This weekend Mark and I traveled with a large group of friends from the Embassy to Lake Langano. Langano is about a 2.5 hour drive south of Addis Ababa and known for its diverse population of birds.
Our trip began on Friday at 2:30PM as we began the steep decline into the valley. The Lake rests at roughly 4,500 feet above sea level, still higher than Denver, but a great decline from our starting 8,300 feet in Addis. Addis is full of cars, people, and smog. Within minutes, the chaos of the city disappeared and the hillsides brought forth small huts, women working diligently out front to make injera for their family's dinner, and young boys out to pasture with livestock.
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| This traditional Ethiopian home is called a Tukul and is made of straw, sticks and packed mud |
Along the drive we saw acres upon acres of greenhouses producing roses, one of Ethiopia's largest exports. We also passed busy small towns with people and livestock roaming the streets. It was rush to beat the sunset as driving on these roads is impossible at night. We swerved to avoid cattle, goats, donkeys, and children at least once every 5 minutes.
Then my camera died. Poop!
We stopped once on our drive to Langano after seeing two women carrying heavy loads of wood on their backs. We needed fire wood and were able to buy two evenings worth of wood from them for 200birr, roughly 12 USD. As soon as our car pulled over, children swarmed the vehicle. What happened was different from what I anticipated. The children weren't exactly sweet in their pursuit of our belongings. They attempted to pick-pocket each of us, break in to our cars, etc. all with a smile on their face. It was odd. We handed them blow pops, but they didn't understand when we ran out that there was no more to give and they continued to beg. In most third world countries, people wouldn't consider begging so bluntly or obtrusively. Certainly there are occasional beggars, but not an entire town's worth of children. It was odd because you want to help them, but their behavior makes it difficult. I'm excited to learn Amharic so that on our next trip I can speak with the children. It was obvious there was great need for access clean water, clothes, nutrient-rich food, and soap. Basic needs were not being met and when observing their behavior through that perspective, it's easy to see why the kids would behave as they were.
The drive was beautiful. Mark and I shared the thought out loud that "now it feels like we're in Africa." We made it to Langano just before sunset (it goes down early here, around 6PM). The lake is home to many camp "resorts" and Embassy campsites. The lake's popularity comes from its silty (and therefore brown) water that prevents snails from living in it. Snails carry bilharzia, a parasitic disease commonly found in water throughout Ethiopia. We stayed at the US Embassy campsite that had a generator that ran for a few hours in the evening, a small working kitchen, plumbing for a bathroom, covered concrete slabs facing the water for sleeping, a small beach, and a fire pit. For the remainder of the weekend, we split our time between laying out, swimming, reading books, and chatting by the fire. It was delightful and a great way to get out of Addis and see a different side of Ethiopia.
At night I saw more stars at one time than I have likely ever collectively seen in my life. It was amazing and held us captivated for hours. The fascination that early astronomers held with stars is no longer a mystery to me. Without any light pollution to speak of, the African night sky is mesmerizing.
This area is full of dead, dormant and active volcanoes. The kids at the campsite spent their time collecting old volcanic pumice and on our drive home we stopped and collected large, ornate pieces of shiny black volcanic rock. It's been fun to learn about geology - it makes me look forward to sharing these experiences with Ryan when he's old enough to understand.
This Week
We made it back to Addis late on Sunday and grabbed an Italian dinner at the Sheraton, just a short walk away. Today I am attending a New Spouses Orientation at the Embassy and then meeting with my Amharic tutor at 1PM to sort out cost, frequency, etc. Later, Mark and I are having dinner with a friend from our church in DC, Craig.
Tomorrow I have a luncheon with the Community Liaison Office at my friend Alek's home and my meeting with my Amharic tutor. Wednesday we are travelling to the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital to learn about the volunteer opportunities available there, another Amharic training, checking out yet another car on the local market, and preparing for our Thanksgiving feast. On Thursday we are attending two Thanksgiving dinners. First, we were invited to attend dinner at the Ambassador's house (we're new to the area so I think it's a pity invite. I promise, we're not that important.) from 4-7PM. Don't worry - I will give a FULL account of what the Ambassador's residence and furniture looks like. We can't wait to check it out! After that meal, we head to a friend's home here in Addis with about 30 others for a Thanksgiving feast. Since there will be 15 foreigners attending the meal, we're doing a Thanksgiving skit for them that I am in charge of coordinating. It should be entertaining and I'll be sure to grab a bunch of pictures. For this feast, I'm cooking sweet potato casserole and green bean casserole (provided I can find someone who will lend me two cans of Cream of Mushroom).
Pictures I Managed to Capture While Driving Before My Camera Died
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| Nicer homes with corrugated roofs have security fences built around them. |
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| Dormant volcano. Apparently there is a lake at the top. It's hard to see the scale of this giant from this photo, but imagine Stone Mountain made 800% bigger. |
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| Shops ("Souks") sell small goods. |
