Into The Simien Mountains - North Ethiopia
On the road again with Johnny to the Simien Mountains and a one-night stay in Debark. But first a stop at a Falasha village along the way. The Falasha are Jews of Ethiopian descent and the village has become a tourist site even though no Jewish Ethiopians live here now. (Correction. There is one old woman still there.) Nearly 120,000 people (appproximately 85% of the Ethiopian Jewish community) emigrated to Israel. ...View image...
Local people moved in carry on the traditional Felasha style pottery featuring pottery adorned with Jewish themes and figurines and the Star of David. We already saw the Star of David motif in Gonder and Addis because the Falasha are considered to be descendants of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon. Don't think I knew this before this trip.
It was 100km/62mi to Debark and Simien Mountain Headquarters on a very bad road. Do I have to tell you? Three hours to go 100km/62 miles?
I don't know how the people manage to grow anything between all the rocks in the fields. Tef is the significant crop in Ethiopia. A very small grain similar to Millet with a good mineral content and nutritious straw for their herds. But it still boggles my mind how they get anything grows...
Simien Mountains National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is made up of several plateaus, separated by river valleys. The mountains were formed by eruptions 40 million years ago. This produced a spectacular jagged landscape as you can see by the photo above. The Simiens are becoming a magnet for trekkers. You can organize a trek through agencies in Gonder and Addis Ababa and I've noticed many tour operators around the world now running treks in the Simien Mountains. (Don't forget to contact Abele in Gonder who can organize a trek for you. His e-mail is abebsemientrek@yahoo.com.
If you are seriously interested in trekking, and want to do it yourself, arrive at park headquarters in Debark. Maps, mattresses, sleeping, bags, tents, cooking equipement...the whole shebang can be rented there. You can also organize your guide/scout, cook and mules. How easy, but leave time to acclimitize. These mountains are high, at 3,000m/9,800 feet.
On our way through Debark, we passed the weekly market. Couldn't stop and just shot photos through the vehicle windows. Very short on time. ...View image...
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