Lalibela - Days 48-51

I'm back in Addis for the afternoon after having spent 3 full days in Lalibela. Tonight I fly out to Dubai :)

Spending a few days in Lalibela was exactly what I needed after the mayhem of Addis. And I'm super thankful to have found a good deal on a roundtrip flight; otherwise I would have spent 2 whole days on the bus. 45 minute flight = 2 day bus trip. I was having trouble comprehending the math until I saw the landscape from the air - mountains as far as the eye can see. I'm amazed they were even able to find a plot of flat land for the landing strip.

Lalibela is dubbed the "Holy Land" of Ethiopia and was actually created as a second Jerusalem outside of Israel by King Lalibela. It is the main reason for my visit to Ethiopia. The village has 11 rock hewn churches in the city carved and entirely freed from the mountains. Some people call it Little Petra or something similar to that, but it differs in that several of the churches are entirely detached from the mountains (freestanding) rather than having just the facade carved from the mountains. Quite spectacular!

I arrived mid-morning on Saturday and found a guesthouse to settle in. After a quick nap (to escape the noon heat), I visited the weekly Saturday market. Africa, in many aspects, reminds me of China a decade ago. This particular market was very similar to those I visited a kid whenever I went to see my grandma in the countryside. It was buzzing with mules and people selling vegetables, raw honey, second hand clothing, etc... I could only take about 20 minute of that before the stench and flies got to me. I then went to the ticket office to buy my pass to the churches. The ticket (350 Birr or $20) is valid for four days and allows free access to any of the 11 churches. Geographically, the churches are in three locations - two groups and a stand alone St. George. I visited one of the groups and ran into a deacon who offered to show me around since there were some hidden tunnels and underground passages. I was wary after the incident in Addis but decided to take a gamble, and it paid off. He turned out to be a really nice guy and told me to come back the next day before dawn to experience the mass.

So based on his advice, I woke up at 5:30am and hiked to the churches before daylight to see the service. Thank the deacon I sacrificed some sleep because it was an inspirational sight. Before I arrived at the church, I could hear the priests chanting and saw the town's folk all wrapped in white cloth heading toward the various churches. This is just one example of how Ethiopia has preserved tradition. Seeing hundreds of white specks scattered throughout the barren landscape was like being transported to another time. I met the deacon and saw all the rest of the churches by 10am.

Monday was another early start. I hired a mule to ride up to the to top of a nearby mountain to visit yet another church/monastery. The church itself was meh but the view was spectacular. I was debating whether to hike up or be touristy and ride the mule, and I can say 1000% that I made the right decision. Lalibela town sits at an altitude of 2800 meters and the mountain is over 4000 meters. Even on mule, it was almost 2 hours of steady uphill hike. Had I walked, I'm sure it would have taken me over 3 hours. There were parts where it was too steep and I had to walk up by foot...and I felt like my lungs were on fire. The old grandpa guiding the mule barely even broke a sweat. Needless to say, he got my respect and a generous tip.

Now I'm back in Addis trying to catch up on some email and Couchsurfing messages. Oh yea, I'm also caught up on my Glee episodes :) Off to get my share of fresh avocado juice and macchiato while I can still afford it.