Bahir Dar/Lake Tana

The next day, we were off to Bahir Dar, at the southern end of historic Lake Tana. The drive was just as scenic as the day before. I took this opportunity to sit on top of the car on the luggage rack – next to the bumper that had fallen off a few hours earlier. Atop the car, just about every child we passed would wave and yell to me. I felt like the President in a motorcade constantly waving to the masses and yelling hello. It was just outside of Bahir Dar that we ran across our first tank.

The tank, of make unknown, was sitting just off the road. Trees were growing from the manhole cover. We decided to stop and take pictures. Our truck had aroused the interest of several of the local children, and before we knew it, we were surrounded by no less than two hundred of the kids. It was as if they had never seen tourists. We took some posed photos of them, did our best to treat them to candies, and then proceeded to Bahir Dar.

The best hotel in Bahir Dar is a government run establishment. At $48 a night, it was about $47 a night more expensive than the other hotels in the area. Still, it had a restaurant, hot water, and clean sheets. So, at my insistence, we checked in. I proceeded to wash, which was quite necessary, as I became extraordinarily dirty while on top of the truck. It’s the only time in my life where it took no less than 4 cue tips per side to clean my ears.

The monasteries of Lake Tana were the full day’s agenda. We rented a little boat and headed out to see them. The islands are very sacred in the Coptic religion, and we were impressed with the 15th century architecture and stories. One of the islands was even off limits to women, much to Cristina’s chagrin. Of course, I could go on and on and on about how beautiful that particular monastery was, but I wouldn’t want to hurt her feelings. She stayed on the boat. God, that island was amazing.

Scenes from Lake Tana