Wednesday, December 9th - Lalibella to Axum, Ethiopia

It''s a rainy, foggy morning in Lalibella and I can barely see across the baca yard so I'm wondering if our flight will even depart.  However, my bigger worry is that I was up a half a dozen times in the night to go to the bathroom so wondered if I would be able to handle the drive to the airport and the flight.  For the first time I also felt rather nauseas and that did not bode well for the travel day ahead. However, I got up and dressed and packed and went downstairs about 7:30.  I had some tea and toast and then it was time to pay our bill and head for the airport.

The ride to the airport was much shorter and smoother than I had remembered.  Perhaps this driver was just a lot better driver.  Whatever the case, I managed the 30 minute ride just fine.  We got through the first security check at the airport entrance very quickly and with no problem.  We got checked in just as fast.  then we had to wait for the security check into the departures lounge but there were lots of chairs to sit in and very few people, perhaps 8 of us.  Eventually they opened the departures lounge and we went through security again, another quick process.  Then we only had a short wait until our plane arrived and unloaded a few people - many would go on to Axum with us.  we were seated in row 13 and I actually asked the flight attendant if I could move closer to the front since I'd have to use the bathroom during the flight.  She said sure  and indicated the only empty seat in the front row of the plane.  However, Randy was in front of me and when he sat down I realized I'd be fine in row 13.  These planes actually start numbering at row 12 so we were pretty darn close to the front.  Luckily the toilet wasn't needed and I made it through the flight.

The airport in Axum is very small.  It took a long time to get our bags but that was because they had to load the plane with the bags from the new passengers going to Addis Ababa before they could offload our bags.  Once done though we just walked straight out to a van and were on our way as the hotel representative had been waiting for us.  It was a very short trip into town and then to our hotel.  I am now sitting in the courtyard which is very green and lush.  There are lots of plants and trees and flowers and birds so it is very parklike.  The rooms are around the outside of the complex and then a covered row of tables in front of them around the courtyard.  There is a bar/pub in the very front when you come in and right now I am listening to some lovely mellow blues on the speaker.  

It sounds idyllic but I must say that the rooms are very old and outdated and defintiely not my favourite of the trip.  However, there is something that looks like a tub-like structure in my bathroom so perhaps my whole bathroom floor won't get flooded when I take a shower.  And there is a toilet seat that actually fits properly so that's a bonus.  And it is a big room so I'm not at all cramped for space.  The doors and windows all have sturdy bars on them - for protection I assume.  However, they are actually on the doors and windows so if you leave your window open (to the inside) the bars come with it and anyone or anything could come in the window.  It's a strange design but luckily it is cool so I many not care if my windows are open or not.

We arrived at the hotel just before noon.  We met with the manager for a while and I wasn't too sure why but then he said he needed his payment up front so that explained it.  This is the only place that has been like this so I'm not too sure why.  He then discussed the various things to see in and out of Axum.  As I was still feeling under the weather, I said I was doing nothing in the afternoon but hoped to be out all day tomorrow.  Randy decided to go to a temple and a palace that are outside the city so he had lunch and went off on a 4-hour excursion.  I went to my room, tried to blog for a while but eventually slept for over three hours.  The power was out so it was very quiet for sleeping.  Around 4:30 I heard the music start up so figured the power was back on.  

Eventually about 5 I got up and went out for some fresh air and to get the internet password (a futile job since the internet just does not work!).  Randy was sitting outside so he told me about his trip and showed me his pictures.  The scenery in the area is beautiful!  Again there are lots of rolling hills and then mountain peaks in the background, many of which are volcanic so the shapes are sharp and interesting.  The fields are all terraced up the hillsides and it is harvest season as the thrashing floors were all busy.  The countryside was way more impressve than the temple and the palace which are under renovation and excavation respectively.

I was getting cold so went back to my room for a while and then went down for dinner about 6:30.  They have a real pizza oven so I decided to have pizza crust for dinner.  Doesn't that sound exciting?  I figured it was about as plain as I could go for food that wouldn't upset my stomach further.  Well, as it turns out the pizza oven wasn't working so no pizza crust for me.  I ordered plain rice instead and Randy ordered spaghetti.   Randy's spaghetti arrived and he ate it.  We checked on my rice and (we think) ended up reordering it.  Finally 40 minutes later it arrived so by the time we got out of there it was after 8:30.  I went to my room to do some blogging and then to bed hoping for a good night's sleep.