Ethiopian Airlines out of Nairobi was a precursor for bad accommodations ahead of me. Arrival in Addis Ababa was late; a Galaxy tour guy picked me up and drove me to the Ghion Hotel. He would be back at 5 AM to take me to the airport. This tourist hotel was dirty, the water was cold, and the room service did not keep their promise for an early breakfast.
The twin-engine Fokker 50 flight to Lalibela made two stops along the way, and my confidence dwindled with each lousy landing. Flying in, the high terrain was quite
rugged with very fertile green plateaus. A guide and driver awaited me for an enriching fifteen-kilometer drive to Lalibela. Subsistence farming yielded plenty. Mules and an occasional ox made up for the lack of mechanized farm implements. This area had no electricity ten years ago. I had read there were no banks or petrol stations, but I did see a bank. The Roha Hotel showed three stars, but when I asked about hot water – two hours in the morning and three in the evening. After I settled in, everything started looking better.The eleven rock-hewn churches about the town were started in the twelfth century. As you look about, there is a feeling that little has changed. The more I observed, the people seem to have the same religious devotion it took to carve this volcanic rock. I have long
been inspired to see the results of faith in art and architecture. This area displays the utmost of such creations. The Great Pyramids of Egypt put things in perspective, but this place was presumably done by religious followers of King Lalibela, not slaves as in Egypt. You can feel it with each priest reading scriptures and the homage of pilgrims seeking their blessing. A holiday for St. George the Dragon Slayer was on my second day. The area of the churches was filled with white-cloaked pilgrims. It was a special day for them. Rather than be an imposing tourist, I stood aside and listened to the chants and prayers.
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