Outside Lalibella
Since arriving in town, people in town had been asking us if we had plans to visit the churches outside of town. Each one offered a 4x4 with a driver at different rates. Some said that they knew other tourists who were interested in finding people to share costs. After one prolonged set of negotiations we agreed to meet with some of the other tourists in town to see about chartering a vehicle.
After our tour with Tilahuan, we decided to have dinner at Chez Sophie. The proprietor had spent some time in Paris, and we were curious about the cuisine. Walking in, we realized that all the touts in town hung out at the restaurant. A huge group sat by the television. We sat down on the opposite side of the room and looked at the menu. I ordered the shock shocka based on the name alone and Ed ordered a quiche. The shock shocka turned out to be a delicious dish of stir fried vegetables with a fried egg.
Soon after we ordered, one of the boys we had talked to the day before came in. His name was Ababa and he said he had two Germans interested in chartering a car with us. We said we'd meet them at the Seven Olives hotel later that night. Ababa seemed uncertain, but left with our assurances. Shortly thereafter, Nesfin, another boy entered. He said that Ababa was a liar. There were no Germans. He said he knew a Malaysian man who was looking for people to share a car and that he could offer a better car and driver. We told him we knew the Malaysian man (it was Yee) and that we had already talked to him about renting a car. Ababa returned and they began to argue over us. We said we'd meet them all later at the Seven Olives and that we just wanted to eat in peace. They left, but through the window I could see Ababa hovering around the hotel and restaurant.
I told Ed that they would make a fascinating film, a sort of Ethiopian version of Larry Clark's Kids. The food came and we began to eat. Yee appeared. He had been told where we were and decided to come to us. Ababa and Nesfin soon appeared and we told Yee their various offers. Ababa and Nesfin were fuming. We said we wanted to eat in peace and they soon left to bring their respective drivers for us to meet.
They soon returned with their drivers. Ababa told us to just use Nesfin's driver and slunk away. The driver said they had argued and then come to an agreement. Dissention was bad for business. We made plans for the next day and finished our meal.
As the driver drove us to Yemrehanna Kristos, he lamented the state of tourism in Lalibella. He said kids kept coming into town to work as touts or to run scams. He said that some would say they were students and ask for sponsorship from westerners. If successful, they would spend the money on prostitutes or at nightclubs. I wondered where the nightclubs were.
A few kilometers outside of town, we caught a flat tire. Yee said it was his third in the country. We waited in the shade as our driver fixed the flat. The tire was worn smooth and Yee said he'd never seen the like. Our driver hoped that a friend of his could bring him a new one soon.
We drove over rough roads through a small village and then out into the country. At one hut, our driver stopped to drop off a spinning wheel. As we neared the church, our driver threw the car into 4 wheel drive in order to navigate a sharp incline. He told us that a few years ago, a bus fell over the edge killing five people.
Yemrehanna Kristos sits in a small cave cut into a mountain. A curtain of water falls before it off to the side. In 1985 a brick wall was built to protect the structure, spoiling what would have been an almost magical setting. Unlike the churches in Lalibella, the church was built rather than excavated, and the structure is whitewashed to look a little like marble. Inside, the ceiling is decorated with exquisitely executed patterns. Further back in the cave, the bones of countless pilgrims are piled together.
Walking back to the car, we decided that we had seen plenty of churches while we were in the area, and instead of visiting the three churches we had agreed upon would visit only one more. The driver had been disparaging of one of the churches, so we decided to leave it off. At the car we told him we'd just visit the Bilbila Giyorgis and call it a day.
Our driver followed us into the church. The priest was showing us the church cross and illuminated manuscripts when he appeared and asked to taste the sacred honey. The priest asked first for money. Back at the car, our driver was disappointed. He said he was a Christian and that he should be given the honey if he asked for it.
As we drove back, children handed stalks with beans on them. Our driver accepted some and handed them around and we snacked on the raw beans as we made our way back towards town.
We arrived in Lalibella in time for lunch. Walking into a restaurant a man approached us and asked us if he looked familiar. He did. He was the twin brother of our driver. He sat in the corner with a bunch of his friends. He said that they were feeling listless. The chat shipment had not arrived that day; it was stuck at the airport. So they sat around and watched tv.
We ate our meal and watched with them. Yee left early. He said he wanted to catch the light again over Bet Giyorgis. He was leaving for Addis the next morning. We were on the later flight and so said our goodbyes, promising to keep in touch and to send each other photos when we returned to our respective homes.
