Bahir Dar 2- The Vacation

After a week of field work, which I've already mentioned was extremely draining, Friday night I fell asleep by 8, surrounded by mosquito net, covered in deet. Addis is so elevated and cool that there is little need for mosquito protection, but Bahir Dar, its low altitude and lakeside location, demands malaria prophylaxis, mosquito nets, and lots and lots of deet. But anyone who has ever traveled with me in a tropical environment knows that even if I bathe in deet I still wake up with numerous bites! This time was no exception, so I am happy I had remembered to start my doxy regime, a malaria prophylaxis. Of course Doxy makes you sensitive to the sun. And anyone who has ever met me (or Paul) knows our skins aren't exactly tough in the sun to begin with. Therefore we caused quite a sight at breakfast Saturday morning, the odd ferenji covering ourselves in SPF 50 and deet! Feeling protected we were ready to start our day.

Bahir Dar, as I've mentioned, is located around Lake Taneh the third largest lake in Africa. It is also the source of the Blue Nile! We spent Saturday visiting the falls in a village about an hour away from Bahir Dar. Instead of springing the 100 bihr to rent a car to take us there Paul decided I needed the "African bus experience". 5 minutes later, as we sat in the last row of what was already proving to be a bumpy bus ride, after already been asked for money by no less than 6 people Paul couldn't remember why this experience was so needed! While we were shouted at (and in one case grabbed at) at every village we stopped in, we eventually made it to the falls, which proved to be worth the long journey. The hike was well worth the trip and sore backside. Being the end of the rainy season the falls were running at full force. The foliage was green and clean, and after a week of being shuttled from one NGO to another it felt great to be outside and moving around.Plus the money saved on the journey allowed me to purchase a scarf! I've posted pictures of our hike on facebook, and will try to find a way to get them here as well.

Saturday we visited the island monasteries that dot the lake outside the city. Ethiopian is about 60% Eastern Orthodox Christian, and the places of prayer are very different than churches I've seen in the west. The monasteries dated from the 13th-16th century, and were remarkably well preserved. Many housed books from the same period, in perfect condition thanks to the fact they were printed on goatskin. Painted stories line the walls in vibrant colors. One monastery was male only, but I ended up getting to visit the new "woman's museum" with a well informed tour guide. Most of the paintings there featured old testament stories, and we ended up discussing EOC similarities with Judaism, or which there are many! Paul discovered a menorah at the same monastery, proving I've had some influence on him.

Our boat drive took us back to the city in time to escape a torrential downpour. While the rainy season was coming to a close, it seemed the weather wanted a grand finale, and we were treated to some of the most amazing storms I've ever seen in my life! The evening before we witnessed what appeared to be 2 converging thunderstorms, which was a delight to see, until we realized that the rain was seeping in through the balcony window onto our floor! Apparently our very nice guest house room was no competition for Africa's rain! The storm Sunday was less severe and we were able to make it back to a cafe in time for lunch and Meskel!

Meskel is an Ethiopian Greek Orthodox holiday commemorating the finding of the true cross here. It is celebrated with large cross-topped bonfires, parades, singing, dancing and fireworks. The party lasted all night. I slept soundly thought it, my ability to sleep through almost anything is a great blessing in the developing world. Paul, not blessed in this regard, reported that there was singing and firecrackers till about 5 am!

We returned to Addis the next morning, the 45 minute Ethiopian Airs flight a great improvement over the nine hour car ride I had taken there. We were greeted by a very cheerful and hyper puddles puppy! I apologize for the length of this entry, I blame it on my failure to blog the journey for over a week. I promise more concise entries soon.

As I haven't found any other way to post pictures (besides facebook) here are a few linked http://picasaweb.google.com/ejgold/SouthGondarFieldVisitAndBahirDar?authkey=Gv1sRgCPmoq-6WjsiZHw# I am still working on it.....