No I didn't fall into a timewarp. here in Ethiopia it's really 1997.This is because in 1582 the whole of the Christian world, except Ethiopia, dropped the established Julian calender in favor of the revised Gregorian calendar. That's why Ethiopia is 7 years and 8 months behind on the rest of the Christian world. Their newyear is on september 11.
That's not the only confusing thing considering the time: they measure the time in 12 hour cycles starting at 6.00 and 18.00. So their seven o'clock is our one o'clock and vice versa. In the beginning it's a bit confusing, but one get's used to it.
One thing harder to get used to is the so called faranji-hysteria. Except for Addis (where only the beggars and con artists bothering you) everything you do or everywhere you go will be accompanied by kids yelling "you", "faranji" (foreigner) or "one Bir" (Bir is local money) and a lot of staring and following you around (I even had one time in the fields while I was taking pictures a teenage kid following me for 20 minutes or so and in the end he asked for a schoolpen). No need to say that after a while this gets on your nerve.
Addis Ababe street scene
In the more touristic places they don't yell so much "you" or "hello" (or "yello" as the younger kids do), the kids there just follow you around, acting unasked as a guide and show you the obvious ("this is a restaurant", "this is a hotel", "this is a church"). I even had a kid of about 8 to 10 years who offered his sister to me!
Prostitution is wide spread. Almost every bar you enter doubles as a pick up place for commercial women. Also the really cheap hotels double as brothels. I found myself a few times looking for a cheap room and finding used condoms next to the bed. This country does make Amsterdam look like the Vatican.
Village in the Simien mountains
Aids is also widespread, devastating many lives and also the economy, which is already on a dramaticaly low level. But there is hope: according to some Ethiopians I met there are cases of people who were HIV positive but after they converted to the Orthodox church of Ethiopia they became HIV negative! Halleluja!
Having heard some Ethiopian music from the 60's and 70's before I came here, I was very enthousiastic to hear Ethiopian music. I got quite disappointed from hearing the contempary Amheric (main language of Ethiopia) pop. It sounds like it's produced on a whacky Casio keyboard and unlike West African music the rhythm is very simple and dull. The dancing is however quite amusing to see: it looks a bit like a controlled epeleptic stroke with shoulders almost getting dislocated and a lot of jerking of various bodyparts.
So this are some impressions, now let me tell you what I did. First I went on a 6 day trek in the Simien mountains. The mountains consist of a lower area which looks a bit like the Grand Canyon (what I saw of it from pictures) seperated from the higher area (which is more like highland) by steep mountainridges and smooth cliffs. You see many Gelada baboons (bleeding heart baboons, named so because their mating coloursare not, like most apes, on the buttocks, but on the chest). Especially the males are ferocious looking with their long mains and long pointy teeth. But they are not really harmfull and you can get quite close to them.
Beautiful Simien mountains just before sunset
This is how close I got to a Gelada baboon, unfortunatly
I didn't know what I was doing with my camera
(now I know a little better) and the shot is not that sharp
After the mountains I went to see the monolithic rock-hewn churches of Lalibela. Carved out of rock (according to the legend by one man, you hear quite amazing stories here in Ethiopia) these churches are pretty awesome. In the morning many people come to pray and chant and play music.
People praying outside one of the churches in Lalibela
I also took part in several chat ceremonis. Chat is a lightly narcotic plant which should be chewed intensively. Then after a hour or 2 the effect starts to take place: you become very talkative (chat?) although some people get quiet. I found the effect of chat comparable to amphetamin or ephedra, but without the energy rush, although you will suffer from insomnia if you don't indulge in a beer ceremony afterwards, which is with the local beerprice (around 30 eurocent) not a problem.
That's it for now. I think I will travel around a bit more and then go to Djibouti from where I will take a boat to Yemen.
Bye
Kurt
For a slideshow of pictures of Ethiopia click here
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