Axum to Gondar

by Daniel

Traveling from Axum to Gondar is an adventure in itself. The basics: Either you fly (via Lalibela) or you do it it the hard way :-)
Doing it the hard way means getting a minibus first from Axum to Shire (max. 25 Birr, should be less), preferably in the afternoon. There is not much to do or see in Shire (correct me if I am wrong). I came very early in the morning but was still too late for the Gondar Bus. At the bus station people will try to sell you a contracted minibus for horrendous prices and some will also tell you that the bus does not exist. It does exist.

At the bus station I met two Israeli girls who were also stranded - Rinat and Yarden. We decided to get a hotel (Sirit Hotel, 160 Birr) across the bus station in Shire and then hung out together, walking through town and trying to find a decent juice shop with other than plain avocado juice (we ended up going to the market and buying bananas which we asked to be mixed with the avocado at the juice bar). Later on we tried to buy tickets for the morning bus, only to be informed that the bus was already completely booked. However, the ticket seller was confident that we could get a seat the next morning, still, we left feeling uneasy. Another night in that crappy hotel where you wouldn't dare to enter the bathroom? In a place with next to nothing to do?

It became an early night with mosquito-interrupted sleep and at 5.15 am we hauled ourselves tired as a bunch of sloths to the bus station. We were too early, just to make sure to get that bus. So we waited for half an hour with an ever growing crowd of local travelers at the gates of the bus station. Eventually, someone opened the gates - just for us three. It was yesterdays ticket vendor. Expecting another attempt to scam us we wearily followed him to his office. However, he turned out to be our saviour. After selling us tickets (180 Birr) he showed us the bus and told us to get a seat - and not leave it. After I put my backpack on my window seat I realized why.

When the gates of the bus station opened all the locals who waited outside poured into the bus station running towards their respective buses. Within a minute our bus filled up with people trying to get a seat. Interestingly there was no fighting or shouting. Had we been trying to do the same we would have stood no chance to make it to the bus. It also turned out that, despite the bus being already fully booked, that nice dude at the ticket office somehow managed to get us a seat for no extra charge. Unfortunately we did not see him again to really thank him.

Feeling relieved when the crowded bus left, we embarked on maybe the most scenic road in Ethiopia. Built during fascist Italy's short occupation as a means to quickly move troops through the remote mountains of western Tigray and northern Amhara the roads winds from valley to valley over countless mountain ranges. Villages float by with sheperds using the road as a suitable passageway for theit herds of sheep, goats, cows and donkeys. The closer you get to the Simiens the more spectacular the landscape becomes with giant vertical mountains looming in the distance.

Eventually we reached the first Army checkpoint. With protests being raged in Amhara and Oromia regions, the security situation has worsened. We were all asked to get outside the bus and a couple of militiamen climbed onto the bus roof to open every single bag. After an hour long control of bags and passports we were allowed to proceed with three more checkpoints following.

After a lunchbreak in Adi Arkay - a rural town at the foot of the mighty Simien mountains - the paved road ended and a narrow gravel road starts to slowly wind its way up up up, bend after bend, at times forcing you to look into a deep vertical abyss. The road passes steep cliffs and roaring waterfalls filled up by the rainy season - and the natural surroundings begin to change. The higher you get the denser the mountain forest becomes, with black and white gibbons swinging in moss-clad trees and grass-chewing baboons sitting peacefully on the mountain side. This stretch of road is in itself worth a trip.

After a lot of aching our old Tata bus made it up to the plateau, reaching Debark at two o'clock. The Israelis disembarked and I continued with the locals, chatting away with a construction worker sitting next to me. At five in the afternoon, after an 11-hour journey crammed into my seat like a sardine I arrived in Gondar - tired, my shoulder hurting from constantly bouncing against the window yet full of unforgettable views and memories.

Axum

by Daniel

Let me start with the traveling aspects: I reached Axum from Abiy Adi (see post), first on a pick-up truck from Abiy-Adi to Adwa, then with a minibus from Adwa to Axum. There's a regular minibus service with departures every couple of minutes, but the bus-station is very chaotic. As the minibus approaches everybody tries to squeeze in - first come first serve, forget about any concept of a queue. Luckily for me, the minibus driver saw that I'd have no chance with my big backpack and reserved a seat for me.
When I arrived in Axum I was immediately "helped" to find a hotel. Make sure you bargain the price as it will always start high. After seeing two hotels I opted for the one that gave me a reasonable price from the start and wouldn't bargain a discount. So I stayed in Tsegereda Hotel, a clean and pleasant place with a very friendly hotel-owner (he was raised in New York) who speaks perfect English.

I could tell a lot about Axum but since it is a very touristy place you will find a lot of information elsewhere. I visited the ancient and impressive Axumite stelae (25 Birr for students - I am officially a student of Beer Sheva univesity), the tombs of ancient kings Remhai and Kaleb and the palace of the queen of Sheba.

Axum is the birthplace of Christianity in Ethiopia, with powerful king Ezana converting to Christianity around 400 AD. It was the capital of a powerful Empire, stretching from the southern Arab peninsula to Sudan's Nile and its greatness really becomes visible in the monuments this culture left behind - at a time when most Germans still adhered to trees and lived in wooden shacks. It controlled important trade routes and had links to ancient Greece and Rome as well as the Perian and Indian Empires. Could it be that this was the center of the Earth at its heyday?

Today Axum is a rural town with some industry and tourism. And it is the center of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The arc of the covenant is said to be located in Axum, although only the highest representatives of the Church know its whereabouts - and they keep it a fiercely kept secret. So there is no chance you will ever be able to see it.

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One evening I had a long conversation with the hotel manager, a young but serious guy. He asked me a lot about life in Germany and I listened to the stories of his life. He works three jobs: hotel manager in the hotel I stayed, food quality controller in one of the more luxurious hotels, and he gives lectures on tourism-management at the local college. He is a really hardworking guy who, I hope, will one day reap the fruits of his huge efforts. But as for now, he earns 5500 Birr with his three jobs, that is 220 Euros - by faaaar less than what you get from social welfare in Germany. So these discrepancies are also what you are looking at when you travel here and still you won't hear too many people complaining. They will get their job done and get on with their lives.

Abiy Adi (Abiy Adi to Axum)

by Daniel

Abiy Adi is a rural town in the Tembien region of Tigray. There are some local hotels and a more touristy one catering to foreigners. I went to the local Nur Hotel just on the piassa in a fancy looking glass building (100 Birr per night), although the inside is more makeshift than the exterior. Along the main street you can find many shops, restaurants, mobile equipment and the like.
The town is nestled between huge red sand rocks which make for an amazing scenery. Birds patrol the air and it is not uncommon to spot an eagle. One km to the east you enter a red valley with high cliffs on either side and the end of the road opens into a botanical garden which turned out to be a nice restaurant and bar (Mailomin or Mylomin) which serves food, beer and excellent homemade tej, an ethiopian brew that resembles honey-wine and is made of fermented honey. Outside Abiy Adi there are some rock-hewn churches (see my Aba Yohani post).
Yesterday I was lucky to check out Abiy Adi's "nightlife" with Gigi, a student from Mekelle who is visiting his sisters here. First, we went to have a beer and then a stroll  along the main road talking about our lives, hopes, jobs and football. He is a big Liverpool fan.
We played some 8ball in a local snooker stall, and then went into a shack just around the corner from Piassa where we played some ProEvolutionSoccer on a Playstation. Out of three matches  I at least won one (I hope he did not let me win :-). I am happy to say that I made a genuine friend here who was only interested in my time and nothing else.
The Tembien people are really smooth, friendly and laid-back. Although I seem to be the only faranji in town, there's no hustling, just friendly faces and greetings. The kids love to shout "faranji" or "china" when they see me, which is really funny. On the first day one of the local kids followed me. He didn't speak a word of English, didn't ask for money or anything else, and seemed to be just curious. With the few words of Amharic I have learned up to now we somehow communicated and he led me to a local church hidden inside a small valley and because he was rather pleasant company I invited him to a mirinda and shared my plate of tibs with him.
I will really miss that place. It is beautiful, genuine and unique. My friend Yacob from recommended this place to me (it's his hometown) and I can really recommend it to anybody else.

Edit:
To continue to Axum you can catch a minibus to Adwa (around 50 Birr) and contiue with another minibus to Axum (15 Birr). There might even be a direct service. I was lucky to get a ride on a pick-up Toyota Landcruiser which was way faster than a minibus.

Bilder Israel

                      Ausblick von Sde Boker in der Negevwüste in der Nähe von Beer Sheva

                                                            wildlife bei Sde Boker

                                                 Unsere Wohnheimskatze Gingi

                                        Der Campus der ben Gurion Universität in Beer Sheva

                                          Street Art in Tel Aviv

                                          Outfits für eine orthodoxe Hochzeit

                    Ein Kamel am Straßenrand nahe der Beduinstadt Rahad in der Negv Wüste

                                                               Hohannesbrotbaum

                 Jachnun ein jemenitisches Frühstück das traditionell samtags gegessen wird

                                           Horvat Susita: römische Ruinen nahe des See Genezert

angeblich bester Hummus Israels bei Hummus Said in Akko

                                                        Höhle in den Hügeln Judäas

                                                Familienausflug in der Nähe von Carmiel

                                                                       Dattelpalme

                                          Bierverkostung lokaler Craft-Biere in Beer-Sheva

Aba Yohani Monastery

by Daniel

Aba Yohani is another rock-hewn church built into a vertical cliff near Abiy Adi in Tigray region. As soon as I have decent internet (either in Addis or in Joburg) I hope to add some photos.
In Abiy Adi I stayed in Nur Hotel, a local hotel with clean rooms and clean shared bathrooms (and even TV, although I haven't tried it yet - 100 Birr per night).
Interestingly, Abiy Adi was the only place where I haven't immediately met a "guide". In the end, these guys are really helpful. So I had to get my information from somewhere else.
If you go to the bus station you will find someone who speaks a little English. So I asked how I could get to the monastery and I was told that there are infrequent buses (to Kuo Rao/Garou???), however, the one for this day had already left. That left me with two options. Either take a ride (minibus or bajaj) to a crossing at the main road to Axum, where a dirt track leaves towards Aba Yohani, and then walk for about 9 km. Or hire a ride. In the end I found a local guy on a motorbike who was willing to take me return for 250 Birr. After a scenic ride with some stops (his motorbike was a run-down chinese machine that wouldn't take both of us up any slight ascent) we arrived at Aba Yohani. Nobody was there, but some kids went to alarm the priests. After 10 minutes two of the priests (or monks) arrived. Unfortunately neither the priests nor my local driver spoke English, so communication was difficult.
The priest then demanded 300 Birr for entering the church. When I wanted to give him 150 Birr (like in Abuna Yemata) he made a gesture which supposedly was meant for me to leave. I tried it with 200 Birr and tried to explain that Abuna Yemata had been less. Then my driver intervened and somehow I managed to enter for 200 Birr.
Taking my shoes off I followed the priests up some steep stairs and through a series of tunnels to the cliff edge, where the entrance to the rock-hewn is located.
Aba Yohani is much bigger in size than Abuna Yemata, with three rows of rock columns, carefully crafted from the rock, albeit less decorations and wall paintings. Also the priests were by far not as nice. After 15 minutes in the church they politely signaled me to leave. I reckon that there are just not as many tourists as in Abuna Yemata, although the church is just as spectacular.
I then went back with my driver, back to Abiy Adi. Tonight I will meet Gigi, a student from Mekelle, to hang out and play some pool.

Abuna Yemata Guh

by Daniel

Abuna Yemata is an old and fascinating rock-hewn church hidden in a spectacular rock landscape in the Gheralta Mountains near Hawzien in Tigray Region.
When I arrived at Hawzien one of the local guides picked me up and brought me to Habesha Hotel, which is a new and spotlessly clean hotel near Hawzien's Piassa and the banks. 150 Birr for a room with shared bathroom.
The guide was very nice but as usual wanted to sell me a lot of stuff - private transfer, guide, a rope for climbing to the church, etc. which summed up to around 800 Birr. After he realized that I would not get his services he gave me the real valuable information that I needed. So basically this is how you can do it:
Get a bajaj/tuktuk to the next village of Megab (15 Birr). The bajaj is not allowed to take you further. From there walk along the main road for about half an hour until you see a sign that reads Abuna Yemata, also in English letters. Follow the path on the left side of the road that will take you along some farmhouses until you reach a small and probably dry stream. Take a stick with you. I encountered some watchdogs on the way and they were not pleased with my presence. From there you start climbing uphill on a small and at times rarely visible path. You will certainly meet people along the way who will point you the way. After some climbing you will reach the "ticket office". A priest or one of his helpers will probably sit there and this is where you pay the entrance fee of 150 Birr. Once you get there you basically made it.
Well, if you think you made it - now comes the hardest part. To get to the church you will have to climb a steep wall, cross some more rocks and then balance on a small rock ledge to get to a small room from where an iron door leads you into the church. The priest will open it for you.
The inside of the church is amazing. It is hewn into the rock and decorated with medieval religious paintings. The priest can also show you some of the ancient books that they store in the church.
You are allowed to take pictures but don't use flash. You will damage theses paintings and the priest might get upset.
To get back to Hawzien you have to climb down the mountain, get to the road, walk back to Megab and catch a bajaj.
In my case I encountered an Italian Doctor, Vincenzo, who works for an Italian aid agency. He took me back to the hotel.