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”. 

105 - Simien Mountains - God's Own Playground!

The day was the 29th of September, 2003 and the day of our visit to Semien mountain ranges. Right from the early morning, we could hear the rhythmic Amharic music. The Meskel festival was in full swing.  

We started at 05:30 in the morning. The roads were full of burnt wood and ash and uncannily resembled the south Indian festival, Bhogi. The streets were full of the acrid smell of burnt wood. Added to the cold climate, foggy weather and quaintly old fashioned houses, it looked as if we stepped out into a medieval world of kings, castles and wars!

But the loud purring of the van and the diesel smell that it was emanating brought us all back to the harsh realities of life.

The weather was cold, and we were wearing sweaters, mufflers, monkey caps and gloves. But still, it was biting cold. We would be driving 105 kilometres to the Semien mountain ranges, and we were thrilled but quite apprehensive at the chillness that we would have to experience.

The going was slow and Mulugeta our tour guide started grumbling. We were losing time and were forced to have breakfast in the vans. Mulugeta made a grudging concession. He gave us a scornful look and declared, “You can have a restroom/short tea break for fifteen minutes”. He had the demeanour of a haughty king doling out alms to his fawning peasants.

We did not wait for a second offer. The tour party jumped out and made a beeline to the nearest restroom. Most settled for Shai (tea without milk). My eyes fell on the roadside table tennis table. The table was hard, undulating and sported an apology of a net. The rackets were hard, lumpy and had a ‘blink and you will miss’ sponge padding.

The players were taken aback when I requested them to allow me to play. It was hard to play. The table was not exactly the correct size, and the surface was like Kanpur’s fifth-day cricket pitch. Once the ball hits some of the inundations, no one knew the direction that the ball would take.

I quickly adjusted and started playing confidently. Slowly the leering grins from the crowd turned into polite smiles and then into worrisome frowns. There was palpable tension. This was not on the cards.  They could not let a firang (a foreigner) beat them in their courtyard.

Suddenly a thin as reed youngster unravelled himself from the dusty wooden stool. Without a word, he took the racket from my opponent. I knew it was the wild west, and the best gunfighter was here!! The town’s honour was at stake.

By now our touring party too was taking an interest. I tightened my mental loins and tossed the ball. The fight was on. But it was a lost cause. The local boy had too much advantage. He had the support, knew the conditions well, handled the racket better and knew exactly how the ball would move once it hit the crevices. To cut a long story short, the local champion bet me. There was a triumphant cheer, and as a token of appreciation, I gave the winner 5 birrs! That gesture made me very popular among the locals. 

As we left town, Mulugeta lobbed in the next grenade. We would not be stopping at the handicrafts village of Beta Israel or the Ethiopian Jews. We were disappointed but not shattered. By then we knew that most of the Ethiopian Jews had already left Ethiopia and that the village, handicrafts and the local shops were all operated by the entrepreneurial Ethiopians who learned the iconic Jewish clay pottery from the Falasha before they migrated to Israel.

As we climbed into the mountains, nature manifested itself just like a peacock unfolds itself after a torrential downpour. The Meskel flowers were everywhere. They were so numerous that the entire mountain ranges looked as if God gave them a bath in turmeric! And in different shades too!

There were curving roads, misty fog, jutting mountain peaks, breathtaking meadows, long drives over flat surfaces and suddenly the way would end up in narrow ridges. We could see scary drops of over hundreds of feet into valleys on both sides. In many parts, there were no guard rails! A plunge into the valley would mean curtains!

The mountain ranges were rugged and jagged. The mountain peaks were not smooth and looked like as if they were thrown helter-skelter by some unknown force. I was already into the mood of the things, when a spirit spoke to me “You know, they are called gods own chess pieces. the local folklore is that gods played chess here and that is why all the mountain peaks resemble chess pieces. Simien is god’s playground”

I was taken aback, why would a spirit talk to me? Reality dawned. It was not any spirit.  It was Mulugeta who was whispering in my ear! I took my ear out of the range of his mouth and thanked him. Now I knew why the spirit had the smell of stale tobacco and strong Ethiopian coffee!   

The mountain ranges were awe-inspiring. The highest mountain in Simien is Ras Dashen which at 4550 metres is Ethiopia tallest mountain and 10th highest in Africa. Similarly, Ankwar stood at 4462 metres (12th highest in Africa), Kidis Yared at 4453 (13th highest in Africa) and Bwahit at 4437 (14th highest in Africa). All were in the Simien mountain ranges. No wonder Semien mountain ranges were a UNESCO world heritage site!

Out of 75 tallest mountains in Africa, 51 are in Ethiopia. Ethiopia houses the mountains of Africa. We were peering at some of the highest peaks in Africa, just like watching Mount Everest and watching alongside some of the highest mountains in the world. Scenes out of National Geographic channel! 

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.