Ethiopia - A Mystical Journey Through Time - January 2019

Steve and Jo at the Blue Nile Falls

Lalibela - a place held in time...

Lalibela - a rock church interior

Dasanech men dancing

When Jo and I headed off to Ethiopia we had heard it was a fascinating place, but we didn't really know what to expect. Having flown into Addis Ababa, with a driver and guide Seid we headed north to Lake Tana and the source of the Blue Nile....

Taking a boat across the lake was a breathtakingly beautiful experience, passing tree covered islands and landing on one of them, where we visited an old monastery. The structure was round in shape, like a huge African hut complete with thatched roof... Inside were brightly coloured Biblical paintings. I was keen to know how two huge resident drums sounded! It's forbidden to enter the centre in which is a copy of the original Ark of the Covenant, believed now to be in Axum... an ancient city further to the north.

The Blue Nile Falls were stunning, thundering down on the first part of the river's journey towards Egypt...

From the lowlands of the lake to the roof of Africa, we travelled up to the spectacular Simien Mountains with their multiple canyons, similar to America's Grand Canyon...

We stayed the night in the highest lodge in Africa. The air was thin, but Jo and I both felt a quickening of the spirit. Here we met a large forty strong family of baboons. On arrival in this wild, rocky area, they appeared as if on cue, all walking towards a grassy clearing. Amazing how you could mingle with them as they ate the grass and went about their daily business... They accepted us without question and it felt like a privilege to walk among them.

On to Gondar, we visited some amazing 17th Century castles which looked Medieval, but with Indian and Moorish influence. From here we travelled on to Lalibela, a beautiful mountainous outcrop famous for its ancient rock churches. Walking around them, through the rocky mountainside felt like exploring complex spiritual labyrinths, one minute in dark shadow and the next emerging into the realm of bright sunlit edifices. The interiors filled with priests and pilgrims had the vibe of the early Byzantine church with a sense of time having stood still.

From an ancient past to a primordial world, with a flight and a three day drive we travelled down to the Great Rift Valley where the earliest hominids were discovered... the birthplace of mankind...

We took a boat out on one of the lakes to see crocodiles sunbathing on an island and gliding through the water along with hippos who made brief appearances.

Even further south in one of the most remote regions of Ethiopia we visited tribes who in many cases still lead their traditional way of life with their original spiritual beliefs. They all have unique cultures of their own and we felt honoured to spend time with them. The Mursi people were particularly remote and colourful, decorated with body paints, lip plates, beads and shells. We took a dug out canoe across the River Omo near the Kenya border to visit the friendly Dasenech tribe, who danced for us and were keen to discuss our cultural differences. We were thrilled to attend the Hamer tribe's important male "coming of age" initiation ceremony where the young initiate took dangerous leaps over the backs of several bulls. We were fascinated by the Konso tribe's village which had a strange, haunted feel with its narrow circular walled pathways around spooky twisted wood doorways... But once again the villagers were especially hospitable. The tribes inhabit an apparently strange world far removed from our modern age, but the differences evaporate as you feel the warmth of those people and the pulse of their cultures, rich in vibrant creativity.

We were concerned by all the poverty throughout the country and we've returned home determined find more ways to support those people, who lead such tough lives... Working in the fields from dawn to dusk with no machines, carrying huge loads for miles on their backs, pumping water from the village well and washing clothes in the river. They're also so friendly and welcoming... One sees the triumph of the human spirit in the face of hardship.

Ethiopia is a country of beautiful dramatic landscapes and many contrasts, a crossroads of cultures within Africa and an extraordinary adventure of time travel through the ages and back to the dawn of time. Our visit was a rich, life-changing experience...

A huge thank you to our guide Seid Yesuf, who was fantastically informative and who supported us in every way throughout our time there. We also thank the drivers, who successfully negotiated the roads with great skill, local guides and to the team Dinknesh as well as Thames Travel who set everything up for us. We hope to return to that extraordinary land.