Ethiopia - Day 5

This morning we woke up early (4:30 AM) to catch a flight to Lalibela. Not that it matters, because we seem to be awake by that time anyway! I'm sure most of you have never heard of Lalibela (and apparently neither has my spell check) but I'm going to insist you go add it to your "places to see before I die" list...right now. The 30 minute drive from the airport to town is worth the trip in and of itself. Amazing panoramic views the entire way! (Just don't forget to take Dramamine beforehand like I did...)

The city itself is very quaint with cobblestone roads and thatched roof huts. When tourism began about 10 years ago many hotels and souvenir tin stands popped up all along the road as well. Definitely detracts from the ambiance...but the town itself is not why people come to Lalibela.

Lalibela is considered the Jerusalem of Ethiopia. It is said that in the 12th or 13th century, King Lalibela was poisoned by his brother and while in heaven he was shown a city of rock-hewn churches and instructed to return to earth and build what he had seen, a new Jerusalem. There are 11 churches, each carved from a single rock from the ground down and connected by underground tunnels. Scholars say it would have taken 40,000 men to build these intricately carved buildings, while locals believe angels took over work during nights to help build these at a miraculous speed. Whatever the reality, they are something that must be seen in person to truly experience.

Since we are here during the Christmas season (Jan 7th in Ethiopia) there were thousands of Orthodox pilgrims there from all over the country. They camp out all around the grounds, attending services at the churches every morning. It was amazing to see these little old ladies - barefoot - hobbling up and down these extremely steep steps, along narrow ledges and through tiny tunnels.

In the morning we were touring some of the churches during their services, which were both inside and outside the buildings. The churches were so full we had to walk on tip toes in order not to step on any toes! It was amazing to observe and I'm so glad we were able to witness a lot of their celebrations...though I did feel a bit like an intruder. I could go on and on about the churches and all the amazing things we saw, but it really wouldn't be interesting without seeing it. So, I'll save that for those of you that are "lucky" enough to see a slide show of our trip. ;) Below is a picture of the top of Bet Giyorgis. I can only attach one picture here, so I'll do the side view in a different one.

After finishing our tour, we went to dinner at Holy Land...one of the local restaurants near our hotel and watched the gorgeous sunset.