Visiting Gonder—Part 1

Amber and I had the opportunity to explore a new town while she was here. Gonder is found 185km north of Bahar Dar and should normally take about 3 hours by mini-bus. My bus experiences, however, never go as planned! I think it would be safe to say that this was the WORST bus experience I've had in the entire time I've been here. It started out rough and my instincts were telling me to abort, but I didn't. I so wish I had listened to my gut. To put it simply, I don't think our driver had ever been behind the wheel before. He ground gears, he shifted down when he should have shifted up, when passing another vehicle or donkey cart he would jerk the wheel to the left and we would go hurtling across the center line only to come flying back to the right seconds later.

We traveled about 40km before dropping off the first passengers. At that moment, I thought about getting out but I didn't react quickly enough before the door shut and we were again on our way. We had just pulled back into traffic when one of my worst nightmares came true---the driver hit a small child! It was a horrible experience. A mob formed…the child was whisked away (I suspect that the outcome was not good)…and Amber and I did what PC instructed us to do in light of this situation--we fled. Fortunately another mini-bus was driving by and had exactly 2 spaces left. The remainder of our journey to Gonder was uneventful and I can't express what a relief it was to have arrived in one piece. The roads here are so dangerous and I count my blessings every time I arrive safely to my destination!

As for Gonder, it is a beautiful city. Founded by King Fasilidas in 1635, the city served as the imperial capital for 250 years. It's now a favorite stop for tourists and a great jumping off point should you want to explore the Simien Mountains. Our time was limited, so we concentrated on exploring the sights within the town.

A "must-see" in Gonder is the Royal Enclosure. When I think of Ethiopia, castles are not something that come to mind. But in Gonder, one can find 6 castles within the Royal Enclosure. I was amazed at how well preserved the structures are and yet mystified as to why Ethiopian building strategies seem to have digressed rather than progressed. To this day, stones are in abundance and yet the majority of homes are constructed using mud and sticks. It's probably one of the many things that I shall never understand!




Megan, Amber, and I


I couldn't resist pretending to pee in the royal shint beyt!