In an effort to continue to experience the unadulterated Ethiopia, I chose to take Mom and Dad to Bahar Dar via public transportation….namely, the big old bus. If there was one aspect of their trip that kept me awake at night it was this. But, I honestly couldn’t come up with any less painful or safer alternative.
On the morning of our grand adventure, Tambarat graciously picked us up at 4:30am and drove us (by bajaj) to the bus station. We boarded, jockeyed and traded for suitable seats (which means one with enough leg room for Dad and for my “prone to motion sickness” Mom, a seat at the front) and then settled in for the journey. In the spectrum of my bus experiences, this one was relatively mundane. The journey was long (a touch over 6 hours), but I think they actually enjoyed the experience and more importantly, although dehydrated, stiff, and dirty we arrived alive and intact.
Our stay in Bahar Dar was short, but we utilized our time well. Unbeknownst to Mom and Dad, I had arranged for a surprise hippo excursion….something well off the beaten path. We met a friend of a friend’s nephew and blindly followed him to a remote location on the Blue Nile River. From there we boarded a rickety boat (no motor; just oars and a few strong men) and drifted downriver. Within 15 minutes we were expertly guided to a pod of 7 hippos. I must say it’s surreal to find yourself co-mingling with these magnificent creatures and difficult to remember their reputation for being one of Africa’s most aggressive residents. We watched their antics for about an hour and then began our return journey. I had wondered how our motor-less boat would be able to pass upstream through the rapids with the 4 of us and a handful of locals on board. We soon found out. One man jumped overboard (keep in mind….this is hippo territory!) and swam/pushed us to the far bank. We were then deposited on the river’s edge and told to walk while our empty boat was swum and dragged upstream. I guess the price of admission only covered a one-way ticket. What a hoot!
On the morning of our grand adventure, Tambarat graciously picked us up at 4:30am and drove us (by bajaj) to the bus station. We boarded, jockeyed and traded for suitable seats (which means one with enough leg room for Dad and for my “prone to motion sickness” Mom, a seat at the front) and then settled in for the journey. In the spectrum of my bus experiences, this one was relatively mundane. The journey was long (a touch over 6 hours), but I think they actually enjoyed the experience and more importantly, although dehydrated, stiff, and dirty we arrived alive and intact.
Our stay in Bahar Dar was short, but we utilized our time well. Unbeknownst to Mom and Dad, I had arranged for a surprise hippo excursion….something well off the beaten path. We met a friend of a friend’s nephew and blindly followed him to a remote location on the Blue Nile River. From there we boarded a rickety boat (no motor; just oars and a few strong men) and drifted downriver. Within 15 minutes we were expertly guided to a pod of 7 hippos. I must say it’s surreal to find yourself co-mingling with these magnificent creatures and difficult to remember their reputation for being one of Africa’s most aggressive residents. We watched their antics for about an hour and then began our return journey. I had wondered how our motor-less boat would be able to pass upstream through the rapids with the 4 of us and a handful of locals on board. We soon found out. One man jumped overboard (keep in mind….this is hippo territory!) and swam/pushed us to the far bank. We were then deposited on the river’s edge and told to walk while our empty boat was swum and dragged upstream. I guess the price of admission only covered a one-way ticket. What a hoot!
The 7th hippo was on guard duty and just outside the scope of this shot
If you look closely you can see the young boy (on the right edge of the herd) swimming his cattle across the river.
