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Our Safari: Historic Route Omo River Route Salt Route (Dancalia) Our Expeditions: Hunt Safari RVS Birds Watch

Our Excursions
Around Addis Abeba

Journal - "South Ethiopia" Ethnic groups along the Omo River
From February 22 to March 5, 2006.

Written by Leda and Giovanni. Copyright 2007 All rights reserved

Departure

Finally we’re on the plane. We booked this trip in January; Giovanni had been long waiting for it.  When I first booked this trip, I asked no information on the ethnic groups we are about to encounter. Two weeks ago many Muslim countries experienced disorders and riots after the publication of offensive cartoons against Muslims. In addition, almost a month before that episode, a group of Italian tourist had been abducted while visiting Yemen. I contacted the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and received information that this Ethiopian region is considered at risk also for tourists travelling in group. Our friends think we are completely out of our minds and probably we are reckless. We decide nonetheless to leave. With the Lords assistance, I’ m confident this will be an extremely interesting journey.

Wednesday February 22, 2006 – The plane took off at 11.30 and because I was terribly tired I fell immediately asleep, skipping dinner; the many empty seats on the plane allowed me to lie down.

Arrival and meeting with the representative from Rocky Valley Safari

We landed at 05.30 AM (07.30 local time): they did not serve us breakfast in flight as we are passengers in transit. After processing our visas (which took a very long time) and exchanging our money (1 Euro equivalent to 10 birr that we require is small coins in order to take pictures) we meet the representative and guide of the Rocky Valley Safari.  Our first stop is to eat breakfast; coffee here enjoys a great reputation, as well as the dry pastries which are excellent. We go for a drive and visit the National Museum where we admired the skeleton of "Lucy", 3 million years old that was found in the north of the country a few years ago; bone fragments indicated that the subject was an adult female, one metre and 20 centimeters tall, supposed to be one of the first bipeds. For lunch we stopped at a typical restaurant; sitting outside we ate injera, spongy bread on top of which almost all specialties are served. We ordered a vegetarian dish. It come on a large plate and all people at the table ate with their hands, using the bread to collect the food and its seasoning. Obviously without using cutlery. Delicious.  We decided not to wait for the rest of the group (we departed from Rome with other two people) and we proceeded towards Awassa. On our way we stopped to eat some fruits; in this area various fruits are blended in the mixer and served in different colored layers in a glass. One should try to avoid using the washroom as public facilities are really in terrible conditions. Luckily we took cholera shots prior to our departure. At 5 pm we arrived in Awasse and after leaving our luggage at the hotel, we proceeded on foot towards the lake, followed by a swarm of children, which are everything but annoying. Here at school they learn English and therefore, we could exchange few words. Unfortunately we missed the sunset but it was a very pleasant walk. We returned to our hotel and found out that the rest of the group coming from the north hasn’t arrived yet; it was fortunate that we did not wait for them since they arrived at approx 10.30 pm. It is a group of 11 people: together with the four of us, we are 15 in total. We ate supper at the hotel: a tasty fish soup and fried lake fish, all very fresh. We’re in our room at 10 pm and turned off the light at 10.30; Giovanni was anxious, tomorrow the wake up call is at approximately 07.00 am.

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Lake Awassa – fish market - Rift Valley - Orze village

Thursday February 23, 2006. We ate breakfast at 08.00 outside the hotel. We were all punctual and departed for the fish market. Very characteristic, the lake is teeming with fish and every day there is a market. There were many people of all ages. Some of them clean the fish, other remove the fishbone and the eyes, others pull away the skin using a knife, the children using their teeth. Fish filets are sold to the city’s restaurants, while locals use the fishbone to prepare soup. We departed through the Rift Valley and since the journey was somewhat long, we stopped several times to take pictures of people. During the morning we visited a hut in a Dorze village. Inside there is space for people and their animals, for a pot with soup on the fire and for a wardrobe. At 7 pm we arrived in our rooms, the most basics of all. We fouind a bucket full of water and a basin. The tap is missing from the shower that anyway doesn’t work. While visiting Cameron I learned to wash myself using little water, using a sponge to soap myself and a metal can to rinse. Just a few moments after the water arrived and Giovanni could take a shower. The company is now more friendly. It began to rain and the storm lasted for three hours. Supper was good (prepared by the camp’s chef) lentils soup, lamb, boiled vegetables and fruit. We stopped for a chat and at 11 pm we’re in bed. I slept fine; we used torches if we needed to get up since there was no electricity. It rained all night and outside it was all mud.

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Konso territory - Togunna - Tsway villagge - fifi shop - camp

Friday February, 24, 2006 – Also this group was very punctual, at 7.30 they served breakfast and finally we departed for our first real village. We already entered into the Konso territory. A dry wall surrounds the village, and when the population increases and the village expands, a new wall is built around the new houses: this village counts 5 walls. Some houses reminded us of villages in Mali. There is a sort of Togunna where youngsters meet in the evenings and sleep all together while the eldest use this space for their meetings. Children and women insist on being photographed; for each picture they ask 1 birr and they become very forceful if they are not paid. Along our way we stopped to take pictures at funeral stones; the few ones that remain have been grouped all together and our guide had to pay 50 birr for us to take pictures. We needed to be more watchful since we were running short of low-denomination birr. We stopped at a very pretty spot to eat our lunch under a cane veranda. The lunch was good; pasta, beans, sardine and salami (not made of pork since it is forbidden here), cheese, pineapple and Mulino Bianco cake (a famous Italian brand). We departed to visit a Tsway village and on our way we saw women with a long skirt that ends in a tail on the back. It looked like a tourist attraction to us but the guide confirms that they always dress in this way; maybe they only overemphasize with colors for being photographed. Along the road we stopped at a fifi shop and immediately after, we were surrounded by some beautiful children decorated with unique earrings and necklaces made with all sorts of material (pins, hair grips). The journey in the car was pleasant and at 6 pm we arrived at the camp; the tents have been mounted and this was a nice surprise. The single ones were quite small while the double ones were really big and you can stand up in them. I suggested women bring a bathing costume because showers are taken outside. We ate almost without lights since we were  invaded by flying-ants (during the small rain season) and then we went to bed. At 5 am the cook and the drivers commenced to prepare breakfast and woke me up with their noise.

 

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Territory Karo - Omo – clashes with the Banna - Karo and Hammer people

Saturday February 25, 2006 – We visited the local market where we stayed until 12.30 as the market starts only after 11 and we ate our lunch here. Giovanni bought an axe while I purchased a collar used by the first wives. I also bought a spiral-shaped bracelet and a belt but the vendor asked me to return arguing I paid too little for it. The transfer to the camp was almost 3 hours long and I slept all the time. The position is wonderful along the Omo River in the Karo territory. Some girls have a needle stuck in their lower lip. After a pause we departed for a visit to a Karo village where wefound a gathering of armed old people that were in the process of deciding their future actions after a fight with the Bannas. It is a real pity not to have taken photos of the old men sitting in circle: given the situation and their belligerent personality it is wise not to create further tension. Nonetheless I will never forget them even without having taken pictures. In the meanwhile we walked to a nearby village and together with other 3 or 4 people I entered into a hut. An old person offered us some tea. We then returned to the previous village and we joined at a typical dance. Nothing spectacular but it was worth the visit. The Hammer people are used to strip their flesh off and put ashes in their wounds so that they swell; each notch is for an enemy killed. We returned to our camp in time for a shower (a plastic container with a little tube hanging from a tree), we ate dinner and given the fatigue and the lack of light at 9 pm we were sleepy and returned to our tent. It is impossible to sleep however because the others were talking. During nigh time the camp has armed security, three persons with a rifle.

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Galeb Village- Women - Ornaments – hair styles

Sunday February 26, 2006 – Finally I slept last night. The air was damp and last night it also rained. The rainy season arrived earlier and it rained all morning. A car was caught in the mud and was towed by another vehicle, being alone would have been a real problem. Along the route some Hammer boys stoped our car to ask information on their disappeared friend. In this moment there were fights with the Banna people. We arrived along the side of the Omo River. To cross the river we used a small aluminum boat: water leaked in and therefore we kept our feet on the hole. On our way to the village we crossed millet fields. The village appears very quiet and this is because it is close to a mission and consequently they have less arms as compared to the villages more at the interior (no longer visited) that are very belligerent in this moment. The women wear heavy necklaces, made of several threads. The unmarried ones wear a miniskirt of beads while wedded women have a long skirt. Men are covered (at least in this village) but enjoy a reputation of having a long penis and this can be noticed in the children. We eat along the way and continue our journey to visit a Gabeb village. In the meanwhile the sun shines. The village is less visited compared to the previous one since at the beginning we are not asked for money for taking pictures and children cry due to fear when we approached them. Men have fabulous hair styles. They mix mud in their hair and when it dries out it is decorated in geometrical figures. This is why they always carry a small step stool: during the daytime it is used to sit down, at night time they lay their heads on to avoid ruining hairstyles. People are really beautiful, especially when they are young. They are very tall, agile; they have style and pose like real models. Women give birth non-stop as soon as they become fertile and therefore they  constantly breastfeed. We arrived at our camp; the place is really ugly but finally we can take a shower and wash our hair. At dinner our travel mates Mario and Denis and us decided to go to the village and eat injerà. With the equivalent of 2 euros per person we ate and drank. Yesterday we paid 1 birr for a tea (shy) while coke is more expensive and costs 5 birr (Euro 0,50 ). I started to get used to the fatigue and I also managed to hang around for a chat.

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Turni market- Hammer Village- art crafts

Monday, February 27, 2006 – I slept fine last night. At the beginning I was terribly hot; it is very humid here and therefore we very much feel the heat; at dawn we had to cover ourselves with our heavy sleeping bags. During the morning with visit another village, the journey by foot is reasonable ( ½ hour), the people here are still Hammer, there is always something interesting to photograph. The way back is tuff, it is 11.00 am and it is terribly hot. After eating our lunch at the camp, they accompanied us at the Turni market that takes place every Monday and is crowded by the Hammers. The heat is horrendous, I’m suffering just like when I visited the Atlantica mountains. The market was full of people but we did not take many pictures; they were all very fascinating but we already took at least 20 pictures. We bought some rings, two bracelets, two belts made of hedgehog spines, one wooden stools and bell made of corn. By 3.00 pm I’ was exhausted and I sat in the shade together with some female vendors (there must be a reasons why they remain in the shade although they are used to this climate) and then we decided to leave. Along our way back we encountered a vehicle returning to the camp, we decided to ask for a lift. I took a shower and then I wrote my diary.

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Mago Park - Routes – Along the Neri river

Tuesday February 28, 2006  - As usual we all gathered for breakfast 30 minutes prior to the timetable, the departure is punctually at 08.00 am and we began entering into the Mago Park. Now I understand why our guide was so afraid of the rain: the road is terrible, it takes seven hours to cover 70 kilometres. It is terribly hot; in case of rain we would remain caught in the mud. After a couple of hours one of our vehicles broke. At the beginning we all thought the problem is due to a flat tyre; it is a pleasant stop and as usual the locals (now Karos) appeared after a few seconds. Women, children but also armed men. A boy with a Kalascinicof and axe; he asked for money for the first photo but after I took a picture of him with Giovanni they became friends. Other two girls gave us their bracelets as a gift. We prepared our lunch. As usual it was terribly hot; it was almost 39 C, the humidity is high and there is no shade. We remained like this for almost two hours. After a while many people with their faces painted in white showed up; the news that tourist are there had spread. The situation is quite unusual as they were not approaching us asking for pictures to be taken, but they stood silently at a distance. Finally we departed but the heat is now suffocating, 41 C plus the humidity; it would be impossible to stop since there are no spots in the shade. At 4.00 pm we finally reached the camp. Some of us took a bath in the Neri river. I was not attracted because if was full of mud and not of easy access, therefore, I washed using the usual basin. Although we were in the shade we kept sweating because the breeze was stopped by the trees .I was wearing trousers to avoid mosquito bites but I had to take them off because of the heat. A wore shorts and soon after I changed into a wraparound skirt to feel more protected. By 09.00 pm we were in our tent; the camp was small and the dining table was close to our tent. We could hear the people talking; many frogs too were singing in a concert near our tent; I doubted I will be able to sleep.

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Mursi’s territory – labial ornaments - Jinka

Wednesday, March 1, 2006 – As usual we all got up very early. This camp was full of children. We continued entering into the Mago Park and after two hours trip we arrived at the Mursi’s camp. We were literally assaulted. Prior to entering into the camp the guide recommended us not to take pictures without paying as the people here are very forceful. They ask 2 birr for a photo. After the picture women usually take their kids off their back and ask for one more birr; if you don’t pay they start screaming. We are charged 2 birr per person also for group pictures; one may try to negotiate 1 birr but after the picture is taken they demand another birr. I maked friends with an armed boy; first I smiled, then we shook hands and we gave each other a shove with our right shoulders. He agred to have a picture taken with me but when I handed my camera to Giovanni  he asked for 2 birr; he soon  changed his mind when I showed him that the camera is mine. It is the usual problem; there is not enough time for friendship. People are very solemn and seldom smile . For them being photographed is only a business.  Our guide at the Hammer’s village informed us that with the 5 birr earned he can pay for his tuition. We purchased two labial ornaments paying 5 birr each. A park guard accompanied us for the entire transfer. Although he is armed Iwas not quite sure what he could do in the event local people attack us. I doubt this would ever happen since tourists bring money. The only risk is of being caught in tribal fights; this would be of no fun , usually somebody always dies. By the time we departed, the locals offered discounts for the photos. At this point we were very tired of them for being so insistent. Giovanni however pulled out his Polaroid that always creates great enthusiasm (but does not exempt us from having to pay). We stoped for lunch. One of our travel mates had an eye infection and could not open his eye.  Fortunately I had with me some eye-drops, I gave him a disinfectant for his hands and some gauze and in the afternoon he felt better. We proceeded towards Jinka leaving our local guide and the Mago Park. The road is actually a track, with steep slopes and climbs.  It would be impossible to drive along in case of rain. The landscape is beautiful, full of green and with mountains in the distance. It really looks like a postcard. After two hours we arrived at Jimka. We unloaded our luggage and decided to go for a walk. Although we were accompanied by a girl from the hotel, we were surrounded by kids offering to be our guide. This is actually a village only for locals and is only a stopover. The market offers no tourist attraction and is really dirty. Iwas looking forward to go back. Notwithstanding the shower and shampoo the towel was all black after I rinsed.

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Banna’s territory - Key Afer market- cultivations - "I'm student"

Thursday March 2, 2006 – We departed from Jimka with no regrets and after an hour we were at the Key Afer market (that means red soil) . We were in the Banna’s territory and everything is perfectly cultivated. This is a local market but here markets tend to begin late in the morning because people arrive on foot from far away. Giovanni bought other two blades. After two hours we stopped at Konso for a bite in the same place where we had previously slept. One of the two vehicles was not functioning properly and our stop was longer than foreseen. Flies were everywhere. The way for Konso is very pleasant, all full of green, people working in the fields, women wearing their typical two layers skirt and their typical doubled roof huts. Before we arrived we came across another market; it is sufficiently late and the market  in its full activity. People buy and sell everything. Today we managed to take pictures without paying. Here they play the trick of the student (it happened also in the north of the country and three travel mates were cheated. It happened to me yesterday but I knew what it was all about). This is how it works: a young boy approaches you and offers to be your guide; even if you refuse he follows you kindly and shows you the houses around. He explains that they are many in his family and that he cannot manage to study, there are no sufficient books for all of them but he would love to study and become a practitioner. He then asks you to buy him a book and accompanies you to a book store. The boy then goes back to the store and returns the book in change of the money, a percentage of which is for the bookstore owner. Here it’s full of kids that as soon as you exit from the vehicle tell you "I’m a student", not even Oxford claims so many students. During our transfer to Arbaminch the vehicle that was having problems stop functioning; passengers and luggage are all loaded into one vehicle. We arrive in our hotel at 6.30 pm and it is the same one where we had lunch in the first days of our trip. It’s on the lake and it belongs to Greenland. Rooms are finally decent with a nice view on the lake, two queen size beds and a real washroom. At 8 pm we ate supper. Lake fish is delicious; it tastes like fried sole filets. And as usual we’re in bed by 09.00 pm.

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Lake Chamo - crocodiles - hypos - birds

Friday, March 3, 2006 – Breakfast is served between 08 and 08.30 am and then we are driven to a Chencla village just a few kilometers away. The landscapes differ completely from what we’ve seen before, it is all very green, entire forests of eucalyptus (they don’t smell as good as the Australian ones) and entire cultivations of plants similar to bananas from which  Cochio is extracted, a very energetic substance that once processed becomes something similar to injera It smells like pecorino cheese. We visited a typical hut. From the inside it appears larger than it seems and, although it was also occupied by cows and sheep, there was no bad smell. We purchased two pieces of cloth each 20 metres long at a cost of 100 birr; my daughter Giada can make sheers with them. After having lunch at the hotel, we visited a school that hosts also orphans; we left a charity donation that we had previously collected, and then proceeded to visit Lake Chamo and admire its crocodiles and hypos. After crossing a small wooden bridge (fortunately Iwas not the only one that required assistance) we took a small boat that brought us close to the banks to admire all this giant crocodiles. If something happened to our boat nothing would remain of our bodies. There were also numerous birds and several hypos. We returned to our hotel where we had two hours to pack our luggage. After dinner we stopped for a chat but tomorrow the wakeup call is at 5 am: our departure time is at 6.00.

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Return - Addis Abeba - Departure

Saturday, March 4, 2006 – Our return trip began. Everyone was very punctual as usual. We stopped for lunch sitting outside at a small restaurant where we had stopped for a coffee upon our arrival; at 4.00 pm we’re in Addis Abeba. We had covered 420 km. The chaos and the pollution in Addis Abeba suburbs is awful. We left the group at a souvenir shop and together with Mario and Luciana we asked to be accompanied at the Sheraton hotel. A real oasis of calm, it is considered Africa’s most beautiful hotel; given our outfits, I’m quite surprised they let us in. I bought two necklaces at 40 Euro each; I actually doubt they are made of real silver. Fortunately we have a room on our own. We ate supper at a typical restaurant; both the food (Uot) and the show were very pleasant. We were at the airport at 07:30 am and after never-ending checks by noon we’re on board.

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Comments and personal considerations

We are very pleased regarding the itinerary. We have had the opportunity to visit very primitive people, notwithstanding their contacts with tourist, fortunately still infrequent. Apparently nothing has changed in the last ten years (our guide for example visited this country at that time) apart from the request for birr (and arms, may I add). The vehicles (four Toyota) were sufficiently comfortable. Some accommodations were really basic (the tents were 100 times better) but I doubt we could find anything better. Concerning the security everything went fine. It was possible  to be caught in tribal fights (local people carry arms to avoid their herds being robbed and for protecting their territories). Although some of the people we met were belligerent, we tourists bring wealth and there is no reason for being attacked. Concerning our group I have to admit that it wasn’t that great. First of all we were  15 and it is clearly a problem to arrive anywhere with 15 cameras; you cannot expect to be welcomed with smiling faces.  We were often in a rush and being pushy. On our side, we do not want to miss a photo opportunity, sometimes ignoring their feeling and without demonstrating a friendly gesture. At times we were very exasperated by their insistence  asking  money for each photo, we did not like their being so less spontaneous. They are always posing, and probably rightly doing so. They give and expect something back. Sometime we believe we can make them happy giving T-shirts or bras, women desperately want one and they touch your shoulder straps saying soheda – soheda that means bra; especially when they see women with a small-medium breast like theirs when they are 16 yeras old. By the age of 30 their breast is flabby by the many pregnancies and breast feedings, by the exposure to the sun and because of the fatigue. Like in the rest of the third world, women carry out the heaviest duties and this doesn’t help them to look attractive. Apart from this, people are very good looking. They have wonderful complexion not always dark black. Lots have, big black oriental-shaped eyes and fine features. Also their bodies differ from the black people; their backside is prominent but not as much like other African people. Going back to our group, being 15 was a problem not only for traveling. We’ve all been very punctual in departing and returning. But the group wasn’t well assorted. It was a fragmented group and this was a real pity since it took away one of the pleasures of the vacation, that much depends on your travel mates. The travel is an occasion for confrontation; you should look around and try to understand and learn as much as you can, and take home something more than just a souvenir. Sometimes we managed to acquire this, other times we did not succeed. Every moment I find myself behaving more like a tourist. Maybe this is because we are always in a hurry, maybe because we are not wiling to take on us all the problems that affect Africa, but I have to admit that we are here for our own pleasure and not so much to help these people. I’m sorry for this. I feel terribly selfish, but this is my holiday and I do not wish to worry too much. When we travel to these countries we bring wealth, this is true, but we also receive something in return. Maybe we will change; maybe we already started changing since we began our journey. I really do hope so, because it is impossible to understand oneself without trying to understand and help others.
Leda

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