Salt and Camels

Melanie and I have worked, lived and socialized together for six months, it was only fitting to cap off our time with one big exciting trip into the Afar region of Ethiopia. Taking three days to explore Erta Ale, an active volcano, 

Driving out to the base camp of Erta Ale took us over solidified lava. There we ate dinner then started on our night walk up to the rim of Erta Ale. From there we walked into the creator to get a closer look of the bubbling lava. It is claimed that this is the only permanent lava lake in the world, sitting at 613 meters. Our guides were local, with minimal knowledge and english, guiding our steps to avoid the soft fresh lava that flowed only two weeks prior.

We experience the most extreme heat I have ever been in, 54 C. Drinking 7 Liters of water a day and licking Salt rocks for the fun of it! We made our way over a dessert past 6 other active volcanoes to see the Salt flats, where caravans or camels carry the Salt back to town to be processed. For me the highlight was the 4x4 over the dessert and over the salt flats, I even convinced our driver, KB, to let me have a go at driving in the Dessert! 

The Danakil Depression was so very unique and it was amazing to and experience a different side of Ethiopia. 

 

Church's in the Mountain Tops

Ethiopia is a country of deeply rooted religious history. In July, with my sister we explored the network of ancient Rock Hewn church’s in Lalibela, learning about how each church was carved out of a single rock, taking years to complete the task. 

Then on my September Hike we explored a large cave church. Used to hide the church built within, the cave church was amazing to see, and take in the surrounding forest scenery. 

The third type of church that was left to explore were those high Mountain church's in the far North of Ethiopia. With a group of us we headed to Mek’ele to explore the Tigray Region. Staying at the Gheralta Lodge and exploring two beautiful mountains, hiking to the summits where the breathtaking church’s have sat for centuries, welcoming thousands each year to celebrate birth, baptism, pray, worship and morn. The priest of the high mountain church was only 25 years old, his youth allowed him to bounce up the mountain to the church multiple times a day.  

Hiking through crevasse in the mountains, to reach the sheer cliffs that we scaled bare foot was fun and exciting. These church’s were as breath taking as the views from the door ways. 

 

A week in Korah

Melanie came to Ethiopia this past January with a friend, Tammy. Connected to an Organization called Hope for Korah, a Ethiopian run organization that runs an income generating program, family sponsorship and morning breakfast feeding club. Through our six months Melanie has been a dedicated volunteer. In addition I have joined her on a few Health teaching days and mass treatment for the beneficiaries of the program. 

In October a group of nurses and a doctor came from Abbotsford and we were able to carry out 7 days of health care service for those who are part of the Hope for Korah program and surrounding area. 

I loved how we were able to give out mass treatment for worms to all 200 kids in the Hope for Korah program. It is too common to get worms in the environment that this population lives in, and at times the worms can cause kids to become malnourished. 

The week flew by with days packed with early morning feeding programs, morning clinics, and afternoon work at local hospitals. A great way to wrap up our time in Addis Ababa. Volunteering for an organization we support so very much and enjoyed helping the health care team over the last six months. 

Hiking in the Highlands

“Everybody needs beauty...places to play in and pray in where nature 

may heal and cheer and give strength to the body and soul alike.” 

― John Muir

Every September I seem to find myself on a trail. The last few years those trails were along the west coast on Vancouver Island. This year i still found myself on a train, in Northern Ethiopia summiting a mountain at 4 200m, breathless and sweating from the scorching sun. 

Hiking is always a push, a shove over the next hill, a break to catch my breath again and again. I love spending days hiking. Seeing what my body can accomplish, going to bed with feet that throb only to awake at hideous hours to do it all again. 

In July, while visiting Lalibela with Kaylin, we met a wonderful hiking guide, Kanu. His excitement and love of the surrounding mountains had me quickly organizing another trip to Lalibela with friends to embark on a 4 day hike. 

One thing we found amazing and different hiking in Northern Ethiopia were the plateau's. At home we are so use to mountain peaks and valleys that touch the ocean. Hiking in the Ethiopian Highlands was a different experience. Reaching 3 200 m, it was not a mountain peak but a plateau. Farm villages, schools, grazing fiends, crops and streams covered the plateau into the distance. It was an entire community and world above the clouds. Staying at a farmers home stead was an experience we enjoyed. Seated around the fire, watching our dinner be prepared, talking in our broken english and Amheric was our nightly entertainment. Sleeping on mats laid upon straw did prove problematic as critters bit us as we slept. Comes with the experience right? 

The four days was spent with Rafael, Melinda, and Kanu. Every bit enjoyable. Another September, and another epic hike completed. Enjoy the pictures!

Our Host for the time spent at the Farm house. Of course we were
welcomed with a traditional Ethiopian Coffee ceremony

We visited a church in the mountains. It was in a cave, centuries old, the door step you can see has had
countless feet pass over on their way into to pray and worship.

As the sun came over the mountain, the light covered the path with a glow
as we prepared to hike down into the valley and up onto the other side, back into Lalibela. 

Critical Care Books Needed!

Our time is quickly coming to the end. Plans for traveling after we finish our work here in Addis is coming together. It has been so great to meet nurses from around the city and getting the chance to visit their hospitals! One huge need that we have learned is the lack of instructors here in Ethiopia. Instructors for ACLS and other medical courses like CPR, and Trauma courses (Hint hint! Any instructors out there… I have many connections that would welcome you with open arms here in Addis).

At the beginning of October a medical team is coming from the Abbotsford area to spend time running free medical clinics in the outskirts of the city where the need is great. In addition, through the connections Melanie and I have made we hope to organize education at a few local hospital.

For all of you Nurses out there that take the ACLS course annually I have a challenge! Course books are used once and then forgotten. I know a great Trauma hospital, with a few Nurse Practitioners who would love Critical Care books, TNCC, ACLS books, ECG books, basically anything ER or ICU related material to help with education!

So ask around in your departments at work, Collect as many books as possible and message me. We will set up a way for them to get to the team from Abbotsford to bring with their luggage to Addis! Many thanks, and I do hope you are successful in gathering books!

Caught in the Rain, Seeking shelter in an Animal Shelter

Traveling in rainy season is not ideal in most African countries. The land gets boggy, and mud gets sticky. Handwashed clothing tends to never let go of the moist cold feeling no matter how long you leave them out to dry. Parts of the country are covered in Mud making visiting regions impossible. while other parts of the country are desperate for rain. Farmers loose land as the unstable ground washes away, or a sudden hail storm crush's any hope of a crop this season. Rain makes things difficult. Road ways can become streams in a matter of minutes, a quick coffee turns into an hour waiting game as you try to predict if the rain is getting lighter or heavier! Carrying a rain jacket is essential, everyday, even if it is sunny in the morning! Taking a risk and wearing light slip on shoes result in them sitting out to dry for days to come. It is a good thing my hair does not Frizz with humidity!

Oh African, rainy season, unique, but still moments of beauty. Here at my house in Addis, I have two photos posted above my bed..... one of the rains in Conakry Guinea through a taxi drivers windshield, and the other is of a BC ferry in Active pass with rain drops clinging to the window pane. So Vancouver has prepared me for this African Rainy season, a true love of rain and the blue colour that comes with a storm. By rainboots are well used, to the point I cannot use them any more! Holes have cracked through. My umbrella made an early exit... literally falling from my bag never to be seen again. Oh any my trusty old green rain jacket.... not so trusty, sly little think has decided to draw rain inside! Thankfully I claimed my sisters jacket when she left me!  Now its a game of... 7 weeks left of rainy season.... I'll be fine with only my sisters rain jacket and Leather boots?!?! 

TIA (this is Africa) is a phrase that is cliché and well known. But it is cliché for a reason. For some travelers the struggles and lack of punctuality dive some people mad. But learning to grin and shrug your shoulders and say to your self TIA will lesson the blow of challenges one must expect on a daily bases while living/traveling abroad.

 

After a last minute tour of the Church in a cave, Kaylin, our tour guide Kanu and myself climbed back into our Van, our next stop was to be the Airport! After a few clicks of the ignition and a failed attempt to Bump Start the van, the three of us walked through the rural village to the road way. Kanu was quick to call and make arrangements for another car to pick us up. If this happened in Canada I may have been stressing about missing our flight, but out in the middle of the beautiful hills of Lallibella there was nothing we could do but wait and enjoy the scenery.

All around us the hills where green and plunged deep into the valley below. Grey clouds gathered above us and then the rains came thrashing down! Lucky for us we just happen to be standing next to a Goat shelter! In we stepped taking cover under the aluminum roof. Kanu apologized, we just responded with “no worries, at least it has a good roof!”.

More phone calls were made and the rain continued to come down, a chicken popped into the shelter, taking cover from the rain, kids hung on the outside laughing and chattering away while asking for chocolate and stickers. As no car was coming yet, and the time was ticking past…. 40 minutes or so, we hopped into a Baja (Ethiopians version of a TukTuk, a three wheeled covered vehicle) and headed down the bumpy unfinished, pothole filled, wet slippery road through the hills and valley’s to the Airport!

In true Africa fashion when we arrived for out flight, it was delayed by a couple hours! 

Always trying to enjoy the view and the moments we are forced to slow down and wait. I know once I am home I will be to busy to stop, and will miss the mist and the layers of muted colours when the rains come.

Morning Hikes

On our second day in Lalibella Kaylin and I took the opportunity to go on a four hour hike to see Asheton Maryam Monastery. The monastery sat on a mountain overlooking Lalibella and the region that surrounds. It was on Wednesday morning we met our Trekking guide in our hotel Lobby. His name is Kanu, he has a local trekking company in Lalibella,

https://accessecotrekking.wordpress.com/  Growing up in the region he is familiar and shared an abundance of information about the region with us as we hiked up into the mist! You learn very quickly that Kanu is a man who loves the mountains and the quiet one finds when up above the chaotic streets of Lalibella. Talking with Kanu we learned more history about the people and about current issues in Ethiopia. Gaining a better understanding of the country I am living in while climbing sheep trails. 

The hike was an enjoyable climb, passing through a mountain village filled with farmland, children and of course those selling souvenirs. Walking along carved out creak beds, and through farmer fields brought a true african village feel to the day. I have missed the quiet village paths and spread out huts. Addis is far different then Village life. Kaylin enjoyed the time trekking, stretching and moving! For myself living in Addis, at an altitude of 2 355 m (7 725feet) my body has become acclimatized. This means more red blood cells! So essentially without working out I have reached the best shape (well best oxygenated state) in my entire life! Kaylin was living for the previous 10 weeks at 1 200 meters in Massaka Uganda, climbing to the hight of 3150 meters (10 334 feet) to reach the 

Asheton Maryam Monastery did leave her a bit more breathless and clutching at her burning chest. For us "sea level" Canadians it is a bit of a change to say the least! 

Being rainy season, a mist wrapped around the mountain, obscuring a view of the valley, but reminding me of Home, coastal hikes and winter days spent hiking! A smile was plastered on my face for the entire morning. In October Melanie and I are already planning more hiking adventures, with Kanu of course! 

Highlight of Lalibella, all the mountains, green hills and misty peaks! 

Seeing the History that lies within the Rock Hewn Church's in Lalibella

Standing outside one of  the first Church's we visited

Flying north of the busy city of Addis, Kaylin and I found ourselves in the town of Lalibella. In Ethiopia there is a long history found in the Ethiopian Orthodox church. While other countries may have animals, or oceans, Ethiopia has a rich religious history.

Lalibella has the highest concentration of these magnificent rock-hewn church's. 11 church's sit in two groups and the small town is built up around it. Each church is carved entirely out of a single block of granite with the roof of the church sitting at ground level. We also visited a church on our last day that was built into a cave. Our guide explained this was to protect the church's from attacks.

Upon our arrival we found our tour guide at the airport, and dropped our bags at our wonderful hotel  Panoramic View hotel  ( http://www.panoramicviewhotel.com/ ). The name was not an over sell! Our room had a breathtaking view over the green valley. Waking up in the morning, from bed we could enjoy the view and eagles sore over the valley.

After a quick lunch and refreshing nap we headed out to the first grouping of church's. Our guide filled our head with facts and we tried our best to take it all in. Covering our heads and removing our shoes it felt like we were stepping back in time. The ceilings, the paintings, the ancient crosses that had been kept. Ethiopia is influenced as a nation by the orthodox religion and understanding more of their history contributes to understanding the locals we work along side and live among.

The king Lalibella had the church's constructed in the 12th century. Influenced from a trip to Jerusalem and Jordan, he recreated a the Holy places he saw in Lalibelle with an attempt to being it closer to his African People.

Overlooking from a passageway towards where the people
of Lalibella lived, this is where the king would make
announcements to his kingdom. 

Taking time over two afternoons we explored all the passageways and rock ledges as we traveled from church to church. Being rainy season we were not going to escape the rain, but it did force us to stop in the door way of a church we were about to leave and slow down. In  stead of rushing to see everything as fast as we could, it forced us to slow our pace from time to time.

 My favourite part of Lalibella was the landscape that surrounded us. Green hills and valley's that plunged deep down with settlements in clusters scattered

Another place outside of a Church the king would come to

St George's Church is the most magnificent of them all.
A single carving in the rock that surrounds it. 

A last addition to our tour, but a highlight for me, seeing the cave church. Climbing down the steps towards the crack in the earth, the structure of the church comes better into view. 

If one is ever in Ethiopia Lalibella is an area not to miss. If not for the church's but for the landscape that holds the church's. It made returning to Addis a bit more difficult!  

Kaylin lands in Ethiopia! My Wanderlust Sister

Kaylin having her first Ethiopian Food experience!
Injera and Shiro with local Cheese! 

Fresh off the plane from South Africa, after spotting Lions and Giraffes Kaylin had finally arrive in Ethiopia!! In June I had the chance to visit Kaylin, and get to see her part of Africa in Masaka  Uganda. 

We had a week to explore and have our own African Adventure! Ethiopia has a different feel then Uganda. Less East Africa and More North Africa. Animals are not the attraction but history that is carved into ancient rocks in the forms of Church's. 

Unfortunately it is rainy season here in Ethiopia. But being from Vancouver that didn't wash out our vacation plans! I am lucky to have a couple days of holiday at my Job, and took time off to enjoy Having Kaylin here and sights that Northern Ethiopia had to offer. 

Flying up north the Lalibella

Endless amount of Ethiopian Coffee

After the quick week, we had to say our goodbyes. It was so good to hear all about her Safari adventures and more about her life in Masaka. She has fallen in love with Africa. After years of hearing stories and seeing my desire to return again and again, She understands the love of living life as an adventure, challenging and pushing your comfort zone. Traveling with Kaylin was the first time we "vacationed" together. I hope it is an experience we get to do again, and I imagine in Africa. Something so comfortable about being with family while traveling. No barriers, nothing to hold you back. Just being together and capturing shared memories to reminisce about for years to come! Off to Europe she flew, to travel solo for awhile, my Wanderlust sister. It isn't so much of a I miss you emotion as a feeling proud of her spirit for adventure and what is to come!

We found plenty of time to relax too!