9th – 12th November

Gondar lies on the historical circuit to the north-west of Lalibela, at the foot of the Simien Mountains. It is a small city with a population of around 300,000 and more of the city grunge and bother than the sleepy town of Lalibela. Having said that, we suffered no real hassles aside from the odd pesky child probing us for the usual items. It was just a little less friendly, but I suppose that is to be expected from a larger place. 

We stayed at Lodge du Chateau, which was an all-round success. This local run business is incredibly friendly, with unusually good service, a committed owner and clean, comfortable rooms. Not to mention, good Wifi (always a plus) and a great breakfast on the terrace.

We took the option of a local guide through the hotel, and harboured no regrets as a result. Tamerat, was a young Ethiopian of an age with Jase and I. His name in Amharic means ‘miracle’ and stems from him being born on the date (plus a few years) that his father managed to survive a rather hideous road accident. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for his passengers, who did not walk away from being toppled over a cliff to the valley 70m below. Apparently Tamerat’s father walked away with a few scratches and a broken arm…possibly a lot on his conscience too although that did not seem to be the moral of the story. A miracle? 

Tamerat took us to the local market in between visits to the churches and castles, which admittedly for me, was the highlight of the day. The road was clogged with tuk-tuks, donkeys, minivans and buses, all loaded with the days goods. People sat along the road selling a variety of fruit and vegetables, amongst other useful wares. I couldn’t help but notice the proximity of the food to the significant amount of dung floating around, but maybe it’s best not to think too hard about that. 

Further inside the maze of stalls lay the spice market, where aromatic spices filled hessian sacks and bags of colourful powders divided one stall from another. Jase and I were convinced into buying some rather expensive frankincense, but with the farenji price came the opportunity to take as many photos as we liked, as well as sample the olfactory delights of the other spices. It was nothing if not authentic, which presented a nice change from the tourist hype of the spice market in Istanbul.  

The castles and churches of Gondar are grand and rich in history. We learnt much of the significance of the Ethiopian Orthodox paintings in the main church. Without a guide I would have merely gone in and marveled at the artwork, but Tamerat was able to explain to us the meaning of every painting. Admittedly this got a little much towards the end, but we went away feeling all the more informed.

I was interested to discover that one of Ethiopia’s very liberal emperors introduced animal rights into the scene in the 15th century. The donkeys were relieved of their heavy duties for a time, although I don’t believe this lasted long. He also established equal rights for all ethnicities in the country. A good man.

To satisfy our more energetic side, we took a half-day hike in a picturesque area near the Simien Mountains National Park. Here we saw the famed Gelada Baboons, although admittedly they were very small from a top the mountain. Tamerat found out that Jase was to star as Jesus in Yusef Kassa’s next video clip, and consequently there were photos to be had with the soon-to-be-famous ferenji.