12th – 15th November
Bahar Dar is one of Ethiopia’s more picturesque cities. Set on the shore of Lake Tana it’s streets are lined by gardens and trees, its pavements are wide, and there is an illusion of order in the small city. I would not describe it as beautiful, but for an African city, it does well. For us, it was our last stop on the northern historical circuit before heading east to Dire Dawa and Harar.
We spent 3 nights here, staying first at a charming little B&B called the Annex, where the woman who manages the house for her sister-in-law in Switzerland greets you with smiles at the gate, always makes more coffee at breakfast and attends to your needs with enthusiasm. Unfortunately, it was booked out for the last 2 nights so we moved to the Homland Hotel. This is a much larger establishment, but I cannot complain. We enjoyed good service and a spacious room with an ensuite for a reasonable price.
The nearby Blue Nile Falls draw tourists with a day to spare between monasteries. They are like to be a wonder during the rainy season, when water cascades from a rocky wall about 100m long. Unfortunately, for us, it was not quite so grand, but it was still beautiful, and the drive there was almost as enjoyable.
Leaving Bahar Dar for the Falls we passed a local market where Ethiopians sat amongst bags of grains, chiles drying in the sun, bales of hay and goats milling about. We ventured a little way into the chaos but I was almost choked by the chile dust and Jase was feeling a little too much like a white tourist in a strange place. We left fairly promptly, but not before the local women had enjoyed a giggle watching me smell the chiles they were drying.
Mustering our dwindling tourist energy, we took a boat ride to what would be the last of the Ethiopian Orthodox monasteries for our trip. The churches, palaces and monasteries in Northern Ethiopia are certainly impressive, but I have to admit that I do tire of seeing too much of the same thing. For company we shared a boat with an older American couple who I could have easily left behind on one of the islands, and an interesting Irish couple who were a similar age to us. We battled the souvenir stalls as a team, marveled over the paintings and then relaxed over lunch before heading back to the hotel. A day well spent.
For anyone considering a visit to Bahar Dar, I will comment on the hassle, which for us was negligible. I think it is difficult to escape the touts who will lead you to your hotel, but we have found these young men to be more interested in the long term gain than asking for a small tip for their immediate services. Our young ‘guide’ did not know where our B&B was, but did manage to help us find it, and then was hoping for us to join his boat the next day. Other than handing over a phone number, no real obligation was felt, and we did not oblige. The random assortment of beggars are to be found anywhere where tourists or rich Ethiopians are, but they did not trouble us too much. And of course, there will always be hopeful children asking for pens, books or money, but they are not so persistent. Really, nothing too difficult.