Ethio-Star Hotel Bahar Dar

... the adventure began. I slept for most of the beginning of the trip until we stopped for a bathroom and breakfast at 9:20. People are pushy here! I got pushed off the bus and an extremely old woman put her forearm on my back and pushed me all the way to the bathroom where she passed me and squatted in the latrine without a door. All the men were peeing in a big sink...gross. The glaring old man made an even older man switch seats with him. This ancient man never ...

... as lazy at research as I am honest about it. Finally we get into Bahir Dar and I get a place right on the lake, not hard when you're talking the equivalent of a ten-spot, but no TV and Wi-Fi is just a wet dream (beware of cheap places advertising 'wireless', then when you get to the room there's only a radio). My place in Gonder actually had satellite TV with real movie channels, but only when there was electricity. I'd tear my hair out if I had ...

... ll take the plane next time.<br>Bahar Dar is near the source of the<br>Blue Nile and is famous for their 16th century monasteries<br>located on islands on Lake Tana. It was interesting to see the<br>monastery covered inside and out with colorful and paintings of<br>saints and biblical scenes. Christianity has been around since the<br>4th century and apparently 45% of Ethiopians are said to<br>be Orthodox ...

... Nile River is the main tributary of the Nile - actually a little hard to imagine these days in light of the hydroelectric project that has significantly reduced its flow. Nonetheless, Tis Isat is still a beautiful waterfall, accessed by an interesting hike through the village of Tis Isat and lots of farmland.

... the "Obama Bar, Cafe & Restaurant". We were also introduced to the taxi outside Addis, which Lydia more commonly referred to as the "death trap" - no speedometer, no being able to open the door from the inside, guys having to push the car for it to start running, etc (it's very expensive to import new cars into Ethiopia, but for tour agencies - thus most cars are "classics"). But our visit did start off great with some amazing food ...

... visit 5 of these monasteries. Many monasteries date back to the 16th and 17th centuries, but some were founded much earlier and may have been the site of pre-Christian shrines. Inside are mural paintings of various biblical scenes and artefacts like emperors crowns, ancient bibles, drums, etc. One day I took the bus to Tis Abay (Nile that Smokes) a small village about an hour from Bahar Dar. There's a ...

... are from yesterday's delayed flights, last night's canceled flight, or this morning's regularly scheduled flights... There are 2 planes on the tarmac: our broken one from yesterday, and the one that flew in with a part from Addis last night. They begin by boarding the morning group of passengers on our repaired plane which gets everyone in a ruckus again. At the slightest indication, we all line up without ...

... one). They also give up all their possessions and own nothing. To eat, they venture into the town to beg from the local townspeople in order to be humbled. Later they will serve these people who supported them throughout their studies. Gee, do you ever feel that you come from the most selfish culture in the world? Religion permeates here and God works his way into most conversations. On our ride ...

... indicated that that's where we were going. He looked at me cheekily and asked if I wanted to go today or tomorrow? So we quickly ran down the stairs and jumped onto a bus that shuttled us out to the cutest little prop plane on the asphalt. Must learn to be more attentive in future trips... Met by our guide Kashz at the airport we enjoyed a drive to our hotel. Lush palm lined roads and colourful singing tropical birds ...

... seem happy enough to issue us with them (with the obligatory "letter of recommendation" from the British embassy you will recall) and were happy to assure us of the safety of the route we intend to take. Bonza!  Less bonza was the expense involved.  Mr &amp; Mrs R's finances were depleted by almost $300 by the Sudan-Egypt-Britain embassy trio.  Not cheap.  Not cheap at all. The twelve days that we spent in Addis ...