02 Jan 2020
My friend and I decided to make Bahir Dar a single day trip, taking the second available morning flight from Addis. Our guide Genanew picked us from the airport and packed in as much as he could before returning us to the airport for the last available flight back to Addis the same day. We had an amazing day!
Our first stop was the Blue Nile Falls. Depending on time of year, there will be more or less water going over the falls. It was a beautiful sight, but the journey getting there was actually the bigger highlight for me. The drive takes some time getting out of Bahir Dar, but the scenery is gorgeous and our guide was a wealth of cultural and historical information. After the drive, there's a hike through the village and even a local speed boat "taxi" ferrying people across the river- so fun! There was some people trying to sell touristy trinkets, but mostly you're walking through and experiencing the real community. The locally made "honey beer" was very nice to taste too ;)
Our guide called in our lunch order ahead to save on time. He ordered us a big family dish of many local foods I don't know the names for, but it was delicious! The mini coffee ceremony was also a lot of fun (I'm not a true coffee drinker, so I'm glad I was able to order "with milk"!)
After lunch we took a boat ride to a beautiful monastery. The ride was relaxing and beautiful, and visiting the monastery was amazing! Our guide translated for us to converse with one of the monks, and we talked for at least 15 minutes. It was precious to hear his heart for why he chose his lifestyle and what his faith means to him. He was thrilled that we were asking genuine questions, so apparently we were rare find for tourists? I think such encounters and conversations should be at the heart of traveling. Be genuine, and remember that the locals are real people! Alas, our time was too short, or we could have continued sharing for quite a while.
We had just enough time to find a family of hippos (yes, even a baby!) as the sun set over the water on our return from the monastery. Next time will have to plan for 2 days. It was a truly authentic and magical experience.