11 Jun 2025
We were picked up at the airport by guide Wondiy and driver Abdi. It took a couple of hours over sometimes rough roads to get to the monastery, but it was a good chance to see how people outside the city live. Wondiy pointed out that they used horse or burro drawn carts for transportation. I had brought a scarf to wear in the monastery but it turned out that I also had to wear a large shawl (supplied by the monastery) that covered my clothes. Of course men didn’t have to cover up at all. A monk gave us a tour of the museum and then we went into the church. The stained glass was beautiful from inside! After the monastery we parked at the Ethios German hotel and walked to the Portuguese bridge. It was still the dry season so there wasn’t much water flow but it was a beautiful area. We were able to see a troop of Gelada monkeys - so cool! We had a very tasty traditional Ethiopian meal at the hotel, sitting outside to enjoy the amazing view. We loved the tour and Wondiy was a great guide.