Semien Mountains - Gelada “Baboon”

There was a three day hiking option, but participating in it, would have meant not visiting Axum. Instead we organized a one-day trip, basically to hike a bit, but mostly to see the gelada “baboons”. Gelada “baboons” are a species of Old World monkey only found in the Ethiopian Highlands, with the largest population in the Semien Mountains.

 Gelada are not actually baboons, but members of their own genus. When we arrived at the mountains, the weather was extremely cloudy. We tried hiking, but we couldn’t see anything, when we reached a vista. All we could see was clouds. After spending an hour with the geladas we decided to call it quits, plus one of our group member wasn’t feeling well, so we decided to head back to the hotel. At least we achieved our primary goal – see the Gelada.

 On our way back to town a roadblock delayed us. The head of Ethiopia’s largest dam project was killed the day before. The roadblock prohibited the cars from entering the town where protests and demonstrations were occurring.

Ethiopian Cooking Class - Gondar

Definitely one of the best activities in Ethiopia I participate and it only cost $25. We learned how to make 4 traditional Ethiopian dishes from basic ingredients and roast coffee. Afterwards, we feasted on the food and sampled the roasted coffee after the host conducted a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony.

 What I was most interested was how they made the injeria and I learned and also made some. The teef batter is fermented for 3 days, and then poured on an injeria cooker. It cooks in about 3 minutes, after which it can be peeled off, cooled and eaten.

Gonder

I was definitely not impressed with Gonder.  We stayed in the town to allow side trips to Siemen Mountains to hike and Axum to visit the ancient ruins.  Stefano and I took a look around, but we didn't come across anything special.  The old castle looked like someone visited Europe memorized the design and built a similar on in Gonder. 

The best description of the city " It’s not what Gonder is, but what Gonder was that’s so enthralling." Maybe back in the day it was enthralling, but not today.  

Askum (a.s.a. Axum)

Quote from Wikipedia "The Kingdom of Aksum (also known as the Kingdom of Axum, or the Aksumite Empire) was an ancient kingdom in what is now northern Ethiopia and Eritrea. Ruled by the Aksumites, it existed from approximately 100 AD to 940 AD. The polity was centered in the city of Axum and grew from the proto-Aksumite Iron Age period around the 4th century BC to achieve prominence by the 1st century AD. It became a major player on the commercial route between the Roman Empire and Ancient India. The Aksumite rulers facilitated trade by minting their own Aksumite currency, with the state establishing its hegemony over the declining Kingdom of Kush. It also regularly entered the politics of the kingdoms on the Arabian Peninsula and eventually extended its rule over the region with the conquest of the Himyarite Kingdom. The Manichaei prophet Mani (died 274 AD) regarded Axum as one of the four great powers of his time, the others being Persia, Rome, and China."

Overall, the ruins by themselves were all that. In other words, they were a bit lacking. However, very little excavation has occurred.  There could be more ruins buried deep waiting to be discovered.   I don't know.

Apparently the Ark of the Covenant (two stone tablets of the Ten Commandments) is stored in the building pictured above. “Queen Sheba visited King Solomon in Jerusalem three thousand years ago, and the son she bore him, Menelik, at age 20 visited Jerusalem, from where he brought the ark of the covenant back to Aksum. It's been in Ethiopia ever since.” 

Abba Pentalewon Monastery (outside of town)

It was a really pleasant walk to the top of the hill through the countryside. 

A group of about 3 kids provided me what they considered was a tour. Their english was poor.  Clearly their motivation was a potential tip. 

The head of the monastery stood inside the "museum" and presented me the items housed in the museum one-by-one through a window. I sat outside and watched. He didn't speak English.  In total, it was a bit humors. 

Lalibela Lunch at Ben Abeba

The building was funky. The view was pretty. The food was absolutely amazing!!! 

Stone Churches of Lalibela

By far one of the most famous tourist attractions in Ethiopia. 

The following is a descriptive quote from Wikipedia: 

"Lalibela is a town in Amhara Region, Ethiopia famous for its rock-cut monolithic churches. The whole of Lalibela is a large antiquity of the medieval and post-medieval civilization of Ethiopia. Lalibela is one of Ethiopia's holiest cities, second only to Axum, and a center of pilgrimage. Unlike Axum, the population of Lalibela is almost completely Ethiopian Orthodox Christian.

Ethiopia was one of the earliest nations to adopt Christianity in the first half of the fourth century, and its historical roots date to the time of the Apostles. The churches themselves date from the seventh to thirteenth centuries. The layout and names of the major buildings in Lalibela are widely accepted, especially by local clergy, to be a symbolic representation of Jerusalem."

Bahir Dar - Monasteries

The following is a quote from Wikipedia:

 "Bahir Dar is the former capital of Gojjam province and the current capital of the Amhara Regional State. Administratively, Bahir Dar is a Special Zone. Bahir Dar is one of the leading tourist destinations in Ethiopia, with a variety of attractions in the nearby Lake Tana and Blue Nile river. The city is known for its wide avenues lined with palm trees and a variety of colorful flowers. In 2002 it was awarded the UNESCO Cities for Peace Prize for addressing the challenges of rapid urbanization."

 Based on that description, I'd probably want to visit the Bahir Dar. I reality it was just average. Not much to see or do there. However, instead of sitting around I visited the monasteries and got harassed by the extremely aggressive local merchants.

Coffee was everywhere in Ethiopia! And good coffee, not Nescafe like the rest of Africa! 

Below was the local tips breakfast.  If I could order this for breakfast in the US, I would eat breakfast more often!