rock hoping each step was solid, I was dressed for a swim wearing the wrong footwear.
Eventually we entered a palm grove, the trail closed in to a path and the streams became larger (clearer) creeks - we were approaching the springs, good thing cause I had broken a sweat and was ready for a good soak.
It was HOT! At least 110 degrees (fahrenheit) - and it was deep... and I was realizing exactly how far we were from reality, AND I had no idea what creatures might live in or near this oasis. I wasn’t panicking but I was very aware that our trust in these two gentlemen, except for today’s conversations, was completely from an African website who’s been smart enough to maintain a positive online presence.
So here we are in the heart of Africa: two white guys stripped down to our boxers, skin bright pink from getting cooked in an Ethiopian spring, two hours from a paved road and who knows how far from a phone, hours from an embassy, hanging out with two locals- one carrying an AK-47 and the other looks like Kanye West. The ranger may have sensed my skepticism and jumped in after me.
And after maybe 30 minutes of taking a dip and drying off we laced up and started back, not as eager this time. We were enjoying the scenery and shade before we were once again in the truck for the ride back.
The 30 km back to the gate went fast, we saw more wildlife (including several turtles and a land tortoise!) and actually interacted with the aborigines by passing them our leftover water. They seemed polite and intrigued - as were we, the most notable thing was the way they dressed: I saw several women wearing “bebe” brand tops but then gowned with some sort of ceremonial wrap, barefoot and carrying bundles of wood on makeshift hats. It seems that Africa gets the worlds surplus of textiles, and puts them to good use... modern tailoring might have a few advantages.
We made it back to the park entrance as the sun was starting to set, and continued on toward the central part of the part. It was time for a “Game Drive” - right away it did not disappoint, the area we were in was known for the antelope and oryx.
They were comfortable around the vehicles, and politely posed while we focused our zoom lenses.
Awash National Park borders the Awash River, which is known for it’s tremendous waterfalls. On our way to the Awash Falls Lodge we stopped by an encampment on a precipice and took in the Awash Gorge - another lovely reminder of exactly how big Africa is, and how small we are in comparison.
About 20 minutes later we parked inside the entrance of the lodge, checked in, said our goodbyes (Abay would be back to pick us up in the AM) and freshened up before dinner. The room was fine, rustic but clean with an actual toilet.
It was getting dark so we donned our headlamps and made our way to dinner. Our path meandered along a cliff, the entire “resort” overlooked the falls, the noise and mist combined into a magical byproduct. We were careful, tomorrow we would have time to explore, it was time for refreshment.
Dinner was a group experience, every guest gathered on chairs and couches surrounding a central fire pit, we immediately ordered beers and the most basic entrees. (We’d had enough authentic cuisine for one day, chicken and pasta would be fine) After dinner we were offered coffee, which we found out later was served in a style reminiscent of a traditional Coffee Ceremony. Guessing it's performed nightly for the lodges guests.
She roasted the beans over charcoal, served these small espresso cups full of the rich dark liquid, and then used that same pan to pop some very unique tasting corn. It was a fun experience which we complemented with a lemon Ouzo nightcap. I made sure not to finish the wonderful coffee as I was hoping for sleep, and was looking forward to the sounds of water lulling me to dreamland.
DAY 3
I woke up to an empty cabin, apparently Jabs had motivated early. I lazed in bed still reading various literature I’d acquired in preparation of Kilimanjaro. Eventually I pulled my shoes on and began a search for my friend.
I snapped a bunch of pics of that guy, he was the 1st monkey I’d seen in Africa - we had been warned that several species abounded and we should make sure the doors are locked from these crafty animals.
I walked towards the falls and from an overlook I spotted my roommate, sitting on a rock near where the two falls landings joined together. I snapped a few pics and made my way down.
After appreciating the sheer immensity of those cascades for a few minutes we decided to embark on a small hike/adventure down a trail that followed the river from the falls. We had been warned about wildlife and being near a river, I was on the lookout for an alligator.
About 15 minutes in, after we’d seen so many varieties of birds and a family of monkeys jumping from rock to rock across the river, I saw something large from the corner of my eye jump into the river! I’ll never know if that was the wild alligator I had been hoping to see, and I think that’s close enough. We continued into the jungle, the trail was still clear and we were hoping to wrap around to the backside of the resort.
Eventually we came to a gentle slope up and noticed footprints in the soft scree, this was our path. After another 10 minutes we crested the ridge and followed an old road in the direction we guessed was the lodge. We saw something move in a clearing up ahead, and there was a fire with multiple children stumbling around in the vicinity? There was a man feeding the flames, our guess: the morning garbage burn, and the stumbling children? Baboons! So many I didn’t count, plenty, bare-assed long snouted baboons, and one was carrying a baby!
They got pretty close and obviously weren’t afraid of humans. Their whole draw was that garbage burn and whatever they could snag from it when that human wasn’t paying attention. After some time we continued on, as did the baboons, our next discovery was an ostrich enclosure - it was feeding time and the ranch-hand was busy chasing off the baboons from the trough he’d just filled.
This was the resort boundary, our last stop looked like a staging area for the revolution complete with a lookout tower - Africa was definitely a different world, SJ pointed out that a guard had perched over the front gate through the night with another AK, hmmm. I know what they’re defending, but I’m not sure what from. From this vantage our bearings were clear.
The resort and our room was nearby, amongst the bush overlooking several waterfalls.
We made our way to the restaurant and found the coolest covered alcove to enjoy breakfast in
it had spectacular views of the falls that took a backseat to the meal, I was famished and liked the crepesand coffee so much I ordered seconds!
We wrapped things up and made our way back to the room to clean up and get packed, it was approaching 10am, checkout time - our cue to jump back in the Landcruiser with Abay and make our way back. He verified that we were still OK with the pit-stop at the mineral springs that was mentioned in the original itinerary, which we were, so after a small delay when a herd of camels was blocking us from the main road - we were heading back towards Addis.
About two hours later we were driving through the Sodere Resort Hotel gate just outside of Adama, Ethiopia, once again chasing hot water - this time in the form of showers, and maybe a pool. The atmosphere was relaxed, although I did notice we were the only two caucasians once again, this spot was only known by locals.. we were getting turned on to some locals only shit, or so it seemed.
The moment we parked I had the camera ready, the monkey’s were obnoxious here!
Immediately taking up residence on our truck, we pulled on our trunks once again for another dip. What happened next was weird, I’m not gonna lie.
The men and women are separated, we were ushered towards the left, around a series of corners and down some stairs... This is what it was:
Six metal pipes protruding from the wall, the farthest being the hottest. Men would wander in with a bar of soap, their speedos and a towel, and bathe. Men and boys were sitting down in there, but there were no seats. We turned ourselves pink once again and made our way out, abstaining from the public pool - we were hungry and starting to get anxious over the next leg of our trip to Tanzania.
We stopped in Mojo for lunch, vegetarian today. Like everywhere, religion is a big part of Ethiopian culture. We had been speaking with Abay off an on about the subject, and knew he was Orthodox, which was the largest religion in the country. On Wednesdays they abstain from meat, and we were happy to oblige our host and enjoy Ethiopian vegetarian.
A few hours later we arrived in Addis, paid our tab with the tour company & wrapped up our road-trip with some souvenir shopping under dreary conditions. (it had been raining up here in the mountains) We made our way back to the Lions Den, unloaded the truck & said our goodbyes to Abay.
We were beat, some food was in order before we verified our bags were packed for tomorrow morning's departure. I spent the last few hours that night speaking to my family, this was the longest I had been away from my son & wife and I wasn't sure what the online conditions would be in Arusha. I missed them both.
The next morning we woke up, showered, packed, scarfed down breakfast and caught one last Lion's Den shuttle to the airport... It was time to meet Jono and go to Tanzania!
It wasn’t necessarily one of my life's goals to see Ethiopia... But the best fare to Kilimanjaro International was on Ethiopian Airlines, they had us laid-over in their capital city, Addis Ababa, so we extended it to four days thinking that another passport stamp from an African nation would make a nice addition to the adventure.
Traveling there spanned three calendar days, departing Lindbergh Field on a Saturday night red-eye to Dulles International. We had a six hour layover here where we enjoyed our last overpriced American airport food for three weeks, and a bloody mary. Eventually we checked-in, said one more goodbye to our loved ones and boarded the crowded plane to East Africa. That flight took off late morning Sunday, and after crossing the prime meridian landed about 8am on a rainy Monday.
Our entrance was smooth with one exception, my passport was pretty much full. I noticed this after checking in for the first flight and knew it might become a problem - in the past I’d spoken with other travelers who had dealt with this complication and now I was faced with the same dilemma... I had to do some fast talkin’ convincing the customs officials to just take my $20 visa fee and figure out an open spot to stamp.
I GOT IN, but knew Tanzania would be another bridge I’d just cross when I got there. My passport still had extra pages, but not the official visa pages each countries state departments require. We collected the baggage and made our way through a few more checkpoints on the way outside.
A driver was waiting for us, a service that came with the Boutique style hotel we reserved. After 15 minutes we arrived at the “Lion’s Den,” checked in and unpacked... it had been 35 hours since we began, and I needed some fresh clothes before we set out to explore Addis.
DAY 1
We took off on foot a few hours later, it had been raining on and off so we took advantage of a break in the weather. Destination unclear, we walked away from the chaos we had driven through uphill towards where we hoped we'd find a public market. The streets were active with mid-day traffic and we were careful to stay clear of passing vehicles... the border between the roads and sidewalks was blurred, luckily we stuck out like sore thumbs being the only caucasians.
Or perhaps that made us a target... 15 minutes later Jablow had already made a friend, and this random “student” was inviting him to some sort of gathering. I quickly lied that we were in front of our destination, dodged into that random restaurant & we both decided to backtrack to a Radisson we'd passed for a beer. That “student” could have been attempting a scam we’d both read about in literature we’d received from our travel agency. The “gathering” may have been some festivities that, at the end of which, we would have been handed a bill for services rendered... Like I said, we’d JUST read about it in a doc titled “Practical Info for Visiting Ethiopia” so we weren’t taking any chances. Also, the language barrier was getting to be a bit much, verbally I had prepared for Swahili, not Amharic, so it was time for some western hospitality.
An hour later we felt replenished having each enjoyed a local brew, and were now utilizing the hotel concierge to secure a car to the Shiro Meda Market. We were looking for a few supplies, maybe some dry-food for the trek. Our driver zipped through Addis passing us a nickel tour along the way, and 20 minutes later we were driving through the market wondering if we had found what we were looking for. The driver dropped us at the far end and we proceeded on foot investigating the vendors and storefronts.
Produce, textiles, used electronics and clothing... no sun-hats, no sunglasses and no knives, we had been there less than 15 minutes and we were ready to take off. We found another cab and started back, stopping briefly a few minutes in to snag a pair of sunglasses from a street vendor I noticed as we were exiting.
We were leaving at 9am the next day for our “Safari.” Today was about people watching and our excursion had given us plenty including a view of the high security U.S. Embassy and the palace grounds.. another short ride and we were back at the Lion’s Den. We checked our email and sat down in the restaurant for a late lunch... I’d been looking forward to this local fare and it did not disappoint!
The bread (injera) and spiced meats (tibs) were perfect, we had ordered several dishes and our table was full. Some of it was spicy and some was crunchy, there’s no utensils and no napkins... the injera does it all. So much food we couldn’t finish, we took it to go, it was time to sleep now that we’d finally gotten some exploring out of our systems. Jet lag was setting in...
We woke up late, probably 9pm, and found a greek restaurant nearby. I knew I needed more sleep so we found a place with beer to wind back down for the evening. A little food and some shots to help us relax, we drank ouzo since that seemed to be a local fave. After an hour we were the last patrons in the lounge, and it was time to retire... tomorrow was going to be a huge day so we made our way back to the hotel where I spent time skyping with my wife and son before turning in. I was enjoying every minute near wireless internet, in the AM we would be leaving modern civilization for 48 hours, and then another day in Addis, and then who knows what in Tanzania... and then Kilimanjaro.
DAY 2
My sleep was good, or at least comfy - we both showered and packed before motivating down the stairs for breakfast. After an omelette with some fantastic coffee we “checked” our bags with the front desk and met Abay from Abeba Tours. This guy seemed cool and was in charge of our sweet Landcruiser, his shades reminiscent of Kanye ;) So far he seemed a little more urban than the bushmaster tour-guide we were expecting. Our backpacks were loaded and I jumped in the backseat ready for the several hour drive down to the plains of the Great Rift Valley.
When we planned this trip it seemed easy, book a driver to the nearest National Park - it was around 130 miles, so in California speak that’s under two hours - yeah, no. I was wrong, the roads here are horrible.
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construction of an overpass |
We took the next few hours to people watch, Ethiopia was much more modern than I expected - everyone had smart phones and seemed in a hurry.
Apparently so in a hurry that rather than remove the bus it has become an add-on to this marketplace :) (Removing it looked like it would cause more harm than good)
We spoke a bit about the economic environment, Abay explained that although still in the developmental stages, Ethiopia’s independence has allowed them to outsource road construction to the Chinese - they’re scrambling to keep up with the rest of the world utilizing the aid money that has trickled in over the years. We continued down and out of Addis, as we did the structures became farther apart and the climate less damp - I was feeling the elevation change and starting to understand from the maps exactly how big Ethiopia is.. as we drove we learned from Abay about the various native Ethiopians and what parts of the country they called home. We were starting to see people garbed in traditional tribal attire and noticed the way they utilize modern construction with timeless mechanics.
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| Horse Drawn Truck Bed |
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| Overturned Tanker Truck; Locals salvaging fuel before it's lost to the dry earth |
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| Interesting Hyena | Unfortunately Roadkill |
“Tibs & Injera” again, which was just fine. Beef & pork with fresh spices & bread as the utensil/napkin, we scarfed it down... this cuisine was still new, and the eating style neat - I was about to order a second helping but made the mistake of visiting the restroom:
Yeah, that’s a little piece of poo paper on the ground, what you can’t see is the abundance of flies buzzing my extremities. Pit style toilets are gross enough, this one smelled like it looked and I was happy I only had to pee.
That was our last stop in civilization, the road cleared up and the settlements mostly homesteads constructed of earth and straw... it was evident that these people lived off the land. The only interaction a majority had was selling charcoal in bags from the side of the road to the truckers driving by. The road took us on a detour, apparently the road was washed out every “winter” by the rising waters - of course the Landcruiser was fine off-pavement, and after several hours on public roads we appreciated that not every travel agency maintains such classy rides.
We arrived at the main gate, Abay paid the park fees and an armed guard/park ranger assumed the navigator role. Abay had been here before but this guy knew the Awash National Park - of course our first question was about the gun... initially I thought maybe it was for a lion? Nope, the natives are literally restless.?.! In desperation they may attack an unarmed vehicle for their water. Oh and we’re not allowed to take these nomads picture, at least not without permission and it didn’t seem like our guides were up for a conversation anytime soon.
The ranger started pointing out native life: dik-diks (A fat blue pheasant-like creature); warthogs;
several species of birds.. and then more people! These bush-nomads that were collecting wood but carrying rifles. We were no longer in Cali, lethal weapons were being carried freely for provisions, protection, and probably some more reasons as well.
We drove on, determined for the hot springs in the northern part of the park, the road itself was pretty beat-up and exactly the type of terrain we hoped to cross on our day-trip to the bush. The scenery was like out of a movie, every shade providing Acacia Tree protected various wildlife from the afternoon sun, and every water crossing was littered with tracks from that same wildlife making a pit-stop for water.
After an hour and a half on a road that had obviously not been upgraded by the Chinese, we drove through a family of warthogs and parked amongst some huts labeled as campsites on the park map. There were residents, our guides labeled them as students possibly with a science background - regardless they had settled in for the long-term and welcomed the loaves of bread and soda the ranger had loaded up back at the gate.
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| Abay and I |
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| Poop Skipping |
Eventually we entered a palm grove, the trail closed in to a path and the streams became larger (clearer) creeks - we were approaching the springs, good thing cause I had broken a sweat and was ready for a good soak.
It was HOT! At least 110 degrees (fahrenheit) - and it was deep... and I was realizing exactly how far we were from reality, AND I had no idea what creatures might live in or near this oasis. I wasn’t panicking but I was very aware that our trust in these two gentlemen, except for today’s conversations, was completely from an African website who’s been smart enough to maintain a positive online presence.
So here we are in the heart of Africa: two white guys stripped down to our boxers, skin bright pink from getting cooked in an Ethiopian spring, two hours from a paved road and who knows how far from a phone, hours from an embassy, hanging out with two locals- one carrying an AK-47 and the other looks like Kanye West. The ranger may have sensed my skepticism and jumped in after me.
And after maybe 30 minutes of taking a dip and drying off we laced up and started back, not as eager this time. We were enjoying the scenery and shade before we were once again in the truck for the ride back.
The 30 km back to the gate went fast, we saw more wildlife (including several turtles and a land tortoise!) and actually interacted with the aborigines by passing them our leftover water. They seemed polite and intrigued - as were we, the most notable thing was the way they dressed: I saw several women wearing “bebe” brand tops but then gowned with some sort of ceremonial wrap, barefoot and carrying bundles of wood on makeshift hats. It seems that Africa gets the worlds surplus of textiles, and puts them to good use... modern tailoring might have a few advantages.
We made it back to the park entrance as the sun was starting to set, and continued on toward the central part of the part. It was time for a “Game Drive” - right away it did not disappoint, the area we were in was known for the antelope and oryx.
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| Oryx |
Awash National Park borders the Awash River, which is known for it’s tremendous waterfalls. On our way to the Awash Falls Lodge we stopped by an encampment on a precipice and took in the Awash Gorge - another lovely reminder of exactly how big Africa is, and how small we are in comparison.
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| Awash Gorge |
It was getting dark so we donned our headlamps and made our way to dinner. Our path meandered along a cliff, the entire “resort” overlooked the falls, the noise and mist combined into a magical byproduct. We were careful, tomorrow we would have time to explore, it was time for refreshment.
Dinner was a group experience, every guest gathered on chairs and couches surrounding a central fire pit, we immediately ordered beers and the most basic entrees. (We’d had enough authentic cuisine for one day, chicken and pasta would be fine) After dinner we were offered coffee, which we found out later was served in a style reminiscent of a traditional Coffee Ceremony. Guessing it's performed nightly for the lodges guests.
She roasted the beans over charcoal, served these small espresso cups full of the rich dark liquid, and then used that same pan to pop some very unique tasting corn. It was a fun experience which we complemented with a lemon Ouzo nightcap. I made sure not to finish the wonderful coffee as I was hoping for sleep, and was looking forward to the sounds of water lulling me to dreamland.
DAY 3
I woke up to an empty cabin, apparently Jabs had motivated early. I lazed in bed still reading various literature I’d acquired in preparation of Kilimanjaro. Eventually I pulled my shoes on and began a search for my friend.
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| First Monkey Sighting |
I walked towards the falls and from an overlook I spotted my roommate, sitting on a rock near where the two falls landings joined together. I snapped a few pics and made my way down.
After appreciating the sheer immensity of those cascades for a few minutes we decided to embark on a small hike/adventure down a trail that followed the river from the falls. We had been warned about wildlife and being near a river, I was on the lookout for an alligator.
About 15 minutes in, after we’d seen so many varieties of birds and a family of monkeys jumping from rock to rock across the river, I saw something large from the corner of my eye jump into the river! I’ll never know if that was the wild alligator I had been hoping to see, and I think that’s close enough. We continued into the jungle, the trail was still clear and we were hoping to wrap around to the backside of the resort.
Eventually we came to a gentle slope up and noticed footprints in the soft scree, this was our path. After another 10 minutes we crested the ridge and followed an old road in the direction we guessed was the lodge. We saw something move in a clearing up ahead, and there was a fire with multiple children stumbling around in the vicinity? There was a man feeding the flames, our guess: the morning garbage burn, and the stumbling children? Baboons! So many I didn’t count, plenty, bare-assed long snouted baboons, and one was carrying a baby!
They got pretty close and obviously weren’t afraid of humans. Their whole draw was that garbage burn and whatever they could snag from it when that human wasn’t paying attention. After some time we continued on, as did the baboons, our next discovery was an ostrich enclosure - it was feeding time and the ranch-hand was busy chasing off the baboons from the trough he’d just filled.
This was the resort boundary, our last stop looked like a staging area for the revolution complete with a lookout tower - Africa was definitely a different world, SJ pointed out that a guard had perched over the front gate through the night with another AK, hmmm. I know what they’re defending, but I’m not sure what from. From this vantage our bearings were clear.
The resort and our room was nearby, amongst the bush overlooking several waterfalls.
We made our way to the restaurant and found the coolest covered alcove to enjoy breakfast in
it had spectacular views of the falls that took a backseat to the meal, I was famished and liked the crepesand coffee so much I ordered seconds!
We wrapped things up and made our way back to the room to clean up and get packed, it was approaching 10am, checkout time - our cue to jump back in the Landcruiser with Abay and make our way back. He verified that we were still OK with the pit-stop at the mineral springs that was mentioned in the original itinerary, which we were, so after a small delay when a herd of camels was blocking us from the main road - we were heading back towards Addis.
About two hours later we were driving through the Sodere Resort Hotel gate just outside of Adama, Ethiopia, once again chasing hot water - this time in the form of showers, and maybe a pool. The atmosphere was relaxed, although I did notice we were the only two caucasians once again, this spot was only known by locals.. we were getting turned on to some locals only shit, or so it seemed.
The moment we parked I had the camera ready, the monkey’s were obnoxious here!
Immediately taking up residence on our truck, we pulled on our trunks once again for another dip. What happened next was weird, I’m not gonna lie.
The men and women are separated, we were ushered towards the left, around a series of corners and down some stairs... This is what it was:
Six metal pipes protruding from the wall, the farthest being the hottest. Men would wander in with a bar of soap, their speedos and a towel, and bathe. Men and boys were sitting down in there, but there were no seats. We turned ourselves pink once again and made our way out, abstaining from the public pool - we were hungry and starting to get anxious over the next leg of our trip to Tanzania.
We stopped in Mojo for lunch, vegetarian today. Like everywhere, religion is a big part of Ethiopian culture. We had been speaking with Abay off an on about the subject, and knew he was Orthodox, which was the largest religion in the country. On Wednesdays they abstain from meat, and we were happy to oblige our host and enjoy Ethiopian vegetarian.
A few hours later we arrived in Addis, paid our tab with the tour company & wrapped up our road-trip with some souvenir shopping under dreary conditions. (it had been raining up here in the mountains) We made our way back to the Lions Den, unloaded the truck & said our goodbyes to Abay.
We were beat, some food was in order before we verified our bags were packed for tomorrow morning's departure. I spent the last few hours that night speaking to my family, this was the longest I had been away from my son & wife and I wasn't sure what the online conditions would be in Arusha. I missed them both.
The next morning we woke up, showered, packed, scarfed down breakfast and caught one last Lion's Den shuttle to the airport... It was time to meet Jono and go to Tanzania!
CLICK HERE if you haven’t already, and want to continue reading about our trip to Kilimanjaro's summit, and back.
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ReplyDeleteHi, great story. Question; how much was it to extend your stopover to 4 days?
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