Lalibela, Ethiopia, April 13th, 2012
(c) N. Cambré
Ethiopia day 14: Lalibela
Lalibela is a UNESCO world heritage site and consists of 11 monolithic churches. It is said to be more spectacular than Petra in Jordan. I have not been to Petra but the Lalibela churches are just stunning. Lalibela is definitely the sightseeing highlight of the entire trip.
Today is Good Friday and all churches are filled with parishers and priests. They will stay here and pray until Easter Sunday.
Before we even enter into the first church my 8 year old daughter has found herself an Ethiopian friend. They were walking arm in arm the entire morning. No common language needed just a universal smile.
After visiting the first 10 churches we break for lunch and say goodbye to my daughter’s Ethiopian friend. The meal in the seven olives restaurant is excellent, definitely the best injera in town.
After lunch we visit Bete Giyorgis, the last and most famous church…and to our surprise my daughter’s friend was there waiting for her.
My 13 year old daughter definitely got the best pictures of Lalibela. Possibly her small Panasonic camera was less intimidating than my big Nikon or perhaps it was because the autofocus of my Sigma 50-500 had broken down by then. It had just been back from repair the week we left for Ethiopia with the same autofocus problem. Because of its size and weight the Sigma is not the easiest lens to manually focus….it could of course also be the case that my daughter is the better photographer.
Sunset on the roof of the Roha hotel in Lalibela , Ethiopia on April 12th, 2012, picture taken by my 13 year old daughter.
(c) R. Deckmyn
Our guide Liben with his father , April 12th, 2012 in Ethiopia
(c) N. Cambré
April 12th, 2012. Ethiopia in the village of our guide Liben
(c) N. Cambré
mother and daughter Ethiopia, April 12th, 2012
(c) N. Cambré
Friendship, Ethiopia, April 12th, 2012. Picture taken by my 13 year old daughter
(c) R. Deckmyn
The center of the 1983-1985 Ethiopian famine was in the Northern highlands. Over a million people died. It is hard to imagine the drought as the region today is very green. Taken on April 12th, 2012
(c) N. Cambré
Curious people along the road from Mekele to Lalibela, Ethiopia, April 12th 2012. My idea was to photograph the lady in the middle out of the car window but I was a bit too slow and the other people had appeared.
(c) N. Cambré
girls along the road from Mekele to Lalibela, April 12th 2012
(c) N. Cambré
