Elated & Exhausted in Ethiopia

A Simien Sunrise

It's 3am and 6 adventurous souls take to the mountain with the opportunity to summit yet another magnificent African peak looming large in front of us. The air was cool - no cold -  and recent memories of the comfy warm sleeping bags still lingered in our thoughts. In Ethiopia this time round, it's the shared hopes and dreams of the assembled that we may enjoy the view from the highest peak of the Simien mountain range in Northern Ethiopia.

 

The Canadian Government had offered advice about travel in the region  which of course we ignored.

On the plus side, the warring factions had agreed not to shoot at one another months before our hike and the Tigrayans had very little reason to shoot tourists - we reasoned. So a simple hike from 3100 meters up to 4700 meters ought to be pretty straight forward. 1600 meters of elevation gain over around 40 kms could be managed by even a heavy smoking snack food junkie with a sprained ankle. Or so I thought.

The sun-drenched highlands of Ethiopia had other things in mind for our intrepid band of hikers. Pictured on the left panel, (pointed out with my trusty hiking pole still bent from my constant tumbles at Mount Stanley) I indicate where we are headed. Yes - that is the peak way over there and guess what? There is a valley in between.

 Noted below is the start of the hike at the 3100m. It was a pretty easy scramble up to 4100m and the first of many absolutely fucking spectacular views. Now here's where is gets decidedly tricky. We then descend back down to 2500m before heading for the summit. Dastardly bastards never mentioned THAT in the brochure!

 

Now onto the spectaculars of the hike. Firstly the two gentlemen pictured below are Mzee (seasoned people) responsible for our safety. I did look carefully at their guns from time to time and wondered if they would actually shoot. Definitely vintage though later I noted they checked the bullets to ensure they were still in there. That was oddly frightening and soothing in equal measure.

All that said, these 2 older men were more nimble than Taylor Swift jumping to her feet to celebrate a touchdown at a KC Chiefs game. With due amounts of humility I admit to falling behind them and the gang on a number of occasions.

In all the hiking I have done I have never witnessed such awe - inspiring vistas. The cliff edges fall away sharply and as you peer down to the bottom it's hard to sense just how far down it is. A kilometer? 2 maybe?

Ryota a hiking accomplice from this and previous event stands perilously close to the edge for dramatic effect. Well done! Below, Gelata Baboons race across the highlands in troupes thought to number over 500 members.

 

 

 

 

 

Simien view Click for Video

Base camp pictured alongside, was a small village of about 27 homes (yes I counted) and I noted 37 children in evidence when I bathed in the river. I suspect every child was in attendance to watch the old pasty white guy stumble around in the creek trying to look graceful while frantically looking for the soap he dropped. Not my best moment I's say but the point is - that's a lot of children for 27 homes. 

Also of note is that water thirsty Eucalyptus trees are pretty much the only trees standing. An imported species that are as helpful to the people as they are dangerous to the environment. 

 

Note the home made from Eucalyptus. The poles will soon be covered in mud and straw to make it a bit more private and homey. Below are a couple pictures of children below still visibly traumatized from the view of a naked 60+ year old pasty white man doing some sort of weird dance in the creek.

I particularly like the 2 pictures of Andy below. Together we have climbed at least 5 of Africa's highest peaks (depending on who is measuring). I can't thank him enough for the comradery and constant good humor even in the face of challenging days. His keen wit and unbridled enthusiasm for life is inspirational to all he meets. I think the pictures below illustrate his enduring spirit and will to take on challenges no matter their difficulty.

The summit came soon enough with the donkeys and us both very thankful.This is the first hike where we used pack animals for our gear and I thought this a good idea. They are surprisingly good at working though the rocks and up steep inclines.

Within a few meters of the summit we surprised the Ethiopian military with our unannounced and unexpected arrival. To say they were less that welcoming would be an understatement. Apparently we had no business being there and the fact that we kind of snuck up on them did little to help the situation. It was a tense exchange as successive commanding officers were consulted about us going to the peak only a 100m in front of us. In the end, and after I yelled at them for being assholes, our guide explained that we needed to exit immediately so as not to be shot. Discretion being the better part of valor, we retreated to a safe distance and took a few pictures.

A single malt Scotch (not bought from donations) is the perfect accompaniment to an almost successful summit. Damned military guys- very little sense of humor!

I'd like to take a moment (if anyone is still awake and reading my blog) to explain the photo below. It was one of the most insightful moments of the hike. We headed back down the mountain on a day that happened to coincide with market day. Hundreds of people joined the trail as they descended with their grain, goats, cattle, sheep or what-have-you to sell in the market. As we walked along I felt part of this age old movement that is as basic as life itself. The trail has likely been in existence for thousands of years. Ethiopia boasts being one of humankind's earliest regions and that very moment felt golden to me to be present in that exact place and time. Life is beautiful.

 

 

Mission accomplished it was back to Gondar (the old capital of Ethiopia) with it's wonderful historical monuments. The castles below took us back in history while the coffee ceremonies brought us abruptly back to the present. The delicious brew sipped while bathed in the fragrant smokey wisps of frankincense are a delight for the senses. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Later, having arrived in the present capital Addis Abbas, we were thoroughly entertained by a show and food for which this part of the world is famous. You either love or hate Injira but I an solidly in the first camp and while the food is decidedly spicy, it's unbelievably rich in flavor and variety.

Pablo and Andy in a WTF moment ... yup pretty spicy!

Thank you x 1 hundred million

 

More important than my boasting of mountains conquered is seeing Grace delighted to receive our latest load of food for the kids in the Malezi school. I'm not sure if it's fortunate or unfortunate that the volunteer school has more mouths to feed but together we did a great job in getting this food to those hungry kiddies.

I'd like to thank everyone for their donations. In particular,  my Mom, Cliff, Andy the hiker extridinaire, and also Felix for helping to coordinate generous donations from his Sister Sandra and Aunt Sonya. Together we brought $600 CAD of food that will allow the kids to concentrate on learning rather than their empty tummies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Thanks for reading ....Layno in Northern Ethiopia!!!

 

Rwanda! Beautiful, green & clean looks eagerly toward the future.

 Kinda green hey?

When people speak about Rwanda - at least to me, they talk about how clean the country is. Ok - so what exactly does that mean because I've seen clean and so what? Under my kitchen sink is clean but that doesn't mean I'd make it a holiday destination.

No Rwanda is so much more than clean. It's quiet - green - peaceful - free of garbage  - and a place where broken concrete is repaired immediately. It's the same with power poles and potholes. Rwanda is the absence on indifference. She leans forward like a sprinter in the blocks excitedly waiting for the race to begin and confident of another win. With the exception of one road (5 hours to travel 100kms and the loss of 2 fillings) the entire country is well attended. So much so in fact - that on the last Saturday of month "The Nation" cleans the streets. That's right - the entire nation turns out to tidy up. Even the most fastidious among us have to utter a "Damn"! That's something!

Equally impressive is the commitment to be corruption free. Your truly sits next to the " No money for you Muchachos" award near the city center on the convention center grounds. Though more than the award, you can feel it as you move around the country. Sharp as a tack police officers are every 500 meters or less. 

When I was pulled over for passing on a solid line (good one Layno) I shouldn't have been surprised to see an officer immediately wave me to the side. She  - looking very nice indeed - in her uniform and listened to my plea for leniency before politely waving us on. In Kenya I'd be emptying my wallet and soul.

Rwanda seeks to become the Financial capital of the African continent in the same way that Switzerland is to western Europe. My good friend Lucy, an expert in mass communication tells me that time and again Kenya (and most African countries)  lose out when governments and companies are looking for places to come together for conventions. Safe makes cents!

So safe is the country that it is host to the Tour of Rwanda, a 6 day professional bicycle road race over hill and dale. My travel companion (more on that character later) and I are avid fans and enjoyed the race  or at least the 30 seconds we saw as 100 or so bikes wiz past. In a moment of weirdness I stepped into the area where the honorable Chris Froome was getting ready for the race. Frommie (as his good friends call him)  looked a bit frightened as I reached for his hand and pumped it overly enthusiastically as lunatics do. In the end - I'm glad to have met and shook the hand of this living legend. He was a real gentleman.

Now - the success of the present can't be told without the story of one of the darkest events of human history and in modern times.  Lunch at the Hotel Rwanda (Hotel des Mille Collines) was a particularly sober event especially after watching the movie (Hotel Rwanda) just before the trip. 

One could image the thousand or so Tutsis hidden throughout the hotel while my Canadian hero Lt -Gen Romeo Dallaire did his utmost to save the lives of innocents.

The Kigali memorial to the genocide sits well within the city limits on a hillside like any other. If I didn't mention earlier -  Rwanda is only hillsides. You walk up or you walk down but nothing else. 

This hillside however is different in that it's the mass grave of 250000 Tutsis murdered by the Hutu. In the photo below you can see one of 6 mass graves that will forever tell the story of that awful 100 days in 1994 while the world picked it's nose and looked away. 1 million lost their lives as the Belgians, French, United Nations and so on committed the most atrocious of act of all. The act or indifference to suffering. 

I wonder how many were saved due to the actions of Mr. Dallaire and his small band of heroes. It must have been near impossible to breathe and take the next steps as the horrors unfolded throughout the country.

The rented Rav4 took my travel companion and I across the country to Lake Kivu and the tiny town of Kibuye where one of the worst single days massacres occurred. The Memorial was the story of how 15000 Tutsis were lured from the safety of the hills and forests to a soccer field where they were then murdered by those who convinced them that they were their protectors. 

In the building that sits on that site (beside)  the bones and skulls are piled high in bins as you walk through. The clothes of the slain still bloodstained and oddly normal looking hung on racks along one wall not unlike the cloakroom of a kindergarten class. It was here that I broke down completely overwhelmed by the senselessness of it all. The Hutus fired from that hillside to the rear while the Hutus in front made sure they could not run away. 

We were told that 11,600 Tutsis had been unable to get into the soccer field for "protection" and had instead gone to a church only 500 meters away. We found the church after a bit of searching and were astonished to find that we could just walk in. It is largely unchanged since those 11,600 souls were murdered on that day in April 1994. Almost all were killed by pushing burning tires in through the doors at the one end of the church - only to be slaughtered by machetes as they fled through the other.

As we approached the church, these silent sentries starred at us through the window under a message that ought to be sent to the Israelis.  Never again... 

Now onto my travel partner Barry. I can't thank him enough for this and other crazy adventures he has invited me to share. He is as funny as he is thoughtful and as patient as he is generous. All that said, I note that in most photos (see below) there is a beer so wonder at times if the travel is just and excuse to drink copious amounts of beer and have a few laughs. Thanks Barry - you're a true gentleman!

Next week takes me to Ethiopia and an attempt to summit Das Rashen in the Simien mountain range. As I stare down the proverbial barrel of my 62nd birthday I wonder how many more of these fine fine adventures lay ahead of me. With that said - I'll be sure to enjoy this one and make the most of the 5 day climb to the top of the 6th highest peak in Africa!

If you would like to donate to help hungry kids - you can email me to chat about it or do so through:

MPESA -- +254745237248 (Kenya)

Or interact -- Laynemahon@live.com (Canada)

I'll be going in with a food donation on April 6th and helping feed 250 kiddlies! 

50 bucks would really help!! 

Thanks for reading ... Layno with scotch not bought from donations - honest!!