A New Adventure

We left the Maassi Mara feeling rested and refreshed after experiencing God's wonderful creation there. We got back to Nairobi and then flew to Addis Ababa. I was in total shock! 😵 These cities, as many others in Africa, never sleep. Reminds me of the tune with the lyrics, "I'm from the country and I like it that way"...

My digs in Addis Ababa for 2 nights

Hilda left me in Addis and went home (Yes, we are still on speaking terms!). I decided to make the best of it so I hired a taxi from my hotel to see the town. We went to the National Museum where I met Lucy. She is purported to have lived about 3.2 million years ago and is the earliest known hominin (humanoid) ever found.  She was discovered in 1974 and the fact that she was found in Ethiopia is a source of pride for the Ethiopian people. This fact also supports the notion that Ethiopia is the cradle of human civilization. Additionally, one of the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian traditions, which was developed centuries before the discovery of Lucy, maintains that part or all of the Garden of Eden was in Ethiopia.

On the way back to the hotel I asked my driver to go to the open-aire market, or the "markatto", as they refer to it.  I am told that this is the largest open-aire market in Africa. I've seen open-aire markets but none like this! Blocks upon blocks of street vendors selling anything and everything which could be sold; and delivery trucks lined up to bring in more product and more delivery trucks to take things like farm produce. There were smaller delivery trucks piled on top of larger loaded ones.  As to how they got that way is a matter of conjecture on my part and perhaps the subject of another tale best left untold...

Chaos in the market

One vendor

More vendors

I am now back in Bahir Dar doing some work for the Amhara Region Rural Land Administration and Use Bureau (ARRLAUB) for the next 2 weeks.  Seems like everyone here wants "training". More often than not they simply need some knowledge transfer through coaching and mentorship.  All the folks I've met are bright people but the internet seems to have conspired against them.  So many resources are available there but are inaccessible because of poor internet performance.  These two weeks will be a learning experience for all.  I will relate my knowledge and experiences in the Canadian context so they can apply the relevant parts; they will show me their work in Ethiopia, both in the office and in the field, so I can understand some of the challenges they face.

Final Day

I'm writing this from home, still in a jet-lagged fog, before the reality of Canadian life hits me full force.

When they say that it cools off at night, no one said that you'd be able to see your breath in the morning when leaving for a game drive!  It was a brisk start to the day, but as soon as the sun came up it warmed up nicely.  We took a drive along the Mara River and before long we came across a couple of lions sunning themselves.  They paid no attention to us, although they posed nicely for the camera.  In the far distance was a female lion.  What a spectacular end to our time in the Maasai Mara.

From then on, the day became a long hurry-up and wait game. Forty hours and four flights later, I'm home.

Dave, on the other hand, stayed in Addis Ababa for two nights before returning to Bahir Dar to begin a project with the regional land administration.  I think this one will go better for him.  But that's his story...

Safari

Day 1:

We flew from Nairobi to the Maasai Mara Wednesday morning.  The flight was delayed and when we finally boarded, it was a Dash 8 with all of four passengers and five crew! 

We landed on a dirt airstrip right in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, were shown to our safari car and before we’d even reached the camp we’d seen zebras, warthogs, wildebeest, impala, Thompson’s gazelles, and giraffes!  It’s incredible amazing scenery. 

Calling it a camp and sleeping in tents is not what you’d imagine.  It’s more like a resort hotel.  Even though the room is a canvas structure it has a wood floor, four-poster king bed with mosquito netting, full bathroom facilities, and a large deck.  The open tent dining room overlooks the Mara River.  We eat meals to the chirping of birds and snorting of hippos in the river below.  It’s so incredible! 

About 4 p.m. we joined another couple and our driver to go for the evening game drive.  God has created such a beautiful place for us to enjoy!  We drove through huge herds of wildebeests and zebras.  Miles upon miles of hills, grasslands and animals.  Before long we came across what we’d call a ‘bear jam’ in Canada where all the vehicles are stopped to look at something.  In this case it was a ‘lion jam’.  Yes, there were two lions sleeping under the bushes.  They weren’t bothered by us, ignoring the interruption to their siesta.  We returned to camp before it was dark and then it was time for a wonderful international buffet dinner.

Day 2:

The day began with a quick breakfast and then an early morning game drive.  Our driver said it’s called a game drive because it’s a game.  Sometimes you win and see something extra special, sometimes you lose.  To me it was so amazing to see these animals all over again, like I’d never even seen them yesterday.  We could add elephants, Grant’s gazelles, topi, hyena, warthogs, mongoose and ostrich to the list. 

We left the game park and toured a Maasai village.  They welcomed us with traditional dances and then we entered the compound and had a tour of a traditional home made of cow dung and mud.  They were very friendly people eager to show us their lifestyle.  We also discovered that their school received funding from a charity we know.

You know those TV nature shows where you see the cheetah hunting?  That’s exactly how it is for real!  We were so fortunate to be able to watch a cheetah stalk and then chase a Grant’s gazelle.  We had the front row seat with no other safari cars ahead of us!  Forget about taking pictures.  Even though it was right before our eyes, it all happened so fast.  Unfortunately, she came up short and didn’t have any dinner. 

In this game drive I’d say we won!

Day 3:

That's tomorrow (Friday). The plan is to have another game drive before we leave the Maasai Mara..  

Dave will return to Bahir Dar for another two weeks and I'll take the long journey home, arriving in Edmonton on Saturday afternoon.

This was the cat that didn't get dinner.

Tea in Kenya

We woke up to the sound of rain pounding on our tin roof.  Maybe we should just curl up under a warm blanket and stay indoors today.  Thankfully we had done the farm tours yesterday as those roads would have been impassable today.

The most fascinating part of today was taking a walk to a tea plantation along a very red muddy road. Alex, our driver, was raised on a tea plantation so he was an expert at explaining how tea plants are grown and how to pick the tea leaves.  You just pick the top two leaves with the bud off every stem and toss them into the basket on your back.  At the end of the day, the load is shipped off to the 'factory'  (processing plant) to become delicious Kenyan tea.

When travelling to another country one takes pictures of all things that are odd and unusual.  The things that look like home aren't that interesting.  Modern high-rise apartments, office businesses, billboards, vehicles we recognize don't get photographed,  but they are all still a part of life in Kenya or Ethiopia.

We have been blessed to travel around with Peter for the past few days, getting to see the Kenyan countryside.  Dave has been thrilled to have had this chance to see farming practices in another country.  Our accommodations have been amazing, like we're in yet another world.   We're sitting in the living room, fireplace roaring, enjoying a quiet evening.

Tomorrow we're off on safari.  We may not have internet so the pictures of big animals may be a while in coming.

Nairobi skyline

Our room

Alex explaining about tea picking

Farming

Yesterday was a sensory overload of music at church and at the restaurant.  Today was another kind of sensory overload.

We are guests of Partners Worldwide (PW), an organization that partners business people in the developing world with business affiliates from North America.  We were invited to come and see what they are doing in Kenya (since we were already planning to go to Ethiopia), and see if there was an opportunity for us, meaning Dave, to get involved.

Today we went to see the work of one of the local organizations that PW has been assisting. Their main goal is to reduce poverty by providing agricultural and business development services.  Two of the board members, Nicolas and Peter, whom we met yesterday, were our tour guides.

They took us up and down the bumpiest red dirt roads you have ever seen.  I was sure we'd lose the bottom of the car, but Alex was an excellent driver and knew which potholes to avoid.  Somewhere, high up on the Kenyan highlands on the edge of the forest we found two farmers eager to show us their farming operations.  They eek out a living on a few acres of land, but with the encouragement and loans from the co-operative, they have been able to improve their vegetable cropping practices (i.e. buying certified seed) and improve the milk output from their few dairy cows with hopes of expanding the herd with good pedigree cattle.  I'm impressed with their determination to make a better life for themselves and their families.

We also stopped at a beautiful spot overlooking the Rift Valley.  It was an amazing view of a wide valley with extinct volcanic mountains in the middle of the valley.  The wind was chilly as we are more than 2,500 meters above sea level.  That's higher than Sulphur Mountain in Banff!  We all enjoyed pizzas on the deck, overlooking the Valley.

Rift Valley Look-off

Inter-planted corn, kale and broccoli 

Peter, Nicolas and Dave waiting for the pizza

Such a variety of plant life on the farm.

What a learning experience this day has been.

Kenya

Yesterday was a travel day.  Even though we only had two short flights (Bahir Dar to Addis Ababa and then to Nairobi), it seemed to take all day.  There are many more security checks and passport checks and customs checks than when flying across Canada!

We landed in Nairobi and by the time we got out of the airport it was very dark.  Thankfully our hosts, Peter and Alex, hadn't given up on us and we began the drive to the hotel, an hour from the airport.  At some point our driver was a bit lost but thanks to Google maps and a sharp eye for signs and obscure exits, he brought us safely to Brackenhurst Retreat and Conference Centre.

Wow!  It feels like we've stepped into another world.  It's a beautiful British colonial style retreat. The expansive grounds are covered with various trees and flower beds.  There are cottages spread out hither and yon, a large dining room and gathering space and many more buildings.  It's absolutely beautiful surrounded by such nature.

Today we got to see the regular Kenya.  We travelled along dusty, bumpy red dirt roads into a small village to attend church.  It was a small group but they were an enthusiastic bunch, singing and praising God with all their hearts and voices.  The pastor preached in English with translation into the local language (Kikuyu).  These people love the Lord, love to sing and before we knew it, three hours had passed!

After church we were invited for Kenyan tea with the pastor and from there out for lunch at a lovely restaurant.  The menu was barbecued goat with ugali (a cornmeal paste) irio (mashed potatoes and peas) and vegetable salad. It was delicious feast.  The kids ran off to play on the inflatable slide, trampoline and water bumper boats while we visited.  This was the get acquainted visit as a prelude to the tours we will do with them tomorrow and the next day.

View from our front porch

Dining Room

Peter from Partners Worldwide, Dave and Pastor Nicolas

Clockwise: BBQ Goat, tomato salad, ugali, irio, and french fries.

Farewell to Ethiopia

Farewell to Ethiopia ..... for now.

Today was our last full day in Ethiopia.  Tomorrow will be our travel day to Kenya.
 I’ve had an enjoyable time working with the group of street boys.  Despite their terrible living conditions and challenges with addictions, they are a wonderful polite helpful bunch who have good hearts.  I know I will continue to keep them in my heart and prayers, praying that they will understand the love of God and know that God can give them the strength to kick their habits and begin a new life off the streets. 

Dave ended his teaching program well.  After driving across the Blue Nile River bridge twice everyday he finally spotted a hippo in the water.  That made his day! 
In the afternoon he had a meeting with the clients he will be working with in 10 days time.  That's right, after our time in Kenya, Dave will return to Bahir Dar, while I will return home.

We had a wonderful evening eating home-made pizza (US-style), and visiting with Andrea and Jeremy and their family.  They have been such a blessing to us, giving us a better understanding of Ethiopia through North American eyes.

Birds

October 18

Our time in Ethiopia is beginning to wind down.  Dave had a much more productive day as his IT person was available to him. Dave was able to do what he’d set out to do in this training session and tomorrow will be a bonus day to tie up loose ends. 

I had another enjoyable day at the program, learning Amharic and teaching English. One of the staff asked me what I was finding the most challenging about this country.  My answer was about the money.  The currency is called birr and it's about 20 birr to $1.00 Canadian.  The largest bill is a 100 birr note and the 1 birr is a coin that looks exactly like a tooney. I feel like I don’t have a clue what I should be paying for anything, and the price of something varies so much. When I went shopping this afternoon with Misgana, I told her I wanted to pay the Ethiopian price for something, not the tourist price!  I’m not sure if that truly happened, but that’s how it goes. 

As I’ve mentioned, Bahir Dar is a beautiful lush green city.  There are also lots of beautiful birds. I've enjoyed meals by the lake in an outdoor cafe, listening to the bird sounds. I’ve been trying to take photos of birds which is quite a challenge. Here's a sampling.  I have no idea what any of them are called. 

This one was quick to scavenge food at the restaurant.

This one is a dove, I think.

That's a long beak!

(We had no internet last night so this one is a day late.)

Shopping

While Dave had a rather technologically frustrating day with his class, I had a very enjoyable day.

In my English lesson today, I taught the boys the Sharon, Lois and Braam song:  "Peanut, Peanut Butter, Jelly".  They enjoyed the actions and the chanting.  When Misgana recounted the event to someone else later on, she was laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes!  I think I'm kind of shaking up the English language teaching methods for the program.

Misgana and I went out shopping again.  This time she took me to the big outdoor market to show me around and find some Ethiopian coffee.  We had to carefully step around a large puddle, thread our way through the shops, try not to get run-over by a push cart, and fend off those wanting to hassle the 'ferenji'.  She was my body guard!  Right along side of this market was a three-storey modern shopping mall full of clothing shops.  These shops sold jeans, t-shirts, sweaters, summer dresses, including western-style bridal dresses on the upper floor.  We had a lot of fun exploring this mall.

The outdoor market

The shopping mall

Ethiopian coffee

October 16

Dave began his class today with this question:   "What important event took place on this day in 1957?"  The answer:  "I was born!"  It caused some much needed levity, something that had been lacking.
As for celebrating the day, we didn't do anything special.  Just being in Africa on his birthday is pretty special.  Maybe the safari next week could be the celebration!

A greeting written by one of Dave's students.

I have spent the past two afternoons hanging out with Misgana, one of the staff from the street boys program.  She loves to shop and enjoyed taking me around to find some souvenirs and other needed supplies.  I wanted her to do all the talking and negotiating, hopefully not to be charged 'ferenji' prices.  She said she preferred to go to the 'supermarkets' where there were fixed prices.  The street vendor stalls have 'flexible' pricing as she called it.  My confusion is the relative value of different items.  For example, a bottle of shampoo is the same price as a chicken kebab dinner.  The same ride in the bajaj can vary from 30 to 100 birr (the ferenji price) while a mini-bus taxi will be 2 - 5 birr for the same distance.  Of course that one doesn't give door to door service.

Misgana and I went out for lunch both days at restaurants along Lake Tana.  We had beautiful views of the lake, watching the fishermen in the papyrus boats putting out the nets and bringing them in again with some fish.  The lake shore area by the one restaurant was a lush park with palm trees, papaya trees, and other trees I don't recognize.  The flower beds were filled with the same flowers we plant out as annuals in the spring.  There were also other tropical plants that we have as houseplants!   The main streets of Bahir Dar are lined with palm trees and have medians filled with flowering trees.  It is a very beautiful city.

Rain

When you call the hotel front desk and tell them that there's water in the bathroom, they wonder why you're calling.  But when you say that the water is coming from the ceiling and the window frame, the concierge is on his way!  By the time he was upstairs, there was a flood on the bathroom floor from the rain coming in.  The only solution - "start packing.  You have to change rooms".  He moved us down the hall.  Hopefully we won't have any more flooding in this room as we're still on the upper floor.

At the program, I was the first staff member to arrive. It was quite a challenge to communicate with the boys, but I did manage to tell them that Andrea had gone to Addis Ababa (to accompany a cancer patient).  I just hoped I wouldn't be on my own for too long!  Fortunately the other staff members arrived and we continued the program as planned.

Dave had a full day today as they held classes both in the morning and afternoon.  Just to add a wrinkle into everything he had to come back to the hotel over the lunch hour to collect a missing cable. 

Dave's classroom and students

The rain shower that caused the flood in our bathroom.

(This is the post for October 15.  The internet went down before I could hit 'post'.)

Church

We met up at Jeremy and Andrea's house and as a little convoy of bajajs made our way along dirt side side streets to their church.  We walked along a narrow stone path beside a puddle.  I don't have great balance and was very thankful for someone's hand.  I wouldn't want to see this during rainy season!

It was a wonderful experience to worship with other believers half-way around the world,  worshiping the same God.  The only words we understood without translation were 'Hallelujah' and 'Amen'.  Yes, someone from the congregation sat between Dave and me and translated the message for us.  It was a message about the characteristics of being a child of God.

After church we all went to a restaurant overlooking the lake.  What a beautiful view of the lake as we sat in a gazebo surrounded by palm trees.  The young people ordered traditional Ethiopian food and in true Ethiopian style, as soon as a platter was served, all hands dug in at once and in no time they had inhaled it all.  We ferenjis ordered fried fish and chips.  It was tilapia right from the lake. 

When lunch was over, we went back to the hotel to relax and prepare for the week ahead.

Blue Nile Falls

Today we went to the Blue Nile Falls.  It was a wonderful and tiring adventure. 

I asked Misgana, a staff member from the street ministry, if she had time to go with us to the Blue Nile Falls.  She arranged a van for us and off we went.  It was about an hour's drive out into the countryside.  The pavement came to an end, and though the road was straight, through fields, pastures and villages, it was very rough.

There was so much to absorb along the way in terms of how the people live and make a living in the rural areas.  We saw small fields of teff, corn, and sugarcane.  Along the road was a little irrigation ditch or canal for the fields, and where people were washing themselves and the laundry.  The houses in the villages we passed through were very basic.  There were also very small shops, pool tables, and restaurants.  Cows, sheep, donkey, and goats were everywhere and our driver was very good at navigating around them and all the people that were walking along the road.  Life in the rural area looks hard.

We came to the Tis Abay village which was at the entrance to the falls.  After paying the entrance fee and picking up a local guide, we began our adventure.

First it was a short walk through the village to a boat dock.  The boat looked real sketchy, but it was just a short ferry ride across one channel of the river.  From there it was an easy walk across a pasture until we came upon the falls.  They were beautiful.  Definitely worth the hype as a tourist attraction.  It's just after the rainy season so there was a lot of water, and spray mist that reached us as we stood at a distance.  To get closer would have been much too slippery.

We continued on and came upon a suspension bridge built across a tributary of the river.  We began walking across, and half-way we had pause to let some donkeys walk past us.  They didn't seem to be scared at all!  Besides the main falls we saw several other smaller falls.  The ground was very rocky so I'd be watching my step and then when I paused and looked up there was another waterfall.  Very beautiful.

Hilda and Misgana.  It was great to have a friend with us.

The more we walked, the more animals and people were walking towards us.  It was market day and now they were all on their way home.  We'd have to pause to let cattle, goats and donkeys pass us on the narrow stony path. They hardly gave us a passing glance, whereas the people were trying to sell souvenirs to us, the 'ferenjis'.  It was good to have a local friend along.

In time we came to a stone bridge built by the Portuguese around 1632.  It was a beautiful bridge.  But beyond that bridge the path, like a series of uneven stone steps, went sharply up.  We were hot and tired by the time we returned to the van.  Once home, it was time for a shower!