Wedding Crashing & Then Gone to Gondar

I don't know which is worse... the condition of the road, the bus or my luck, but traveling in Northern Ethiopia has been long and tiring. Six breakdowns and two flat tires so far. One stretch we went 69 Kilometers in 10 hours. Not fun. I've also been staying at some cheap places for as little as $2.75 a night but I've got more bed bug and worm bites than I can count. Very uncomfortable when you can actually feel them crawling around your legs at night!

On the bright side, the vistas on the drive up is beautiful and vaguely reminds me of Northern India. The lowlands is scenic with the golden teff fields and stone and wooden hut villages huddled together. The bus passes donkeys and camels carrying their load and the occasional derelict Russian tank or armoured vehicle left over from the civil war, sitting idle as farmers plough the land nearby. The bus winds it's way through the Simien Mountains and you can see the terraced valleys and grasslands below dotted with cattle and goats, and small rock croppings that jut out of the ground.

On the way to Lalibela, I got invited to a wedding by the groom's brother. Lalibela is famous for the eleven rock churches hewn from the rock surface in the 12th century. They are inter-connected by tunnels and narrow walkways and the place is still revered by the Ethiopians who consider the site to be a second Jerusalem. Although the tin sheds and scaffolding from Unesco restoration work looks out of place, the isolation of the churches on a high plateau and glimpses of a passing robed priest, or believers praying still gives it a certain feel.

The Ethiopian wedding began with the groom and his brothers and male friends gathered on a stage while his guests sat and ate in a large tent set infront of his parent's home. When it was time to bring the bride, the groom and his male party left clapping and singing in a parade of honking cars, motorcycles and trucks. What else was I to do but go, stuffed in the back of a Toyota Landcruiser with four priests. Kids were running beside the parade as candy was occasionally tossed in their direction. When we got to the bride's home, and went pass their tent, there was plenty of singing, clapping and dancing to tradtional music, complete with drumming and a string-like instrument. The males started to bang the bride's home and make a commotion, and after a while, we were let in. Everyone was happy when the groom and bride were united. A ceremony was performed at the bride's tent and eventually when they returned to the groom's tent, they were married and made a dramatic entrance with fireworks. Unfortunately, some of the tent caught on fire but hey, it's a wedding. More eating, dancing, singing, clapping an drinking of Tej and Teff beer followed as I left for night.

I've spent the last two days in Gondar and visited the six castles and some of the churches surrounding the walled site. It's pretty laid back but the town has a disportionately high number of street kids. I also got a haircut today and although the barber could cut a great afro, I can tell he's never cut a Chinese guy before (i.e., straight hair) as he practically only used a clipper. He pointed at my hair and said "Jackie Chan" and I responded with a "No... Jet Li please ." Add in the language problem and presto... I got the classic "bowl" cut that would oddly enough fit into any 1970's or 80's Kung-Fu movie. It's a good thing hair grows...