Fun things to do in Ethiopia

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The city has a typical Ethiopian atmosphere. It reminded me a little of Harar, Djibouti and Dire Dawa with the same busy dusty streets, the old coffee shops and restaurants and the beautiful colors of the houses. It also has a few modern buildings and hotels where you can have a more “western” meal. If you have time to spare this city is not a bad choice.
Something that made me feel uncomfortable is that the police don't allow tourists to take photos around the city and they may arrest you if you do. Especially in the market and several other parts of the old city they are very strict... You have to go to the police station first and take a written permission....
But the worst is that a lot of uncontrollable and corrupted policemen block the way and stop the buses every few kilometers on the road to Jijiga. It is really irritating. They ask for money for doing nothing and grab whatever they like from local people. They blackmail and treat locals like slaves. Of course they don't bother tourists but it is better not to carry anything illegal with you. They usually look for smuggled goods and take everything they desire from the defenceless locals. Disgusting! Locals have their share of guilt however because they smuggle a lot of electronics or household items and hide their illegal goods wherever they can. Many were put in jail in front of our eyes because only half of them had passports or any papers at all. An enormous bulk of illegal goods come from Somalia, where crime is thriving.

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This church is a real wonder and if you visit Ethiopia you cannot miss it. Built at the end of the XVIIIth century on the top of a hill, it is famous for its stunning pictures that decorate the inside walls. Like all the buildings that I visited in Gonder, this church is surrounded by an enclosure with several towers covered with egg-shaped domes (picture 2). In this case the number of towers is 12 symbolising the 12 apostles. The 13th tower, the biggest one, represents Christ and it is used as entrance gate. Take your time and walk around the walls before going inside: hidden among exuberant vegetation there are some surprises (picture 3).
The church corresponds to a basilica type –which is very common in the north of the country- with a quadrangular plan lined up direction west-east (picture 4). It is surrounded by a beautiful veranda and has doors on three sides: west, north and south while the east side is sacred and closed. People enter to the church from the main door in the west side (the darkness) and move forward to the sancta sanctorum in the east (the light) where the tabot is kept but only opened to clergy. Inside, the main wall shows the Trinity -always represented by three old bearded man- surrounded by the symbols of the apostles (picture 5). Above, the scene of the crucifixion and king Egwala Seyon at the foot of the cross. Other remarkable paintings are the knights- saints, Christ’s life on the north wall and an enchained devil on the south. But the most famous paintings in this church are the uncountable winged cherubs that invade the wooden roof looking at the four directions with their almond eyes (picture 1). Try to count them!
Flash is not permitted inside but the impassive priest will accept from you all kind of immobile positions to get good pictures. It seems that he is used to it!

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Baboons are Old World monkeys. There are 5 species in Africa. The Ethiopian species is called “gelada baboon” and they are very funny with a big red mark on their chest. I thought that it would be difficult to see them, that it was a rare species to meet but there are hundreds of baboons and they are not afraid of people, I would even say that they like to pose for photographers :-))) You will find baboons in big groups, called troops, where it is easy to distinguish the big boss looking like a sultan with his harem. They spend most of their time sitting, like to clean their skin between them and speak a lot (vocal exchanges). I guess that they also enjoy doing the top models for a while. We met many troops of baboons during our second day hike.

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We decided to do the Simien Mountains trek as late as possible. That was because we were in the rainy season (August – September) so we thought that if we started the trek later we would have more chances of good weather. That turned to be a wise decision because one week before, in Bahir Dar, we met a couple of Scots that could not do the trek because of heavy rain. However everyday we had our little shower by 3.00 -4.00 pm. This was not a problem because by that time we had already finished the daily walk and we were safe in our den.

We left Debark in the morning direction to Buyit Ras. This is a 10km walk which takes four – five hours. The landscape is beautiful with green valleys and some rivers to cross (boots off –boots on). During our way we also found some small villages of Ahmaric people. They live from agriculture and farming in very hard conditions. In the morning you cross many people who go to Debark loaded with wood, animals and other food to sell in the market. This is terrible because each time you have to stop to let them pass and it breaks your walking rhythm. This was the hardest and most tiring day for me
but I managed to keep my dignity (M. K’s glucose tablets helped!) and we arrived to the den at the expected time (just before the rain!)

The National Park of Simien Mountains is a great break during the Historical Route. Gorgeous valleys, canyons, rivers and mountains . . . at an average height of 3.300m are a delight for photographers and trekkers. In Simien Mountains you will also find three endemic animal species of Ethiopia: Walias, Simien Jakals and the so funny Baboons.
You need to arrange your trek (and pay the entrance fee) in the Park Headquarters situated at Debark. An armed scout with you is compulsory. A mule + mule man for your stuff and food is optional but very useful. Your route will depend on the number of days that you want to stay in the mountains. We decided to do a three days trek so we spent the third day walking back what we have done in the two previous days. I have put some prices at my Packing List tips. These prices are fixed and there is no possible negotiation.

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One full day in Harar was enough to us to catch the spirit of the city and visit its main spots.
Harar by day is a busy, brilliant and noisy city. The colorful souq (picture 1) is an immersion to the Harar’s everyday life with interesting smells and colors. Take your time also to explore the city's narrow streets and the walls (pictures 2 and 3) around it: even if the architecture is very poor, with almost no details, there is always a surprise around the corner. Crooked minarets are always a reference dot on the skyline and also put some color to the flat ensemble. I found very interesting the Sewing Machines Street where all the tailors work on the streets in front of their workshops (picture 4). Rimbaud’s House was for me only an opportunity so see some Rimbaud’s stuff in a beautiful architecture (picture 5).

Harar by night is dark and lonely. Outside the walls there is still some life, with last people selling chatt and the hyena show for tourists, that we did not see. Inside the walls red light pubs open its doors widely, even in Ramadan time. It's also prostitutes' turn, who don’t mind to smile and look brazenly at men-foreigners even in presence of their female partners!

During the XVth and XVIth centuries Ethiopia had its first cultural contacts with Europe. But it was also a busy period due to never ending wars against Muslims, who invaded the north west and the south of Ethiopia. In 1535 Emperor Lebna Dengel, desperate, had to ask for the Portuguese help –who were already in the area- to fight against the Muslims. Thanks to them the Christian Kingdom of Ethiopia was saved.

Portuguese and Jesuit missions coming from Goa in India meant an interesting cultural exchange for Ethiopia. They also did their best to convert the Ethiopian Emperors (King Za- Denguel and King Susenyos) into Catholicism which provoked the population’s rebellion. Susenyos’ son and successor, King Fasiladas, managed to re-establish the traditional faith and Europeans were expelled off the country.

Emperor Fasiladas’s predecessors did not have a fix capital. The Emperor and his court lived in tents and moved from one place to another depending on the grain of the close villages and the wood from the forests.
In 1636 Gonder, a small and secondary village, was chosen by King Fasiladas to build his Empire. Tradition tells us about an archangel who prophesied to King Lebna Denguel the future of his dynasty and told him that the initial letter of their new capital would be letter “G”. King Sarsa Denguel chose the city of Gouzara and King Susenyos moved the capital to Gorgora. It seems that King Fasiladas found his capital following a buffalo until Gonder when he was hunting. He converted Gonder in a beautiful and wealthy city with several imposing castles and forty four churches. His successors went on with the construction of the royal enclosure (Fasil Ghebi) and beautiful gardens, banquet halls and libraries were added during the following years. Gonder became the city of arts, crafts and impressive feasts attracting visitors from all the world. But this Camelot in Africa was also the city of intrigue, conspiracy and assassination. In fact, only four monarchs were in the power during the so called Gonder Period.
Gonder was the capital of the Ethiopian Empire from 1636 until 1864, when Emperor Texwdoros II moved the capital to Magadala in 1885.

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Once you are face to face with the falls go down again to have another side view from below. It is a muddy path but there is a pleasant corner at the end where you can sit on the rocks, admire the falls and take more pictures without getting another shower (picture 1).
It was during this excursion to Tis Isat when I understood the meaning of the Ethiopian proverb on my homepage “The foot that is restless will tread on a turd”: all the path from the village to the falls is full of mud, mud and sometimes slippery stones to avoid mud . . . or to fall on it (picture 2). That’s why I decided to take long stick and a young + handsome valet to help me along the way, crossing the small streams and jumping on the stones. He was expensive (I had to pay also for the rent of the stick!) but turned to be also a good company and told me nice stories. However, some younger tourists were luckier than me ;-) (picture 3)

Going back to the main point, you can watch the falls for the last time taking a cup of coffee under the shadow of a tree.