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MG... I got this travel logue from my man in the 'Stans....He got it from a friend of his... It is always interesting to see images of Lalabila....I promised to take him for some curry goat and a beer next time we are in London---
It is always nice to see Malthus being refuted.. but ulltimately I think there is a limit to human ingenuity....
10 January 2012 Web version
Hello from Lalibela Ethiopia,
Before I came to Ethiopia I'd never heard of Lalibela. A friend pointed out that none of his maps make any reference to the place at all. But, most of us have seen images of at least one of the churches hacked from massive stone outcroppings, the iconic cruciform structure shown in the attached picture. Many devout Christians of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church consider this area particularly sacred, making it a major pilgrimage destination several times a year. Why the place is not more famous internationally is no doubt due to its remote location and lack of transportation infrastructure. Foreign tourists are just beginning to discover the unusual archeological attractions and a number of new upscale hotels are under construction in response to the increasing demand. (See my 98 photos around the churches and enjoy the annotated slide show provided by Kodakgallery). For an informative introduction to amazing Lalibela watch the full length History Channel documentary or this shorter UNESCO video. As you have no doubt noticed, I'm not wild about repeating reams of encyclopedic materials when a short hyperlink will do the job better.
Interestingly, I'll remember the Lalibela area not so much for the Christian churches King Lalibela ordered built in obedience to heavenly commands received during a poison induced vision, but for the authentic Ethiopian villages and rural culture which have survived the onslaught of Third Millennium civilization and the extraordinary Ben Abeba Restaurant developed by a charming Scottish hippy lady. Mind you the rock churches are phenomenal, but not unique in the world. During a visit to Madras in southern India during March 1986 I saw similar monolithic stone structures. Ancient Indian stone carvers created massive Hindu temples some five or six centuries earlier than those here in Ethiopia. The Dravidian Architecture of southern India not only predate the excavations of Lalibela, but in many ways is more elaborate and extensive than the works found here.
Located in the Amhara ethnic division, Lalibela is home to many traditional villages, some of which extend right up to and into the archeological compounds. All are well established and likely have been here in their present form for eons. Today's inhabitants carry on with their normal activities and tolerate the foreign tourist intrusions mostly with good humor, though on at least one occasion an old woman scowled at me as I lingered to study her walled enclosure and photograph a flock of neighborhood children practicing their few words of "greeting/begging" English.
While Lalibela township with its population of about 15000 is small by most standards, it is the "big" city for rural people for a hundred kilometers around. Country people regularly walk great distances into the town to shop and for other services not available in their village. I observed a group of twenty or so nearly naked young men in their late teens or early twenties carrying a litter with an old woman on it. One of the local people explained they would be on their way to the hospital and might have walked all day in their bare feet to reach the town, explaining why there were so many guys when only four were needed to carry the litter at any one time. As I paused to watch the urgent, but solemn procession, I resisted the temptation to photograph the group out of respect for the grim faces marching by.
Travel exposes one to an extraordinarily broad spectrum of human activities and attitudes. It also brings into razor sharp focus the disparity between the "haves" and the "have nots" of this world. For the most part in much of Africa, the "rich" remain in deluxe enclaves out of sight of the poor... except where the poor have been employed to keep the enclaves functioning in a manner expected by the rich. One sees a lot of barbed wire atop the tall walls surrounding upscale homes throughout Africa. I'm still sorting out the lessons learned and trying to fit them into the context of my own life, hopefully in a way that makes future writing more relevant.
People in this part of the world are still very poor by Western standards, but here in Lalibela I saw no evidence of hunger. Large families do seem to be the norm, however. During my bleeding heart liberal days, starting as an undergraduate at UCB, I became convinced overpopulation eventually would lead to worldwide famine and did my part as a member of Planned Parenthood, People-to-People and Population Reference Bureau. As the years went by and ol' Malthus' dire predictions failed to materialize, I modified my views modestly.
Now, worldwide starvation seems unlikely even in the southern hemisphere where I have been traveling lately, but the growing hoards of desperately poor people I've seen likely means an ever increasing gap between the super rich and dirt poor. My best guess is that this inequity inevitably will lead to violent conflict between the classes... starting in the countries where the disparity is greatest... probably the United States! The Occupy Wall Street type movements, ea: leaderless/leaderful could evolve a different scenario... perhaps less violent... hopefully less violent, but still with a lot of greedy rich people very upset by the waves of rebellious protests complicating their lives. The few vocal super rich who acknowledge the unfairness and self defeating nature of the inequities are far outnumbered by the quiet clutches of obscenely and conspicuously indulgent wealthy huddling together in their opulent private clubs and conspiring to protect the status quo at any cost. Democracy is no protection from the power-elite when only the ultra-rich are represented in the halls of government.
Barack Obama's State of the Union speech offered a glimmer of hope that Congress might be shamed into political action leading to a more equitable distribution of wealth... without destroying the amazing power of Capitalism to create wealth and elevate the general well being of all. Even here in Africa, which by most measures places people at the bottom of of the economic spectrum, human beings are vastly better off than they were a couple centuries ago. Yes, most people still use "primitive" traditional healers, but modern alternatives are available; there still is hunger, but international aid reduces the likelihood of actual famine; most people walk, but wheeled transportation and graded roads speed delivery of many things. Capitalism itself is not the problem, but we need to find ways of limiting the inequitable consequences of unrestrained naked greed.
For the first seventy-five years of my life I could never imagine my fellow citizens engaging in another violent internal revolution. After all, this is a democracy and the people collectively decide the fate of our nation. What a farce. How could I have allowed myself to be so naively deceived. Of course I heard all the complaints and the catchy aphorisms: "America has the best government money can buy." But, the reality didn't sink in until I watched the George Bush juggernaut play itself out: someone else is actually pulling the strings behind the scenes - our government is a bunch of puppets being managed by puppeteers out of view, beyond the reach of any man made law! ... because they have nearly ALL the money and the power it can buy!
Things are not that much different from the absolute monarchies of old where the king had all of the power, except today the identities of the "kings" are buried behind impenetrable information barriers. During the French Revolution everyone knew who the villains were because they lived in palaces and wore crowns. Today the real villains wear blue jeans and pretty much stay out of sight (I'm thinking of Steve Jobs here, though it is hard to include many rich folks like him in the ranks of the super rich villains.)
The $65 Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa took less than an hour and arrived at the tiny airport about eight thirty in the morning, a perfect time to start exploring any new area. The town itself is some 35 kilometers from the airport, too far to walk so I joined the fifteen other passengers from our flight in a shuttle van bound for the town instructing the driver to let me out at the edge of any civilization. Following my well established habit I wanted to explore it on foot. Paying the 70 Birr (about $4) fare I hopped out and began hunting for a decent hotel. The village is scattered along perhaps a kilometer of the main paved road from the airport, but that soon becomes dirt as it continues on into the wilderness.
The first hotel I spotted is located at the very heart of what might loosely be called city center, right next to the only bank in the area. There is no ATM anywhere in this part of Ethiopia, but the bank will provide currency exchange if you have Euros or Dollars. The Aman Hotel clearly meets my minimum standards; clean with working everything in the room, breakfast included and WiFi with some assistance and fiddling. All of this for $40 for the “luxury” double bedrooms. Encouraged, I trudged on looking for more lodges to get a fuller idea of what the region had to offer.
The Cliff Edge Hotel looked interesting a short distance off the main road. At $45 the clean modern rooms would have sufficed, but the hotel had no access to the Internet. As I prepared to leave, the receptionist pointed out the Mountain View Hotel a short distance from his place would have WiFi and aimed me in the direction I should walk. The information I’d found on the Internet put it at the top of my possibilities list so I eagerly hiked the hundred meters to the ultra-modern wood and glass structure not far away (See my 17 photos around the hotel and enjoy the annotated slide show provided by Kodakgallery). Inside, the lobby is even more impressive than is the view from outside. When told the room rate would be $64 including breakfast and that the hotel did have Wifi and would honor my VISA credit card for payments, I nearly tore off my hip pocket getting the wallet out.
Sometime after checking into the Mountain View Hotel here I noticed the unusual “hobbit castle” on a hill to the north not more than a kilometer distant. Later, walking over to the Ben Abeba Restaurant I discovered a totally unexpected delight: an ultra-modern gourmet restaurant with unobstructed views of the surrounding area.(See my 27 photos of the Ben Abeba and enjoy the annotated slide show provided by Kodakgallery). Susan, a sixty something Scottish woman decided several years ago that Lalibela needed at least one gourmet restaurant and found an Ethiopian partner who agreed to help her develop the Ben Abeba Restaurant. When confronted by my suspicion she was a former hippie like me, she refused to deny it. She runs the restaurant like a cooking school, employing a couple dozen eager young people from the area and training them in the art of gourmet cooking, fine dining service and manners.
Wandering about the breezy open architecture I eventually discovered the ultra modern kitchen with its gleaming stainless steel appliances unseen from most locations around the unusual restaurant design. Well trained local young employees observe modern hygiene as they practice the art of gourmet cuisine. The owner, Susan calls them her "chefettes." Both meals I enjoyed at the restaurant made me want to return, especially considering the very reasonable prices and gracious hospitality. A visit to this restaurant alone would justify a trip to Lalibela!
There are no actual super markets in the village, but a number of little stores carry signs claiming to be “super” markets where thirsty tourists can buy dusty packages of biscuits, bottled water, CocaCola, or chocolate. On one of my CocaCola runs the owner of a tiny supermarket handed me a bottle labeled “CoffeeCola” in response to my request for a Coke. Seeing the name and thinking it a new variant of regular Coke I bought the bottle and discovered a wonderful new flavor, though not bottled by CocaCola. I have since learned CocoCola had a coffee product called Coke Blak, but they discontinued it after a marketing trial of several years. (See more of my photos around town and enjoy the annotated slide show provided by Kodakgallery) Flies continue to be a big nuisance, though no one else seems to take any notice of the pestering.
I've have my $45 Ethiopian Airlines ticket and will be heading for Axum near the Ethiopian-Eretria border to the north shortly. More when Internet access again becomes a reality.
Peace,
Fred
PhotosBete Giyorgis or Church of St. George in Lalibela Ethiopia.jpg Download AllDelete ReplyReply ForwardSpamMovePrint Actions NextPrevious
a quick search in google also shows there are some cultural similarities too between dravidians and northern africans. here's part of a temple in Tamil Nadu that was carved from rock that was in the landscape.
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