Monastery Tour

After a good night's rest we were ready for some adventure.
We went for a walk around the hotel area and managed to cross the street without getting run-over.
That encouraged to be even braver as we went by tuk-tuk to Lake Tana for a boat tour.  We had a large boat all to ourselves.  It was a beautiful day to be out on the water.  Our captain took us to the Zeke Peninsula where we toured two ancient monasteries:  Asewa Mariam, and Ura Kidanemehret.  They were established in the 13th century and are circular buildings with the outer ring called the chanting area, then the holy area with all the artwork and then holy of holies which is only accessed by select priests.  Some of the artwork has been renewed in the 16th and 19th century, but still in the old style using plant-based paints.  The paintings were the story of Jesus, the story of mother Mary, and the story of saints and martyrs. Very interesting paintings.

Room for more!

We  made our way back to the boat, through the forest with coffee plants growing in the shade of the larger trees, and past the souvenir shops where each shop keeper was eager to make a sale.  By now it was near sunset. It was still almost an hour back to Bahir Dar.
Darkness comes quickly and it was definitely quite dark by the time we landed.  But the streets are still alive as we rode back to the hotel in the tuk-tuk.  Tired and hungry we were glad to be back at our hotel.

The Monastery

A crucifix