Coffee
4:00 Sun Nov 26
Re: Ethiopia, anyone been?
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Here's a good article...
A country that doesn’t often find itself at the top of people’s ‘must visit’ lists, Ethiopia is a real gem; untouched by colonisation, unknown by tourists, beset by problems – yet it has some of the most breathtaking scenery you will ever see with vistas associated more with a fantasy novel or special effects in a Hollywood blockbuster. The image many people have of Ethiopia is the one relayed across the World in the mid-1980s of a famine ravaged, desolate country; yet the real Ethiopia has an immense natural beauty, covered in swathes of green patchwork countryside with an often mountainous landscape - where rain and rivers do indeed flow.
Lalibela
Set more than 2600m above sea level and surrounded by valleys and mountains, Lalibela is a town similar to many in Ethiopia – a ramshackle collection of buildings and huts and a good level or organised chaos. What sets Lalibela apart are the eleven rock-hewn orthodox Christian churches, many of which are actually carved directly into the red volcanic rock meaning the roofs are at ground level. Negotiating the army of wannabe guides outside is the storm before the calm, as being inside the compound of churches is a very serene experience. There are cool, dark tunnels linking atmospheric churches – each delicately and intricately carved with multiple rooms and floors. Paintings and tapestries adorn the walls in sometimes garish colours, which fit well with the brightly-coloured priests that watch over their churches in silence and sunglasses.
Built in the 12th century, the churches certainly don’t have as much history as the Pyramids of Giza, yet they are comparably astonishing in their construction and are often described as the ‘eighth wonder of the world’. This amazing feat of human endeavour was commissioned by King Lalibela, after he was visited in his dreams by God. The most spectacular of the churches is Bete Giyorgis – the Place of George - legend has it that Saint George, the patron saint of Ethiopia, paid a visit to Lalibela just as the last church was being completed and was rather miffed to find that none had been named after him. Mortified, King Lalibela named the last and most magnificent church after George. To create the Bete Giyorgis monolith, workers dug 30 metres into the rock face and 25 metres around each side, before burrowing inside the rock to shape the building as it is today, in the form of the Holy Cross.
Elsewhere in Lalibela, an interesting morning can be spent at the donkey market, where braying on-sale donkeys stretch into the distance. $10-$20 will buy you a decent donkey, but sadly they fall just outside most airlines’ allowances.
It seems appropriate that somewhere so beautiful shouldn’t be easy to see. While the Pyramids cling to the edge of suburban Cairo, Lalibela is much harder to reach. It is a gruelling two day bus journey from Addis Ababa including an overnight stop as Ethiopian buses cannot travel at night (due to the law and a lack of headlights). Lalibela is located in the north of the country and the slow journey involves many winding mountain roads past the carcases of assorted vehicles that have plunged from the road down the mountainside. A lack of crash barriers and tarmac does not offer much faith.
Electricity is not taken for granted, there are no banks, internet access is uncommon, intermittent and expensive, telephones cannot be relied upon, there are few hotels that would qualify as such in most countries – yet Lalibela is enchanting, it has an aura of being somewhere genuinely special.
Food
Ethiopia’s national dish is called injera, an incredibly distinctive bread made from teff grain. It is a flat, crepe-like bread, rubbery in texture. Ground teff grain is fermented with yeast and water for up to three days before being baked on clay, giving the bread its slightly sour taste.
The bread is served on a large tray with several a variety of dishes, all of which are placed on top of the bread. These are generally called ‘wat’ - different stewed and spiced meats – or depending on the time of year and available food, with other dishes such as scrambled egg with chillies. To eat, a piece of injera is torn and food scooped up and eaten – so the bread acts as both the plate and cutlery!
For the traditionalists, injera is best washed down with a bottle of tej, a very sweet and deceptively strong honey wine.
Beyond Lalibela
There are many other treasures well worth making the effort to see in this fascinating and beautiful country.
Addis Ababa, the sixth highest capital in the World at 2362m (infuriatingly a single metre below Asmara, capital of despised neighbour Eritrea), is a bustling city of incredible contrasts. Impoverished slums without running water stand just metres from five star hotels replete with doormen, servants and maids, while smartly-dressed businessmen pace around the city past beggars and homeless children. Addis is centrally located in the country, making it a genuine economic, trade and transport hub for Ethiopia. Its altitude and proximity to the equator ensure a temperate climate all year round – warm during the day and cool at night. Attractions include the Ethiopian National Museum, which houses the World-famous skeleton of Lucy, the oldest known remains of a hominid (although it’s actually a plaster replica that is on display). The Holy Trinity Cathedral is the burial place of beloved emperor Haile Selassie, as well as Sylvia Pankhurst, British Suffragette and campaigner for Ethiopia. The African Union is also based in the there, reflecting Addis’ reputation as the capital of Africa.
Bahir Dar is more developed with tourists in mind than most cities in Ethiopia. Hotels and bars abound in a thriving city, supported mainly by the stunning Lake Tana on which Bahir Dar sits. The famous Blue Nile Falls also contribute to Bahir Dar’s status as a leading tourist destination. At their most powerful, they are nearly half a kilometre wide and up to fifty metres in height. However, thanks to the construction of a nearby hydro-electric plant, the flow of water to the falls is minimal in all but the rainy season.
Gondar, another arduous two day bus journey from Addis, is Ethiopia’s Camelot. There are churches and ruined castles that would not look out of place in Arthurian England, surrounded by hills on every side. An important city in Ethiopia’s history, it was capital from the 17th to 19th century. Gondar’s ‘olde-worlde’ appearance and charm is belied by widespread internet cafes and shops.
Harar is a walled Islamic city in the east of Ethiopia, considered to be the fourth holiest site in Islam due to the 99 mosques within the walls – surprising in a country that resolutely remained Christian while the rest of North East Africa embraced Islam. A very enthralling place, Harar is also famous for the nightly feeding of hyenas at the city gates – it was believed that if the hyenas were not fed from the mouth of the Hyena Man, they would steal the city’s children in the night. Harar is home to another very popular pastime enjoyed by countless – chewing ‘qat’, a mildly narcotic plant that grows in the region. Harar is reached on an overnight train from Addis – with the night spent on the track next to a small village, guarded by soldiers, for $10.
Getting there
Addis Ababa is well connected to Africa and beyond, with many major European airlines serving Bole International Airport.
Visas
Visas are required by almost all nationalities. A one month single entry visa, available on arrival at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, costs $20. These can also be arranged before departure.
Contribution to the World
Unfairly thought of as happier to receive than give, Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee - and is in fact Africa’s largest exporter of the popular Arabica beans which grow on the highlands. Ethiopia even gave the World the name ‘coffee’, as the bean was named after the Kaffa region in which it was first found.
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