Lal Hotel Lalibela

... and architected the 11 churches<br>himself about 1000 years ago. This king has got some skillz.<br>We also befriended Abi at one of the<br>restaurants we were at and he kindly invited us over to his place for<br>a coffee ceremony. He also took us to taste the local honey wine<br>called Tej &#8211; it was an acquired taste.<br ...

... Along the walls are paintings of various biblical scenes and painted on the ceiling are 104 winged Ethiopian cherubs. About 6 kilometers north of Gonder is Wolleka Village, once the home of the Falashas or Ethiopian Jews.  Before Christianity arrived, Judaism was the dominant religion of most of northwestern Ethiopia. Once Christianity became the state religion in the 4th Century, the Falashas had their land confiscated for refusing to convert.  To ...

... of the Robit river, quite a nice town with a market where the Afar people come to trade with their camels. The next day we continued to Dessie, expecting a better road as the Bradt guide told us that it is all asphalt and Addis-Dessie is possible in one day. Not true! They are working on the roads everywhere in Ethiopia and Meles Zenawi will certainly be remembered as the great road builder... Anyway, this slowed us down ...

Første stop på vores rundtur er Bahar Dar. Byen hører størrelsesmæssigt til i top 5. Den ligger for enden af Lake Tana, Etiopiens største sø. Umiddelbart er det svært at få øje på, at der skulle bo 800.000 mennesker. Centrum hvor vi primært bevæger os rundt er lys og åben. Fra altanen er der udsigt til den sydsligste del af søen. Det er her den Blå Nil har sit udspring ...

... house, we are wondering what will happen. Our guest house is also expecting us to check in this evening. What a mess this is turning out to be! We had heard some stories about African travel, but so far had not experienced any hiccups. 6:15pm and back in the boarding lounge. Still no sight of the delivery plane from Addis, and we are watching staff unloading our luggage from the plane - always a good sign! Now in this same lounge ...

... Grant offered them some gum. Soon the mother came out and he offered some to her as well. She invited us in for coffee, but we declined. We've had several of these offers before, but are still unsure as to what to expect. Is it a potential scam? Can we trust them? I know, I'm so North American... We continued walking and playing with the children. They especially liked when we took their photos and we could show it to them on the ...

... with a giant structure inside is a sight to be seen! Walking down unevenly carved shallow steps keeps you on your toes! Entrance ways worn smooth as polished marble from the billions of footfalls and hands that have touched by entering was amazing to behold. Many people pilgrimage to this area. But before there were hotels, buses, and taxis it was the people of the town that would accommodate the visitors, open their ...

... visiting the 11 amazing medieval churches, going through tunnels and small passageways, admiring the paintings on the walls and ceilings of the churches, paying tribute to each priest in each church (all very serene and calm in their old age), Outside it was hot and dry, but inside the churches there was a cool air mixed with smells of incense and beeswax candles. Our shoe-keeper earned a decent 20 birr from each of us for ensuring our shoes weren't ...

... Why does a hot shower feel so good? I don't know, but it certainly does. Start: Harego Lodge, Kombolcha, ETH. 09:30 End: Roha Hotel, Lalibela, ETH. 17:30 Distance Traveled: 310 km Road Conditions: lots of detours, traffic, construction, but for the last 14 km, it was smooth tarmac. Average Speed: 39.9 km/hr Max Speed: 82.8 km/hr Temperature: warm, dry and dusty, drizzle, cool at night

... truly amazing thing is these churches are still in use and have been continually since being built. We met Christian Orthodox priests and saw hand written books and precious crosses still in use that are over 800 years old. Because it is little known as a tourist destination, none of these items are in museums but able to be seen and photographed. Ethiopia was full of surprises. It is a very picturesque country with cultivated terraces into ...