Debre Damos
Debre
Damos, just a few hours from Axum, was an intermediate stop during
the next day of driving. This monastery, home to more than 200
Coptic monks, is carved directly into the side of a huge mountain.
Legend has it that a huge serpent was used as a ladder for the
original monks to climb to the top. Now, fortunately, there are
just a few rawhide ropes.
We
arrived a few hours before sunset. At first glance, the entrance
to the monastery, some 16m above the ground, doesn't look at that
impressive. As a 60 or 70 year old monk scaled the sheer cliff
face effortlessly, I became confident in my ability to ascend.
That changed after a few meters.
I
got about half way up and then lost faith. There are no safety
ropes, no nets, nothing to pad the almost certain deathfall if
you were to slip. I retreated and let Trent go first. Of course,
with his years of mountaineering experience, he did it in about
a minute. There was no escape for me after his incessant jeering
and coaxing.
Once
again, I started up -- this time with some knowledge about the
correct route so expertly chosen by my comrade. Cristina, sulking
because she couldn't go to the top (no women or children allowed),
cheered me on. It took quite awhile for me to make it, but eventually
I reached the top. Erice wasn't far behind.
The
church at the top and the scenery was fantastic. We enjoyed the
tour very much. And then, we prepared for the unnerving climb
down... At the bottom, we found Cristina in a deep Yoga trance
-- unaware of the many monks gathered around her staring at her
in transcendental state.