It's coming down to my last few days in Ethiopia. This journey has been as frustrating as it's been rewarding, and I want to end it on a good note. These past couple of days I've been in Wondo Genet staying with a CSer named Dawit. He's so tall you'd think he'd play basketball and he has to duck to enter the door to his home. He lives in a beautiful setting in an area near a major university. Today would be a full day at the hot springs. Admittedly it's been very difficult to enjoy Ethiopia these past couple of weeks but today was really nice! The walk from Dawit's flat to Wondo Genet is a beautiful walk through forests, over streams, down dirt pathways, and down into a canyon where 70-odd year old women bathe topless whilst their children and grandchildren are nearby washing clothes or swimming in the stream. The long way into town takes you through the College of Forestry, said to be one of Ethiopia's most prestigious universities. Dawit and I stopped at a hotel for breakfast but the food was expensive and only so-so. From there it was only a short walk to the hot springs, and I really wanted to spend a full day there just relaxing, soaking away my cares, and relaxing some more. These hot springs have to have Ethiopia's most reliable hot showers; they are constantly running and the water is piping hot. Residents of Wondo Genet probably have the best hygiene in all of Ethiopia (I've had my share of sitting next to smelly people on buses, that's for sure!). Even better is that admission to the hot springs is only 25 birr. As I'd relax in the pool sipping an Ambo with dozens of locals, monkeys lept in the trees above us.
For several hours I just whiled away the day, going from the showers to the pool to the showers to the pool and again and again.
There are massages on the premises but I didn't have enough money for one. I'm down to to my final few days in Ethiopia but despite the fact that this trip has been unkind to me for the past few days I'm really going to miss it here. Ethiopia has made me a hell of a lot stronger and a bit of a fighter. This is not a country for first-time travellers. If someone wants to do a backpacking trip in a place different to their own I'd suggest Peru, Guatemala, or the Dominican Republic, among other places. Ethiopia is a trip for the hardcore! For those who do make it here, the hot springs of Wondo Genet make a great break for the weary traveller. After several hours, dozens of monkeys leaping around, and a back full of sunburn, Dawit and I decided to head back toward his flat. As we were getting ready to leave I met a black family from Chicago snapping photos of a monkey. They have no family in Ethiopia and when I asked what brought them here they said "we ALL came from Ethiopia." After all, Ethiopia is the "Cradle of Mankind." Dawit toyed with the idea of taking a bajaj but I was content with walking. What's the hurry? When we put our stuff down we walked up to the restaurant at the College of Forestry for dinner. As I feasted on spaghetti with a cup of tea I was chatting to a gorgeous German girl named Tina. She's a geography major doing a project here on soil conservation. I've met some very interesting foreigners. As I'm finishing dinner here in the tukol I'd like to reflect on some of my journey!
I've been in Africa for over a month and a half, with most of it being in Ethiopia, and a few days in Somaliland; that's longer than some of my other journeys. The Northern Circuit was definitely a challenge but a unique experience. Bahir Dar is very clean and makes a great base to explore the surrounding area or chill out for a few days and gaze out at Lake Tana. Gondar and Lalibela are both filled with historical sites and make great bases for treks in the surrounding area. The Simien Mountains are a definite highlight of my journey! A 4-day trek through one of Africa's highest mountain ranges is simply unforgettable! Feeding the hyenas in Harar and strolling around the old walled city is something I'll never forget. Somaliland is rather boring but makes a great "been there done that" sort of destination. Overall this is going to be a journey I'll never forget. I've been to five continents, and in just a few days I'll reach Number 6. Not quite ready to head home I was chatting to a professor named Dong-Gill, better known as D.G. He's from Korea but studied at Iowa State University and previously lived in Ireland and New Zealand. He seemed to really enjoy my writings as I shared a story about red frogs in Panama. Just as I finished a large grasshopper jumped up and joined us!
D.G. is a very interesting guy and I'm glad I got to meet him and share some stories. The Moon was shining and it was time to head back to Dawit's pad. Walking across the college, it seems slightly out of place in Ethiopia since it's beautiful and very quiet at night. What a day it was today! Relaxing hot springs and then unlimited access to hot showers. Man, I feel cleaner than I have in months!
