Day 191 - Flight to Lalibela, Ethiopia
Thursday, January 10th, 2019.
I don’t do well without sleep. I was so tired from that late night flight that I couldn't even grasp the idea that we were in Ethiopia where they speak another language, use another currency, another alphabet, another EVERYTHING! Our mobile phones don't work here, either. We tried to get a SIM card but they didn’t sell them at the airport. Luckily, they did have free, high speed Internet.
We bought overpriced water and sat in the waiting area for our 11:00am connecting flight. It was going to be a painful wait but while we were sitting, a lady asked us where we were going. When we told her Lalibela, so she directed us to the other terminal. We also stopped to ask if our luggage was going to be sent to our final destination. It was!
We took a shuttle to the other (older, domestic) terminal where we had to go through customs. We had our online visa and the process was slow because the officer had to type the information into his computer, since his scanner was broken. I miss the convenience in the US.
We had people waiting so close behind us that it was uncomfortable. I wanted to tell them to wait behind the line, like they do it in the US, but I didn’t. After we passed through customs, we found a foreign exchange and we thought we could exchange our Egyptian pounds. We had almost a thousand because my mom had given my kids extra to spend on our last day. Well, guess what? They would not exchange Egyptian pounds here.
We then went upstairs to the departure lounge to wait. We ended up boarding around noon. By then, we were all exhausted and it seemed to me that I was in another dimension. I did notice that it was very clean. They had a lot of staff constantly cleaning.
We finally boarded a small plane to Lalibela. It was a short flight, almost an hour, and I only woke up to drink water and eat my muffin. I wish it had lasted longer so I could sleep more, but before I knew it, we were landing in the middle of a desert.
We waited a little bit for a luggage and after we picked it up, we went outside to look for our ride. Thank God Gregory arranged a ride in advance because the airport was half an hour away from our hotel. Two guys were waiting for us. We got in the van and we started the driving down the unpaved, bumpy road. They call it an African massage.
The countryside reminded me a little bit of Mexico, the area where I come from. It was very dry with a little vegetation and acacias. When we started to get closer to the top of the mountain, we started to see some huts and small houses with tin roofs. We also saw farmers, shepherds, goats, and cows. The guide was very friendly and we talked all the way to the hotel. The staff welcomed us and took our suitcases to our rooms. I was happily surprised to see that it was a simple, decent hotel. Most of all, it was clean. I was worried about what was I going to find after seeing all those poor houses and dirt roads.
After we settled in two different rooms (first time we do this), we went downstairs for lunch. Gregory wanted to sleep first but I couldn’t wait any longer. The restaurant was clean and the food was delicious. We ordered Ethiopian food and don’t ask me why I ordered the meat, especially after seeing the butcher shops in Cairo. I guess I was very hungry but the meat was chewy. Anyway, the sauce was spicy and delicious! They like to eat most of their food with injera which is a gluten-free fermented pancake made from a grain called teff.
After we finished lunch, we went upstairs to take a nap and I stayed talking to a deacon who doubled as a tour guide for the famous churches. I was so tired that I told him that I would get back to him if interested but for the moment, all I wanted to do was sleep.
I took a nap until 6:30pm. The kids didn’t nap so when we came to check on them, they were exhausted. I told them to shower but the power kept going out (we were warned this was common in Ethiopia) and there was no way they were going to take a shower in the dark. I told them to get ready for bed quickly before the lights went out again. We put them to bed at 9:00 and Gregory and I went downstairs looking for other guests to ask their advice about visiting the churches.
Gregory went upstairs almost immediately because he was tired, but I stayed and met a group of peolpe from SOS Chretiens de l'Orient, an organization trying to unite the West and East. They were French, Italian and Irish. They were also fascinated by our adventures and our travelings. We had an interesting conversation and before I knew it, it was already 10:00.
I think if I didn’t have any families or if I hadn’t gotten married, I would have loved to volunteer to an organization like that! [Gregory's note: it's never too late!]
I took a shower, and I can’t believe that it was the first one in a long time where the water was just the right temperature. Not a lot of water but at least not too hot or too cold like in our last places!
For pictures please click here
https://photos.app.goo.gl/z5UfN1XiLpRd4zrA6
I don’t do well without sleep. I was so tired from that late night flight that I couldn't even grasp the idea that we were in Ethiopia where they speak another language, use another currency, another alphabet, another EVERYTHING! Our mobile phones don't work here, either. We tried to get a SIM card but they didn’t sell them at the airport. Luckily, they did have free, high speed Internet.
We bought overpriced water and sat in the waiting area for our 11:00am connecting flight. It was going to be a painful wait but while we were sitting, a lady asked us where we were going. When we told her Lalibela, so she directed us to the other terminal. We also stopped to ask if our luggage was going to be sent to our final destination. It was!
We took a shuttle to the other (older, domestic) terminal where we had to go through customs. We had our online visa and the process was slow because the officer had to type the information into his computer, since his scanner was broken. I miss the convenience in the US.
We had people waiting so close behind us that it was uncomfortable. I wanted to tell them to wait behind the line, like they do it in the US, but I didn’t. After we passed through customs, we found a foreign exchange and we thought we could exchange our Egyptian pounds. We had almost a thousand because my mom had given my kids extra to spend on our last day. Well, guess what? They would not exchange Egyptian pounds here.
We then went upstairs to the departure lounge to wait. We ended up boarding around noon. By then, we were all exhausted and it seemed to me that I was in another dimension. I did notice that it was very clean. They had a lot of staff constantly cleaning.
We finally boarded a small plane to Lalibela. It was a short flight, almost an hour, and I only woke up to drink water and eat my muffin. I wish it had lasted longer so I could sleep more, but before I knew it, we were landing in the middle of a desert.
We waited a little bit for a luggage and after we picked it up, we went outside to look for our ride. Thank God Gregory arranged a ride in advance because the airport was half an hour away from our hotel. Two guys were waiting for us. We got in the van and we started the driving down the unpaved, bumpy road. They call it an African massage.
The countryside reminded me a little bit of Mexico, the area where I come from. It was very dry with a little vegetation and acacias. When we started to get closer to the top of the mountain, we started to see some huts and small houses with tin roofs. We also saw farmers, shepherds, goats, and cows. The guide was very friendly and we talked all the way to the hotel. The staff welcomed us and took our suitcases to our rooms. I was happily surprised to see that it was a simple, decent hotel. Most of all, it was clean. I was worried about what was I going to find after seeing all those poor houses and dirt roads.
After we settled in two different rooms (first time we do this), we went downstairs for lunch. Gregory wanted to sleep first but I couldn’t wait any longer. The restaurant was clean and the food was delicious. We ordered Ethiopian food and don’t ask me why I ordered the meat, especially after seeing the butcher shops in Cairo. I guess I was very hungry but the meat was chewy. Anyway, the sauce was spicy and delicious! They like to eat most of their food with injera which is a gluten-free fermented pancake made from a grain called teff.
After we finished lunch, we went upstairs to take a nap and I stayed talking to a deacon who doubled as a tour guide for the famous churches. I was so tired that I told him that I would get back to him if interested but for the moment, all I wanted to do was sleep.
I took a nap until 6:30pm. The kids didn’t nap so when we came to check on them, they were exhausted. I told them to shower but the power kept going out (we were warned this was common in Ethiopia) and there was no way they were going to take a shower in the dark. I told them to get ready for bed quickly before the lights went out again. We put them to bed at 9:00 and Gregory and I went downstairs looking for other guests to ask their advice about visiting the churches.
Gregory went upstairs almost immediately because he was tired, but I stayed and met a group of peolpe from SOS Chretiens de l'Orient, an organization trying to unite the West and East. They were French, Italian and Irish. They were also fascinated by our adventures and our travelings. We had an interesting conversation and before I knew it, it was already 10:00.
I think if I didn’t have any families or if I hadn’t gotten married, I would have loved to volunteer to an organization like that! [Gregory's note: it's never too late!]
I took a shower, and I can’t believe that it was the first one in a long time where the water was just the right temperature. Not a lot of water but at least not too hot or too cold like in our last places!
For pictures please click here
https://photos.app.goo.gl/z5UfN1XiLpRd4zrA6
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