2 June 2008

Back to Gonder. Greeted enthusiastically by Mekdes who performed the coffee ceremony.

The next few days were given over to visiting the sight of Gonder in between the rains. Fasilades castle was a treat with a very knowledgeable guide who would have kept us there all day if we hadn’t at some point expressed our tiredness!

Fasilades Castle is a World Heritage site – I wonder what that means? The local people, even those in good jobs would find forking out Birr 50 (about £2.50) for each member of the group a bit much when salaries are around 2 – 3 Birr (in education anyway). This would put the site out of reach of most Ethiopians I know.

During his visit, Monty visited Mekdes’s House and the home of my neighbours where he was a big hit!

He tried all the food, squished himself into line taxis and took part in the general day to day life that is Gonder. Seeing it through his eyes, I could see that this is not an easy place to visit or get to know. I had 3 weeks of training in England before setting foot in Ethiopia plus 3 weeks orientation in Addis before trying to settle into life in Gonder. I knew what to expect. Flying into Ethiopia and adjusting within a few weeks is a much harder task.