106 - Simien Mountains - God's own playing ground!

Finally, we were on our way to the Simien mountain viewpoint. The drive was as scenic as it gets. As we started climbing higher and higher, the air got crisper, and we could sense and feel the mountains, literally. 

Picture courtesy https://pixabay.com/photos/ethiopia-mountains-road-valley-sky-1960539/

Some of the most spectacular mountains surrounded us! Jagged and abruptly arising from the surroundings. Before we could admire one set of mountains, another would appear and gone before we could saviour them. The entire tour party had fallen silent.

The drama that was unfolding in front of our eyes was as spell-bounding as an Imax 3D movie. We can watch an Imax 3D movie again, but a trip to Simien has to be captured in the hearts and treasured!

The mountains were not bare. They were bathing in shades of yellow, purple and green. The yellow colour was from the Meskel flowers, and the other predominant colour was purple. The purple flowers were small but made it up by their enormous volume.

They were simply a riot of colours! Surprisingly some of the mountain slopes and meadows had dark yellow flowers, and some had light coloured ones. Throughout our drive, we could see either dark yellow or light yellow flowers. Never a mixture of light and dark yellow Meskel flowers together.

Anasuya aunty got overcome by the visual tapestry unfolding in front of her eyes, “The yellow colour reminds me of the turmeric that we had pound for Satish’s (Padma’s cousin) marriage”. Not to be outdone her daughter, Padma piped in, “Yes Mom” she exclaimed, “the vast yellow and purple colour in-between reminds me of Dhup-Chaav (double colour) sarees ”.

I groaned internally. Women! They immediately have to associate the scenery with marriages and sarees!!!. But the grandeur was such that it gave people ideas, even to the very practical Padma.

The van screeched to a halt, and a check post beckoned. Swiftly we got out, and an officer took a roll call. The government officer quoted an astronomical permit fee. By now we knew the game! Mulugeta feigned disgust and threw in a barrage of Amharic. 

We could not understand the conversation but could get the gist of what he was saying. He was uttering the words Astamari (teacher) and Abessa (a native of Ethiopia and not a foreigner) quite frequently. He was telling the government official that we were a group of teachers who have come to Ethiopia and that we were not foreigners but were residents and that we had R.P's (Residence permits).  

The government officer wilted like a tired rose faced with such eloquence. He meekly asked us to show our residence permits and grudgingly agreed that we could pay the Ethiopian fee to enter the Simien Mountain National Park. I think the fee was 20 birr per person and the fee was around 20 U.S. (170 Birr) dollars for a foreigner. The difference was quite astronomical.

But the government official had the last laugh. Mulugeta returned to the group. His demeanour was down, and he looked crushed. Semien Mountain National Park was a protected area, and it was quite common for tourists to tease and harm the wild animals.

The national park was also home to many wild animals including the unpredictable Galada baboons. We had to hire the services of a guard, and the guard came with a fee of 250 birrs (almost 30 U.S. dollars). It was a shocking price. At that time our secretary in the management department at Bahirdar University salary was 250 birrs/month.

We had no choice. Either we take the services of the guard, or we had to turn back. Faced with an ultimatum, we caved in and meekly paid the 250 birrs. The guard appeared. He was a lean non-discrepant Ethiopian man, quite frail. He didn't inspire any confidence or had aggression that would frighten a band of thieves or a group of marauding monkeys (Galada baboons).

Picture Courtesy https://pixabay.com/photos/ethiopia-africa-national-park-2980034/

The guard sensed our scepticism. He went to an Almirah and whipped out something nonchalantly. And in his hand appeared – a shining mean as mean can be AK 47 gun, fully loaded and ready to take on the bad guys and the badder Baboons!

Pranav was mesmerized with the AK 47. He had (in fact all of us had) seen AK 47 guns only in movies and seeing one in real life, and that too in such proximity was an experience in itself. The guard turned out to be a lovely person. Quiet and friendly he later allowed all of us to handle his gun (of course with the safety catch on). We took keepsake photographs of us brandishing the AK 47 gun, the Simien Singhams! 

We spotted a grand waterfall snaking its way through the majestic mountains. The waterfalls, the colourful mountains and the foggy and dreamy weather made the sight of water gushing through the fall made for a great view. 

The foggy weather and the low slung clouds made the drive surreal. It was as if we were driving among the clouds. Suddenly, someone shouted, “Simien Fox, Simien Fox”.

The van screeched to a halt. We poured out. The spotter was damn sure that he saw the elusive Simien fox chasing an Ibex, the beautiful Ethiopian mountain goat. But the foggy weather meant that we could spot neither the cunning fox nor the doughy Ibex.

Ibex are incredible climbers and can climb any mountain cliff. They are such good climbers that they can climb even the most vertical cliffs and graze in a matter of fact manner – as if they are on stable ground.

As we were climbing to the viewpoint, I explained to the group “Ras Dashen the highest mountain among the Simien mountains is close. But the non-motorable road means that it takes a seven-day trek to reach the summit and come back. The trek is arduous, and only the most experienced trekkers can endure the trip. And the mountain top at Ras Dashen can be biting cold”.