Road Trip, Day #1: Debre Zeit, Awash Falls

Our road trip crew included the following folks:

• Me, Uncle Stevie, Tali Bamlak
• JMo, Tom, Shikuri and Bedassa
• Michelle, Rodney and Kazina
• Colleen and (Obsinet) Ian Rainy
• Fitsum and Shaun
• Mengistu and Rahel and her sisters, Azeb and Kidist (Kiddy)

We rented a 26 seat bus and our driver was Solomon.  Solomon was an excellent driver and a very nice guy.  By the end of the weekend, he officially had a "Bami crush."  Did I mention that he also has great taste in girls?!?!?

We departed Addis on Saturday about 11 am and our first stop, about an hour out of town, was the Debre Zeit (Mount of Olives).  We made our way to Lake Hora which is a beautiful lake and a sleepy (very) resort.  While the brave went out on a boat (some for the first time in their lives!), the lazy enjoyed the shore and some play time.

  

Abby and Steven bought TBK this cute little tie-dye from one of their favorite watering holes in Medford:

Mengi, with awesome new shades that Abby picked out in Medford, and Steven (note Mengi's t-shirt is from Tyler Katz's Bar Mitzvah!):

 The Sarah Family:

Here is a picture of the men folk (and one popular little girl:)

Mengi and Rahel have been married for 3 years.  They have decided to name their first child Bamlak because of the love they feel for Tali Bamlak.  May their prayers be answered soon!

After recreating at Lake Hora we went to the Dreamland Hotel restaurant for a very tasty lunch with a spectacular view of a crater lake.

At dusk we arrived to Awash Falls National Park and after a 20 minute drive, arrived to the super cool Awash Falls Lodge--the only place to stay inside the park.

We saw some baboons along the way and got to the falls at dusk just in time to take in the awesome waterfalls from a cliff.

Dinner was outdoors and fun.  We all sat in comfortable wooden chairs with cushions around a fire and we were treated to a special song and dance performance by a local tribe.  This is not the tribe.

We divided into various straw and stone huts for sleeping and everyone got a great night's sleep.  This was the gojab that I stayed in with Bami, Azeb, Kiddy, Mengi and Rahel.  It was two floors, had two bedrooms, a bathroom and a balcony. 

In the morning the fellow below below climbed up on our balcony looking for treats but we were speedy enough to close the door just in time.  However, I found out later that one of his buddies managed to snag a zip lock from Colleen's room with some medicine in it.  Hope all that immodium makes him feel better!

Stay tuned for more wild adventures!

Love and Goodnight from Eastern Ethiopia,

--Jen and TBK