Jonathan Brun

Out of Ethiopia – Last African Update

From the Misty Mountains of Simien, I continued North through the sleepy town of Shire, turning East to the heart of the fallen Aksumite Kingdom. The city of Aksum, littered with giant Obelisks, undiscovered tombs, and ancient Palaces; could easily be the backdrop of an Indiana Jones movie. The scale of the Aksumite projects rival any ancient civilization and it’s mysterious fall from power should deeply humble us.

From Aksum, the bus took a hellish dirt road that it remarkably survived, landing me amidst the rock-hewn, cliff dangeling, churches of Tigrai. Innumerable churches litter the region, usually hidden inside, on top of and part of mountains; they were placed in these innaccessible locations to hide from the invading bearded ones.

The priests, who hold the keys to the churches are notoriously difficult to find, but once they do show up, the inside of the churches are simply remarkable. The local priests kindly invited me to a funeral feast, held annually to commemorate the death of a family member. A delicious feast amidst hundreds of villagers and a bucket of locally brewed Tala beer remains a great, though hazy, memory. Though I could not visit it, there lies a dark and forboding land to the east of Tigrai; the Danikal depression, a highly volcanic area which may be the most inhospitable on earth.

After stumbling back to the main road from the mountain village, I started the long journey to Lalibella.

Lalibella, also refered to as Roha, is a city centered around massive monolithic churches (means: they were carved out of solid bedrock, in a sense, freed from the mountain) in a remote series of mountains at an elevation of over 3400 m. After a long bus ride, I hitched a ride in a cement truck, which, after trudging along for 8 hours, lost a wheel and left us stranded. After a cool night in the mountains, two buses to Lalibella showed up; one was a chartered bus with a few extra seats, while the other was a public bus with three times too many people on it. Of course, I chose the public bus.

With two friendly ethiopian laddies on my lap and a mouthful of kchat (mild drug) in my mouth, we plodded along the curvy mountain road. About 30 kilometers from Lalibella, we came across the chartered bus which had impressivly managed to go off the road, over a ditch, through a pile of wood, stopping half way through a local villager’s mud house. Luck was on my side.

My last fistful of ethiopian dollars were exchanged for a plane ticket to Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. In Addis, at a traditional Ethiopian restaurant we ordered Kittfo, Ethiopian steak tarter (slightly cooked to ensure the tape worms are dead). A very memorable meal and a great finish to an amazing country.

P.S. If you noticed some similarities with the names from Middle Earth, Gonder, Misty mountains, shire, Danikal depression, and Roha; you were not alone.

Peka Kucha Update

At the Pecha Kucha night back in March, I presented the importance of graphical representation of data in the medical and philanthropic world (in under 7 minutes). At the time, I could not find the actual graphic that influenced Bill and Melinda Gates to give their fortune to preventable disease in Africa so I recreated it based on a description.

I finally came across the original graphic from the New York Times:

Source:

http://backspace.com/notes/2008/04/water-table.php

The Move to Northern Ethiopia

After an amazing time in eastern and muslim ethiopia, I headed back West. I hitched a ride with a canadian aid worker into the Awash national park, home to the endemic Oryx and Kalishnikov toting tribes who, apparently, do not like having their picture taken.

After the park, I headed to the historic north. Starting in Baher Dar on the shores of Ethiopia’s largest lake; we visited hidden monasteries on various small islands. After a full day on the rickety metal boat, we made our way back to the town amidst a beautifully coloured and wavy thunderstorm. Luckily the fifteen foot snakes in the lake do not apparently enjoy the taste of human flesh.

After the island monasteries; I arrived in Gonder, home to a once powerful kingdom of emperors who ruled Ethiopia. Simply magical. The town also had the privilege of welcoming the Italians in the 1930s; and who kindly left behind fascist art deco architecture and wonderful espresso machines.

After Gonder, we headed into the misty mountains of Simien. Home to the Walia Ibex, Gelada Baboon, the Simien Wolf, and 2000 m cliff faces; the five day trek proved to be as rewarding as Kilimanjaro. In contrast to Kili where we were privy to three course meals and hot water; I cooked for my scout and mule handler – neither of whom could speak english, camped in tents, carried our own gear, and met local villagers. The simien mountains was a much more authentic, and richer, experience.

All for now, another update in the days to come.

Zanzibar to Ethiopia

Got in some amazing diving in Zanzibar. The corals were very good, but the highlight was definitely the dive with sea turtles and dolphins near an atoll off the eastern coast of Zanzibar. Spent a day in a spice plantation, where they grow every imaginable spice. Very agronomically rich island. The beaches are pristine and the traditional sailing boats definitely add to the charm.

In the spirit of going from one extreme to another, I flew from tranquil Zanzibar to crazy Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. I spent two days wandering around the city, visiting the churches, the cultural museum where they display and discuss the many insane Ethiopian tribes (lip extension, neck extension, running on bulls…), then paid my respects to our oldest ancestor dubbed “Lucy”, she is 3.3 million years old and represents the step between Apes and Men – unbelievable. Also visited the Mercato (the largest market in Africa) where they sell every imaginable item.

As of yesterday, I am safely in the city of Harar, near the Somali-Eritria border. It took 10 hours by bus, but it was worth it. The city was founded in the 7th century and is truly a throwback in time. Magical place.

From The Top of Kilimanjaro to the Seas of Zanzibar

As for me, I climbed that little volcano called Kilimanjaro, it was stunning. You traverse all the climate zones, have unbelievable views and are treated to amazing hospitality. Tanzania is a most amazing place. The climb was pretty challenging despite the help of porters; I got quite sick towards the top of the mountain (above 5000 meters), but we persevered to the peak (5895 meters).

We then did a three day safari which felt like Arthur Conan Doyle’s Lost World. We saw all the major animals (lions, cheetahs, elephants, buffalo, wildebeests, hyenas, rhinos, gazelles…), but unfortunately did not see a kill. Scenery in Tanzania is out of this world. The region where we did the Safari is inhabited by traditionally dressed Masai warriors who are beautiful people. Yet wearing traditional dress and carrying a spear while talking on the cell-phone and riding a bike seems a bit of a conflict.

I am now in Zanzibar, off the coast of Tanzania. The island is a very interesting mix of Indian, Arabic and African culture. Once home to a vibrant slave and spice trade, the place is now a remarkable vacation spot with 19th century Islamic-colonialist architecture. The rough plan I have is to go diving for a few days. No plan beyond that.

Sorry, no photos, satellite connect is too slow.