There was a gorgeous sunrise over the nearby mountains and even a few clouds in the air, the first we have seen since we arrived in Ethiopia. Our first stop for the day was taking a boat ride on Lake Chamo, one of the three largest lakes in the Great Rift Valley. The purpose of the excursion was to look for hippos and crocodiles that live in this lake.

We broke into two smaller groups and boarded small skiffs powered by ancient outboard motors. What was humorous were the life vests they provided. They were old, with broken zippers and ties. I doubt the floatation in them even works. We had to be optimistic that they would somehow save us if we really needed them.  There had been some unseasonable rains a few weeks ago and the lake was higher than normal so there was some concern whether the animals would be found. Not to worry we saw 3-5 hippos in the water and three crocodiles, including one that was over 20 feet long. I had seen large crocodiles in Kenya but never this close. We also got pictures of fish eagles and some large storks. All in all it was a successful two hour ride.

After lunch back at the hotel Chris gave us a short talk on the Great Rift Valley where we are. The  valley ranges from 30-300 miles in width and can be seen from space. It was caused by the shifting tectonic plates under the area, causing the area to be pulled apart. It is still moving, about 1 inch per year. Someday Somalia will be an island. He also told us that Ethiopia is divided into nine regions and that we are now in the Southern Region which has 45 different cultural groups living here.

Later that afternoon we left to visit one of the tribes that inhabit the area, the Dorze tribe. They are known for the terracing of the land for agriculture. The village ( with a population of about 7800) was fairly close by but it was an hour ride up a dirt road to an elevation of about 7000 feet. There are 12 villages of Dorze peoples with a total population of 47,000. The 25 year old son of the family compound we visited briefed us on their way of life. Besides the terracing of land what distinguishes the Dorze is the structure of their homes, which resemble bee hives. Only these structures, made of bamboo and banana leaves, are several stories high, at least early in their lives. The problem is termites which gradually eat away the lower portion of the home over time. After about 5 years the inhabitants simply cut off the lower portion and physically move the home to a new spot. It is shorter but still inhabitable. Eventually it becomes too short to use for living so it becomes a storage facility. The homes can last 70-150 years. We were able to enter their home and see how it is built and occupied. Rather amazing is that they do have a spot inside the home for their animals who provide a source of heat because nights are cold at these altitudes. Surprisingly I could not detect any strong animal odor in the home.

The other interesting aspect of their lives/culture is their growing and use of the “false” banana tree. It is called a false banana tree because although it looks like a real banana tree it does not produce any fruit. The Dorze use all parts of the plant. The leaves are used in building their homes and as a fan, the trunk is used to make a bread called “kocho” (which was on the buffet menu last night),  and the roots are used for making porridge or a potato-like dish. We were given demonstrations of each of the steps in making the bread, including sampling some that was freshly baked for us. Accompanying that was a sample of their local, homemade liquor along with their traditional drink salutation, which is hard to describe. You had to have been there!

The Dorze are also known for their weaving skills. Interestingly the men do the weaving; women only spin the cotton thread used in the weaving. The tribe even grows its own cotton. Trivia:  A woman working 10 hours/day can make 12 skeins of yarn and it takes 3 skeins to weave a scarf.

We were entertained a bit by the local villagers who sang and performed some tribal dances. One entrepreneurial activity the family has introduced is building some bee hive homes that are used as weekend rentals for tourists who want to experience tribal life.

We walked through the village to see where the men did the weaving. Unfortunately it is no different than what we all have seen in other countries around the world. We suggested to Chris that this portion of the tour could be easily skipped. There was also a bit of time to shop for woven products made by the village cooperative before we had to leave to make sure we were not driving in the dark, which is not recommended because of the terrain. (I later decided that this visit turned out to be the best tribal visit on this portion of the trip).

Another decent buffet at the hotel completed our day’s activities.