My Return to an Amazing African Nation-Ethiopia

My second trip back to this amazing country focusing on the North of the Historic towns of Lalibella, Harar and Gondar.  This country needs to be seen to be believed and you need to do yourself a favour and come and visit this very diverse nation.  I consider myself lucky that I will make this my new home and I hope that I will be able to help people less fortunate then myself and I am also lucky to have a loved one by my side achieve this xx

MY AFRICAN DETOUR COMES TO AN END

WEATHER: Airport and airline controlled for the next 36 hours

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: Finally getting back to Brazil

BUMMER OF THE DAY: Do I need to even say-leaving my man in Addis Ababa

WORD OF THE DAY:  On time

DISTANCE TRAVELLED: 18,554KM

As mentioned in my last blog, Zeme and I had to say our goodbyes in the car park of the International Airport of Addis Ababa. People not travelling aren’t even allowed in the departures building, so there were a lot of people in the car park saying their farewells.  On my way to the terminal a small kid pulled on my arm and asked for money, but I just kept moving with my trolley to the entrance.  Your baggage gets scanned before you can even enter the building, so I joined what turned out to be the slowest of the 6 queues to get all my luggage scanned and entry to the departure terminal.  This was when I noticed the zip on the front of my handbag was open and after looking in, everything seemed in place.  I normally have my point and shoot camera in that pocket but I had given that to Zeme as a thank you gift so there was not much else in there that I could remember.  So I zipped it up and thought nothing more of it. 

The airport was busy.  There were 3 flights all leaving within 40 minutes of each other.  There was a KLM flight, an Ethiopian Airlines flight and my Lufthansa flight.  The Lufthansa check-in queue wasn’t too bad, there were about 6 people in front of me, so I didn’t have to wait too long to get to the counter.  While we were waiting the guy in front of me went to get departure cards for him and his wife and he also got me one as well which was really sweet of him, so I was able to fill that in while I was waiting.  The check-in chick was really nice.  She was telling me how lucky I was going to Brazil and she asked how hard it to get a visa was.  Well sister, I can tell you a story just how difficult it is and how my boyfriend didn’t get one in time, but I wasn’t sure she had time for the whole story and if it was just one of those questions to pass time, so I gave the quick answer and just said they are quite hard and you need to make sure you have enough time.  I asked about my usual window seat and there were none left already, but she thought she was doing me a favor by giving me a bulkhead seat.  You know the seats that are in the exit rows but in the middle of the aircraft.  I personally hate these seats as you generally don’t get a seat pocket, your table and TV screen come out of your seat and you have to keep your bag overhead for takeoff and landings.  I am not a fan of these seats but I do know how popular they are and that people ‘think’ they are great seats.  So I smiled and said thanks as I didn’t want to seem rude.  It is only an 8 hour flight and a night flight, so I am sure I will sleep most of the way anyway.  My bag weighed 23.4KG so I am not sure where the extra weight came in as I only bought 2 scarves on the trip and arrived with a bag weighing 19.4KG, but it was no drama and I was able to check it all the way through to Manaus and I had my boarding passes all the way, so it was just down to the timely arrival of all the flights and it would be a perfect travel day.  I had 2 x 5 hour buffers at Frankfurt and Rio which is always r=e-assuring and I also had a day buffer before the group was to arrive off the ferry in Manaus should something drastic go wrong with the flights.  I am always prepared for the unexpected and there was no way I could miss the truck in Manaus as I would be in all sorts of trouble. 

The immigration lineup was quite long but it seemed to be moving at a god pace and after only 30 minutes I was through and into the departure gates and duty free shops. I wasn’t sure if the shops would be open at 10pm at night, last time I was here they were all closed, but my flight was a 2am and it was the only departure, so this time with so many people around it was a different story this time.  I had a quick look at the shops but most of the things were not ‘Ethiopian’.  I saw bangles that I had bought in Namibia, giraffes I had bought in Kenya and baskets that I had seen in Tanzania.  So knowing I had all that stuff I thought it best that I head through the last security screening to get to my gate.  It is lucky I did decide to do this as the line was massive and it took me over 50 minutes to get through this process and once I was up I had to go through the scanner 3 times (my Ethiopian bangles that don’t come off were an issue) and then my bag got scanned twice and then I had to take off my plastic Croc shoes to rescan them.  I had 2 people telling me to do different things at the same time, but they finally got their act together and I made it through security in one piece and everything intact! 

My departure gate was busy.  I think we are going to have a full flight.  Looking around at my fellow passengers there were 5 farangee couples all nursing an Ethiopian child throughout the lounge.  It is nice to see that these children have been given a second chance in their short lives to grow up with loving parents, an opportunity for schooling, good health and opportunities that they may not have had if they had stayed in the orphanage in Ethiopia.  I wonder what is involved in adopting a child from Ethiopia.  My biological clock is ticking and it could be an option to adopt once Zeme and I have established ourselves.  Anyway I’m thinking out aloud here, that is further down the track but will need to be addressed upon my return back.  This is when I checked my phone and I had a missed call from Zeme checking to make sure I had got through okay and my flight was still on time, so it was nice to hear his voice one more time and sweet that he phoned.  I had run out of credit on my Ethiopian number so I thought I might as well change back to my UK sim and that is when I reached into that front pocket of my bag and the penny dropped that my sim card case was not there.  That’s what was missing when I zipped it up at the x-ray machine.  I had all my sim cards from all the countries that I had travelled which wasn’t the big deal; the big deal was my UK sim card was in there as well.  I normally keep that in my purse but I had put it in there as I knew I wouldn’t need it when we did our road trip.  So I now didn’t have a sim card that worked.  It is a horrible feeling when I rely on my hone for texting home and Zeme and friends and I just felt terrible.  I also had 50GBP of credit on that sucker and now it is gone!  I now wasn’t sure if that kid in the car park may have pinched it when he ‘asked’ me for money or if it did just innocently fall out somewhere from the car to the terminal entrance, but I will never know and now I was thinking on where I could get a new sim.  My only chance was to see if I could get a German sim card when I arrived into Frankfurt as the South American sim cards have been useless and I didn’t want that to be my only option.  Frankfurt was going to be my saving grace-hopefully!

So we boarded on time and I had an aisle seat in the bulkhead of 4 seats.  As I sat in my seat a female hostee said that she saw me at the Trinity Church in the afternoon and I do recall 5 German tourists arriving as I was leaving, so they were some of the hostees on my flight.  Small world and always nice to be friendly with the hostees.  There was one of the adoption couples in my row and a spare seat next to me, so far.  As the plane filled I was worried that the spare seat would be taken when one of the male hostees came over to me and asked if I would be kind enough to swap seats.  I have to say my first question was to where and he said row 27, which is in that fantastic economy cabin that only has 4 rows so I had a yes on my lips when he sweetened the deal that I would be guaranteed a spare seat next to me!  Woo Hoo you betcha, I’d be happy to help out. I swapped with a young family so that they could have the room for the bassinette for their baby in the bulk head and it was a win win as I would prefer a normal seat and the bonus of a spare one next to me was awesome.  Hopefully this was to be a good omen for my travel day and welcome back my travel gods; it has been a while since we have seen you.  The Lufthansa aircraft looked new and it was an A340-300 with a seating configuration of 2x4x2 and we had in-seat TV’s!!!! The male hostee was very grateful and said if there was anything I needed to just let him know, anything.  Hmmmmm a double edged question?  How about a business class upgrade maybe? Yeah I’m not gutsy enough to ask so I just said thanks and I’d let him know. 

It was an uneventful flight.  Being a night flight, they like to feed you and then out you to bed as soon as they can.  I watched 1 movie The Descendants’, 2 episodes of Modern Family, man I love that show and my laughing out loud made other people laugh and then I hunkered down for the last 4 hours of the flight and got some beauty sleep.  I woke to the smell of coffee and breakfast being served 1.5 hours out of Frankfurt and we landed on time at 5.30am into the 9^th busiest airport in the world and the 3^rd busiest in Europe and I can see why.  I am not sure exactly where we landed but is was the longest taxi to a gate that I have ever experienced.  It seriously over 15 minutes and that is no exaggeration.  We must have landed somewhere near Munich I rekon, and we were hooting along on the ground as well.  The airport was manic.  Here were people everywhere and a lot trying to pass immigration and people cross walking to get to security; it was a bit if a schmozzle to say the least.   Once we had disembarked, I needed to get my bearings, where was I and where did I have get to?  I had a 5 hour connection, my flight didn’t leave till 10.45am so there was no urgency and I could take my time.  I did find an information computer, so I jumped onto that to find out if there was a phone place somewhere in the airport.  I was in luck there was an O2 shop check-in side and it opened at 8am till I worked out it was a Sunday and they didn’t open till 11am.  Bugger, that option was no longer viable.  I didn’t have to change terminals so I found an information counter that was staffed and he didn’t really have any idea at all, so I just joined the security queue to get re-scanned again so that I could get to my gate and the duty free shops.  I got pulled up again for my Ethiopian bangles but when I tell them they don’t come off they are pretty good about it and just frisk me and I’m through.  I wasn’t sure if t=all the shops would be open at 6am in the morning, but they were and I asked the newsagent if they sold sim cards which the reply was a no but to try the electronics shop, he was pretty sure they did.  So I popped in there and they did sell them, so I was saved!  It is one of those travel sims, so it’s not locked to one network, I could top up on line (Vodaphone I couldn’t) it would work in Brazil and I could call and text Ethiopia-what more could I want!  It was probably a better option that what I had with my UK sim anyways, I just hoped it worked.  The sim people always promise the world but when you leave and it doesn’t work it’s tough. It cost me 30EUR but for me I would have paid more knowing I was back in touch with the world again.  I also bought some more memory cards for my camera and I also had to buy another point and shot camera, as the one I bought from the same shop 4 weeks ago I gave to Z.  cameras in Ethiopia are so expensive, so it was my thank you gift to him and I knew I could get another one on my way back through Frankfurt.  I was also entitled to a tax refund after all my purchases, so as I left the store I sent my first message to Zeme and I got a red cross and a message in German that I had no idea what it said.  So I turned right back around and went back to ‘my’ dude and showed him the message and all we had to do was make a call to activate the sim card, so he took my phone, found the number to the store and called it and apparently I was back in business.  I then got the ‘message delivered’ confirmation so then proceeded to text Shelly, Cheify and Kate in Brazil to check it and I got a response from all 3 but nothing back from Z.  I am back in the telecommunication world again.  So for those of you wanting my new number it is +49 178 292 2809. 

This had helped kill some time and then I had to run around for the tax refund.  You have to go to the custom and duty office to get a stamp to then go to the refund office to actually get the cash back.  You had the option for cash or a refund to the card which they swipe there and then and I was 20 EUR richer after spending 184EUR.  Still with plenty of time to spare I found a café at 7am in the morning and had 2 German sausages on rolls with a bottle of coke and I settle in there for 2 hours backing up my pictures onto my laptop and I even found some free Wi-Fi on my IPod where the airport gives you 30 minutes for free and then you can buy an hour for 4.95EUR or 4 hours for 9.95EUR which I didn’t think was too bad a price but I just used the 30 minutes and then stuck to the laptop and getting all my purchases out of their boxes and packets and packing them away.  I felt bad having a coke at 7am in the morning but the guy next to me was drinking a beer, so it made me feel a whole lot better.

My next flight was from Frankfurt to Rio and I was preparing myself for the 12 hour flight.  The departure gate didn’t look that busy so I was hoping to have a spare seat next to me for this flight, especially as it was a long haul one.  The plane seemed brand new and I have totally been pleasantly surprised with Lufthansa.  I flew them over 10 years ago to London and I remember then that they were old aircraft and not having much legroom, so it was good to travel on them to update my knowledge on them and I haven’t had a bad experience to date with them. Touchwood.  The plane was an A340-300 with a 2x4x2 configuration and again we had in seat TV’s which was the bonus of flying into Rio and not Sao Paulo where they operate the old aircraft.  I had my window seat in the 2 seats and I didn’t have to wait long for my seat companion to arrive.  Damn I was hoping I would have that seat to myself.  He was an Aussie guy and after 10 minutes they started to shut the aircraft we decided for him to jump to the spare seat across the aisle before someone else would take it and after a few false starts as 3 late comers joined, he was home and hose and we both ended up having spare seats next to us.       

This flight was also uneventful and after feeding us a cooked breakfast I watched one movie, New Year’s Eve, and then went to sleep for 9 hours.  I must have been tired and I love sleeping on planes as it kills the time like nothing else can.  I did wake up as the sun was setting and we were at this point back flying over Brazil and it was one of the most spectacular sunsets I have seen from the air.  The orange colours combined with the reds, the white clouds and the dark blue clouds made for some amazing photos.  There is a whole album just of these pictures.  What a nice way to be welcomed back to Brazil. Beautiful.

We arrived into Rio just after 5pm.  2 continents later I found myself back where I left exactly 4 weeks earlier but at the international terminal rather than the domestic.  As my bags were checked all the way through after only waiting 30 minutes at immigration I walked straight to the ‘nothing to declare’ channel and was half way through when I thought about LA, where even though your bag is checked all the way through you still need to see it before connecting, so I doubled back out of the line and asked an airport dude and lucky I did as I did have to collect my bag and re-check it at the domestic terminal.  BIG problem averted that was for sure.  The Addis check-in chick should have told me that small piece of important information.

It was easy enough to walk and push my free trolley from the international to the domestic terminal as they are located in the same building.  I found all the domestic check-in counters and looking at the flight departure board I couldn’t see my flight up there.  I look for the flight number to start with and if I can’t find that I look for the destination as it may code share with another airline, one of them generally works.  Well when neither of them worked this time I was getting this small niggling feeling of maybe my flight has been cancelled.  There is a massive TAM counter (the airline I was flying) so I went over to them and asked if my flight number had changed.  Well she tapped on her computer for like 10 minutes and then called someone else over who shrugged his shoulders and they both told me they couldn't see the flight either but to just go to check-in and they can let me know for sure. Um isn’t that your job?  Anyway they must have a system so I just did as I was told.  There was no-one in the check-in queue so I got straight to a counter as I was looking at the board wondering what other flight I could make thinking the worse when he took my Addis issued boarding pass and gave me one to replace it and it was on the same flight I had been originally booked on and my bag was taken and I had one more leg to get me to Manaus.  Phew what a relief, I hate the thoughts that run through your head when you think your flight may have been ‘rescheduled’.  Thank goodness I was in Brazil, thank goodness I had a day up my sleeve, thank goodness the flights are on the one ticket etc……..

My flight from Rio left on time for Manaus at 10.45pm and I was feeling surprisingly okay.  Probably because I had slept for 13 hours on the other 2 flights.  I have a growing suspicion I may have problems adjusting to a sleep pattern when I get to Manaus, but I’ll deal with that when that crops up. I have only gone through 4 time zones with a total of a 7 hour time change so you would think it would be that hard.  We’ll see.   This flight was only half empty and I had the whole row to myself.  The aircraft was an A330 with a seat configuration of 3x3 and a 4 hour fly time.  The announcements were all in Portuguese and when they served a hot toasted sandwiches at midnight the hostee said I was the only foreigner on board so they didn’t bother with an English translation so if I had any questions to ask her and she reconfirmed our arrival time into Manaus.  I was sitting on a TAM plane and this was also a new aircraft.  They had mobile and Wi-Fi facilities onboard for certain flights and they even had a special mobile phone light right next to the seatbelt light on the overheads when it was clear to use the service.  This flight it was unavailable but what a cool idea and a sign of things to come on other airlines.                

I finally arrived into Manaus at 1.30am.  36 hours after leaving Addis Ababa and already it seems like a distant memory.  I am lucky I have new adventures to enjoy and help my time pass quickly, poor Zeme is back to dreary work and ‘normal’ life till his trip to Australia and my eventual arrival back to Ethiopia.  At least he has something to look forward to.  I had arranged through Mark for a transfer to take me to the hotel and he was there at 2am with a sign with my name on it and we drove the 20 minutes to the hotel who was expecting me which was nice at 2.30am in the morning.  What a successful travel day and that is how it should always be. 

So welcome to Manaus.  The group is due in tomorrow morning and it will be great to see some familiar faces and to meet the new crew.  I’m back in Brazil for another 11 nights and on tour for another 41 days.  I plan to make the most of what is left of this amazing journey even though I will miss Zeme every second of everyday, it won’t be long till we are reunited.

MY FINAL TWO DAYS IN ADDIS

My last 2 days were a blur of meeting family, packing, dinners and consulates.  On Friday Zeme had a busy morning as he had to return the work car that we had for the last 17 days and then pick up our run around hire car for the next 2 days.  He had to make a trip home to collect his passport for our visit to the Australian Consulate in the afternoon; he also picked up some goodbye roses for me which was really sweet.  I got 5 red roses when I got here and I got 5 red roses for my departure.  What we have done is kept all the petals (not sure of customs bringing petals into all the countries) and we have 131 of them and I am going to paste one in my diary for each day that we are apart and to be re-united again.  Corny but admit it, it is sweet all the same.  I also wanted to get some stickers as I have collected a sticker from each country I have been to and the ‘good’ ones get a spot on my laptop, so he also went and ordered some of them for me and we can go back this afternoon to collect them.

So when the busy bee returned we started to look for the address for the Australian Consulate online.  We found the address and phone number and decided to call them before heading out in the car to see them.  It is just as well we did this as they have a third party visa processing center that does all the tourist visas.  So we got that address and decided to have lunch before going.  The point of doing it while I was here was in case they needed something from me, I could do the paperwork and leave it with Z rather than trying to get it too him down the track while I am on tour somewhere.

As it was just the 2 of us for lunch we decided to head back to the Top View Restaurant and have a romantic lunch.  There were a lot of embassy cars in the car park, so it must be a really good spot for somewhere to eat.  Z was explaining how all the number plates work in Ethiopia and you can tell which cars are diplomats and you even know to which country they belong.  The Germans had 3 cars in the car park, the Spanish, the Kenyans and 2 British cars were all dining at the same restaurant.  Rubbing shoulders with the best of them, that’s me!!!

Next stop was the VPC (Visa Processing Centre).  Zeme knew the address and after sitting in some extreme traffic we found the building no problems.  They were located on the third floor (no lift) and Z had to sign in, security check and leave his phone with me, as I wasn’t allowed to go into the waiting area at all.  It then surprised me to only have to wait 5 minutes and he was back out again.  He pretty much got fobbed off to a website that would tell us all the information that we needed to know.  I HATE the fob off, but we had no choice so when we got back to the hotel we jumped onto the said address and after a good 15 minutes clicking around the government web site we found the visa that Zeme needed and all the answers to our questions.  We decided to print off two copies of the application form, I was going to fill in one and then Zeme would copy the information in his hand writing onto the second one once again to try and nab any paperwork or questions in the bud while I am here.  So we saved them to a USB along with my letter of invitation that was also required and off Zeme runs to the printers to get it all printed.  In the meantime he also picked up the stickers on his return.  He is amazing at doing all the running around all day.

We were struggling for dinner ideas tonight so Zeme asked what food I liked.  So besides Italian food I said I liked Chinese food.  Well he’s never had Chinese before and I said you should like it as it is just meat and vegetables served with rice.  So he knew where there was a restaurant and he was happy to give Chinese a crack.  Well we pulled up at Lin Jong’s Chinese Garden and walked in.  There were a lot of Asian people sitting at the tables and I saw this as a very good sign, if they are eating here it must be pretty good.  Well we ordered a beef in black bean, crispy chicken and rice and I have to say it was just about the best Chinese food I have ever eaten and Zeme loved it!  The crispy chicken was like it had been cooked in a BBQ fire and the skin was super crispy and very succulent.  So it was a great decision on our part and I am glad that Z liked it.  In Ethiopian terms the meal was quite expensive at 19AUD including 3 drinks but man it was a good feed.  It was a great last meal to have had in Addis Ababa and I know that I will definitely be eating there again on my return.

Saturday was D-day for meeting Zeme’s family and I was nervous as hell.  We had a few things to do before that though and filling in the Australian visa application was one of them.  It was 16 pages long, so it took a little time, but it all looked easy enough and they didn’t seem to need anything out of the ordinary.  Mind you what it looks on paper and the actual process are completely 2 different things and when we got to the end of the application I could legally fill the form in for Zeme and we just declare and sign the application, so it was good that we did do that before I left.  Zeme has a tour to Kenya in April, so once he is back from there we will start the process and let’s hope it is as easy as it looks on paper.

My flight on Saturday night wasn’t until 11.35pm, so I decided to pay the additional nights’ accommodation at the hotel so we could have the room up until 9pm.  There is nothing worse than having to check out at 12 noon and then not being able to freshen up and have somewhere to relax with a 36 hour travel day in front of me; the 50AUD was well worth its weight in gold.  We were told that we couldn’t keep the room we had as it had been booked, so I had packed early in the morning and we waited for the new room to be ready, well at 10.30am they decided that we could keep the room we had after all!!!  What a pain as I was all airline packed and ready to go. 

Zeme wanted to show me a little more of Addis that I hadn’t seen on my last visit so our first stop was the Holy Trinity Cathedral, known in Amharic as Kidist Selassie.  It is the highest ranking Orthodox cathedral in Addis Ababa.  It was built to commemorate Ethiopia's liberation from Italian occupation and is the second most important place of worship in Ethiopia, after the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Axum.  The cathedral bears the title 'Menbere Tsebaot', or 'Pure Altar'. The church compound is the burial place for those who fought against the Italian Occupation, or those who accompanied the Emperor into exile from 1936 to 1941. Emperor Haile Selassie I and his consort Empress Menen Asfaw are buried in the north transept of the cathedral. Other members of the Imperial Family are buried in the crypt below the church. The High Altar of the cathedral is dedicated to 'Agaiste Alem Kidist Selassie' (Sovereigns of the World the Holy Trinity). The other two altars in the Holy of Holies on either side of the High Altar are dedicated to St. John the Baptist and to 'Kidane Meheret' (Our Lady Covenant of Mercy). In the south transept of the cathedral is a recently added chapel of St. Michael, which houses the Tabot or Ark of St. Michael the Archangel, which was returned to Ethiopia in February 2002 after being discovered in Edinburgh. This relic was taken by British forces from the mountain citadel of Magdalla in 1868 during their campaign against Emperor Tewodros II.  It was pretty amazing church and it had some beautiful stain glass windows running down both sides of the church.  It wasn’t open to the public, but you could pay to enter and the priest and a guide would let you in for a small tour. 

Our next stop was the Lion Park.  As we had heard of some lion stories when we were in Gondar, we decided to visit the Lion Park upon our return.  I am not sure what I expected but the lions looked like they were 100 years old (reality was most of them were 25 years old) and they looked so sad.  The Lion Park is actually called the Lion Zoo and its home to 19 adult lions and 4 young ones – two males and two females. There are nine other animals at the zoo including Gelada baboons, Lesser Kudu, turtles and Egyptian Geese but the lions are the main attraction.  The zoo is a small oasis of green in a city that’s increasingly becoming less green. Apparently it used to be the place for couples to hang out once upon a time.  The zoo was founded in 1940, Ethiopian Calendar (that’s 1947 for the rest of the world), and started off with a couple of lion cubs – Molla and Lulu – that were donated by the Emperor Haile Selassie.  The lions were collected from Western and Southern Ethiopia (Wollega, Elubabur and Sidamo)

We got to the zoo at around 1.30pm and the entry was 10 Birr per person (52 cents per person) and an extra 20 birr (1AUD to be able to take pictures with my camera).  We then proceeded to walk around and admire the lions. There are 10 enclosures, each with a pair of lions – male and a female – except for one lone female whose mate recently died. I must say that they are beautiful creatures and they were massive.  I don’t recall the game park lions being this big and we did get pretty close to them as well.  The zoo reminded me of the zoos of the 80’s.  There was no grass for them, the enclosures were small considering their size and that is just the lions.  The cages for the monkeys were terrible and people were throwing bottles into the cages and a coke can to watch them play with them.  It was actually heart breaking and I decided to not even post any photos on Facebook of my time there.  Apparently there is talk of building a new zoo with more room and greenery for the animals, but I am not sure when and if that will eventuate. 

The Chinese last night left such an impression that we decided to go back for lunch and we had exactly the same thing and it tasted just as good as it did last night.  It was soooooo good.  From here Zeme’s house was only a 10 minute drive away and it was time for me to meet the family.  I was so nervous but also excited to be meeting them.  I think my main nerves were because they don’t speak English, but after arriving and being welcomed in it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.  His mum is just beautiful and his Dad speaks a little English.  I met his younger sister but his younger brother and older sister weren’t at home, but it feels good to have it done and next time I see them it will be easier and they seemed really nice which is a bonus as one always needs to get along with their In-laws. 

So the afternoon went far too quickly and before I knew it, it was time to head to the airport.  We got a quick visit from Chombe who came bearing some Ethiopian gifts for me which was super sweet and a quick stop off to say goodbye to Minalu on our way to the airport and the realization hit me that I was finally leaving Ethiopia and saying goodbye to Zeme.  People who are not travelling are not allowed to even enter the airport building, so our goodbye had to be done in the airport car park.  Luckily we had said most of what we wanted back at the hotel, so after our departing words, hugs and kisses I was left wondering where the last 25 days had gone.  My Facebook status for the day was:

“leaves Addis Ababa and Ethiopia tonight. I know deep in my heart and in my soul, that this truly is real love. Real love that overcomes all obstacles-colour, creed and culture. Real love that lasts until the end of time. I'm going to miss you Zeme Moges and we only have 131 days till we meet again xx”

I think this sums up my feeling totally in a nutshell and with a last hug I walked through the throngs of people also saying their goodbyes to friends and loved ones and with a look over my shoulder I saw him wave from the car as he drove out of the car park.  I feel sad, but I also feel happy as I am one step closer to getting back to South America to finish that part of the trip, which brings me one step closer to getting to the USA to see friends, which brings me one step closer to New Zealand to see Lisa, which brings me one step closer to getting home to Shelly, my God-daughters and friends and finally Zeme’s arrival in Australia.  There is always an upside to a downside and this is what I was clinging to as I checked in and my African Detour comes to an end.

So with that said I need to thank my wonderful boyfriend Zeme.  He has restored my faith in love and romance.  There are so many things in this world we can't control, so it's important to remember the things we can change. There is one thing that turns a lonely place to a beautiful place and that is love.  Love gives us hope.  Hope for the future.  131 days till I see my lover, my friend, my soul mate is just a dip in the ocean of the rest of our lives together.  You make me a better person Zeme and I can’t wait for my return to you and your beautiful country in August.  I love you baby xx

BACK TO ADDIS-THIS MEANS MY TIME IN ETHIOPIA IS NUMBERED

WEATHER: Hot and 30C

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: The scrambled eggs at Sabana Lodge

BUMMER OF THE DAY: We’re back in Addis

WORD OF THE DAY:  Hello-Good Morning!!!!

DISTANCE TRAVELLED: 210KM

So today the ‘official’ Zeme tour comes to an end.  This is okay as Z and I have both said the sooner we part then the sooner we will be reunited.  It makes sense and is what is going to get us through the next 131 days when I finally get on that plane in 2 days’ time.

We have 210KM to cover today, so we wanted to get a good start as we have a few things we need to do in Addis before my departure on Saturday night.  I still stand by my call that the made to order scrambled eggs at Sabana Lodge have been the best on the trip so far.  It will be sad to say goodbye to this amazing oasis in the dry landscape of Langano Lake, but it was a superb way to finish our time together and I know that when I move back we will certainly be coming back here for a weekend away from the busy city of Addis Ababa.   

We were back on the road for the last time at 9am and making our way back to the city.  The traffic starts to pick up and even though there are still herds of cattle and donkeys and children by the side of the road they are not as numerous as in the country.  The trucks are the main vehicles on the roads again and every time I see a bright yellow truck it reminds me of Rosita and what I am going back to in South America.  I have said numerous times that there is nothing worse than joining a tour that has already started.  The new group joined in Rio, so there will be 21 new faces and 5 familiar faces.  I think this will be my saving grace that this time I already know people and one of them is my roomy.  But that in its self poses an issue as Kate has been sharing with one of the newbies Natasha and when I get back will she continue to share with her or come back to the Bernjuane?  I am not too worried about it as by the time I get back to the tour, that section finishes in 12 days and 11 people leave and we pick up 6 fresh faces, so if the groups are clicky for any reason there will be a shakeup not long after I return.  I am looking forward to seeing the gang again though and I feel like my batteries have been recharged for the final run through Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia and back into Ecuador.

The scenery back into Addis in the morning was mass cattle crossing the roads and then the closer we got to the city there are a lot of flower farms, mainly roses.  Who would have thought that Ethiopia would be a mass market flower grower and 90% of all the flowers are exported to Holland and the USA.  One of the main farms is enormous and is owned by a company called Sher, which rents them out to three large Dutch flower companies, including Herburg Roses Ethiopia.  They are massive, rows of identical green plastic greenhouses, each one a kilometer in length, covering a total of 325 hectares. 

Roses have boomed in Ethiopia, overtaking Kenya this year. Cut flower exports have risen tenfold over the last 3-4 years and now bring in an annual $170m in 2008 – that’s 11% of national exports. 

We arrived into Addis at 2pm.  It was a long drive and the traffic was manic.  It took nearly 2 hours to travel 71KM.  Insane I tell you.  I will NOT be driving outside the city limits when I move there that is for sure.  It really is pure chaos and makes the city traffic look like a Sunday drive and that is saying something.  So we booked back into the Baks Hotel again mainly due to its location and they also had 2 bags of my belongings that I had left there 3 weeks ago.  We are having dinner with Minalu and Chombe tonight to say goodbye and see you in 5 months, so we had to get ready for that and in the meantime Zeme had some running around to do.  The car needed to be refueled as it had to be handed back in the morning.  We had to put in photos to be printed as I had selected 96 of the ‘best’ shots of our trip so far, so I could show them all off back on the truck and so that Zeme had some hard copy pictures for himself.  The pictures weren’t that much cheaper to print back home at 12c a photo, but that’s okay and it is always nice to have hard copies of photos to flip through when you need to.  We also got a bottle of vodka for us to have a few drinks at home over the next 3 days as we both ‘love’ vodka and Zeme also had to take a trip home to collect his passport as we are off to the Australian Consulate tomorrow to see what will be required for him to obtain a visa to come and visit Australia in July.  I will not be buying an airline ticket until he has his visa this time, I have learnt my lesson the hard way there, but we have plenty of time, so fingers crossed it will not be difficult like the Brazilian process.  They are one tough visa to get that is for sure!

We decided to lash out and have a nice dinner with new and old friends present so we went to one of the top restaurants in Addis called Top View Restaurant and as the name suggests it had an amazing view of Addis all lit up at night time.  It was busy and there were a lot of farangees there, probably the most I had seen all in one place on my entire trip so far.  We really are few and far between in Ethiopia, even though they have a large expat community, we didn’t see them on our ‘touristy’ trip of the country.  Before we ordered I wanted the guys to know that I would be buying dinner for them all and it was a thank you for making me feel welcome in their city.  It means a lot to me to know that I will have people I know already for when I return in August and for the transition of meeting new people a little bit easier.  This is another reason that it was good to come back again before the big move and it is still the best thing I could have done.  The dinner was great and I have to say being one of the top restaurants in Addis we all had steak for dinner, 4 wines, 2 soft drinks and 3 desserts the total bill came to a grand total of 37AUD.  Can you imagine how much a meal like that would cost back home? 

So the Grand Zeme tour comes to a close and after 3400KM in 17 days, I had an amazing time for so many reasons the 2 most important being spending every waking moment with Zeme and seeing more of the country I am going to call home.  Ethiopia has so much to offer for tourists and they really need to market themselves more and showcase what an incredible country they truly have.  I will certainly try and become a positive ambassador for Ethiopia even after I am living here. 

 

ABIJATA-SHALLA NATIONAL PARK-MORE LAKES, OSTRICHES AND FLAMINGO’S

WEATHER: Hot and 30C

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: Seeing a soda lake and hundreds of flamingos

BUMMER OF THE DAY: Falling over at the hot springs in front of about 30 locals

WORD OF THE DAY:  Konjo-beautiul

DISTANCE TRAVELLED: 79KM

The good thing about deciding to stay another night here was we didn’t have to pack and another day off Ethiopian roads today.  We were visiting a national park today that is renowned for its flamingo’s which I love as a bird for some strange reason and was going to be a highlight for me today.

Breakfast was the best so far, with a chef there to make your eggs any which way you want.  As usual I got mine scrambled.  I have eaten so many eggs the last 4 weeks I am surprised I haven’t started to grow some wings or start clucking.  Their uniquely designed hut shaped restaurant has an open section in the middle of the roof about 10m wide, which provides access to the morning birds to enter and exit the restaurant as they please.  They are cheeky things as we saw some of them swoop on to plates as guests went to get more food from the buffet.  I got some great photos of them over breakfast and it felt quite tropical eating breakfast with these little birds flying around chirping.  I did think briefly about them doing a doo doo in mid-flight but lucky they were cute and it didn’t worry me for long. 

When we left the building there were around 20 birds of all varieties under one of the trees, and the resort was putting a bird bath together.  There were some really cute grey and blue birds and one of them made his way right over to my foot; he was only like 2cm away from my Havianna. 

The National Park entrance was only a 25 minute drive from the resort.  The Abijata-Shalla National Park is composed of two of the Great Rift Valley Lakes, Known as Abiyata and Shalla.  The park is absolutely a paradise for bird watchers. The park is originally created for protection of the aquatic birds that live on the two lakes, Abiyata and Shalla.  The Park is 887 Sq.kms. wide, is wet land reserve bird sanctuary. Over 350 bird species reside here. The most common ones being , the great white pelicans, flamingos, Egyptian gees, Marabou storks, yellow billed storks, eagles, herons ,plovers  ibises and egrets. Vast number of endemic and exotic birds that migrates from Africa, Asia and different parts of the world wander here.  Islands of the deepest Lake in Ethiopia, Lake Shalla, are the continent’s most important breading colony of great white pelicans. The shore of this Lake is also a source of several sulphurous hot springs often used by the local people as a cure for ailments. One can enjoy the magnificent views of the surrounding areas from selected vantage points.  

Situated in the Great Rift Valley, only 200 kilometers (124 miles) south of Addis Ababa, and in the lake Langano recreational areas, the Abijata-Shalla Lakes National Park attracts numerous visitors. Using Lake Langano as your base, it is an easy trip to Visit the National Park.  The altitude of the park ranges from 1540 to 2075 meters, the highest pick being mount Fike, situated between the two lakes. Both lakes are the formation of volcanic eruptions and they are both creator lakes and there is also hot springs. These lakes are best preferred for bird watching and excursions and the best time of the year to visit them is between November and December.

We arrived at the park entrance just before 9.30am.  The fee for Zeme and I was 6.20AUD total and we paid extra money to have a ranger come with us to show us around and his services was a grand cost of 3.88AUD for the 3 hours that we had him.  Insane I’m telling you, insane.  As soon as we drive through the gates there were massive ostriches just wandering around.  They roam freely in the park but they also had a fenced off section where they had 2 families enclosed.  Se we were allowed to hop out of the car and make our way to the fences to have a look at the babies.  On one side the babies were 1 month old and the other side they were 6 months old.  They were so cute and small compared to their very protective parents that made it quite clear that they didn’t want us there with a display of the massive feathers a hissing noise and walking up to the fence.  They are MASSIVE and I wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of one that is for sure.  Their legs are massive and look so strong, I am sure a kick from one of them would do some serious damage that is for sure. 

The Ostrich is one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa.  Ostriches share the order Struthioni forms with the kiwis, emus, and other ratites. It is distinctive in its appearance, with a long neck and legs and the ability to run at maximum speeds of about 70 kilometers per hour, the top land speed of any bird.  The Ostrich is the largest living species of bird and lays the largest egg of any living bird (extinct elephant birds of Madagascar and the giant moa of New Zealand did lay larger eggs).

The diet of Ostriches mainly consists of plant matter, though it also eats invertebrates. It lives in nomadic groups which contain between five and fifty birds. When threatened, the Ostrich will either hide itself by lying flat against the ground, or will run away. If cornered, it can attack with a kick from its powerful legs.  The Ostrich is farmed around the world, particularly for its feathers, which are decorative and are also used as feather dusters. Its skin is used for leather products and its meat is marketed commercially.

Ostriches usually weigh from 63 to 130 kilograms with exceptional male Ostriches weighing up to 156.8 kilograms.  The feathers of adult males are mostly black, with white primaries and a white tail. Females and young males are greyish-brown and white. The head and neck of both male and female Ostriches is nearly bare, with a thin layer of down.   At sexual maturity (two to four years), male Ostriches can be from 1.8 to 2.8 meters in height, while female Ostriches range from 1.7 to 2 meters. During the first year of life, chicks grow about 25 centimeters per month. At one year of age, Ostriches weigh around 45 kilograms and their lifespan is up to 40 or 45 years.  Ostriches formerly occupied Africa north and south of the Sahara, East Africa, Africa south of the rain forest belt, and much of Asia Minor. With their acute eyesight and hearing, Ostriches can sense predators such as lions from far away. When being pursued by a predator, they have been known to reach speeds in excess of 70 kilometers per hour and can maintain a steady speed of 50 kilometers per hour, which makes the Ostrich the worlds fastest two-legged animal.   When threatened, Ostriches run away, but they can cause serious injury and death with kicks from their powerful legs which can only kick forward.  Contrary to popular belief, Ostriches do not bury their heads in sand.   This myth likely began with Pliny the Elder (AD 23-79), who wrote that Ostriches "imagine when they have thrust their head and neck into a bush, that the whole of their body is concealed." 

Ostrich eggs are the largest of all eggs (and by extension, the yolk is the largest single cell), though they are actually the smallest eggs relative to the size of the adult bird.  On average they are 15 centimeters long, 13 centimeters wide, and weigh 1.4 kilograms, over 20 times the weight of a chicken's egg. They are glossy cream-colored, with thick shells marked by small pits.   The eggs are incubated by the females by day and by the males by night. This uses the coloration of the two sexes to escape detection of the nest, as the drab female blends in with the sand, while the black male is nearly undetectable in the night. The incubation period is 35 to 45 days. Typically, the male defends the hatchlings and teaches them to feed, although males and females cooperate in rearing chicks. The survival rate is low for the hatchlings, with an average of one per nest surviving to adulthood.  They are an amazing bird and we just walked through and around about 10 of them heading back to the car, but they didn’t seemed to concerned with us which was nice after reading how fast they can run, we would have no chance if one of them flipped out on us. 

The ranger knew of where there may be some Gazelles, so we only had to drive 5 minutes and we got out of the car again and walked into the dry shrubby vegetation and only after around 10 minutes we found around 15 of them.  They knew we were there and kept moving in a direction away from us for about 5 minutes and then they stopped to have a munch on some of the trees.  We got within around 30m of these guys and as we were observing them a family of 4 warthogs, travelling single file trotted past them like they were on a mission to be somewhere.  Throw in a few endemic bird sightings on our way back to the car it was a great start to the National Park. 

We drove through a gate we had to close and then stopped at a magnificent view point that over looked Lake Shalla to the right and Lake Abijata to the left.  It was a magnificent view and we spent a few minutes here just soaking it all up.  I am in Ethiopia, with someone I love looking at the deepest lake in the country on a perfectly clear day and not a care in the world.  Does it get any better than this?

We then drove down to the base of Lake Shalla where you can also find some hot springs.  These aren’t the swim in them type of hot springs, they are natural pools of different degrees of temperature water in rocks.  The first small pool we went to the water was 90C and an egg cooks within 5 minutes.  The locals use this to cook their food occasionally and there were a few children following us and there were around 15 locals sitting under a tree as we descended the springs.  As we made our way down the embankment, you guessed it my thong slipped on some moss and water and I fell.  I am sure it was an elegant fall as I basically just slipped straight into my bottom, and the first thing I remember was a gasp from everyone that was within hearing distance.  I was so embarrassed and Zeme felt terrible that he wasn’t there to help me, I was just about to ask him for a hand when I slipped.  I was so embarrassed, the camera got a bit if mud in it as I had it in my hand when I fell, but besides a few small weeny scratched on each elbow and my pride I was okay.  It was no-one’s fault and as we walked towards Lake Shalla Zeme and I had a good laugh about it and I am thankful that the locals didn’t have a laugh, they seemed quite concerned which was sweet. 

Lake Shala (also spelled Shalla) is 28 kilometers long and 12 kilometers wide, with a surface area of 329 square kilometers.  It has a maximum depth of 266 meters and is at an elevation of 1,558 meters. As such, it is the deepest of Ethiopia's Rift Valley lakes.  Known for the sulphur springs on the lake bed, its islands are inhabited by Great White Pelicans, one being known as Pelican Island.  Lake Shala is surrounded by hot springs filled with boiling water, and the earth surrounding the lake is filled with cracks due to erosion and earthquakes. Due to steam rising from the boiling water in the springs, the atmosphere around the lake is relatively foggy. At the southern end of the lake, there are various species of flamingoes and birds that frequent the lake.  There were stones that we collected on the shore of the lake but they just crumbled in your hand, so I guess it must be something to do with the sulphur.  There were a few flamingos around and pelicans flying past but this lake has no fish and the water is not drinkable and the ranger said it is such a waste it is so useless.

So with my head held high we walked back to the car for the 25 minute drive to Lake Abijata.  This is where we were promised the flocks of flamingos.  As we got closer to the lake the car stopped around 1.5km from the lakes edge and this was as far as the car could.  Since the lake had receded recently and the ground was so soft that the car would get stuck if we went in any further.  We were now on a flat plain and as far as the eye could see not a tree in sight.  It was green though, so there were a lot of cattle grazing and there would have been over 20 herds all scattered on the plain.  As anywhere in the world when you stop a vehicle people just seem to come out of nowhere.  There were 4 children and 2 male locals to start with.  So the ranger stayed with the car and Zeme and I walked with one of the locals heading as far as we could to the water’s edge and you could see hundreds of flamingos from the car.  The ground was actually quite scary as it was cracked from the sun, but when you walked on it moved like it didn’t seem very stable, keeping in mind I weigh probably double than the locals do, when my foot fell through some of the dry earth at one stage, I was terribly worried that it would happen again.  As we got closer to the water, the cracks were still there and it got a little slippery at times, but thank goodness I was able to keep my feet the 40 minutes we were out near the water.  As we got closer to the water we had picked up an additional 4 men and we had to keep telling them to be quite as they were scaring the flamingos.  We couldn’t get right to the water as it was just too dangerous to walk there, but we were around 30m from the edge and I still got some good photos.  It reminded me of the Salt Plains in Bolivia with the sheer whiteness and flatness.     

Lake Abijata also lies in the Main Ethiopian Rift Valley.  The lake is 17 kilometers long and 15 km wide, with a surface area of 205 square kilometers. It has a maximum depth of 14 meters and is at an elevation of 1,573 meters.  Along the northeastern corner of this lake are a number of hot springs, which are important both as a tourist attraction and to the local inhabitants.  There is also a soda ash operation on the shores of this lake, which produces 20,000 tons of sodium carbonate. Proven reserves at Lake Abijata, and the neighboring Shala and Chitu lakes exceed 460 million tons and I guess this explains the whiteness.  It is one of the shallowest in the Rift Valley and is a soda lake. Grass and acacia woodlands surround its crystallized white shoreline. The lake is home to vast flocks of flamingos, which from a distance create a pink carpet effect across the lake. This is an excellent place to look for birdlife, as many species come to feed on the prolific algae found in the lake's waters. Usual species include greater and lesser flamingos, white pelicans, white necked cormorants, herons, stocks, ibises, spoonbills and terns. It also has a resident population of fish eagles as well as a few antelope and smaller mammals around the shore.   It was a pretty cool place and we got our local guy to take a picture of Zeme and I and the other 5 guys all crowded around to watch, it would have made for a good photo as they talked to each other to get the perfect shot. 

We made our way back to the car and some more locals had appeared and some more children as well.  I guess they don’t get too many farangees this time of year, so it is a bit if a big deal to see the car and a foreigner out on the plains.  As it goes we tipped out guy as we were about to drive off and the other 4 men wanted something as well.  I just told Zeme to given them some money and they could split it between them.  There was a bit of a ruckus on who was to initially get the money to split it with 3 pairs of hands flying in the window but they sorted it out and we drove off with a wave and a thanks.  We had to drop the ranger back to the main gate and we also tipped him and it was his lucky day as we only had a 50 birr note so we gave him that when the normal tip would have been 10-15 birr.  In monetary terms for me it is only 2.50AUD but it is a lot of money for them. 

Back to our fabulous resort for a fabulous lunch with fabulous service and then after we ate and we had dessert, which is an ice-cream sundae with nuts and chocolate sauce, we rolled back to the bungalow to wile away the afternoon and we were going to head back to the beach later in the afternoon.  Well you could imagine our shock when we woke up and it was 7pm!!!  Holy moly we must have been tired!  So we missed the beach and made out way back to the restaurant for dinner.  Why not!  As this was officially the last night of tour, on behalf of the group (me) I thanked Zeme for taking me around his marvelous country and for a fantastic programme.  We both ordered a cocktail each and toasted the last 17 nights and 18 days that we had spent on the road together.  You think, it is a pretty intense time, 24 hours a day for 18 days and we made it through with flying colours.  If you want to make sure that you get along with someone throw them into a car for 18 days in a foreign land and see if they sink or swim.  I had an amazing time and this was the best thing I did by taking a leap of faith, leaving my South America tour for 4 weeks and making the 34,000KM journey to Africa.  It was totally worth the time, the effort and the money.  So this is a MASSIVE THANK-YOU to my boyfriend, my friend and my soul mate for taking the time to show me around and I cannot wait to come back to start my new life here and with him.

It was a lovely way to finish the tour and with another round of a chocolate sundae’s for dessert and 2 cocktails under our belts it was safe enough to say that we slept like babies at the wonderful Sabana Resort with the realization that we are heading back to Addis tomorrow, which in turn means we are closer to my departure day on Saturday.  It has to happen at some point and we have spoken about it a million times and we are both happy about the short 131 day separation, so it is all still positive.  Yeah let’s see how long that lasts on Saturday when we’re at the airport!!!!   

HOT SPRINGS, A LAKE AND OUR LAST NIGHTS ON THE ROAD

WEATHER: Hot and 30C

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: The beautiful Sabana Resort

BUMMER OF THE DAY: Reality check I only have 4 nights left with Zeme

WORD OF THE DAY:  Gooda

DISTANCE TRAVELLED: 103KM

We didn’t have far to travel today, so another leisurely breakfast and a noon departure from the hotel.  I only have 4 nights left in Ethiopia and with my beautiful Zeme.  Two of those nights will be spent in Addis as we have some things we need to do before I leave, so as our time draws to a close both Zeme and I are being positive about the goodbye and figure what is 131 days till we next see each other compared to the rest of our lives when we start our new life together in August.  This is what keeps me happy and all those sad thoughts at bay, well for now anyway.  I trust Zeme with my life, I know it is the right thing and as hard as it is for people to understand I have found my soul mate.  As Zeme put it “it feels like we have known each other for 4 years and not 4 months”.  EXACTLY.  I was telling Shelly I can now understand what people say when they have met their soul mate as I have met mine.  My heart gets heavy at the thought of leaving but I remind it that we will be back and we come to a compromise and will count the days together.  Sounds corny, but I don’t care.  This is a woman who is in love and is loved back with no inhibitions. 

Back on the road for our last stop before heading back to the big smoke of Addis Ababa.  Our first stop was going to be some hot springs on the way to Lake Langano.  People, who know me, know I am not a swimmer.  I can sit on a beach all day, sit by a pool with the best of them and I must admit I have done a lot of swimming on my trip to date.  I can swim, once I am in the water I enjoy it, I just don’t have the perfect swimming body and am quite self-conscience in my swimmers and shorts.  I generally am not one to ‘miss’ something, so snorkeling off the coast of Zanzibar, snorkeling with sea lions in the Galapagos, swimming in the warm water of the Greek Mediterranean, hot springs at Machu Picchu or at swimming in the Atlantic in Paraty off the coast of Brazil, I will be there with the best of them, but today I had to draw the line in indulging in a dip at the hot springs.  As I mentioned yesterday, In get enough gawking and stares as it is in public which I am sure is partly because I am white, I have an Ethiopian boyfriend (which we don’t flaunt in public due to cultural respect) and because I am a ‘little’ larger than any of their own female compatriots.  I understand all this, I accept that I look different and there are parts of Ethiopia that still don’t see a lot of farangees so this just goes with the territory.  BUT when I can control who stares at me, there was NO WAY IN HELL I was going to be getting into any kind of swimwear to hop into an Ethiopian hot spring.  This has nothing to do with the cleanliness of it but ALL to do with there would have been a woman ration of one to 50 men.  That to me was just asking for stares and I knew I wouldn’t feel comfortable, and no matter how much Zeme said it would be okay, I declined and sat under some shady trees with my book, a coke and my camera armed to take photos of the local birds.  I was prohibited to take photos of Zeme in the pools as he wasn’t feeling ‘perfect’ in his words and it is nice to know that men have ‘off’ days with their looks as well. 

A hot spring is a spring that is produced by the emergence of geothermal heated groundwater from the Earth's crust. There is hot springs all over the earth, on every continent and even under the oceans and seas. In general, the temperature of rocks within the earth increases with depth.  Ethiopia has a lot of hot springs.  The Great Rift Valley passes through the country, and there is a short distance from the crust of the earth to the actual ground, making many “hot-springs” available.  The hot springs were in amazing condition and were even better than the hot springs in Machu Picchu in Peru.  I would have loved to have gone for a dip and I even though Zeme felt bad leaving me, it was exactly what his muscles needed to relax after all the driving we had done for the last 3 weeks.  They have 3 pools all in varying degrees of temperatures and he spent a well-earned 1.5 hours rotating in the pools to refresh.  I was more than happy to wait as long as he needed.  The scenery was great with a running stream right past my table and the birds chirping it was a relaxing way to spend the morning.  Just as we were getting ready to leave 2 buses of university students from Gondar entered the springs.  Thank goodness we were leaving and thank goodness I wasn’t in a swim suit with 70 pairs of eyes to feast on my lily white skin.  Yeah it was never going to happen.

After a late lunch we needed to find some accommodation for the night.  The main draw card for where we were going to stop is the Abijata-Shalla National Park and with it being a major tourist attraction there were a lot of lodges on this stretch of road and in the area.  Luckily Zeme had stayed at a few before when on trips but wanted to make sure I was happy we were going to drive to a few to check them out.  Most of them are located 6-10KM off the main highway accessed by dusty roads and the first one we drove into was like an oasis tucked away in a dusty desert.  It was a breath of fresh air and something you would not expect with the dusty drive in past a small village, donkeys and children herding goats and sheep.  I didn’t need to see any other lodges this one was going to be just fine with an magic view of Lake Langano I didn’t care that they didn’t have Wi-Fi.  It was probably a blessing in disguise so we were pre-occupied on the computers for our last two nights.  We were originally going to spend one night here and then one back at the lappest of luxury hotel in Nazret for out last night, but this resort had a really great vibe and we decided to stay both nights here.

All the bungalows are situated on a cliff top, each having their own distinctive view over the expansive Lake Langano with the Arsi Mountains in the background.  Our bungalow was on the second level and the last one in the row.  They are custom designed to ensure a relaxing and home-like atmosphere, and the bungalows are built with local materials and simple designs to blend comfort with originality.  Surrounded by green grass, acacia and palm trees, local flowers and a sandy area the atmosphere is set for true relaxation.  It was amazing.  The ventilated thatched roof design ensures an ideal room temperature at all times and the large verandah is conveniently shaded during the afternoon, where I sat and read my book in one of the comfortable chaises-lounges during the afternoon as Z got an afternoon nap.  The water supplied to our bungalows is filtered lake water, guaranteeing a safe use for all bathroom needs.  It was something I totally didn’t expect to see and a grand surprise.

After an afternoon nap we walked down to the beach of Lake Langano.  It was a black sand beach and littered with lots of small stones but it was nice to wiggle your toes in the sand and just walk along with the lake water lapping at your feet.  The 200m long sandy beach and had a boat jetty to access the watercraft.  It is absolutely safe to swim in Lake Langano. The depth of the water increases relatively slowly, however, it is advisable for those not too confident with their swimming not to attempt going too deep, far off the beach.  While we were walking I found a silver ring, talk about lucky.  It is just a silver band with engraved leaves on it, but it is 925 silver and I promise to whoever lost the ring that it has gone to a good home.  A nice keepsake, even if it is at the expense of someone losing it. 

Langano is a lake in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia, exactly 200 kilometers by road south of the capital, Addis Ababa.  It is located to the east of Lake Abijatta in the Main Ethiopian Rift at an elevation of 1,585 meters.  Lake Langano is 18 kilometers long and 16 km wide, with a surface area of 230 square kilometers and a maximum depth of 46 meters.   The lake has a catchment 1600 square kilometers in size, and is drained by the Hora Kallo river which empties into the adjacent Lake Abijatta.  As it is free of Bilharzia (schistosomiasis), unlike all other freshwater lakes in Ethiopia, Lake Langano is popular with tourists and city-dwellers. The lake is brown in color but safe to swim in. There is a variety of wildlife around the lake, which includes hippos (rare), monkeys, baboons, warthogs, and a huge variety of birds. The area around the lake is largely deforested.  Two earthquakes had their epicenter near this lake, the first in 1906 (a magnitude 6.8 on the Richter scale), and the second in 1985 (magnitude 6.2).   After the earthquake of 1906 there formed a 25 - 30 m tall geyser on Edo Laki Island on the northern part of lake. Geyser disappeared circa 1966 - 1970, leaving a hot spring.

Lake Langano is part of The Rift Valley lakes, which are a group of lakes in the East African Rift which runs through the whole eastern side of the African continent from north to south. These lakes include some of the oldest, largest and deepest lakes in the world, and many are freshwater eco-regions of great biodiversity, while others are alkaline or soda lakes supporting highly specialized organisms.

The Rift Valley Lakes are well known for the evolution of at least 800 cichlid fish species that live in their waters. More species will be discovered.  The World Wildlife Fund has designated the African Rift Valley lakes one of its Global 200 priority eco-regions for conservation.

The East African Rift came into being approximately 40 million years ago as the African tectonic plate began to split. Lakes such as Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika have formed in the various valleys of the rift zone, including the huge Lake Victoria.  The Ethiopian Rift Valley lakes are the northern most of the African Rift Valley lakes. In central Ethiopia the Great Rift Valley splits the Ethiopian highlands into northern and southern halves, and the Ethiopian Rift Valley lakes occupy the floor of the rift valley between the two highlands. Most of the Ethiopian Rift Valley lakes do not have an outlet, and most are alkaline. Although the Ethiopian Rift Valley Lakes are of great importance to Ethiopia's economy, as well as being essential to the survival of the local people, there were no intensive and extensive limnological studies undertaken of these lakes until recently.  The major ones are

Lake Abaya (1162 km², elevation 1285 m), the largest Ethiopian Rift Valley lake, Lake Chamo (551 km², elevation 1235 m), Lake Zway (485 km², elevation 1636 m), Lake Shala (329 km², elevation 1558 m), the deepest Ethiopian Rift Valley lake, Lake Koka (250 km², elevation 1590 m), Lake Langano (230 km², elevation 1585 m), Lake Abijatta (205 km², elevation 1573 m), Lake Awasa (129 km², elevation 1708 m)

Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile, lies in the Ethiopian highlands north of the Rift Valley and is not a Rift Valley lake.

Sabana Beach Resort was exactly that.  A resort to rival anything you would find back home.  The resort’s unusual landscape offers both a serene beachfront as well as a vast cliff-top with a breathtaking view over the lake.  Dinner was in their uniquely designed hut shaped restaurant overlooking the lake.  We sat at a table next to large picture windows with a hurricane lamp for light and ate what was probably the best food we have had all trip.  It was 5 star all the way, it had a 5 star price tag as well but compared to what you would pay at home for the same thing it was still peanuts and at this point a 40AUD dinner for 8 vodka’s, main meal and dessert with the exceptional service, the amazing food along with the company I could not think of a better way to finish off our road trip than here.  Tomorrow we are off to the National Park and our last night of the Zeme Tour programme before heading back to Addis Ababa.