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.
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