Today is the Virgin Mary’s birthday! We had arranged for a local guide to meet up with us (400 birr = approx $25) and he was at the hotel promptly at 8am. It was the same guy we met at the airport with our hotel. He had mentioned he was a guide and his English was very clear.
Because of the big birthday, there was a huge ceremony happening when we arrived. Our guide pushed us up to the very front so I could get photos. There was a lot of dancing and chanting. After that part was over, everyone sat down for a lesson from the head Priest. We snuck out to buy our tickets to see the churches (350 birr = Approx $20). We started the tour and got to see the Priests brining the important crosses (including a replica of the Arc of the Covenant, which we aren’t actually allowed to look at…but it was under there) back to the church! We hired a Shoe-minder, which is man who watches over your shoes when you enter the churches. We learned there is hardly any theft (or violence for that matter) in Lalibella but its more to give this man a job to do. It wasn’t very expensive (100 birr = $6) and its great to be able to support a working man and his family. He even came back later in the day although we had already paid (and tipped) him. Very respectable.
I couldn’t possibly type through everything we saw today! There are 12 churches in the area of Lalibella that were all excavated about 900 years ago by King Lalibella. Each church has so much character and history. Most of them are underground and the earth is dug out around them. The most famous is the church of St George that is shaped like a cross from the aerial view. We spent the morning going to about half the churches, and then finished up the remaining ones in the afternoon.
We had a fantastic lunch at a local restaurant, tibs, injera and firfir. We rested for about 2 hours before returning for the tour. There is so much history and archolgists and church historians date some of these churches to the 12th-16th century! There are even painting and fresco’s dating back that far! Amazing! Although I’m not religious at all, I got choked up several times at the spirituality and history of this town. If you are an adventurous traveler, I would highly recommend visiting Lalibella, this was a definite highlight of my trip!
Because we had a guide this time, no little beggars bothered us, which we learned they are called walky talky’s. This is perfect because that is exactly what they do….walk and talk along side you! Most of them praise Obama and quote his campaign slogan.
We got back to the hotel around 5:30 to shower up and we made plans to take a taxi to a local bar to have some tej (honey wine), which is my favorite in the states!
Okay, so Tej is totally different in the states! This is made with special Ethiopian hops with aids with the fermentation. It had a somewhat citrus (orange) taste as well. It’s not as easy to drink as the US version but I managed to finish my dad’s portion. The place is called Torpido and we ate some awesome lamb tibs, with super fresh injera. Ethiopians like it a day old but I prefer it light and fresh. They had some Azmeri’s (musicians) who performed tonight. The man plays a Masinko (like a one string violin made of horse hair) and sings along with a dancer who pulls you out on the dance floor for a traditional dance that involves moving your shoulders up and down (mom went, I didn’t). They sing happy songs that are actually underlying insults. They called me an orange, full in the face, which I guess is a compliment here. Ah well.
We walked the mile back to our hotel in the dark around 10:00pm, more exercise than I’m used to before bed! I’ll sleep well tonight!
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