GONDAR-THE CAMELOT OF AFRICA

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WEATHER: Hot and 28C

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: The beautiful mountains in the morning and the palaces in the 

afternoon

BUMMER OF THE DAY: Still have my sore leg

WORD OF THE DAY:  Aheea – donkey

There was a couple staying next to us last night that knew a local guide we could use for today.  After some phone calls last night, we had arranged to meet Getch at 7.30am.  It is a local law that we have to use a local guide to try and keep the work locally.  The day was going to be broken up into 2 parts.  This morning we were going for a drive out of town to see some scenery and an opportunity to see some baboons that are endemic to Ethiopia.  The second half of the day after lunch was going to be spent at the Fasil Ghebbi where there are several castles from the 17^th and 18^th centuries.  Who would have thought there would be castles in Africa. 

So we headed out of town and after around 15 minutes we were on a dirt road passing villages and making our way up to a lookout and a hangout for the endemic baboons.  The roads was in pretty good condition as the Gondar Government is going to be turning the area into a national park and they are currently upgrading the roads with the help and funding of the Chinese.  So we were also passing a lot of road crews busy building trenches etc…and it is all manual labor, no machines here and it looks like hard work.  As we pass the villages it would be so easy to pass lollies to the children, give some money to the adults or empty water bottles that they ask for all the time, but it is just not sustainable tourism and you just create a whole new world of complications if you start something like that.  This part of Ethiopia is refreshing as the kids are waving just to wave, they aren’t asking for money and it’s nice to wave back when you know it is a wave to say hello rather than a wave asking for money or lollies. 

At one point we were stopped at some road works and some children came over to the car, when I said hello in Amharic they got so excited and thought I was the coolest thing.  Getch said there aren’t many farangees that know and speak Amharic so it is a novelty for them.  I’m not sure about ‘knowing’ Amharic but I am trying to learn the basics.  I can now count to 10 which is more than I can do in Portuguese and I had been in Brazil for 3 weeks.   Zeme had bought me an Amharic dictionary for Foreigners and I am reading and pronouncing sections as we drive each day.  I’m writing the words phonetically in the book so I can try and get the pronunciation right.  But we have gone one step further and I have recorded Zeme on my IPod reading sections of the dictionary, so when I am back on my trip I can practice and the bonus is I still get to hear his voice each day.  What a great idea I hear you say!

We arrived at the view point after 40 minutes.  Both Z and I didn’t realize that there would be some walking involved to get to the baboons and the view proper, so my white Havianan’s really weren’t appropriate, but I would make do as we were here and I wasn’t going to miss out on the view.  We were in the Maniaus Mountains and it was just stunning, the view was amazing and if we don’t see the baboons it was worth it just for the view.  So we started out trek (well it was a moderate walk) along the donkey track and within 20 minutes we could see the baboons.  They were all on a lower mountain, probably 800m away, but it was pretty cool to sit and watch the troop play and eat for around 15 minutes with the glorious view.  I can see why we started out so early as it was starting to heat up already and it was only 9.30am in the morning.  It would be too hot to come out here any later.  We completed a loop and we back to the car within the hour, but what a great hour it was.  The fresh air, getting in a walk with my boyfriend, the weather was just right and seeing some baboons.  A great way to start the day.

We made our way back down the mountain and stopped at an Ethiopian Jewish village.  For centuries, the world Jewish community was not even aware of the existence of the Jewish community of Ethiopia in the northern province of Gondar. The miracle of Operation Solomon is only now being fully understood; an ancient Jewish community has been brought back from the edge of government-imposed exile and starvation.  “Once they were kings”.  A half million strong, they matched their faith with fervor and out-matched the Moslem and Christian tribesmen around them to rule the mountain highlands around Lake Tana in Ethiopia. They called themselves Beta Israel—the House of Israel—and used the Torah to guide their prayers and memories of the heights of Jerusalem as they lived in their thatched huts in Ethiopia.  But their neighbors called them Falashas—the alien ones, the invaders. And even three hundred years of rule, even the black features that matched those of all the people around them did not make the Jews of Ethiopia secure governors of their destiny in Africa.  The first modern contact with the now oppressed community came in 1769, when Scottish explorer James Bruce stumbled upon them while searching for the source of the Nile River. His estimates at the time placed the Beta Israel population at 100,000, already greatly decreased from an estimate from centuries before of a half-million.

Little additional contact was made with the community, but in 1935 their stability was greatly threatened as the Italian army marched into Ethiopia. Ethiopia's ruler, Emperor Haile Selassie fled his country and actually took refuge in Jerusalem for a short time. Selassie returned to power in 1941, but the situation for the Beta Israel improved little.  In 1947, Ethiopia abstained on the United Nations Partition Plan for the British Mandate of Palestine, which reestablished the State of Israel. By 1955, the non-governmental Jewish Agency of Israel had already begun construction of schools and a teacher's seminary for the Beta Israel in Ethiopia.  In 1956, Ethiopia and Israel established consular relations, which were improved in 1961 when the two countries established full diplomatic ties. Positive relations between Israel and Ethiopia existed until 1973, when, in the wake of the Yom Kippur War, Ethiopia (and 28 African nations) broke diplomatic relations with Israel under the threat of an Arab oil embargo.

We had a look around the small shops and then we walked to a co-op that is sponsored by Japan and America.  It employs local women and shows them how to weave and do pottery.  They stay for a period of 3 months and then they go back to their villages to try and make a living from their new trade and to also teach other women in the village as well.  A great idea and they solely rely on donations and the help of Aid Agencies.

We did one more stop at the Debre Selassi Church.  We were going to visit this church this afternoon, but there was a service scheduled so Getch made the move for us to see it in the morning rather than miss out on seeing it at all.  Despite the walls of Debre Berhan Selassie hosting the most vibrant ecclesiastical artwork in the nation, it's the ceiling that captures the most visitors' imagination. Think of Mona Lisa's mysterious smile and multiply it 104 times over! Yes, each of the 104 winged Ethiopian cherubs dotting the beamed ceiling seems to have slightly different, but equally quizzical expressions.

Full of all the colour, life, wit and humanity of Ethiopian art at its best, the walls provide a compendium of Ethiopian saints, martyrs and lore. Although most paintings within the church are historically and happily attributed to the 17th-century artist Haile Meskel, this can't be the case because the remarkable rectangular church of today only dates back to the late 18th century. The original church was circular (its foundations are still visible) and was created in the 1690s by Iyasu I.  A large stone wall with 12 rounded towers surrounds the compound and represents the 12 apostles. The larger 13th tower (entrance gate) symbolizes Christ and is shaped to resemble the Lion of Judah. If you have a keen eye, you'll be able to spot the lion's tail in the wall west of the church. Some historians hypothesize the symbolic architecture is evidence the emperor planned to bring the Ark of the Covenant here from Aksum.  Theories aside, its clear Debre Berhan Selassie or 'Trinity at the Mount of Light' is one of Ethiopia's most remarkable churches.  It is one of the few churches still standing and in operation that is a square building which was unusual for its time.  I get nervous when I enter other faith’s churches as I don’t want to unwittingly do something disrespectful and I really am not sure how worshippers feel about foreign entering their place of worship, it makes me feel like I am intruding.  But I know I am not the only one that visits and I am sure there are people that are not that concerned about these things, so I just need to do what I know is right and just try and blend in and not get in their way when I am in the churches.  This is for all over the world, not just in Ethiopia.

We were back to Gondar at 12 noon and we had 2 hours to have lunch and chillax before meeting Getch again for our afternoon programme.  Before we set off Z reconfirmed the price we were to pay and after a 10 minute discussion there was a misunderstanding on the cost from yesterday’s phone call.  I did question the price yesterday as he quoted 15AUD for the whole day.  I thought this was amazingly cheap, so to hear it was 15AUD for the morning and another 15AUD for the afternoon was not a shock to me and I was happy to pay the additional money.  Zeme was more worried about the principle than the cost as he was adamant that wasn’t the discussion yesterday.  So with that sorted we were on our way. 

Fasil Ghebbi is a fortress-enclosure located in Gondar city.  It served as the home of Ethiopia's emperors in the 17th and 18th centuries. Its unique architecture shows diverse influences including Nubian, Arab, and Baroque styles. The site was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.  This complex of buildings includes Fasilides Castle, Iyasu's Palace, Dawit's Hall, a banqueting hall, stables, Mentewab's Castle, a chancellery, library and three churches: Asasame Qeddus Mikael, Elfin Giyorgis and Gemjabet Mariyam.

The origins of the Fasil Ghebbi can be found in the old tradition of the Ethiopian Emperors to travel around their possessions, living off the produce of the peasants and dwelling in tents. Reflecting this connection, this precinct was frequently referred to as a katama ("camp" or "fortified settlement"). 

Emperor Fasilides broke with this tradition of progressing through the territories, and founded the city of Gondar as his capital; its relative permanence makes the city historically important. Within the capital, he commanded the construction of an imposing edifice, the Fasil Gemb or Fasilides Castle. The area around the Fasil Gemb was delineated by a wall with numerous gates. Subsequent Emperors built their own structures around the same grounds, many of which survive either in whole or part today.  Visiting the Fasil Ghebbi in the late 1950s, Thomas Pakenham observed that "dotted among the palaces are what remains of the pavilions and kiosks of the imperial city".

The Fasil Ghebbi covers an area of about 70,000 square meters. To its south lies Adababay, the market place of Gondar, where Imperial proclamations were made, troops presented, and criminals executed; it is currently a city park.  The complex is enclosed by a curtain wall which is pierced by twelve gates.  We walked around the complex for nearly 2 hours and it was a photographer’s paradise and there really weren’t too many other people, so we got some great shots.  It is strange to think we are on the African continent and looking at palaces.  Anywhere in Africa you get sunsets, wildlife, tribes and culture but only in Ethiopia can you get palaces and hence the nickname of the Camelot of Africa with so many palaces in one area. 

A short drive from Fasil Ghebbi is what they call the swimming pool and is where the Royal’s swam and used as a recreation area back in the 17th century, officially called Fasilides Bath.  It is now used once a year for Timkat where crowds gather at the Fasilides' Bath to celebrate.  It is the Epiphany for the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. Timkat (Amharic "baptism") is the Ethiopian Orthodox celebration of Epiphany. It is celebrated on January 19 (or 20 on Leap Year), corresponding to the 10th day of Terr following the Ethiopian calendar. Timket celebrates the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River. This festival is best known for its ritual reenactment of baptism (similar to such reenactments performed by numerous Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land when they visit the Jordan).  It is apparently an amazing thing to see each year.  Maybe I will get to see it one day?  There were also massive fig trees here growing over the brick walls and it reminded me of the trees at Angkor Wat and surrounds.  Zeme and I got some photos with the roots of these trees and we looked dwarfed in comparison to them.  They really are a remarkable tree.

So that completed our full day in Gondar and what a day it was.  Getch was a very good guide and even after the debacle with the cost of the tours we tipped him at the end of the day which I think he really appreciated.  He even apologized again to me personally at the Castles which I thought was quite nice and I am not one to begrudge the guy 15AUD when he had done such a great job to date.  We just out it down to a misunderstanding and everyone was happy at the end of the day.

Gondar is home to the beer Dashen.  The beer factory is here and Zeme and I decided that while we were here it would be cool to go out and see the place.  When we pulled up to the gates in the car, we had to get out and we got frisked and the car got checked before we were able to proceed to the car park. I guess you gotta protect the beer right!  I imagined a distillery we could get a walk around possibly with a beer at the end but in reality it was a massive beer garden on 3 levels and you could buy a beer that isn’t sold in shops and only at the distillery beer garden.  You could order the beer by the glass or by the ‘tower’ that held 3L, but you could also buy 2L or 1L.  We decided to get the tower (of course) and settle for the 2L which when we were given the glasses that were 500ml it gave us 2 glasses each.  We decided to eat dinner here as well and we just sat for 2 hours and chatted and sipped our beer.  It was a great way to end a great day in Gondar.