So, continuing on our journey thru Abyssinia - the original Italian name of Ethiopia..... with new friends Stu & Steph, we had a drive day, determined to make Lalibela for my birthday & a few drinks - again the scenery was breathtaking & we were at one point only 11km from the Eritrea border & the abandoned tanks were very evident - but more to the point, is that the Ethiopian people have absolutely no road sense whatsoever! We nearly made mincemeat of at least a dozen of them & that's doing no speed at all coz you can't.... if you're not dodging them, then it's the cattle, sheep or donkeys that point blank refuse to get out of the road & simply stare at you!!
Anyway, Lalibela is set in the hills & we investigated the 11 rock hewn churches from the 6th century, that literally are cut into the rock & are all linked by tunnels - amazing! It is a place of pilgrimage & whichever church you visit you find monks & priests chanting & praying or kissing the walls! We then had a hike back up the hills & were talked into staying to celebrate St Patrick's day with the Irish - well, how could we say no! We did manage to wander thru town to the furthest drinking hole before we started the proceedings around 11am!! - needless to say we were in bed by 7pm tho'.!!
Next day we said our g'byes & set off for Bahar Dar, which we knew was gonna be hard driving - although the last 150km saw the road again scattered with abandoned tanks! We camped on the edge of Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile & it was picture perfect! we decided to have a couple of days off & do nothing - except venture to Blue Nile falls which in itself was a serene & tranquil setting, thru a village to the crashing of water. It used to be a lot bigger, but is still pretty impressive & well worth the trip.
Next stop the 560km to Addis Ababa.... all tarmac.... bliss!! & still people just walk, from one town to another, they just walk everywhere! The highlight of the drive was the drop down into the gorge that crosses the Nile - it's like Ethiopia's own mini grand canyon! we hit Addis at 4pm, considering there is 5million people here, traffic is amazingly easy!
Addis is like most other capital cities - busy, bustling & too much hassle! Still, we had a good look round & i had a massage in a hydrotherapy pool!!! The 'merkato' was crazy, we had a quick look, but opted for a walk thru downtown Addis instead!
Back on the road towards the Kenyan border, we did a stopover in Dilla, passing the Rift valley lakes and the 'rasta' town of Shishamena - the scenery went from forestery to tropical, with a vast array of greenery - real pretty & getting hotter & still the people just walk!! Although, the nearer we got to the border the drier & almost savannah like, it became & the road was getting dodgier.......