It is early in the morning; it is cold. It is almost damp. I wander down a road pitted with jutting rocks to the main street from the sleazy hotel where I spent the night: it is Dessie. It is buried deep in the Ethiopian highlands. It is lost, somewhere, in the 19th century.

Overcharged, naturally, for the long trip north to Weldiya. Four hours of winding; four hours of snake-like roads. We rise and dive through the deep highlands of Ethiopia; the towns are medieval, and the people still practice the ways of their ancestors. Except for the almost paved road that runs through these towns, carrying vehicles, little has changed in their way of life for centuries.

Weldiya is another mid-sized town in the highlands; less developed than Dessie, and perhaps less interesting. The best thing to see – the only taxis in town are old men with a horse and carriage, and all of the deformed beggars, throngs of them, desperate to get close to the white man - hoping he will give them something.

And you know? This is typical – this is the way to Lalibella, Ethiopia's prime tourist attraction.Churches carved of rock; an airport and a village subsequently turned into a tourist trap. I believe that I should be afraid. But before I knew it we were spinning into the countryside on a dizzying road through Ethiopia's mountain range. The bus smelled like gasoline the entire way there, and often the people inside seemed reluctant to open the windows.





The heights are incredible – 2000 metres, 3000 metres. 3500 metres. High above the desert Ethiopia is known for is another world entirely – a world of terraced farms, curious children, dignified nomads, and fields of greens grass on which animals graze.The folks in the bus mentioned the famine to me; but none of them were starving. None of the livestock spread across the mountains seemed to be particularly skinny. The only indication of famine were the group of tents with farmers sitting outside and the dried up rivers; the only indication of war was the occasional abandoned tank on the side of the road.





Deep winds lash Lalibella in the nighttime; quiet voices drift through the dirty streets. I remember the long ride here: up and down, swerving, always deeper, into the mountains. It is out of a magic kingdom here; nature could never make such an extremely green landscape like this, could it? Magic does not exist, but here, in the upper reaches of Ethiopia, this place must possess some; it is the only way to explain it. To see a village of thatched huts on a tiny peak 3500 metres above sea level; surreal at least, unbelievable at worst. The road to Lalibella is desperate and long: nine hours to travel 82 kilometres.





But the scenery, and the people, are spectacular. In a country like Ethiopia, where every little thing is different, the journey is far more important than the destination. The conductor pointed me to a guide and I am thankful he did; I was swarmed by young boys and young men begging for the chance. Alas – when you are the only tourist in the most touristic of Ethiopia's towns, the attention is inevitable, but to be the only tourist is something special as well.

USD40 was the agreed price, although he said USD70 was the standard; both figures are unbelievable to me, but I realized soon that I would need a guide – I would be hassled beyond belief without one. This little excursion to Lalibella would be pricey; and I wonder if it will be worth it, as the best moments of any journey I have undertaken so far have been the ones spent away from the tourist spots.

But the evening's conversation, which shifted from one tiny incense-filled coffee and beer house to another, was important. To understand the war: why do the Ethiopians hate the Americans?
"Because they support Eritrea, and Eritrea started this war," a guide's friend said.

"The U.S. sends food, but they send the Eritreans weapons to fight the war. And they only support Eritrea because there is territory they want – a mountain on the border, very high, where they can see into Arabia and Ethiopia. They are supporting one side for their own interests – and we hate them for this."
If you believe Ethiopians, then the Ethiopians are winning the war. Their airforce is bombing Asmara and Massawa in Eritrea. The war may be coming to a close. Ethiopia has gained back all of the territory it has lost. "They are three million against sixty-five million, they certainly cannot survive."

The wind is shaking this three dollar room, and is rattling the spirits outside. This guide thing is something I am not happy with, but will comply with- and you pay for him every time you eat. Lalibella is a tourist trap, with the crime, touts, and high prices that go along with that tag. Tonight I will sleep and tomorrow I pay the exhorbitant fee, to see if the waste of money is worth it.



Lallibella

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