22 April, Friday Debark (Simien Mountains)
I had an interesting time of reflection since yesterday. I will share more of that in my personal blog. I take Sammie for a walk under scrutiny of many eyes and it is almost better to be in the room where we are not watched.
I go for breakfast and have a wonderful view on the street where I can watch life happen. The excitement in the air is mounting, because Sunday is Easter – one of the biggest Holidays in the Orthodox Christian Church. Everybody will go to church and then, after church – 3 am, the celebrations – Fasika will commence with food, drink, music and dancing. They will break their 55 days meat/animal fast. Women are carrying live chickens by their legs; men are pulling and pushing stubborn goats to their home where they will be slaughtered and prepared Saturday night. Taxis in Debark are horse-drawn carriages; the Orthodox Christians, men and women, wear a white linen robe which they drape around them and it is an amazing sight to see throngs of white-robed people purposefully walking and busy with different activities. Little boys run around their goats, trying to keep them together and away from trucks, buses and horse-carriages; donkeys are carrying loads of anything you can think of around; store-owners have their goods displayed in colorful containers on the side of or in the street; children are playing everywhere; women carry plastic buckets on their head; others hang laundry;
More than half of Ethiopia’s population are Orthodox Christians and Ethiopian art, literature, spiritual, intellectual, cultural and social life are shaped by Christianity.
The guys arrive earlier than what I thought – by noon. They had an awesome time, in spite of the weather. The scenery was striking and panoramic and they’ve also seen several birds and animals: the walia ibex, gelada or bleeding heart baboons, lammergeyer and was lucky to spot the Ethiopian wolf.
We drive another 4 hours, most of it in the rain, and find a mountain bush camp with stunning panoramic views. Dark clouds surround us, but we are fortunate that it does not rain. We sit around the fire, the guys share some of their experiences; we have a few friendly visitors who come by to carefully inspect what we are doing. We have been fortunate this far. It is difficult to be inconspicuous when you bush camp like us with so many people around. You think you’ve done it this time and then voila, we have a visitor! We have this far never felt unsafe or that there was danger. We are obviously as foreign in our looks and ways as a visitor from Mars would have been and added to our UFO is of course Sammie. People have been friendly, polite and hospitable and for that we are thankful for that.
Sammie and I are happy to be back with our family.
20 April 2011 See Gallery
I had an interesting time of reflection since yesterday. I will share more of that in my personal blog. I take Sammie for a walk under scrutiny of many eyes and it is almost better to be in the room where we are not watched.
I go for breakfast and have a wonderful view on the street where I can watch life happen. The excitement in the air is mounting, because Sunday is Easter – one of the biggest Holidays in the Orthodox Christian Church. Everybody will go to church and then, after church – 3 am, the celebrations – Fasika will commence with food, drink, music and dancing. They will break their 55 days meat/animal fast. Women are carrying live chickens by their legs; men are pulling and pushing stubborn goats to their home where they will be slaughtered and prepared Saturday night. Taxis in Debark are horse-drawn carriages; the Orthodox Christians, men and women, wear a white linen robe which they drape around them and it is an amazing sight to see throngs of white-robed people purposefully walking and busy with different activities. Little boys run around their goats, trying to keep them together and away from trucks, buses and horse-carriages; donkeys are carrying loads of anything you can think of around; store-owners have their goods displayed in colorful containers on the side of or in the street; children are playing everywhere; women carry plastic buckets on their head; others hang laundry;
More than half of Ethiopia’s population are Orthodox Christians and Ethiopian art, literature, spiritual, intellectual, cultural and social life are shaped by Christianity.
The guys arrive earlier than what I thought – by noon. They had an awesome time, in spite of the weather. The scenery was striking and panoramic and they’ve also seen several birds and animals: the walia ibex, gelada or bleeding heart baboons, lammergeyer and was lucky to spot the Ethiopian wolf.
We drive another 4 hours, most of it in the rain, and find a mountain bush camp with stunning panoramic views. Dark clouds surround us, but we are fortunate that it does not rain. We sit around the fire, the guys share some of their experiences; we have a few friendly visitors who come by to carefully inspect what we are doing. We have been fortunate this far. It is difficult to be inconspicuous when you bush camp like us with so many people around. You think you’ve done it this time and then voila, we have a visitor! We have this far never felt unsafe or that there was danger. We are obviously as foreign in our looks and ways as a visitor from Mars would have been and added to our UFO is of course Sammie. People have been friendly, polite and hospitable and for that we are thankful for that.
Sammie and I are happy to be back with our family.
20 April 2011 See Gallery
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