112 - Tour of Gondar, Simien and Lalibela ends - Settling of Accounts!

 

Picture Courtesy: https://pixabay.com/photos/charminar-monument-india-travel-896162/

We were at the end of the tour to 4 out of 9 World UNESCO sites of Ethiopia. It was a rollicking journey full of surprises and yes, learnings. As we sat in the bus and remembered the good times, I was struck with the thought, why do Indians want to save so much? They happily sacrifice their today for a hopefully better tomorrow. 

I know many of my friends who stay in Hyderabad who have never climbed Charminar. Till the early 1980’s it was possible to climb right up to the top of any of the four minarets of Charminar and enjoy the spectacular view. After the horrible Qutub Minar stampede, the government of India banned climbing up Qutub Minar, and promptly, the Andhra Pradesh state government too banned climbing at Charminar. Luckily for me, Abhay Kumar and I climbed the Charminar minarets in the early 1980s when we were doing our intermediate. 

Similarly, we met many Indians who stayed in Gondar for years at a stretch and never visited the Gondar Forts. The reason, the entrance fee was 50 Birr (Rs 250) and that was supposed to be exorbitant (by Indian standards). 

Picture Courtesy: https://pixabay.com/photos/caravan-desert-safari-dune-camels-3341872/

I have no statistics of Indian teachers who visited The Simien and the Lalibela Churches. Only elders like Dr. Naidu sir and Dr. Azaz Ahmed Sir who have stayed in Ethiopia for many years can clear this query. 

I am sure that present-day Indian teachers have it easy. Nowadays Ethiopia has wonderful cemented roads. The road journeys have been cut by half and Bahirdar to Addis Ababa road journey takes 6- 8 hours. In 2003 it took almost 12 – 14 hours on rocky and dusty surfaces! 

The bus journey was slow and tedious. To keep the boredom away we played games, quizzes and the quintessential Indian pass-time, Antakshari (a sort of pass-long musical medley). 

Our bus was not liking it at all. It was getting annoyed. How could this Indian troupe have it so easy? With an almighty shudder and nerve-wrenching groan, it gave up and the engine died. We were still miles and miles away from Bahirdar. The only saving grace was that the bus broke down in a town. Daniel and the driver got busy. There was nothing we could do. 

We wiled away the time. The small town didn’t have anything to offer. We had Shai and bought some Guavas and bananas. Finally, after a titanic struggle of more than five hours, the bus started and we were on our way. Ghion hotel tried its best but the bus was a damp squib. It broke down twice in three days! Not road-worthy at all.   

We got down to a post-mortem. I asked about the things that the tour party's likes and dislikes. There was unanimity that all the three places Gondar, Simien mountains and Lalibela were wonderful, the arrangements were good, hotels decent and food excellent. The only anomaly, the slowpoke, a tortoise pretending to be our bus. 

Dr.Kuldeep Singh Gehlot 

I gave a conspiratory wink and told Kuldeep, “Dr. Kuldeep don’t let the bus hear you compare it with a tortoise. Just to prove you correct it might travel even more slowly or break down again, just to spite us!”.  We reached Bahirdar by 09:00 p.m.!

The tour party thanked me for arranging such a lovely tour. I thanked each one of them for maintaining strict punctuality and for overlooking any minor irritants during the tour. 

A funny incident that happened at Gondar hotel needs to be told. Padma forgot a small bag containing some medicines and omnigel (a cream to cure aching muscles). Taking the help of Daniel, I called the hotel receptionist and asked whether it was possible to get back our medicine bag. 

After a long wait, the hotel receptionist came back with a response. The hotel wanted Birr 250 (Rs 1,250) as a fine and asked me to pay the postal charges too. On top of it, the hotel wanted me to give them back the hotel key. Indeed, we had by mistake carried the hotel room key with us. A quick calculation showed us that we need to shell out almost 350 birrs (Rs 1,750) to return the hotel key and get back the medicine bag. 

Padma told me that the cost of the medicines and the bag would not be more than 100-150 Indian rupees (20-25 birr). We dropped the entire idea of getting back the small bag as quickly as dropping a bag of hot potatoes. 

I still feel that it is the hotel's responsibility to check the room at checkout time and also ensure that the guest doesn’t walk away with the room key. But to expect 350 Birr for returning a small bag was a little too much to digest! 

On returning back to Bahirdar, I sat down and prepared the tour expenditure. The result was startling. I had collected 1000 birr as advance but the total expenditure per person came to 787 birrs! 

The tour party assembled at our house (except Alex who stayed at PEDA Campus, and Jeevan Sir and Geeta Madam who stayed at the POLY campus). The expenditure sheet was closely examined by all and everyone was thrilled at the low tour cost. 

I explained that I divided the entire expenditure by 12. I considered Pranav as a full tour member and that brought down the cost considerably. Dr. Kuldeep who did not like it, one bit. He said, “Anil Bhai, divide the entire amount by eleven and do not consider Pranav as an adult”. 

Even though I like what he said, I stuck to my guns. I told him that our family would have undertaken the tour by ourselves.  The group members made the trip more enjoyable by their presence. 

Most tours exceed the expected budget and getting back nearly Birr 250 was like manna from heaven. For the bachelor Indian teachers, it was their one-month expenditure. 

Alex, The gentle Russian teacher from PEDA Campus 

Alex the quiet Russian was taken aback when I presented the tour expenditure sheet. His English was not very good, but his communication was crystal clear. He enjoyed the trip and thought It was a sacrilege to check the correctness of the tour accounts. It was a refreshing viewpoint. It took all my persuasion skills to make him accept the 213 birr due to him! – 1059 words.

104 – Gondar, a city that the Emperors built!

The trip started early in the morning, and we packed ourselves into the two vans. Early mornings in Bahirdar have a healthy nip, and the air is bracing. The scenic beauty unfolded itself before our unbelieving eyes and compensated for the rough drive. 

Our first stop would be Gondar, the historic city and the erstwhile capital of the Ethiopian Emperors. Gondar is the sixth biggest city in Ethiopia and for the statistically minded Bahirdar is the 5th. Both Bahirdar and Gondar lie on the banks of Lake Tana the biggest freshwater lake in Ethiopia. At 2133 metres over mean sea level, Gondar is at the exact height as Kodaikanal, the queen of the Nilgiris, the famous hill resort of Tamil Nadu. Bahirdar is at 1820 metres above sea level almost the same height as Lonavala (1871 metres) the hill resort in Maharashtra. Gondar was 175 KIlometres away from Bahirdar.  

Gondar is a modern city with a distinctive culture. It has been the seat of power of the Ethiopian Emperors and has some spectacular forts and churches. Gondar was also the place where the Jews of Ethiopia once stayed before they all immigrated to Israel. 

Called Falasha (or wanderers) the Jews called themselves Beta Israel. Most of the Ethiopian Jews have since left, but the Jewish villages still exist as monuments that tourists could visit. 

Gondar is also quite noted among the Indian community. – The cause for fame was the university of medicine and in 2002 almost all the teaching, non-teaching faculty and nurses were totally of Indian origin. Thus the Indian community was all white coated. I was explaining this to Padma and Anasuya aunty. 

Hearing this Kuldeep preened “Arrey Anil Bhai, hum bee tho Doctor hai aur hum bhi tho white coat pehenthey Hai (we too are doctors, and we too wear aprons)”. He was referring to himself as a doctor. A PhD in Mathematics and a Doctorate. And to top it almost all teachers in Ethiopia wear white aprons to protect their clothes from the chalk dust! 

“Dr. Kuldeep Ji. Talk about yourself. I am not a doctor by any imagination, and I don’t wear the apron”. I added quite caustically. I somehow was quite averse to wearing the apron to the classroom. I recited a joke about PhD doctors.  

A freshly minted PhD (who struggled for over a decade for his doctorate) proudly put a nameplate Dr. So and So on his apartment’s front door. The next day morning, there was a frantic ringing of the calling bell. Before he could go to the door, his nosy parker no-nonsense nine-year-old son opened the door. At the door was a man who was panting. “Is the doctor in?” was his worried enquiry. 

The PhD doctor’s son yawned, picked his tooth with an imaginary toothpick and drawled ‘Yes, he is, BUT HE WILL BE OF NO USE TO YOU”. With this, he banged the door in the face of the shocked visitor. More shocked and devastated was his father, who was rudely pushed from the ecstatic heavenly bliss to the hard reality of life. PhD’s are Doctorates and not doctors. Kuldeep roared his approval and laughed till tears came to his eyes.    

We stopped for breakfast at the roadside. The scenes were breathtaking, but the countryside was full of mud and was dripping wet. The Ethiopian rainy season was in full swing! Most of us were drowsing when both the vans came to a screeching halt. We were in a traffic jam! 

I got down to enquire. It was a nightmare that came true! There was a massive landslide, and the vehicles were stuck choco-o-block. There was nothing that we could do but watch with open mouths as puny workers struggled to get the rocks and the mud out of the way. It was man against nature! 

 

But on the other side was a sight that stunned us. Rising out of the sheer mountainside was a rock formation (the god’s finger) – that looked exactly like a massive Shiva Lingaa. This sight made the entire group very happy, and they all happily agreed that it was a splendid omen for our start, and the landslide be damned! 

By lunchtime, we reached Gondar. Like most big Ethiopian cities, Gondar was clean and had paved concrete roads. It also had many double-storeyed buildings. The weather was cold, and the air was fresh and unpolluted. We vowed to ourselves. “Next contract, we shall try to come to Gondar”. T.N.Murthy remarked, “Do you know, We can get INDIAN RICE in Gondar?”. What he meant was that we could get Chinese rice that resembles the Indian Sona Masuri! For the Bahirdar Indian community who ate broken soggy rice, it was like God giving boons! The entire troop immediately made plans to buy the whole rice stock of Gondar! 

Our stay was at Hotel Quara. After freshening up, we visited Debre Berhan Selassie, the oldest church of Gondar. It was a typical Ethiopian church, very modest but had spectacular paintings on the walls. Suddenly someone shouted, “look at the ceiling, look at the ceiling.” 

We looked up and the sight shocked and frankly spooked us all. Many faces were solemnly staring at us! Sahithi got a scare of her life and clutched her mother so tightly that Padma gave out a yelp of pain. Sahithi’s tiny nails were piercing her shoulder.

 It took us some seconds to realise that the faces were not real but painted into the ceiling itself. Later a priest told us that the faces belonged to angels and that there were a total of 144 angel faces, each with a slightly different facial expression. An experience of a lifetime! 

Next, we visited the Fasil Gebbi (the royal enclosure) or the Gondar Fort complex. It was founded in the 17th century by Emperor Fasilides (Fasil) and was the home of Ethiopian emperors. Its unique architecture shows diverse influences. 

The origins of the Fasil Ghebbi can be found in the old tradition of the Ethiopian emperors to travel around their possessions, living off the produce of the peasants and dwelling in tents. 

Emperor Fasilides broke this tradition of progressing through the territories, and founded the city of Gondar as his capital; its relative permanence makes the city historically significant. Within the capital, he commanded the construction of an imposing edifice, the Fasil Gemb or Fasilides castle. A wall with numerous gates delineated the area around the Fasil Gemb. Subsequent emperors built their own structures, many of which survive either in whole or part today.

The entry fee was 50 birr! It was so steep that most Indian teaching community at Gondar would not visit the fort even once during their entire stay. We never had such qualms and went inside. By Indian standards, the forts were not spectacular, but they were decent and quite old. The least impressed was Dr. Kuldeep who murmured “such forts exist in nook and corner of my state” No wonder he was so upset. Kuldeep comes from Rajasthan the state that boasts some of the best forts in India if not the world itself!  

Strangely the architecture looked familiar. Later google search proved me correct. The architecture had very strong Indian design aspects. The builders of the Gondar fort were Indians! It established the fact that Indians and Ethiopians had friendly ties from time immemorial. Habsiguda, the bustling place near Tarnaka in Hyderabad, gets its name from Habesha (or locals as called in Amharic). The Nizam of Hyderabad had a massive contingent of Ethiopians in his army, and most of them were stationed in Habsiguda! 

From Gondar fort, we went to Fasilides bath another UNESCO world heritage site. Fasilides bath is around two km northwest of the piazza, attributed to both Emperor Fasilides, and Iyasu I. The large rectangular pool is overlooked by a charming building and alongside are some massive trees with large exposed roots. 

Padma gave a huge sigh and said “Why did the emperor build a separate bath for himself? That too so far away. Why can’t he take a bath at the fort itself?” I mentally imagined an emperor trundling along ponderously from his fort to the bathing area, just to take a bath. And at that time there were no friendly Bajaja (three-wheeler autos) or cars! Shaking myself out of the mental stupor, I quickly explained “Bath does not mean a bathroom. It is a symbolic bath. This symbolic bathing takes place during the Ethiopian festival of the Timkat”. 

Although the complex was used initially for swimming (royalty donned inflated goat-skin life jackets to swim), nowadays, it is filled with water for the Timkat (Baptism) or Epiphany celebrations which fall on the 20th of January.

After the bishop blesses the water, the pool becomes a riot of splashing water, shouts and laughter as crowds jump in. The ceremony replicates Christ’s baptism in the Jordan River and is a sacred renewal of faith among the Orthodox Christian community of Ethiopia.

103 - The devil in Detail – Gondar, Simien and Lalibela trip.

Mulugeta our tour guide gave us the details of the tour. We would be starting on the 26th of September and would come back on the 30th of September 2003. The trip would begin from Bahirdar, and first, we would go to Gondar. Gondar boosts of some spectacular forts, churches and Fasilidas bath a world heritage centre. 

From Gondar, we would go to Lalibela, and incidentally, the 27th of September is Meskel the big Ethiopian festival. Meskel is the annual religious festival of the Ethiopian orthodox church which commemorates the discovery of the True Cross by the Roman Empress Helena in the fourth century. 

Meskel occurs on the 17th Meskerem in the Ethiopian Calendar or the 27th of September in the Georgian calendar. "Meskel" is the Geez word for "cross". Geez is the holy language of Ethiopia. Geez is the language of the holy scripts. It is the Sanskrit language of Ethiopia! 

Many Ethiopians who live in cities return to their villages to celebrate the national event. The Meskel celebration includes the burning of a large bonfire or Demera based on the belief that Queen Eleni as she is known had a revelation in her dream.  

The prophecy was that the queen should make a bonfire and that the smoke would show her where the true Cross lay buried. The queen ordered the people of Jerusalem to bring wood and make a huge pile. Frankincense was added, and the bonfire was lit. The smoke rose high to the sky and returned, precisely to the burial spot of the true Cross.

The Demera procession takes place in the early evening the day before Meskel or on the day itself. Charcoal remains from the fire is collected and the faithful mark their foreheads with the shape of a cross. One of the significant occurrences of the festival is the coinciding with the mass blooming of meskel flowers, the golden-yellow daisies.  

We had not seen the Meskel celebration and were in great anticipation to witness it at Lalibela, the holiest of the Ethiopian sites. It is like witnessing Brahmotsavam in Tirupati. The festivities have the same energy and vibrancy of the Ravana Samharam performed on the 10th day of the Indian Dussehra festival.   

Then it was down to the costing. The trip estimation was 12,000 birr or 60,000 rupees. It was overall 1200 dollars or 100 dollars (Rs 5,000/-) per person, and It was a dirt-cheap deal. However, it was puzzling that the Indian community was so stingy that it was not willing to spend Rs 5,000/- on a trip that they would never get another chance to experience. 

I told the group that the costs were only an estimate and that expenses could go up or down. Everyone paid the 1000 birr without a murmur. 

I cautioned the group and told them to carry woollens, essential medicines, mosquito nets, trekking shoes and water. Water is critical as water quality is quite variable in Ethiopia and bottled mineral water was not available at all places. There was an agreement that we should carry at least five litres of water per person. 

As we had kids (Pranav and Sahithi), it was decided that we carry homemade food. Padma volunteered to make masala pooris, Murukulu (a readymade snack) and Mango pickle. Kuldeep's items were fifty chapattis, pudina chutney, garlic chutney and alu (potato) curry, Tasleem got to prepare fifty chapattis, T.N.Murthy got one kg fried groundnuts, Geeta madam got pullihora and chips, Dr. Neelima's items were lemon rice and mango pickle.  

Man proposes, and God disposes. Exactly twelve hours before the trip Mulugeta dropped a bomb! There was a change in the plan. The bus that we had booked was not available. Another group of tourists booked it, and that information did not percolate down to Mulugeta. 

Now we would be provided two minivans. The travel itinerary changed too. We would first go Gondar, then from Gondar to Simien mountains. From Simien mountains, we would return to Gondar. From Gondar, via Oreta, we would go to Lalibela. The bus would be available from Oreta onwards. And from Lalibela, we would come back to Bahirdar. And to top it all there would be two Irish tourists who would be joining our group. Like all things African, it was a flat ultimatum delivered in a no-nonsense tone. We had no choice but to accept. Time was not on our side. It was Mulugeta's way or the high way (get lost you, Indian group!)

That day evening, we had the final meeting before the trip. Dr.T.N.Murthy took to the floor, cleared his voice and spoke in the most stentorian voice. As he spoke we cowered, such was his eloquence "Good evening, brothers and sisters of Kable 7 and Kable 3 (Jeevan sir's house was in Kable 3). Our trip starts tomorrow. All of us have to maintain time. 

Don't think that it is only Anil Ramesh Sir's trip. It is our collective trip. We are spending LOT OF MONEY. Let us share responsibility. We will have buggy leaders every day. Day one it will be Anil sir, 2nd day it will be me, the third day it will be Dr. Kuldeep, 4th day it will be Jeevan sir, and on day five it will be Dr. Neelima and Tasleem. Let us take collective decisions. FRIENDS WE HAVE TO ENJOY TO THE MAXIMUM AS WE ARE SPENDING LOT OF MONEY" .  Even after 16 years, the speech still rings in my ears. It had the same effect on me as Mark Anthony's speech had on the commoners of Rome! 

Then came the dilemma, what to do with our Valuables? Passports, gold and relevant documents. Pesto, an idea flashed! Why don't we entrust them to Chidambaram (our ever helpful, eager beaver next-door neighbour)?

I knocked on his door, and Chidambaram cautiously it. I barged in and gave him the bag. I chirped "Chidambaram sir; please keep this bag. We are off to the trip tomorrow morning" I was sounding more confident than I was feeling! 

Chidambaram gave me a look that would have burnt lesser mortals. He took the bag without a word and nodded his head. 

I came back and gave Padma conspiratory wink "It is done" I smirked. As I was smirking, there was a knock at the front door. Who else, it was Chidambaram. 

He was carrying our bag. Without a preamble, he said "I don't think I can keep this bag. I might have to go to Gondar on an official trip. In which case, I can't guarantee the safety of your valuables." 

I was bewildered. Chidambaram and I belonged to the same department, and there was no official trip on the anvil. "what official trip?" I gaped at him. It was my best imitation of a fish gasping for air. Chidambaram fixed me with a stern look "I never said that there is an official trip. I said if there is an official trip". 

I often thought of myself as being smart. I cooed to Chidambaram. My voice was dripping with sugar "That is right, that is right. Official trips can be a pain in the backside". I brightened up "Sure, sure, if there is an official trip, where would you keep your valuables?". 

Mr. Chidambaram looked at me as if he was looking at an eight-year-old imbecile "I never trust anyone with my valuables. I would carry it with me" and added with extra emphasis "on my person". 

My defences collapsed as if they were a bank of sand hit by a Tsunami. I took my bag and bade him goodbye. I had to go to PEDA campus and request Rajani madam to take care of my valuables. Luckily for me, she accepted to keep them. Exhausted, we quickly went to sleep as we had an early start the next day morning. 

101 - Tearing The Indian Community Apart – Ethiopian Journey

Choosing the places to visit was quite easy. We wanted to travel to places that were close by and we wanted to finish off the trip in five days. The places selected themselves. Gondar, as it was only 175 kilometers away and it had Fasil Ghebbi, the fort and Fasilidas bath, another huge attraction.

We could not miss out Lalibela the 8^th natural wonder of the world. Not visiting Lalibela after staying in Ethiopia is like visiting India and not seeing Tirupati or visiting Saudi Arabia and not seeing Mecca.

We were all nature lovers including Anasuya aunty and we wanted to see the Majestic Simien mountains and see for ourselves ‘Gods own chess pieces’. The legend is that gods played chess with the mountains shaped like chess pieces. 

We also wanted to see the endangered Simien Fox, Gelada Baboons and the Ethiopian Walia Ibex, all majestic animals.

 Sadly, only 500 Walia Ibex are left in Ethiopia and most of them are in the Simien mountains. Of course we wanted to experience an ambience that is unparalleled in the world. Simien mountains has a mystique that we were told had to be experienced. It can’t be described.

We had to travel by road and there was no way we could travel by air especially to Simien mountains. Of course all the three places, Bahirdar, Gondar and Lalibela were connected by air but from Addis Ababa. Bahirdar – Lalibela was not connected by air and Bahirdar Gondar were so close that the travel has to be by road.

There was no reliable road transport service and once we planned to visit Simien mountains we had only one choice. Make it into a package tour and then it becomes viable and feasible.

Deciding to travel, was the easy part. Where do we get information about fixing a package tour?  Luckily for us Mansoor Ali Khan, my colleague from the management department had a known contact in Ghion Hotel. Ghion hotel was right at the edge of mango park and it was also close to the jetty that took tourists to the island monasteries.

Kuldeep and me went to Ghion hotel and met Mulugeta. Mulugeta told us that the trip was possible and that it would have to be a five-day trip. He promised us a 22 seater bus. The bus charges were fixed and the night stay would be at Gondar, Lalibela and one night would be at Simien National Park.

Five of us were certainties. Our family of four and Anasuya aunty. We first mooted the group travel idea in Kable 7 and it was received with great enthusiasm by Kuldeep and Shilpa, Dr. Neelima and Tasneem. Dr. Srinivas Inguva had gone to India and Dr. T. N. Murthy was not interested. We had eight (not counting Sahithi) in the kitty and wanted 14 more.

We were quite choosy in whom we wanted to invite. We knew by now that the cursed ‘Indian stretchable Time’ concept had travelled to Ethiopia too. Some Indians would take inordinate time to dress and arrive at the starting point. Especially we wanted to avoid TSFM (telugu Speaking faculty member) whose family was famed for late coming.

We extended invitations to Clara, Rajani, Mansoor’s family and Azaz Ahmed’s family. During one of our discussions, Management department’s HOD, Addis Gedafaw evinced interest to accompany us. But almost immediately Mansoor and Ahmed said NO.

They had young kids and did not want them to get diseases. Even though Adnan (Ahmed sir’s son) and Shagufa (Mansoor’s daughter) were Sahithi’s age, I respected their decision. Mansoor later told me that as they were Muslims, they were not keen about visiting churches. He said that he was planning a trip to Harar, the third holiest site for Muslims in the world. That left Clara, Rajani, Addis and a Russian Mathematics teacher named Alex. Alex volunteered by himself and said that he was coming, period. Possibly four more from PEDA campus.

From POLY, invitations were extended to Dr. Naidu, Suresh and his wife, Balakrishna and to Jeevan and his wife. Jeevan and his wife had come to the island monasteries along with us. They enjoyed themselves and we were sure that they would enjoy the five-day trip.  We had invited 6 from POLY campus.

So 4 from our family, 4 from Kable 7, 4 from PEDA campus and 6 from POLY campus, added up to eighteen. Yes, 22 would make it better and the cost would come down but we were quite worried about big numbers. I thought that things were moving smoothly.

The die was cast and the Indian community gossip mills of Bahirdar went into the overdrive. The Indian community was buzzing with curiosity, amazement, hurt and apprehension.

‘How dare Anil plan such an audacious trip? No one earlier has even attempted such an outrageous event? Who would want to go to “dangerous places”. He is risking lives of everyone including his wife and children? Why would he risk the life of his poor mother-in-law? He has lot of money to blow, is it? Why are we not included? How can he be so selfish? He is inviting Ethiopians, Russians but not Indians? Is he trying to curry up (maskafy) his HOD?! After all his contract will come up for renewal’

Rumours were flying thick and fast everywhere. The entire area of Simien mountains was totally lawless. Some explained “Lalibela is full of mosquitoes, waiting to take the blood out of the tourists”. This one in particular sounded very strange. It was as if the mosquitoes of Lalibela were blood sucking bats waiting to suck the blood out of the poor tourists.

Somehow this one got struck like glue. The rallying cry was resounding everywhere. Lalibela is full of mosquitoes waiting to give malaria as the gift for all tourists.  They were battle ready to ambush the audacious group of Indian teachers from Bahirdar who have ventured out into the bad world of travel and tourism, inspite of severe warnings.

Bets were being laid and punters were laying out odds. The odds were stacked against me. The stakes were so high that 3 birr bet on the trip being successful would return 10. And the trip not being successful was at 9:10. The verdict was out. Our trip was doomed to fail. Even though it is quite amusing now, at that time it was quite disheartening. I knew how people, who think differently were searched out and targeted.

A group of Indian elders paid a visit to my house. They were solemnness personified. One could mistake them for a team of United Nations on a peace brokering mission. Such was their earnestness. Their mission was crystal clear. ‘Call off the trip. It is a bad idea. Why do you want to spend so much money? This proposed trip is tearing the Indian community apart’. “Such a trip has never been attempted before” they exclaimed in horror.  

Their earnest argument, holier than thou attitude got me rankled. “Sirs” I said “I understand your anguish. This is not a trip of the Indian community. It is a private trip and I have the right to invite people, I like”. I gently reminded them that the Indian community in Bahirdar already had many sub groups like POLY Faculty group, PEDA Faculty group, Telugu group, Tamil group, North Indian group, Family group, Bachelors group, Vegetarian groups, Non vegetarian group, Boozers group and so on.

Seeing my eloquence on the topic, the Indian Bahirdar Elders got up, and left reluctantly. I burst out in laughter when I saw their stiff disapproving backs. It was rip roaringly funny, but it was the lull before the storm. The Tsunami was about to strike!!!. 

100th Blog posting!!! It is a century, Guys!!! -- Planning a trip – Ethiopian Journey

The first blog post on Ethiopia was on 10^th October 2017 and the 100^th blog post is being posted on 31st of March 2019. The journey to write 100 blog posts has taken me 535 days. Including this post I have written 95,000 words. I average 950 words per post.

Along the way I have picked up a small army of loyal readers who follow my blogs with religious zeal. They read and give constructive feedback. Most of my loyal readers have remained with me in this 1.5 years’ journey of my blog. Throughout the world nearly 20,000 people have read my postings and that, in my view is a ringing endorsement of my humble effort.   

The Indian community in Bahirdar is minuscule and it can be safely be said that anything, I repeat anything becomes NEWS. The tit-bit of news has to be flogged and flogged till the last drop is taken out of the juicy gossip.

Anasuya Aunty’s (Padma’s mother) visit to Ethiopia triggered the wanderlust in our family. We wanted to travel and see the important tourist destinations of Ethiopia. Being prudent, we wanted to maximize on the destinations and wanted our travel to be budget friendly and the duration to be short. Travelling on the dusty metal roads of Ethiopia (in 2003) took a heavy toll on the human endurance and the dusty roads could lead to severe cough and other throat related problems.

Google search threw up some very interesting facts. Ethiopia has nine world heritage sites. A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area which is selected by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as having cultural, historical, scientific or other form of significance, and is legally protected by international treaties.

The sites are judged important to the collective interests of humanity. Most tourists would be over the moon to visit even one or two world heritage sites in their visit. The nine world heritage sites of Ethiopia are given below. The year in the brackets indicate the year in which UNESCO officially granted the place the status of a world heritage site.

Rock Hewn Churches Lalibela (1978):  The site contains 12 medieval rock hewn churches from the 13th century.  They are touted as the 8th wonder of the world. The churches are cut out of sheer rock and in many cases it’s still a puzzle where the rock debris have been deposited.

There are no man made mounds or small mountains which would have been formed due to deposition of the debris. It is said that gods themselves have built these beautiful churches. A visit to the Lalibela churches is on the top most on the bucket list of all the devout orthodox Christians of Ethiopia. Lalibela is 310 kilometres away from Bahirdar.

Fasil Ghebbi, Gondar region (1979): The fortress of Fasil Ghebbi was the residence of Ethiopian emperors during the 16th and 17th century. The city remains, which features buildings with Hindu and Arab influences, were later remodeled with Baroque style architecture by Jesuit missionaries.

Bahirdar was situated on one side of Lake Tana whereas Gondar is situated on the other side.  Gondar was one of the most well developed cities in Ethiopia and had a Government Medical College. Gondar boasted of the second largest expatriate Indian population after, Addis Ababa. It is 175 kilometres away from Bahirdar.

Simien National Park (1978):  The eroded Ethiopian plateau comprises of jagged mountain peaks, deep valleys and sharp precipices dropping about 1500 metres (4900 feet).  Simien National park nestling in the Simien mountains present some of the most spectacular views in entire Ethiopia. Simien mountains boast of the highest point in Ethiopia, Ras Dashen standing tall at 4550 meters above sea level. The jagged mountain peaks are so awe inspiring that they are christened ‘the chess set of the Gods’. Lalibela is 315 kilometres away from Bahirdar.

Tiya (1980):  The archaeological site contains 36 monuments which includes 32 carved stelae covered with symbols hard to decrypt.  Tiya is an archaeological site in central Ethiopia. It is located in the Gurage Zone of the Souhern Nations, Nationalities and peoples, south of Addis Ababa and is 570 kilometres away from Bahirdar.

Aksum (1980): The ruins of the city of Aksum, near Mekele, Northern Ethiopia, dates from the 1st to 13th century and marks the heart of the ancient Ethiopia and what was termed as the most powerful state between Eastern Roman empire and Persia. 

Aksum has monolithic obelisks, giant Stelae, royal tombs and ruins of former castles. The Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion, Aksum is supposed to be the resting place of the Auk of the covenant which originally held the ten commandments that all Christians consider very holy. Aksum is 525 kilometres away from Bahirdar.

Lower Valley of Awash (1980): Paleontological findings from lower Valley of Awash gave the world, Lucy. Lucy, the 3.2-million-year old female fossil is the evidence of the oldest living human being. Lucy in that sense is our mother and all the citizens of the world are her children. Lower Valley of Awash is 380 Km away from Bahirdar, in the west of Afar depression.

Lower Valley of Omo (1980):  The prehistoric site near lake Turkana is the location of many hominid fossil findings, such as Homo Gracilis. Also found are tools made from quartzite, the oldest of which dates back to 2.4 million years old.  Lower Valley of Omo is 554 kilometres away from Bahirdar.

Hara Jugol, the fortified historic town (2006): The city of Harar is on a plateau and is surrounded by gorges and Savannah. It contains 82 mosques, 102 shrines and unique interior design in the townhouses.  Harar is said to be the fourth holiest city of Islam.  The colorful walled city of Harar also boasts of another world famous personality, The Hynea feeding man. The Hynea man feeds hyenas from his mouth.  Harar is 1100 kilometres from Bahirdar and is near Dire Dawa one of the most popular cites of Ethiopia.

Konso Cultural Landscape (2011): The site features 55 Kms (34 miles) of stone walled and fortified settlements in the Konso highlands of Ethiopia. The Konso, a Cushitic speaking people of southwest Ethiopia, are known for their distinctive religious and cultural traditions including their unique funerary rituals involving elaborate music and dance. Konso culture is also famous for its carved wood statues called wagas, which memorialize important people in the community. Konso Cultural landscape is situated 1000 kilometres from Bahirdar.

Apart from the above, there are many other sites waiting UNESCOs nod to be world heritage sites. Even though not on the list the Island monasteries of Lake Tana and the Danakil Depression in Afar region are places that should have automatically be featured on the list.

The islands of lake Tana have some of the most original churches/monasteries in the world and are home to antique Christian paintings, books, and artefacts. They are not museums. They are living churches where faithfuls worship god on a daily basis. Their inhospitable locations have meant that they have been insular to change and have the look and feel of churches of the 10th and 11th century. Visiting them is like being transported back in a time machine. A visit to the paradise lost!

The Danakil Depression is a plain, 200 by 50 km (124 by 31 mi), lying in the north of the Afar region  of Ethiopia, near Eritrea. It is about 125 m (410 ft.) below sea level.

The Danakil Depression is the hottest place on Earth in terms of year-round average temperatures. It is also one of the lowest places on the planet  (100 m below sea level), and is without rain for most of the year. Visiting the hottest place in the world could be an exciting thing in itself. Danakil is also home to two active volcanoes.   

With so many world heritage sites all around us, we were in a quandary. Spoilt for choice!!! We did not know which ones to pick.