It all starts in Ethiopia

Blog archives: Ethiopia, April 2007 and Uganda May 2007

April arrives… April 2, 2007

Wow, it’s now April. We leave this month. It used to seem so far away, now it almost seems too close. I think I’m ready…

I have all my shots now - Meningitis, Yellow Fever, Tetanus booster, Hepatitis A&B, Typhoid, Malaria pills and Dukoral, Cipro and some Imodium just in case. 3 separate trips to the travel clinic to get all those shots. I have my visas for Ethiopia and Uganda. Our eTickets are booked. I’ve even started to pack my bag with a few things I don’t want to forget and have been testing different travel products. So far I am in love with the technical socks and underwear (very durable, tropical weight, quick drying) that I picked up from Mountain Equipment Coop. I tested out some shaving oil too, can’t believe I have used shaving cream all these years. The oil is so much more refreshing, natural, ultra compact (just 4 drops for a shave) and more environmentally friendly product and packaging. Even found travel sizes of Tom’s toothpaste and other natural products.

So, ya, I guess I’m ready to go. It just seems kinda surreal. I’ve really noticed a few things have started to change already… anticipating the time away I suppose. Especially with Kelly and the kids. I’ve always rushed home at 4pm every day to spend time with them, but now even more so, I just can’t get home soon enough. When I talk to them on the phone I almost imagine I am halfway across the world and it saddens me. I find it hard to leave their rooms after reading stories and singing goodnight songs. I just lie there and listen to their breathing. Smell their hair. How much will they change in one month… they just turned 4 and have already started some basic reading, writing and understanding math. What will they learn and experience, what stories will they have…

Ready, set…April 19, 2007

So, it’s the night before departure and I’m about to shut down the computer. I just enabled my vacation message and I’ve always used a certain phrase that I think is appropriate. “Heroes take journeys, confront dragons, and discover the treasure of their true selves.” – Carol Pearson

Tomorrow is going to be a hard day, not because of the 19hr flight, but saying goodbye to my family. I just put the kids down to sleep and both of them told me they will miss me sooooo much. They are almost old enough to understand the concept of time and me being away. You can easily take for granted how much a 4 year old can comprehend.

The team takes flight April 20, 2007

We are in Sudan, at the airport in Kharatown to drop off some passengers and refuel. Its been over 17 hours of stale airplane air. 8 hours to Frankfurt for a 3 hour wait to catch our next 8 hour flight. I want to get outside and stretch, Marty has a frisbee and it would be great even just to be outside on the tarmac and toss it around for a bit and breathe the desert air. We are just here for an hour but its a tease to be so close to a culture I know so little about and not be able to explore it, even for that hour. Wave to the locals, photograph a camel, draw your name in the sand…

As we flew over Sudan – the sky was clear and you could see the desert clearly as we flew at cloud level. It looks like a blank canvas waiting for life. Just endless miles of a brown whisping texture. Small clusters of buildings seem to appear out of nothing. The Nile resembles a dark brown snake dissecting the desert. It offers what seems from up here to be the only life, as everything seems dependent on the lifeline the river offers. Green stretches of fields (cotton someone suggests) line the banks like a patchwork quilt. Starting at the Nile, fed by the river and reaching into the desert. Then it just quickly ends. Tiny villages (true, everything looks tiny from up here) embrace her gracious curves. There are no tributaries that I can see to feed the river. Just the Nile. Another 2 hours in the air, but this time the plane is half empty and no one sits beside me. I stretch out and try to catch a nap before landing.

As we approach Addis its 8:30 pm local time. The lights of the city are quite concentrated and quickly fade into the horizon – they seem to meet the stars just as an ocean meets the sky. We finally place our feet on African soil. Breathe in the cool night air. We are exhausted but I think the adrenalin of just being here is keeping us awake.

April 21 - welcome to Ethiopia!

We land in Addis and are greeted by our hosts. The cool night air (10 degrees or so) is so refreshing after the flights. We head off to the National Hotel. Driving in Ethiopia is an experience in itself. There are not really rules so much as guidelines to driving. I think I have only see 2 sets of traffic lights in the entire city of 4 million people. The Fiat blue and white taxis outnumber the cars. There are no stop signs and traffic just works on a first come first serve basis. The lines in the roads really don’t mean anything and pedestrians and goats crossing busy streets constantly remind me of frogger on the old atari. Especially freaky when they wear dark clothing on unlit streets at night.

The hotel is something out of a murder mystery novel. Animal heads mounted on plaques, decorating reminiscent of the late 60′s, doors that are impossible to lock or unlock and creeks and echoes that run chills down your spine. For the first night they group us in pairs and I am with Marty. We are all excited to be there and start taking photos like its our only night in the city. The GSE paparazzi. I think Rajah took 100 shots of the hotel alone. We quickly settled in and went downstairs for a celebratory pint and took turns sampling the different beers on the menu. St.George was the pick of the night. A lonely man sat at the only occupied table on the other side of the small basement restaurant so we invited him to join us. I didn’t know if he was African or a tourist but he introduced himself and told us he was visiting from Boston for a wedding. We shared some stories and beers and reluctantly went to bed knowing the dawn would come too soon for our jet-lagged souls.

Too soon was an understatement. At 4am the church bells began ringing loudly. Marty quickly declared it was 200 o’clock since the bells went well past 12 chimes. Then the singings started. It echoed in our room and didn’t stop until after we checked out. Apparently the Orthodox and Muslim faiths are having a bit of a shouting match and each is competing for new followers and think this can be achieved by being louder than the other. I didn’t care, I just wanted to sleep, I closed the windows but it barely made a difference. There was no more sleep to be had tonight but that was OK. The bed was comfortable and besides, we were in Africa.

April 22

Our schedule called for a rest day so I was prepared for some afternoon catchup sleep and a few pots of tea. We had a quick breakfast of cold eggs and toast and then I just threw my gear back in my suitcase and off we went. My host pulled over 15mins later and told me I was getting out. I grabbed my bag and followed him inside the worn building not knowing what to expect. He simply said I would be with these guys for the day and he would pick me up later. That was it. Who where these people? Where was my host taking my suitcase? What was his phone number and how to I call?

Ya, I was unexpectedly thrown into it right off the bat but decided to just go with the flow. I was at a blood donor clinic with a Rotaract team, young volunteers between 18 and 30 who were collecting blood on a Sunday since the clinic was closed for regular use. I introduced myself and shared some interesting stories with the youth running the place. I toured the clinic and stood with the doctors watching the Boston marathon on the tele. Ethiopia has some of the best runners in the world and the workers were glued to the screen. I offered to help where I could and talked to the volunteers. I was introduced to the local language Amheric by Nedegro and learned the basics of the alphabet. Its an amazing pictograph language with some 200 or so letters/sounds. The clinic closed at lunch and off we went for an impomptu walking tour and some shopping. I exchanged some money on the black market and we walked around for an hour or so but never made it to the market.

This is the part where I really wish I could have prepared. I only had my shoulder bag which was filled with about 20 pounds of camera gear, laptop etc. A heavy load to carry around and there was not a drop of sun block or a hat in the bag. I didn’t see a single white person all day so there was no one to ask for some sun-block. Oh well, go with the flow, right? We hopped in a local shared cab, a mini-van packed with locals; I almost had a complete stranger sitting on my lap as we flew through town. The driver’s assistant just called out while half hanging out the door of the moving van to let others know what direction they were going. It was just a few birr to go a few km (it was roughly 9birr = 1USD) and most things only cost a few birr. For example, we had a nice lunch of burgers at a more upscale restaurant and for the 5 of us it was about 150birr or less than $15USD. After lunch we stopped off at an internet cafe to send an email home to let everyone know I arrived OK. The dial-up was excruciatingly slow but I happily hit the send key and we were off again. We took a private taxi, a old blue and while fiat, to our destination for the afternoon. – a Rotaract fellowship. Basically, a thank-you party for all the blood donor volunteers. I had no idea what to expect, it was basically a house party with almost 40 young Ethiopians in someone’s backyard. They had been great hosts for the day so I reminded myself to go with the flow.

The party was a series of unexpected pleasant surprises. My first full day in the country and already I was offered some home cooked enjera, the local favorite food. As I was the guest (and the only non Ethiopian who obviously never tried eating enjera…) I was offered to serve first. So I walked up to the table and asked them what to do. I unrolled some of the enjera bread, a sort of tart tasting spongy flat bread, and topped it with a few different spicy beef toppings. I knew from my reading that I was to eat only with my right hand (the left was used for, er, bathroom needs in some circumstances) and not to lick my fingers. I sampled the spicy beef and was quite pleased with the taste - a hot chili flavor that was spicy at first but died down after a few bites. The custom was also to be fed by your host so one of the girls walked around, rolling some enjera around the beef and fed it to you with her bare hand. They had a few laughs while they watched me attempt to do my best. Once of the teens pulled out their ipod and played some local tunes while several sang along. I was asked to do a quick impromptu solo presentation to the group about what the Exchange was all about about and about life in Canada. They asked me if I knew of any games we played and nothing really came to mind except for one of those team-building games I played in the past. So I let them all through a game of Knots, where 2 large groups had to gather in a circle, then all move in tight and grab 2 different hands from people on the other side of the circle. The challenge was to untie the knot of connected hands without letting go of each other. So they had to communicate to climb through each other’s arms until they were untied. The game went over well and it was time for them to show me some of their games. We played a toss game where there was a small bowl floating in a bucket of water, the player had to throw several coins and see how may they could get in the floating bowl. The one with the most wins. There were a few other simple games we played as the sun set. The DJ cranked some local tunes and several people started to dance to the hybrid beats primal rhythms and modern baselines. I was called to the middle of the circle and taught a traditional dance that involved tapping your feet, placing your hands on your hips, quickly gyrating your shoulders and looking back and forth, sort of a chicken dance. They had a good chuckle at my, dare I say it, white man coordination. We wrapped up and headed out for a coffee at a popular cafe across the street. You would swear it was Starbucks right down to the type treatment and colours. There was a large mural telling the story of how the coffee bean was discovered in Ethiopia, although I could have sworn I heard the exact story in El Salvador before.

They shared a joke with me… if you can speak 3 types of languages you are trilingual, if you speak 2 languages you are bilingual, if you can only speak one language…. you are American. Not bad…

My host picked me up at the coffee house and we headed back to his place, a cozy house in the old part of town. His road resembled a washed out river and we bounced our way up the lane in his tiny car… one of the few non-european or Japanese cars in the country. The room was perfect, no footboard on the bed (important for us who are over 6’4″) an en-suite bathroom and electricity to recharge the electronics. I only took 80 or so photos today… I was just warming up. I was wiped so I thanked my host, set my travel clock to local time and lied in bed. It was next to impossible to sleep. So much running through my head, recounting the days events, thinking of what my kids were doing back home… tomorrow will be another day.

April 23

I had a great sleep at my host’s house, but still feel tired. Breakfast is always good, fresh squeezed (green) oranges, eggs, toast and tea. I had a nice shower and thought I had plenty of time to meet the others untii the phone rang with the others asking where I was… oops. Miscommunication on my part and we quickly grabbed our things and ran off to meet the others at the meeting place.

We took our first tour of a Rotary school project. We met the project coordinator at his small office on the lush mountainside. Birds chirped all around us as he talked about the project and all the wonderful things they have achieved so far. We walked over to the first school, a preschool just a few blocks away. As we looked all around us there were tiny huts where the villagers lived and other huts for cooking. Most of the buildings were made of straw and dung that were plastered over and covered by corrugated tin roofs. In one of these buildings stood a school. Just about 12′ x12′ with one small window and no lights or electicity, just a few simple benches and desks where about 12 four year old students were taught by a teacher who was a highschool student. We had some fun quizzing them and taking photos. After the shots we played back their photos and they were just amazed to see themselves on the display at the back of the camera. We thanked them and headed off to the larger school.

When we arrived at the next school we were amazed by the size. Hidden in the rolling countryside the school contained about a dozen buildings in a semi circle. At the other end was a large dirt clearing and students were playing volleyball for phys ed class. THis school contains approx 2800 students and they travel from all over to attend. There were on average 90-100 students per class. All the children were living in poverty and many had been abused. The students were excited to see us and all wanted their photos taken. We toured several classes including English and Calculus classes. We had an opportunity to interview one of the students and a teacher to get a better understanding of their conditions. The student dreams of one day having a library so they have resources to study with. It was an eye opening experience to say the least. Shari had brought a bag filled with school supplies and she left it with the school’s coordinator to distribute. We said our goodbyes and headed back.

On the way I was reviewing my photos with Rajah in our minibus when some soldiers started shouting something to us in Amheric. Our driver quickly responded that I was not taking photos – no photos! No photos! Since we were driving past a military training compound no photos are allowed and when the soldiers saw my camera they would have confiscated it if I had taken any pics. Thankfully we just kept on driving. We had some more enjera for lunch and toured a beautiful garden.

We learned a few interesting things about Ethiopia on the drive back. On their calendar this was 1999, they are 7 years behind our calendar… apparently it is because it took 7 years to travel to Ethiopia to tell them about the birth of Christ. So this year, on Sept 11 2007, they will be celebrating their millennium. It will be a huge event. Their calendar also has 13 months with one month only consisting of 5 days. This is why they say “come to Ethiopia and feel 7 years younger” or “Ethiopia the county with 13 months of sunshine” on their marketing materials. But that’s not all that’s different… since they are so close to the equator they don’t have daylight savings time and the sun rises and sets at the same time each day – all year round. 12 hours of daylight, 12 hours of dark. Their clock time starts when the sun rises so their clock says its 12:00am when my watch says its 6am.

As our GSE team is in Africa, there is a team from Africa going to Canada and the US. We were able to easy obtain our VISA’s but unfortunately they were not as lucky. They had their US visas but were denied their Canadian ones. We drove to the Canadian Embassy and planned to meet with them to see if we could do anything to help the applications go through. We talked with them for a while and they offered some suggestions, which Keith followed through with via email back to the district. We all hope the applications go through so they can experience everything we have been On the way back we stop for a coffee break and our driver takes us to a rooftop patio for some fresh mango smoothies and we have a great view of the city.

We meet later at a hotel for our first official presentation. The location was switched and we all scramble to get back to our hosts to change and pickup our laptop/projector etc. We all made it, except for our team leader who was not told about the location change and was waiting for us at the Hilton. He managed to run into a Rotarian at the hotel who found out about the location and sent him in a taxi. Keith arrived half way through our presentation, which was without our equipment, and we just stood up and talked about ourselves. We did have time to setup and show our videos later. Just goes to show you that you can never expect things to go as planned and to just deal with it the best you can. The local club was still impressed with our presentation and we all had an enjoyable evening together.

Our hosts took some of us out to celebrate and Marty and I enjoyed an evening at a German bar that had just opened up. The beer was cold and the presentation was unique. We sat around large barrels and you could order a mini-keg which they placed on a log in the center of the table, or a 5′ tall clear cylinder filled with beer. We enjoyed some german style bratworst, which was a welcome change from all the enjera. The last call bell rang and we headed back home for the night. This would become the norm, socializing until at least 11:30 each night and waking at 6:30 to start another adventure. Everyone has been so incredibly hospitable, from our hosts to complete strangers. Ethiopians are truly exceptional people

April 24 Another beautiful day in Addis.

No one ever talks about the weather here, something I’m not used to. In Canada its the first thing you talk about after introducing yourself, but here the weather is the same everyday so there is no need. 26 and sunny during the day and 10 and cool in the evenings. The occasional rain shower as it is fall here (seasons are opposite to ours).

I have been enjoying eggs and toast each morning as my host squeezes some fresh orange juice from green oranges. He doesn’t have any hired help today in his kitchen. Just a guard to open his gate and wash the car. The Dr has traveled a lot and enjoys cooking his own meals, which is rare here. Other hosts include a single woman who has 6 helpers including a driver, a cook, someone to take her phone calls and a guard.

Now when I say guard, its really more of a gate keeper. Ethiopia is a very safe place as long as you use common sense. Homes for the upper class all have gated entrances for style more than security. It is expected that if you are of upper class that you hire helpers to give them jobs instead of doing things yourself. I don’t know exactly what they are paid but I have heard many Ethiopians live on $1US a day.

Today we do a little sightseeing in the morning. We drove to the countryside and stopped on top of a mountain along the way to enjoy the scenery. The drive up was a long windy road that took us through small villages outside of the city centre. Along the way mules carried containers of water and women climbed down the mountainside carrying large bundles of sticks that were probably 12′ long and must have been very heavy. The men were further up the mountainside chopping down Eucalyptus trees, which were used for building and for firewood to cook. I had seen these same sticks used for scaffolding in new construction. The trees can be cut down and will grow back in 6 years to about 30′ high, ready for harvest again. The leaves smell amazing! We had a great panoramic view of Addis, the air was crisp and you could see for miles.

Next we went to St.Marys for a tour of a historic church and museum. We couldn’t go inside the church but toured the grounds and the home of an emperor. We had enough time on the way back to stop in at a market for 20mins to do some shopping. I popped in and out of a dozen shops, each which seemed to carry almost the same items. I have been looking forward to adding a mask to my collection but all I could find were very touristy looking ones and I was looking for something more authentic so I’ll hold onto my birr for now…

We went on a tour of one of their projects where Rotary had built 100 homes for people in need. It stretched out over a few acres of treed land and each home was self-contaned. They were block homes with metal roofs, each one consisted of 2 rooms – one for cooking and living and one for sleeping. The larger of the 2 rooms was about 12×12. Most houses had on average 5 people living in them. Water was carried in from a well in the middle of the neighborhood. It was amazing to see everyone taking care of their homes and living in harmony. We thought about how this compares to how we work with the homeless in our cities back home and all agreed this project was a much stronger environment allowing people privacy and independence and opportunities for learning and community.

Next we headed back to the city to see the National Museum. The building was large but simple and we walked through the lower level displays that lead up to Lucy – the oldest human skeleton. It was impressive to see Lucy (I would write more but my laptop battery is almost dead)… One of our hosts invited Marty and I over for some more socializing. We started with some traditional honey wine, a sweet strong alcohol, and enjoyed some home cooked enjera with a dozen different toppings. This time the enjera was whole wheat (dark brown) and didn’t have the tangy taste of the other enjera breads. This was my favorite and I couldn’t resist multiple helpings. We talked and watched old black and white Ethiopian music videos on the satellite big plasma tv. The host continued to fill my scotch and wouldn’t let us go. The hospitality and generosity never ends.

April 25

Today we went on an impressive tour of a Fistula hospital. Fistula often comes as a result of very young women having babies when their bodies are not quite ready for the stress and the delivery often results in a still born baby and damage to the reproductive and urinary systems. Women are unable to control their bodily functions and are often ostracized by their families. At the hospital the undergo surgery and rehabilitation as well as learn new skills including English and sewing or crafts so they can support themselves after they have recovered. We were given a quick tour as the French ambassador was on our heals for a tour next. We had another lunch presentation at the Hilton and afterwards toured another school project. It rained out and the school grounds were muddy. As we stood in the classrooms the floorboards almost caved beneath our feet and water dripped constantly from the ceilings while the children sang songs for us. Another emotional afternoon. We spent the rest of the afternoon at the Addis University Museum and the art gallery.

Tonight I changed to a new host. She picked me up at and took me to her home to settle in for the night. As soon as I got out of the car a 2 and a half year old boy came running out to greet me and gave me a welcoming hug. I felt like I was back home and had just gotten back from a regular workday. They invited me in and showed me around. I could chose a quiet room in a separate house or choose to sleep in one of the girl’s rooms. I was going to choose the separate quarters so she could sleep in her own bed but she insisted I take her room and she sleeps with her sister. My host double-checked that I don’t mind the sound of kids waking me in the morning… little did she know how much I miss that sound.

Perhaps I should have spent the first few hours with my host but instead I spent the time making beaded bracelets and painting with the kids on my bed. I taught them the tickle games and threw the three of them around like I do with my kids. We had a great time but it made me quite homesick. When her husband arrived home from work he insisted we share a scotch and talk for a while. We talked until late in the night and shared a lot of opinions on life and family. He was very open minded and not as traditional as most Ethiopians.

April 26

Had a fun breakfast with the kids and dropped them off at school on our way to tour the St.George church and museum. This includes a climb up to the bell tower. The architecture and history of Ethiopia are so rich. Afterwards we had a bit of time before our next presentation so we stopped off at the Merkata – the largest market in Africa. Our driver said there are over 25,000 garment shops alone. There is (almost) nothing you cannot buy at the market. Someone had suggested we count the number of white people at the market while there and we were the only ones we saw. The market was huge and row after row of food, spices, hardware, crafts etc. We couldn’t stay for long so I quickly scouted as many booths as possible to find a mask but only found 100 vendors all selling the same mass produced sculptures you can get anywhere. I’m not sure I will find what I am looking for here either.

After our lunch presentation we dropped Marty off at the Canadian embassy – he had made arrangements with one of the Rotary presidents to play tennis at the embassy. Some photos were taken and hopefully they will accompany an article on healthy living. Meanwhile the rest of us went to the St.George art gallery to view the collections there. All the driving in Addis can really tax your system. Not just because of the crazy driving but all the diesel gas fumes. It’s hot so the windows are rolled down and almost every truck, car or bus spits dark black smoke.

Tonight we had a dinner presentation at the Sheridan Hotel, and overly luxurious hotel that seemed so out of place in Addis. Afterwards I managed to get almost everyone together for a few St.George’s (local beer) at a live jazz club called the Coffee House. My host used to manage the club and had the current manager take care of us. It was a funky little live music venue. The first band played some mellow funky jazz and the congo player looked like my twin brother. The atmosphere was great but I hadn’t been in a smoky bar in so many years. After an hour or so the others left to return to their hosts but I stayed for another beer and to watch the next band. That was a good call as the reggae band that played was incredible. Around midnight another reggae band took the stage and the manager made sure we were having a good time. We left a few hours later – another great night of culture and entertainment.

April 27

Today was another fun action packed day. We all met for an outdoor breakfast in someone’s yard then hopped into the Land Cruiser and Nissan Patrol 4×4′s and headed out to the country side. Good thing we had the 4×4 trucks as we climbed some steep hillsides lined with cacti to a clearing. We could see the lake that formed inside a volcano and a landscape the stretched for miles. Our ride took us to another school project but this time we were going to get our hands dirty.

First we explored the grounds and met a class of mentally challenged students and a class of deaf students. Then a typical highschool but today they were celebrating completing their grade 10 exam. All students take the exam and based on the outcome they will go to either a higher learning school or a trades school. We shared cake and popcorn with them and some cultural dancing and coffee ceremonies. Afterwards we unpacked the tools and go to work.

They had almost completed building a new school for the special needs kids and put us to work to help finish off some of the rooms. We were drilling and hammering, working on windows, hanging chalkboards and carrying in desks. Our Rotarian host said we had some more work in 4 hours than many do in years. We had a quick lunch and headed out for a road trip along the countryside.

We passed through mountain ranges and dozens of small family farms. Kids waved or chased us down the bumpy dirt roads. When we returned there was an outdoor bbq waiting for all the GSE team and their host families. The meal was an impressive Spanish dish cooked on an open fire in a large pan the size of most tables. Inside the pan were several vegetables, 2 whole chickens, duck, calamari and huge shrimps all stewing away, waiting for some rice to complete the meal. We dined and socialized the evening away.

April 28

Today we are heading out to Yetabon for the weekend. It will be nice to be away from the city smog and in the countryside for a few days. The drive was supposed to take about 2.5hrs but was over 4 since we somehow took the long route and the roads were more suited to 4×4 than minibus so we drove slowly along bumpy dusty roads. The scenery changed subtly with different farmers houses and locals washing in the rivers. It was a long ride, and too bumpy to read or sleep so I just stared out the window, it was like watching a movie that looped every minute since things didn’t change much along the way.

We arrived at Project Mercy. Out in the middle of nowhere surrounded by beautiful mountains was probably the most impressive project imaginable. It starts with a hospital that sees 100 outpatients a day, has many operating rooms, wards and doctors living quarters. There are schools for all grades to teach from daycare to high school with over 1500 students. There are about 100 orphans living here full-time. A non-denominational church and so much more. In order to feed everyone who lives or attends parts of the compound they need to have acres of farmland which are also used as demonstration farms to test which plants grow best and to teach local farmers about drip irrigation.

They started with a few donated acres of land by the community and started the project, first by building a road, then by getting fresh water from the mountain (we could drink the water it was so pure). They gather stones to make their own concrete and have metal workshops to build furniture etc. They needed milk so they started a cow farm and so on until they completed this impressive project. There is still so much in the works and plans to grow. The compound now serves over 40,000 people and is a model for a successful sustainable community. They have a website you could google if you want to see some photos or more info. The story about how they began is well worth the read. While there we ate a great organic supper (almost everything in Ethiopia is organic and free range) while school kids sang some songs about survival. We retired early for the evening and it game me a chance to catchup on a few more journal entries. If only they had internet… well, they just got electricity 2 years ago so be patient.

April 29

We wake at 5:30 am to the sound or roosters. It’s too early to get up so I drift in and out of sleep for another hour. At our door were a few tiny blue birds pecking away, it reminded me of the Bob Marley lyrics “I woke up this morning, smile with the rising sun. Three little birds, each by my doorstep. Singing sweet songs, genuine pure and true. Saying, this is my message to you…” I was rooming with Marty again and we decided to go for a hike before breakfast at 8am. We invited our driver Nedagesh to join us and we hiked in the warm morning air. We wanted to hike to the waterfall but its about a 7 hour hike and we only had one hour.

Ethiopia is so high that the air is hard for us to breathe. You really noticed it the first few days where 3 flights of stairs will take your breath away and your heart pounding. At the compound entrance there is an ancient tree with a bench and a sign in Amheric that translates to “Lateness is a sign of Laziness”. We wandered through farmer’s fields, over rivers and bridges. The flies are relentless, they are everywhere and are enough to make you go mad and just stay indoors. We waited for the others to gather their things and taught some of the locals and our driver how to play Frisbee.

Some local kids were asking me if I was a warrior and if I had ever killed a lion… I asked why and was told that the earring I have (one ring at the top of my right ear) was given to warriors once they have killed a lion. Marty has two hoops, one on each ear, and that was given to a slave that was freed.

Next stop, Lake Largano. Another long dusty drive for about 4 hours. When we arrive there are flowers in all the trees and birds chirping. There are a few dozen cottages scattered along the lakeside. The water is choppy and brown. We cannot swim in it even if we wanted too from the risk of parasites. It sort of reminds me of Long Point back home, except way more rustic. We find our cottage, one of the better ones. There is no electricity or running water but they say it will be on later. But the beds are comfortable and there is no footboard, a nice change for a 6′ 4″ person like myself. I see a bumblebee the size of a walnut. We have a few hours to ourselves; much needed time to nap or just chill. So far we have been too busy to get really homesick. We finally have some time to digest everything we have seen.

I wonder what Kelly and the kids are doing right now? I have surprises at home for them I have wanted to tell them about but haven’t had any way to contact they for days now. It will have to wait until we return to Addis. Its too bad we don’t have enough time to write or update our blogs and check our email. Its important to keep in touch with family and this is such a wonderful experience that needs to be shared with as many people as possible. Hopefully in the weeks to come there will be more time to communicate. We all meet for dinner by the beach but have to eat inside because of the malaria carrying mosquitos. A night to spend with the team without hosts. We decide to watch one of the movies I had on my laptop so we all lounged together and watched Borat. The battery died near the end of the movie and we decided to call it a night. We unrolled our mosquito nets; counted the amazing things we are experiencing and dreamed of my family back home Keith was feeling sick all day today and taking it easy. Its unfortunate but really good timing. There was plenty of time to sleep and by morning he was better.

April 30

It was a long hot drive back and we stopped off at the Hot Springs at around noon. On the way we had a quick glimpse of a man walking his camel down the street. The natural springs flow from the mountain and are diverted into a bath area where steaming hot water flows from a few large spouts in the wall. There is a separate men and women’s spa where you can shower under the hot spring. I put my feet in the water and it burned. I don’t know exactly how hot it was but would guess around 115 degrees? Way to hot. My feet were bright red from standing in the water and I could only last a few seconds before jumping back on the hot concrete. I had to soak myself regardless of the heat. So I dunked my head under the tap a few times and soaped up. It was odd to shower under such hot waters outdoors in the sun but felt so refreshing from the humidity.

All around the spring’s monkeys roamed free. Shari had a banana but only for a few seconds since a hairy thief quickly relieved her of her snack. Again, during lunch one jumped on the table and stole a roll. They were fast. I don’t know what kind of monkeys they were but they sure weren’t shy of their bright blue testicles…

We hoped to hit the market again before dinner but traffic wouldn’t allow us the time. So, in the evening we met our hosts for a farewell dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant. Traditional dancers performed to the live music echoing in the halls. We ate enjera for a final time and exchanged thank you speeches and gifts with the hosts. We were amazed to receive a full traditional outfit for each of us, sized just right. Their hospitality never ends.

May 1

Wow, its May already. Time flies until my thoughts drift to home – then it feels like a long time. Our first leg of the tour is complete and we prepare to fly to Entebbe. I had no internet access for a few days so I decide to wake early and go to the Hilton for 7am when the business centre opened so I could buy some internet time. It was about $12 for an hour but I longed to send some emails and read any messages from home so it was worth it. They were experiencing some difficulty so I almost didn’t even get a chance to connect but eventually was able to download and post my journal here from the previous days. We grabbed all our gear and took one final trip to the Merkata to spend whatever Birr we had left on mementos. The market was just opening but we managed to deal our way to some bargains to fill our suitcases with treasures.

We caught our flight and I think I fell asleep right as we left the runway. I woke to see everyone clearing their lunch dinners so I must have slept right through it. I didn’t think I was that tired but guess I needed the sleep. It was a quick 1hr 45min flight and we arrived before 3pm. Our hosts met us and delivered us to our homes for the next few days.

Read the next section, the Uganda experience