We are at Jinka, in Southern Ethiopia, this morning we got up, after a regenerating sleep, and we went to have breakfast, then we take our suitcases and we leave; today we return to Arbaminch.

Before leaving Jinka we try to withdraw some cash in local currency; we tried already yesterday, but there was no electricity and the ATM was not working, but today the electricity is there, but there are problems with the system, no matter we will try again at Arbaminch; this is Africa!

It is not easy to withdraw cash in Ethiopia and we cannot use credit cards, they told us that the government blocked all transactions; this should be a temporary situation but sometimes it happens that the government acts in this sense or obscures the internet or social media, so it is better to have a supply of cash with you.

We leave and the road immediately begins to rise, we go up about 1000 meters, and we immediately notice it because our ears get stacked; once you reach the top the road begins to descend again, we are descending inside the Rift Valley.

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The views are spectacular it would be nice to stop here for a while and explore this area, if it weren't for the heat that is at the bottom of the Rift Valley; we stop only for a break but it is so hot that we have the feeling of being dehydrated.

We cross the entire Rift Valley, this is the same road we traveled when we went to the Omo Valley.

We go up along the opposite slope of the Rift Valley and even from here the view is spectacular, we take some pictures and then we continue.

Here we entered the territory of the Konso, on the way in we went through it without stopping to visit it, while, in these days that we will be in Arbaminch, we will visit a traditional village.

The road meanders through the terraced hills of the Konso that were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2011; the Konso peasants, over the centuries, have done a crazy job, about 300 square kilometers of terraced hills.

We arrive at Karat-Konso, today this town is quiet, but our guide tells us that, when there is the local market, on Mondays and Thursdays, it definitely looks like another place; but we'll find out when we come back here to visit the Konso village.

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For lunch we arrived at the Kanta Hotel, we have it in the garden in the shade of a large tree and surrounded by flowers; below us there is a spectacular view of the valley.

We enjoy lunch in the shade of the tree, here there is a very pleasant breeze, especially after the heat of the Omo Valley; what a relaxation and silence, at least until a group of Spaniards arrives ...

After spending some time in this wonderful place we leave and go down towards the valley bottom.

The road runs between the cultivated fields, prevalently here they grow sorghum and bananas, the light of the late afternoon brings out the green of the vegetation; here and there are some compounds of some Konso family who settled here, rather than staying in the village, to be closer to the fields to be cultivated.

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At one point we see several men who load the bunches of bananas on some trucks that are already overloaded and ready to go, Ethiopia in fact exports many bananas, mainly to the countries of the Arabian Peninsula.

In the late afternoon we finally arrive at Arbaminch, we are a bit tired, maybe it was the heat of the last days, but now we stay here at the Swayne Emerald Hotela few days and here the climate is definitely cooler.

Before going to our room we go to the large terrace that overlooks the Nechsar National Parkand what they call The Bridge of God, with the Abaya Lake on the left and Lake Chamo on the right; a breathtaking view!

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Data di inserimento: 
Tuesday, September 24, 2019