Well, it has been ages since I've been able to get back to my blog. Hopefully I can do some justice udpating it since I've arrived in Ethiopia.
I have spent most of my time so far in Addis Ababa, where I have been working through my USAID internship with Jhpiego, an affiliate of Johns Hopkins University that focuses mainly on maternal and child health at a health systems level. Its been incredibly interesting work, and I hope to fill you in on it soon.
But before I arrived in Addis, I traveled with some of my intern colleagues to Gondar, the Simien Mountains, and Bahirdar. Gondar is a city in the northern part of the Amhara region. It was built up by kings of Ethiopia in around the 1200-1300s, and their presence is still felt around the city. We visited the Royal Enclosure, which is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, as well as what used to be the royal bath, but is now used for the Epiphany celebration. Once a year, they fill this massive pool back up and everyone from the city who is celebrating jumps in for a swim. I hear it is a huge party! Here are some photos:
Then we made it to the Simien Mountain range for some hiking. The range was the first UNESCO World Heritage Site to be named in Ethiopia. It is home to the Gelada Baboon, Walia Ibex, some cool birds, flowers, etc. The highest point in the mountains is over 3,500 meters (over 11,000 feet), and although we didn't make it to the highest point, it was still the highest altitude I've ever been. The views were spectacular, despite some fog and rain.
Finally, we were supposed to make it back to Addis after the Simiens, then fly to Harar in the east. Harar is the 4th holiest Muslim cities in the world, and is supposed to be one of the most unique cities in Ethiopia. However, there was a volcanic eruption in Eritrea that disturbed air travel. So we went to the lakeside city of Bahirdar instead! A little bit of a bummer, but we definitely made the best of it. Bahirdar is known for its island monestaries that have been settled by Ethiopian Orthodox monks and the like for hundreds of years. It is situated on Lake Tana, which is the outlet of the Nile River. We got to see some hippos that live in the lake, and that was fantastic! Bahirdar is also known for its traditional dancers, and we were lucky enough to find a small traditional club featuring said dancers. It is hard to describe what I mean by 'traditional club' and 'traditional dancers' if you don't know what the tradition is. Unfortunately, I didn't take photos either. So if you're curious, you should check out one of the links below to see the dancing. The internet is not fast enough to support me watching these videos, so I'm just guessing, but I'm sure at least one of them will give you a good idea!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOq_DQYDPbU&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GA4_nvFlbhA&playnext=1&list=PL6715795ECDD8C854
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0c4MnsBg7o&feature=related
I have spent most of my time so far in Addis Ababa, where I have been working through my USAID internship with Jhpiego, an affiliate of Johns Hopkins University that focuses mainly on maternal and child health at a health systems level. Its been incredibly interesting work, and I hope to fill you in on it soon.
But before I arrived in Addis, I traveled with some of my intern colleagues to Gondar, the Simien Mountains, and Bahirdar. Gondar is a city in the northern part of the Amhara region. It was built up by kings of Ethiopia in around the 1200-1300s, and their presence is still felt around the city. We visited the Royal Enclosure, which is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, as well as what used to be the royal bath, but is now used for the Epiphany celebration. Once a year, they fill this massive pool back up and everyone from the city who is celebrating jumps in for a swim. I hear it is a huge party! Here are some photos:
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| The Royal Enclosure |
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| The old Royal Bath House. The house is half-way submerged when the pool is filled |
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| Tree roots along the side of the pool. |
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| We visited an old Ethiopian Orthodox church up on a hill. There were many people praying and wearing the traditional white cloth. |
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| The priest of the church showed us their small museum. |
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| In the museum, we got to see the skeletons of Queen Mentewab, her son and grandson. They date back to around the 12th-13th century I believe. |
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| This is an old painting of St. George, who slayed the snake and was reported to have given strength to the Ethiopian army in wartime, especially when kicking the Italians out (twice)! |
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| I got my broken shoes fixed and shined by this skilled young man. |
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| As I mentioned, you can feel the presence of kings from most points in Gondar. Here is just your typically view from the street! |
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| One of the best Macchiatos I've ever had! Be jealous! :) |
Then we made it to the Simien Mountain range for some hiking. The range was the first UNESCO World Heritage Site to be named in Ethiopia. It is home to the Gelada Baboon, Walia Ibex, some cool birds, flowers, etc. The highest point in the mountains is over 3,500 meters (over 11,000 feet), and although we didn't make it to the highest point, it was still the highest altitude I've ever been. The views were spectacular, despite some fog and rain.
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| First day was really really foggy! |
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| But amazing! |
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| The second day we got luckier with the weather. |
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| And saw some baboons! |
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| And horses |
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| And hiked to see this incredible waterfall! |
Finally, we were supposed to make it back to Addis after the Simiens, then fly to Harar in the east. Harar is the 4th holiest Muslim cities in the world, and is supposed to be one of the most unique cities in Ethiopia. However, there was a volcanic eruption in Eritrea that disturbed air travel. So we went to the lakeside city of Bahirdar instead! A little bit of a bummer, but we definitely made the best of it. Bahirdar is known for its island monestaries that have been settled by Ethiopian Orthodox monks and the like for hundreds of years. It is situated on Lake Tana, which is the outlet of the Nile River. We got to see some hippos that live in the lake, and that was fantastic! Bahirdar is also known for its traditional dancers, and we were lucky enough to find a small traditional club featuring said dancers. It is hard to describe what I mean by 'traditional club' and 'traditional dancers' if you don't know what the tradition is. Unfortunately, I didn't take photos either. So if you're curious, you should check out one of the links below to see the dancing. The internet is not fast enough to support me watching these videos, so I'm just guessing, but I'm sure at least one of them will give you a good idea!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOq_DQYDPbU&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GA4_nvFlbhA&playnext=1&list=PL6715795ECDD8C854
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0c4MnsBg7o&feature=related
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| Fisherman on Lake Tana |
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| Hippos at the Nile outlet! |
PONIES
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