Bahir Dar: Amazing Monasteries and Not-So-Majestic Waterfalls

After a few days in hectic, crowded Addis, we headed for the peace and serenity of Bahir Dar.  Located on the shores of Lake Tana, the 3rd largest lake in Africa, Bahir Dar is the jumping off point to visit the dozens of monasteries in the area, as well as the Blue Nile Falls.  Even though it is the third largest city in Ethiopia, BD still has a sleepy, tropical quality, but also a holy and mystical vibe, thanks to its high density of places of worship in the area. This all seems well and good until 4am, when you are awoken by the chanting of monks (which I, conditioned by my time in Cambodia, mistook for karaoke), or 5:30am, when you are re-awoken by the Muslim call to prayer.

Since we were already awake, we decided to get an early start on the day, knowing that we had a lot to cover in our one day in BD.  After a quick breakfast, we met up with two girls we had met on the plane from Addis the night before, who were also only in town for the day.  Together we negotiated to rent a motorboat for the morning ($25 each) so we could visit some of the local monasteries, which are located on 20 of the lake's 37 islands.  These monasteries, which together constitute a UNESCO World Heritage Site, date back to the 14th century but are largely still active.  Women can only visit a few of these monasteries however, so we set off for the two most accessible, female-friendly sites.

Although the shores of the lake were the setting of common activities like bathing, laundry, and children's water fights, the lake itself is home to a unique form of transportation: the papyrus boat.  Developed by the Egyptians 6,000 years ago, these boats are made from bundles of papyrus reeds, fashioned into the shape of a canoe or kayak.  These single-seat vessels take approximately two weeks to build and last for up to six months.  Today they are used mainly for fishing and the transportation of goods to and from the islands, a journey that can take three or four hours on Lake Tana.

Using papyrus boats to transport charcoal to the island monasteries

Of course, being in a motorboat, it only took us 45 minutes to reach the first monastery.  When those of us in the US think of "monastery" we tend to think of a giant stone fortress, cold, damp, and colorless.  The Ethiopians have a different concept of "monastery"--extremely simple living quarters next to a small, one-story, circular building with a straw floor and vibrant murals, which serves as the church.  All the ancient monasteries/churches in this region have a similar design inside: three entrances (for men, women, and clergy), and a square structure inside called the Holy of Holies.  On three sides of the Holy of Holies there are doors (through which only priests and monks can pass), and on the fourth a set of three false windows.  The outside the Holy of Holies and the ceiling are covered with colorful paintings depicting various biblical stories and the miracles of local saints.  Inside the Holy of Holies is a replica of the Ark of the Covenant, which is said to contain the original stone tablets upon which the Ten Commandments were written. Those who belong to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church (40 million people) believe that the original Ark is kept in the Church of Saint Mary of Zion, located in Axum in northern Ethiopia.  

After walking past the living quarters of the priests and nuns of the Entos Eyesu (left), we arrived at their small church (below left).  Upon entering, I was struck by a few things. First, how colorful the murals the covering the Holy of Holies and the ceiling were.  Second, how much blood was depicted in these graphic paintings.  Third, how small it was, given that services are still performed twice a day. There are no seats and barely enough space for a couple dozen people to stand.  Speaking of standing, at every church in Ethiopia there is a pile of polished sticks, each of which is about four feet tall.  These are called leaning sticks, since they used by monks and priests when they stand for days in prayer.  (Apparently too many elderly monks were falling down during long meditative sessions.) Our guide took some time to explain the biblical stories painted on the outside of the Holy of Holies and took particular pains to describe the story of St. George, the patron saint of Ethiopia.  St. George was a Roman soldier/priest most famous for slaying a dragon and saving a princess; apparently fairy tales like to pull stories from the lives of saints.  We also learned the story of Saint Jerome, who managed to tame all the wild beasts around Bethlehem.  Even though he is often depicted riding a lion, our guide pointed out that "it is hardly possible for a man to ride a lion like a horse," I think out of fear that we farangi (foreigner) women would see a lion and try to jump on it.  Our guide, Riyot, who had a knack for being unintentionally funny, also coined a new term, "wild toilet opportunity," which is an ideal time and setting to go pee in the bushes. 

After leaving Entos Eyesu we rode for another 40 minutes to Zege Peninsula and the Ura Kidane Meret monastery, the oldest and most famous of those on Lake Tana (right).  A twenty minute walk in from the dock, the building is make of bamboo-like sticks and giant wooden doors.  Although most of the frescos date from the 13th and 14th century, there are some new additions, as evidenced by the fact that they contain machine guns. Adjacent to the church was a "museum"--a glorified stall-- with a collection of ancient crowns, illuminated manuscripts, and crosses tipped with ostrich eggs.  The justification for using ostrich eggs has something to do with the fact that if the male parent leaves it, the female will protect it, which is supposed to correlate to the stories of Jesus and Mary, I believe.  It seems that every aspect of the churches in Ethiopia, down to the number of stairs outside, has some numerical significance/relationship to the Bible.  There are the holy trinity, the four gospels, the seven heavens, the twelve apostles, etc. However, it seems you can get too much into this numerology, since, by the end of the trip, whenever we would ask "what is the significance of X number of Y in this building's design?" and our guide would give us a skeptical look and say "nothing."

A monk teaches a young pupil

Following a quick lunch of traditional Ethiopia food back in Bahir Dar, we boarded a bus with our afternoon guide, Tom, and a dozen other travelers to go to the Blue Nile Falls.  Although we were warned by the Lonely Planet that the falls are not as majestic as they once were, thanks to the installation of a new hydroelectric dam, we decided to go anyway.  The 45 minute drive to the town near the head of the falls was glimpse into life in the countryside of Ethiopia.  The land in this region of the country is vast, brown, and arid, with a few stick huts dotting the sides of rugged mountains.  Although 85% of people in Ethiopia depend on agriculture to survive, it is not an easy place to farm.  The land is rocky and dry, the heat punishing, and the rains unpredictable, but somehow people have managed to survive here for thousands of years, a testament to the resilience of its people.

Adding to their challenges, only 13% of people in Ethiopia have access to electricity, which makes the new hydroelectric dam (or "water plantation," according to the locals) a serious blessing.  Short-sighted tourists may complain that the waterfall has been cut back to 5% of its original volume, but thousands of newly-connected families are experiencing a significant improvement in their quality of life.  Of course, the country remains one of the poorest in the world (214th out of 228) and most people still lack access to clean water and proper sanitation.     

Upon arriving at the falls after a short walk and boat ride, we walked around for a while, assisted over the rocks by young, but much more agile, children. Then, exhausted by the scorching heat, we headed into the town for a soda and some shade.  After staring at me for a while, the proprietress of the little shack/cafe asked me, through the guide, if I was "half-caste," by which I think she was asking if was half Ethiopian, half something else.  After explaining that no, my family is from India, she indicated that something in the shape of my face and/or head is typical of Ethiopians.  As it turned out, this was to be the first of many such awkward and bewildering encounters during our trip.  

When we returned to our guest house that evening I was extremely tired.  Sitting in a comfortable A/C office for the past eight months (and before that, the cold of Ann Arbor) has made me less tolerant of the heat and direct sunlight, it seems.  Suffering from heatstroke, I climbed into bed and left it to Camila to sort out our hotel arrangements for our next few stops, lest we should have a repeat of what happened in Addis...

The town near the Blue Nile Falls