Ethiopia - Part 4

Saturday 3^rd November

Well, we never made it to the Danakil Depression, much to Don & Ian’s regret. We were in the middle of negotiating a price with a guide when news came in that there had been flooding in the area and it was impossible to get to the depression unless you took a detour which would have added two extra days to a three day trip and been very expensive. Just so you know what I am talking about the Danikil Depression is a vast, largely unpopulated desert region close to the Eritrean border, and is officially the lowest point of earth. It contains ancient salt lakes (since it was once submerged in saline water) and active volcanoes, the sort where you can climb up to the edge and peer over the top and take a look at the molten lava. You can see why the boys really wanted to go!

Volcano Erta Ale in the Danakil Depression
(Don wants me to point out that I did not actually take this picture myself! Haha..) 

Anyway, instead of what would have been a very exciting but tough excursion we spent five days in our hotel. Heather had been feeling unwell for a while and a doctor’s appointment confirmed that she needed to rest and take a course of antibiotics to get her better. Actually, the rest did all of us good. The hotel had a ‘European’ as well as a local food menu and I had four spaghetti Carbonara in a row (spread over two days mind!).

Now we are on the move again, having spent last night in probably the scruffiest hotel courtyard so far, with cockroaches the size of small sausages, goats and sheep sleeping in the toilets and a cockerel starting his early morning call at midnight and going on through the whole night. By four in the morning I was ready to get up and kill the thing with my bare hands! Now blurry eyed and shattered, it is easy to imagine a nice day at home with friends having a bonfire party tonight.

We are now on the road to Harar which forms the southern border of the Danakil desert and this area is inhabited mostly by the Afar tribe which claims to be  the oldest tribe in Ethiopia. The Afar are traditionally nomadic living in flimsy houses made out of palm leaves which they simply pick up and transport on their camels.

Afar 'mobile homes'

The Afar look very different from other ethnic groups in Ethiopia. Both men and woman are highly decorated with beads and colourful clothing. The men carry a 40 inch long curved dagger which up until a few decades ago was put to use for chopping off male genitals if they didn’t like the look of you.

Sunday 4^th November

We are now in the most eastern part of Ethiopia in Harar. This city is to Islam what Axum (in the north of the country, where we were staying a few days ago) is to Christianity and is considered by the Muslims to be the fourth holiest city in the world after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. At its heart is an old walled city housing 90 mosques and 22,000 inhabitants and a fascinating street market. Sellers come from the nearby villages and camp on the pavement for the day having brought with them (apart from their produce) their children and animals and they cook, eat, sell or simply lie around chewing chat (the local kick).

We are leaving for Addis Ababa tomorrow and then off for our last leg in Ethiopia through the Omo Valley back into Kenya.