The Eighth Wonder of the World and its hidden gems...Part Two
Day 44, November 19
Today was unremarkable except that I was invited to Abeje's for lunch. He lives in a small house with his girlfriend on a dirt road near the hotel.
We were served very spicy doro wat with pepsis. Ethiopian spice is really nothing to downplay. You can feel the burn going down your throat. Afterwards I had a couple of cups of fresh coffee which was very nice.
It was quite nice to have a meal outside of the hotel; Abeje and his girlfriend were nothing if not hospitable. It was quite heartening for him to welcome me into his house in the way he did.
Day 45, November 20
Today we set off very early in a 4x4 to visit some of the churches outside Lalibella. The road was very bumpy as it descended from the mountain and travelled through the arid, scrub-covered mountains of the region.
After about an hour we reached the village of Bilballa. We turned off the main road and followed a smaller, steeper track back into the mountains. We stopped in a vilage and hiked up a long flight of wooden stairs until we came to a huge, semi-circular cave with water dripping off the top.
A priest eventually showed up and let us into the compound beneath and inside the cave. There a beautiful brown & white, marble and wood church was situated. It had many windows with cruciform patterns and had horizontal band patterning to it.
We were led to a communal graveyard at the back of the cave where countless skeletons were piled. With the bats it was relatively creepy. Abeje said I could take a picture; the thought of taking a picture didn't cross my mind. Let the dead rest.
The church was that of Yebranos Christos and was built in the 12th Century, before Lalibella. We were let inside to see the patterned arches and rooftop. The church was built on olive wood flooring and effectively sat above a basement of water. It was quite the sight.
On the way back to the main road, we stopped at a relatively unremarkable-looking, semi-monolithic church. It was the baptismal site of King Lalibella and was built in the 6th Century by King Caleb of the Axumite Empire.
It amazes me that these structures have withstood the test of time and are still standing. Inside we were shown the oldest relic yet: a goatskin book written in Ge'ez from the 6th Century.
It was quite an eye-opening day that just highlighted how ensconced in history Lalibella is. These structures serve as a true testament to the power of faith.
Day 46, November 21
Today was a pretty unremarkable rest day. It was pouring rain in the town - it made me a bit homsesick for Vancouver.
I took a walk uptown and managed to get hassled for money only about a half dozen times.
Day 47, November 22
Today Abeje and I hitched a ride with the hotel taxi to see the cave Church of Nakuta La'ab about 7 km from town.
The church was absolutely stunning. Perched underneath a natural cave with a stream dropping in front from above. The church was built in the 13th Century and then rebuilt in the 19th after a natural disaster. The interior was filled with tiny natural pools being filled with holy water from the cave. We were shown many Church treasures by the priest including crowns, processional crosses, and a basket decorated with silver and gold.
I had a lovely vegetarian lunch at Abeje's with tea. Tonight we a re heading uptown to arrange a bus ticket for me to Addis.
I will definately miss the plentiful wonders of this town.
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