Royal Gondar -- 10 February

(written by Kate, proofread by no-one, sorry)

This morning we left Addis for Gonder. We got the latest plane flight we could find, which meant we had to wake up at 4:15 am. Sigh. In theory a early flight means you have the whole day at your destination. In reality it means we are so exhausted and our bodies so confused we are pretty useless for that first day. Sigh. The plane made a stop in Bahir Dar and then landed in Gonder. Between the sleep deprivation and the anti nausea medicine I was deeply asleep on the plane and I didn’t realize we had taken off in Bahir Dar. So, I woke up a little confused when we landed in Gonder.

In 1632 Emperor Fasilailas made Gonder the permanent capitol Ethiopia and it remained the capitol for over 100 years. (Before that the court had been mobile) The center of the town is the ruins of the former castles. We visited palaces, archives buildings and grand halls all from the 17th century. They are Grand and give an idea of how powerful this place once was. It breaks many western stereotypes of pre-colonial Africa. There were powerful kingdoms here that built great buildings and had enormous wealth.

After checking out the royal enclosure we went back to the hotel for a much needed nap. At sunset we sat on the terrace with a book and a beer. We could see the streets below and hear the kids playing (and we think the preacher preaching) and watch the hawks circle. Andrew said, “If I had a shelf of books and a lot of beer I could stay here for a very long time.” I understand how he feels. Gonder is so much more manageable then Addis. It is a college town, and it isn’t very big. It is surrounded by farms and we passed cattle being driving down the road as we drove from the airport. It is also filled with donkeys. We have decided they are the most stoic animals we know. Sometimes the donkeys run far ahead from their owners, so it feels like there is just a random donkey, his back loaded with goods running at you.

The country side looks like Fallbrook, or Camario 15 years ago, except we saw the ruins of a 17th Century church and there are donkeys on the road, so the comparisons with Southern California can only go so far.

For folks who have traveled to Africa or Bonny Dune, this wont be a surprise, but some of you may find it slightly odd that we are not allowed to flush out toilet paper down the toilet. It is taking some retraining on my part.

Tomorrow we are meeting up with a guide and we will go to the queen's bath and some churches.