Waiting for the hippos

Monday October 16th
Addis Abbeba-Debre Markos-Bahar Dar

GREETINGS from the land of His Emperial Majesty Haile Selassie I, conquering lion of the tribe of Judah, fulfiller of biblical prophecy and rain-maker in Jamaica
GREETINGS from the country of the 13 months of sun
GREETINGS from Dahar Bar, many times capital of Ethiopia

Five days after we arrive in Addis Ababa, we already know we will have good time in Ethiopia! After our first blue Lada taxi took us to the Buffet de la Gare, we've hardly had any time on our own here. It seems to be a rule that faranjis (blancos, guiris, estrangers) can not walk alone in the streets. You always end up with a "guide" or "friend" to show you everything and nothing, to try to get you to the "traditionnal music" best place or to the best-known "coffee ceremony", strangly always in town for very few days while you are here... Anyway all these meetings give us a first introduction to the people and ways of Ethiopia.

On the second day we had something of a miss trying to visit the Merkato alone. We forgot unfortunately that this is the 1st African market in size... Absolutely cahotic and let you with a strange question like "are WE or are THEY ALL the extraterrestrials here??" So the visit was quicker than first planned, and we emigrated to a more civilized part of the city. This is just question of time... We are not 100% immerged yet, but you can notice here that people are everyday less interested in staring at you, certainly a question a attitude you acquire, and that makes you a little less faranji with time.

Eventually our most fortunate meeting in Addis Ababa was unpredictable, having a beer on a terrace, we were helped by Briuk and Behailu to ask for something to eat. Since then they showed us quite a lot, for nighttime above all (absolute darkness in the discos, playing carambola-pool, a chet shop, etc.). They seemed more worried than us about our security!

After 3 days in Addis, we headed to the historical and turistical route of the North. Woke up at 3.45 am to take the bus at 5, which leaves Addis at 6.30 (!) and get stuck for engine problems 3 hours after. This 5 hours-obligatory stop in a small village gave us time to know the 2 only other strangers, and to get integrated with the local people going with us in the bus. While white people began to worry about the real possibilities of the bus to take us all to Bahar Dar, the Ethiopians' confidence was unbreachable, all of this subject to many jokes and comparisons about Occidental and African attitudes...
"It is for good" as they say, including engine breaks off.

We are now in the Tsehay Pension near lake Tana, enjoying the "confort" of a room after this 28 hour-bus travel... We are quite confident we will be able to accept progressively the plagues, mosquitos, and all other joys of the travellers' life.

We will try to visit the Blue Nile falls in the next days, as well as the many XVIth century chrisitan monasteries of the lake. And we hope well we will be able to see our first hippos near the hotel!

Soul, reggae and dancehall music is what we hear everywhere. We have daily rest and early wake up with the mosques' calls.

Salam (=hola =”peace may be with you" all)
S&A.