Lalibela

Hi all. Am in a tin shack on the side of the road in an "internet cafe." No coffee to be found, but two computers and a sticky keyboard.

We're in the north of Ethiopia in the mountains in a town that's two days drive from the capital - only half of which is paved. We flew in yesterday and I was relieved to see that there is now a runway. Last time I was here, 14 years ago, there was only a dirt track in a farmer's field and the plane had to circle once before landing as there were too many donkeys in the way.

The town is the Jerusalem of Ethiopia - it's their Coptic religion's holiest site. Something like 10,000 monks, priests, and nuns live in the village. There are 12 churches carved out of stone - they're all monoliths, carved straight down, not built up. But they are also intricately designed - difficult to imagine how this was even done in the 12th century!

The place is both beautiful and poor. It is strange that poverty is so beautiful. The handmade white cloth that people wrap themselves in is very photogenic and reminds one of being in a time long ago. But "Donated by USA" food bags are also everywhere. Oil tins marked similarly are also used for drinking water as well as locally brewed beer or honey wine.

The people are both welcoming and distrustful. Part of the problem is the lack of language skills on our part. In East Africa I can speak Swahili and in Mexico, Spanish. Here I know only a few words and people aren't sure what to make of us. We have taken hundreds of photos - Henry of all the animals, Brad and I of people, churches, and the market. I also went to a funeral of a nun today. There were men chanting and ringing a bell-like ceremonial instrument. People surrounded the coffin which was covered with a gold and green cloth. Two priests stood near the coffin under bright umbrellas holding foot-tall crosses on top of walking sticks. It was quite a site. She will be burried later in a grave near the churches. Graves line the roads through town - raised and built of bricks, most have crosses and some the image of the deceased.

Okay, this is a charged-by-the-minute email and with this keyboard, it's not too fast. I couldn't wait for the slow server to post this by blog, but will update that sometime. We're up at 5:30 tomorrow to hear chanting as it's Sunday. Then at 9:30 flying off to Gondar to see Ethiopian castles and hike in the Simian Mountains and hopefully find a community of Ethiopian Jews to visit. Tonight we're going for a cooking lesson to make doro wot (spicy chicken stew).

Love!

jenn, brad, henry!

Until then, we're happy, well fed, and having an amazing experience.