On Friday morning I flew to Lalibela. I wasn't sure what to expect upon arrival, but I knew Lalibela was a popular tourist destination, so I figured I would be fine. I was lucky, all the hotels near the churches had a desk and transportation. I had already decided which hotel to stay at (several people had recommended the same place). It was a 23km drive up a mountain, and so beautiful.
The hotel was okay, better than what I'd stayed at in Addis. I took a short walk around and then had lunch- pizza- which was way more expensive than I wanted to pay. I was having a hard time sticking to my budget. They sure do gouge tourists in Ethiopia!
I heard great things about a 3hr hike up to Ashetan Maryam Church. A guy from the hotel showed me the way, which was good, because I don't think I could have found it on my own. It was a beautiful hike, and I got to walk through a village and see some people farming.
There were donkeys carrying supplies- apparently mules carry people. I met a man that was walking back to his village, he'd walked for hours just to get to Lalibela to sell and buy a few things. A lot of kids don't go to school, because there aren't schools near by and they have to help their parents on the farm.
The hotel was okay, better than what I'd stayed at in Addis. I took a short walk around and then had lunch- pizza- which was way more expensive than I wanted to pay. I was having a hard time sticking to my budget. They sure do gouge tourists in Ethiopia!
I heard great things about a 3hr hike up to Ashetan Maryam Church. A guy from the hotel showed me the way, which was good, because I don't think I could have found it on my own. It was a beautiful hike, and I got to walk through a village and see some people farming.
There were donkeys carrying supplies- apparently mules carry people. I met a man that was walking back to his village, he'd walked for hours just to get to Lalibela to sell and buy a few things. A lot of kids don't go to school, because there aren't schools near by and they have to help their parents on the farm.
Lalibela is one of Ethiopia's holiest cities, and is famous for it's Monolithic Churches. Here's some background info (thanks wikipedia!)
This rural town is known around the world for its churches carved from the living rock, which play an important part in the history of rock-cut architecture. Though the dating of the churches is not well established, most are thought to have been built during the reign of Lalibela, namely during the 12th and 13th centuries. There are 13 churches, assembled in four groups:
The Northern Group: Bet Medhane Alem, home to the Lalibela Cross and believed to be the largest monolithic church in the world, probably a copy of St Mary of Zion in Aksum. It is linked to Bete Maryam (possibly the oldest of the churches), Bete Golgotha (known for its arts and said to contain the tomb of King Lalibela), the Selassie Chapel and the Tomb of Adam.
The Western Group: Bete Giyorgis, said to be the most finely executed and best preserved church.
The Eastern Group: Bete Amanuel (possibly the former royal chapel), Bete Merkorios (which may be a former prison),Bete Abba Libanos and Bete Gabriel-Rufael (possibly a former royal palace), linked to a holy bakery.
Farther afield lie the monastery of Ashetan Maryam and Yimrehane Kristos church (possibly eleventh century, built in the Aksumite fashion but within a cave).
I met Jacob, another American and the only other person staying at the hotel the afternoon I arrived. We hung out the next few days. It was great to have someone to see the sites with. The churches are split into two groups, North and South. It costs about $25 to see them, and if you want a guide, it's another $20! Such high prices in such a poor country, with very few people seeing that money. I went with Jacob and his guide to see the Southern churches- which was nice, because when I walked around the Northern churches alone, I had no idea which church I was looking at.
The coolest thing about the churches is that they are all carved top-down. So, the tops of the churches are at ground level. There are lots of underground tunnels connecting the churches to each other.
Saturday is market day in Lalibela, so we went to check it out. I especially love checking out local markets to see what they are selling. I thought the piles of salt and blocks of salt were especially cool, and so was the honey (with flies mixed in). People from neighboring villages walk for hours or even an entire day, in order to buy and sell things at market day.
All in all, I had a nice time in Lailbela. I didn't get any fleas or bedbugs (phew!) and I got to see a lot of interesting things. I wish I'd done my homework and gotten to see a few of the other "tourist attraction" villages around Ethiopia.
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