Cave churches of Lalibela

  Lalibela, Ethiopia
Thursday, October 13, 2005

please note: photos for this entry can be seen on the NEXT entry - Bahir Dar

How does one even start to sum up the last few weeks here in Ethiopia? A week crammed pack with bus journeys, blow-your-breath-away scenery, underground churches, a lot of drinking and dancing and qat chewing? I guess at the beginning!

We decided to travel the northern region by public bus with the first stop over being LALIBELA - the town of cave-hewn churches. We were told the bus would take "2 days" in true Ethiopian style. So we dragged ourselves down to the bus station at 6am and set about trying to squeeze our legs into the seats. The bus was crammed pack, but we were given one of the best at the back by the bus mechanic Terry. He set about making us feel comfortable by introducing us to most of the bus and teasing us in broken English as the bus blared out Ethiopian music and plodded along on non-sealed road. We had a ball. Especially after we stopped to acquire some 'qat' (pronounced chaat) - a bushy leaf that the locals chew and which produces 'euphoria and stimulation' (as kindly defined by google!). The taste was disgusting (just like eating a normal leaf) so we couldn't eat the bushloads Terry and the driver were, but we still enjoyed the atmosphere and experience! That was, until the bumping of the road got just a little too much for my stomach to handle and I spewed :) And immediately felt much better! We had a stopover for the night in a small wildwest town where we found a hotel room for $2, and then continued the journey again at 6am the next morning.

Due to my delicate stomach situation (we presume) this time we were given front row seats up next to the driver, where we could not only chat to all the friends we had made on the bus, but could also enjoy the scenery. There is no way I can sum up how stunningly beautiful the Ethiopian countryside is. We did take a few photos, but these just simply don't do it justice. A photo can only capture a small window - we were getting it in 360 degrees! Lush valleys, tall mountains, high plateaus, rolling hills... the scenery was incredibly varied, and at all times absolutely stunning. Ethiopia is without a doubt one of the most beautiful countries I have ever visited.


Not only was the scenery constantly changing, but also the different villages and tribes we were passing through. About half a day out of Addis we started hitting the 'blanket' area, where the tribes were wearing blankets. In one village, everyone (with very few exceptions) would be wearing green blankets, and in the next village, purple blankets.And in the next, white. Very bizarre but absolutely fascinating.

We arrived at Lalibela late in the afternoon of the second day and were immediately surrounded by every Tom, Dick and Harry (or should I saw every Chombi, Fasil and Tedres) wanting to be our guides. We managed to sidetrack most and head for a much needed hot water shower at the 7 Olives Hotel. Running water for us shoe-string backpackers is a luxury, HOT running water was paradise.

Freshly cleaned we then set about exploring the town. The minute we stepped outside the hotel complex we were once again immediately surrounded by children and adults alike, all wanting to (1) be our friend (5%), (2) be our guide (5%), or (3) just simply follow us around (90%). So with our newly acquired tribe of followers we set off and covered the town in approximately 3 minutes! Lalibela is Ethiopia's most famous tourist spot, but in spite of this, is still a very small undeveloped town comprising of one high street and a handful of shops.


At the end of our saunter down the high street we heard someone calling my name. A quick note here - 'Hannah' is also conveniently (or unconveniently!) an Ethiopian name and so very easy to remember. By the end of our second day in Lalibela, we would hear 'Hannah' being called after us at least 3 times on any venture outside the hotel!.

Anyway, on this occassion it was our bus mechanic. We welcomed the opportunity to escape our new-found 'friends' and joined him and the bus assistant, Fasil, for some local enjera and fasting food (every Wednesday and Friday are fasting days. On these days, the locals eat only after 3pm, and only vegetarian). The food was soon followed by a few beers, and then an offer to join them for some Tej - Ethiopian liquor brewed from hops, barley and honey. So off we sauntered to the tej bar (by this stage, also in tow with one of our unofficial guides, Chombi) and proceeded to get absolutely out of control! Had a wild night gyrating to music and swigging back the tej and beer.


The next morning we regretted the evening before as our heads (or possibly only mine..?) poundered on well after lunch. We took it easy and did our washing, napped, chatted and caught up with our diaries.

The morning after we were well recovered, and decided to take on the daunting task of 'church exploring'. There are 11 rock-hewn churches in Lalibela, in 3 different areas around the village. We flagged the idea of paying a guide, and instead let the local children (who were following us anyway) point us in the right direction. We reluctantly parted with the $10 entrance fee for all 11 churches and made our way into the trenches to start the visit. The churches are so unusual that the first one literally took our breath away. Standing on land from the outside you see nothing. Then you go down some stairs that had been carved into the ground 7 centuraries ago, through various trenches, and suddenly, in the ground, there are whole churches carved out of the soil. What was most amazing, is that the churches are still lived in and worshipped today. Each church had a priest inside and was well lived in and loved. Anyway, enough about the churches - you can get enough of a feel for them by the photos! They were amazing.


Well, this blog has turned into much more of a marathon blog than I intended it to, so I think I'll bring the Lalibela story to an end here. Our truck drive to Bahir Dar will be continued at another date!