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30th august - 3rd october

Overlanding across Afica in our Land Rover Defender: Ethiopia

Andy Lees
2006-05-14 18:15:24

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to addis and visit lalibela on the way. it was a long, long drive through the eastern tigre and its mountains. having not appreciated properly the sites of axum we thought it necessarily to take in one of the rock-hewn churches that lay undiscovered until the 1960s. every few kilometres or so there would be a turn-off signposted to one of these chuches. we took one of these but once off the main road and onto the track we found it impossible to find. after driving through fields, clambering up a rocky incline in low range and finally arriving at an isolated farm house we asked directions from a women whose nose appeared to be falling off. suspecting leprosy we aborted our first attempt and decided to keep driving to a cluster of churches that were apparently more accessible than the others.

at takstisfi we took the services of a local guide - even with his directions it was hard work getting there (i don't think he had driven there before), the track was as daunting and as unlikely as our first attempt. the church could only be reached by a final climb by foot; passing a band of white robed pilgrims we knew we were on the right path, and after being overcharged by the priests we were finally allowed to enter.

the small door led through the whitewashed cliff facade. inside, another corridor and another door led through to a dark room with high ceilings, made cramped by the supporting stone pillars. a priest illuminated the ceiling for us with a small candle on a long pole. in the flickering light we could make out simple crosses carved into the rock ceiling. it at least made it more atmospheric that it would have been with a torch.

when we left, the priests demanded more money - which we didn't give them. a group of children who had been following us also wanted payment for finding the key to the church - even though they hadn't. they threatened to throw rocks at the land rover, but ran off quickly when we reversed towards ...