January 16, 2020: Driving to the Ancient Capital of Axum.
It was 48 degrees when I woke up this morning, but our rooms were fine, temperature wise. I could hear the Muslim call to prayer at 5 AM. There is a fairly larger Muslim population in Ethiopia but everyone gets along. I wish it were that way in the rest of the world.
Today was a driving day as our next stop is Axum, approximately 250km from Debark. Drive time is expected to be at least 5.5 hours. We left the hotel at 8:30. My name was selected to be in the lead car, which is nice as only one other person will join me, meaning there is no one in the middle seat. Steve Smith, a retired California parole officer, who has riden with me in the past was my travel companion for the journey. The other passenger is Chris, the tour director, so there will be ample opportunity to discuss the trip and his job as a tour director, one he has held for 10 years. He seems to be a highly energetic guy who thrives on seeing the world. He does not even have a permanent home; he simply lives out of a suitcase. His official home is in Ontario where he goes for the holidays to see his folks. Once this trip ends he has two days off before he flies to Manaus, Brazil for a trip in the Amazon. Amazing!
We will be quite close to Eritrea when we are in Axum. I asked Chris why is that not on itinerary. He said they have virtually no infrastructure to support tourism, so it is not visited.
The first part of the journey was unpaved roads and lots of switchbacks as we traveled through the Simien mountains and headed further north. We stopped along the way for some photo opportunities and to stretch our legs.
The countryside is lovely; brown grasses and scattered trees. Yes, we encountered the usual walkers on the road, even on this isolated road in the mountains. After some time we finally reached paved roads again and the ride became smoother, but still with many switchbacks, as we worked our way through the mountains, heading to a lower elevation.
Around 11 AM we stopped in a small town, at an even smaller primitive hotel for a comfort stop and beverages. They had a sidewalk seating area where we ordered cokes (served nice and cold) and/or coffee. We were pestered by people on the street to buy small bags of peanuts, which many people did including me as they were obviously fresh (grown in Southern Ethiopia) and lightly salted. They turned out to be excellent. One half hour later we were on the road again.
Observation: I see a lot, and I mean a lot of men and boys standing or sitting around wherever we go. Not sure why. Is it a manly thing to do here? Are they unemployed? It just caught my eye as we drove through the towns.
We soon crossed a river and learned we were now in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, having left the Amhara region. Chris said the hair styles of the women are significantly different here. I noticed a change in ladies attire; the dresses were more floral and looked “silky”. The homes looked different. There were now many made of stone, with stone fences; a dramatic change from what we have experienced so far.
Lunches tend to be late on this trip and today was no exception as it was 2 PM before we stopped at a fairly nice hotel in a larger town. The menu was fairly extensive and we were able to order what we wanted (we normally pay for our own lunch). I chose vegetable soup as I was not that hungry. Many people ordered pizza, but a few ordered Ethiopian dishes. Food was OK and the beer, which many people ordered, was good and cold. And at $1 a bottle who can resist?
It took another hour to reach Axum; we arrived around 5 PM. This will be our base of operations for the next two nights as we explore the ancient capital of Axum. The weather continues to be marvelous, quite cool in the morning and the 77 degrees this afternoon in Axum (we are at lower altitude here).
The hotel (Sabean) is certainly better than where we stayed last night but the internet is terrible! We even have soap,shampoo and hot water. Our group dinner will be here at the hotel at 7PM. It was the typical buffet we have come to expect. The best item tonight was spaghetti with tomato sauce. There was also a soup of some sort, steamed rice, potatoes wedges, steamed vegetables, breaded chicken nuggets, and lamb tidbits. The highlight to several of us, however, was a dish of fabulous tomatoes, and a green salad which is the first we have seen. The only dessert offered was a plate of bananas. Oh, well.
A bit of trivia: My clock said it was 6:42 PM on January 16, 2020. However in the Ethiopian system the time is 12:42 PM on January 12, 2012. They tell time in 12-hour cycles. And the difference in years is due to the difference in calendars used by the two countries- Julian versus Coptic. I asked a local which one do you use on a day a by day basis. For business purposes it is 2020; otherwise they use the Coptic calendar; fascinating in this day and age! Life must be very confusing at times here.
Another bit of trivia: I sent out some clothes to be washed in Gondar. Seven items including large items-a shirt and pair of pants. My bill was $4.80!! And at this hotel every item costs 30 cents or so to wash. I am sending more out tomorrow as we are here two nights.