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ETHIOPIA - THE SOUTH

A travel report - Part 5

06/04/2019 - From the Dorze via Arba Minch to the Konso
(09/27/2011 according to the Ethiopian calendar)

Ethiopia - The South Today we leave the area of ​​the Dorze and will travel south via Arba Minch to Konso. We will pay a visit to the people of the same name living in the area in one of their villages, which is under UNESCO protection. Before that we will visit a sandstone formation called "New York".
It rained again all night. How lucky that we didn't get it yesterday. Our departure is planned for 8:00 a.m., but we did the math without our sleepy lodge staff. The boys take a little longer to get going, so we got the breakfast we had ordered too late. But in such situations the guys are ultimately quite inventive - they just put the empty jam jars back on the tray that we put yesterday with the dishes we used, in the hope of getting them refilled or new ones. So for better or worse we will have to scrape off the dried up jam leftovers if we want to remember the taste of jam. Joking aside, we may all have enough reserves on our ribs and a little diet won't do any harm. ;-)
At around 8:30 a.m. we can finally think about our departure and vacate our accommodations. Now Alex's driving skills are in demand again. But as the saying goes: "You always get down." Fortunately, the rain has cleared again and the last remaining rivulets of the nocturnal flash floods seep away in the direction of the Abajasee. Nevertheless, the slope is quite muddy and caution is advised.
Our current driving distance to Konso will only be about 150 km and is quite a bit shorter compared to the previous days.

Dorze Land - Arba Minch - Ethiopia

Dorze Land - Arba Minch - Ethiopia

Image 326 + 327: From the Dorze Lodge to Arba Minch - View of Lake Abaya

Before we reach the A7, of course, we have to stop a few times and enjoy the view over the valley with Lake Abaya all the way to Arba Minch. The last low-hanging clouds are slowly dissolving between the mountains and the rest of the day promises dry weather, ... at least from above. As far as the feet are concerned, a mud bath cannot be avoided in our daily schedule.

Lake Abaya - Arba Minch - Ethiopia

Lake Abaya - Arba Minch - Ethiopia

Dorze Land - Arba Minch - Ethiopia

Dorze Land - Arba Minch - Ethiopia

Image 328 - 331: View towards Lake Abaya and Arba Minch

Arrived in the valley, the streams and rivers have not yet calmed down and are still busy transporting the red earth in the area into the Lake Abaya.

River near Arba Minch - Ethiopia

River near Arba Minch - Ethiopia

Image 332 + 333: One of the river inflows of Lake Abaya north of Arba Minch

rrived in Arba Minch, we want to take a break at Medhane Alem Church. The official service must just be over, because most of the believers have already left or are just leaving the premises. Nevertheless, there is still a lot of activity and a priest still has one or the other blessing to give.

New Medhane Alem Church - Arba Minch - Ethiopia

Image 334Google Map - New Medhane Alem Church in Arba Minch - Simply click on the image or link and continue exploring the location.

New Medhane Alem Church - Arba Minch - Ethiopia

New Medhane Alem Church - Arba Minch - Ethiopia

Medhane Alem Church - Arba Minch - Ethiopia

New Medhane Alem Church - Arba Minch - Ethiopia Medhane Alem Church - Arba Minch - Ethiopia

Medhane Alem Church - Arba Minch - Ethiopia

Image 335 - 340: Medhane Alem Church - Arba Minch

A new church building is in the process of being erected, which is equipped with four corner towers and a large dome in the middle and which also looks quite splendid. Next to it is an older, small and rather inconspicuous church, where the faithful currently come to pray. As is usual in the Orthodox Tewahedo Church of Ethiopia, this happens not only in the interior, but also in front of almost all parts of the building outside, but especially in front of pictures and doors. We have already shown this in numerous places in various travel reports.

New Medhane Alem Church - Arba Minch - Ethiopia

New Medhane Alem Church - Arba Minch - Ethiopia

New Medhane Alem Church - Arba Minch - Ethiopia

New Medhane Alem Church - Arba Minch - Ethiopia

Image 341 - 344: Medhane Alem Church Arba Minch

It is worth going around the church, because from the rear open-air area you have a beautiful view over part of Arba Minch towards the Haile Resort, Paradise Lodge and other areas. A cemetery is attached to the south of the old church building. But we don't have time for that today. We're coming back to Arba Minch on the way back from our route. There will certainly be another opportunity to take a closer look.



Video: New Medhane Alem Church - Arba Minch - Part 1

After the church visit, a friend of our team who is somewhere in the city needs to take him to Konso. It is a hotel employee of our lodge in Konso. Of course we are asked beforehand and we have nothing against it. There is enough space in our minibus.

Lake Abaya - Arba Minch - Ethiopia

Image 345: At the "Bridge of God" - to the left is the last piece of Lake Abaya ...

Lake Chamo - Arba Minch - Ethiopia

Image 346: ... and to the right of it Lake Chamo begins

Lake Chamo - Arba Minch - Ethiopia

Image 347: A little further south along Lake Chamo

The rest of the route becomes a game of patience, but quite an interesting one. We are coming exactly at the time of the cattle drive and this is quite massive. As far as the eye can see the road for a few kilometers, a herd of cattle, followed by many other herds, comes towards us. The animals have "right of way" and there is seldom a driver who tries to keep the road clear, which should be very difficult. So it means stop every few meters and wait until the four-legged friends have circled us. The drivers are used to this, but still have discussions with the men who are responsible for the animals and who do not make the slightest effort to keep the cattle away from the vehicles. So we see thousands of cows, goats and every now and then a few sheep of all ages like we have never seen before. We wonder where the huge pastures for all these animals are.

Near Arba Minch - Ethiopia

Near Arba Minch - Ethiopia

Near Arba Minch - Ethiopia

Near Arba Minch - Ethiopia

Near Arba Minch - Ethiopia

Near Arba Minch - Ethiopia

Image 348 - 353: Cattle drive south of Arba Minch on the A7

And if you already have so many dairy animals around you, it is not surprising that the drivers do not carry water but milk in their large plastic bottles. It is quite possible that this may also be an emergency ration for the many calves and other young animals. In any case, there should be no need for milk and meat products here. Another local product hangs over our heads. All over the trees there are large cylindrical structures that serve as beehives. As we learn, one basket can produce up to 12 kg of honey, twice a year.

Beebasket - Arba Minch - Ethiopia

Beebasket - Arba Minch - Ethiopia

Image 354 + 355: Numerous beehives in the trees

At some point the cattle drive is over and we are making much faster progress again. On the other hand, the road becomes much worse in parts and there are some construction sites and missing bridges. We are lucky that most of the aftermath of the nocturnal rain has disappeared, otherwise the areas without bridges in particular would have been quite dangerous for us.

Chicken Car - Ethiopia

Chicken Car - Ethiopia

Image 356 + 357: In contrast to the four-legged animals, the chickens do not have to walk because they are simply tied to the bus roof. They will certainly not like it.

Much nicer are of course the places with the large bridges, which, depending on the season, have either a dry river or a raging river under them. On the route to the south we cross some of them that tempt us to take a break again and again. These wide river valleys are popular destinations for timber collectors. As soon as the floods recede, every portable piece of wood is collected and brought home.

River in Mande - Ethiopia

Image 358Google Map - River valley near Mande - Simply click on the picture or link and continue exploring the location.

River in Mande - Ethiopia

River in Mande - Ethiopia

River in Mande - Ethiopia

River in Mande - Ethiopia

River in Mande - Ethiopia

River in Mande - Ethiopia

Image 359 - 364: River valley near Mande

River in Mande - Ethiopia

Image 365: River near Mande east of the A 7

Around 12:00 p.m. we finally reach Konso and our lodge for the night, which is located on the western outskirts of the city. Konso, also known as Karati or Pakawle, has a population of around 5,000 and is located at an altitude of 1,650 m above sea level. In 1897 Menelik II took the place and the region as part of his conquests for the Ethiopian Empire. We are now conquering our Kanta Lodge, which has around 30 round houses, a restaurant, an unfinished functional building with a future viewing platform and our own animal facility. The round houses are embedded in a very beautiful garden, in which there are many plants, insects, birds and other animals to be discovered. As usual with the Konso, the lodge's round houses also have a clay pot crown and a lot of dead wood was built on the paths for boundaries and passages.

Kanta Lodge - Konso - Ethiopia

Image 366Google Map - Kanta Lodge in Konso - Just click on the picture or link and continue exploring the location.

Kanta Lodge - Konso - Ethiopia

Kanta Lodge - Konso - Ethiopia

Kanta Lodge - Konso - Ethiopia

Kanta Lodge - Konso - Ethiopia

Kanta Lodge - Konso - Ethiopia

Image 367 - 371: The Kanta Lodge in Konso

We first move into our little house in which everything seems perfect at first. But one essential thing is missing, there is no water. After asking the management several times, we get the information that some supply line has to be turned on first. But even after that, only a thin thread of water trickles from the valves of the sink and shower. You can hardly do anything with that. Let's hope that it will be a little more by the evening.
Before we start our afternoon excursion, we visit the lodge's beautiful restaurant, which is housed in a large round house. At least we have some catching up to do in terms of food.

Kanta Lodge - Konso - Ethiopia

Kanta Lodge - Konso - Ethiopia

Kanta Lodge - Konso - Ethiopia

Image 372 - 374: The restaurant area of the Kanta Lodge

Depending on the weather and your wishes, you can sit outside or inside. Everything is tastefully and cleanly furnished for the guests. You hardly dare to go in, everything shines here. A really very recommendable location. That would be the right teaching facility for the boys at Dorze Lodge. Here, too, we are the only guests at the moment.
After lunch there is still some time for a walk in the lodge before we are picked up again for the afternoon program.

Kanta Lodge - Konso - Ethiopia

Image 375: Kanta Lodge animal enclosure

The lodge's own animal population is quite large. In addition to sheep and goats, there is also a stable full of dairy cows. The self-sufficiency with meat and dairy products should be secured quite well and independently. As we learn, several lodges do this too. Some restaurants are even supposed to tie up the animal at the entrance for advertising that will be put on the plate next, if we are to believe Mastu's statements. But that was not the case at Kanta Lodge.

Kanta Lodge - Konso - Ethiopia

Image 376: Kanta Lodge - looking north

Kanta Lodge - Konso - Ethiopia

Image 377: Spathodea campanulata / Afrikanischer Tulpenbaum / African tulip tree

Kanta Lodge - Konso - Ethiopia Kanta Lodge - Konso - Ethiopia

Image 378: Numerous hummingbirds and nectar birds are buzzing around in the sea of flowers at the lodge. Unfortunately, they are usually faster than our cameras. Here a yellow-bellied nectar bird / Cinnyris venustus in a Bougainvillea.
Image 379: The multi-purpose building at the entrance to the lodge is not quite finished yet. Unfortunately, the last recess in the stairs with the passage to the viewing platform has also been forgotten. But they're working on it. ;-) All civil engineers and planners should look the other way!

Kanta Lodge - Konso - Ethiopia

Kanta Lodge - Konso - Ethiopia

Image 380 + 381: The future view from the platform to the north. One floor down here.



Video: Kanta Lodge Arba Minch

At around 2 p.m. it finally continues. The next item on the agenda is "New York", a huge clay-sandstone formation that wind and water have carved into a canyon over many years. From our lodge we have to drive about 17 km in a south-westerly direction. A local guide must accompany us there. If it has rained for a long time, the approach should be a bit difficult. But we are lucky and have no problems on the track. When we reach the natural wonder near Gesergio or Gesergiyo, some children and young people are already waiting for us, who either want to lead us or want to sell something. Our local guide has to do something first to clarify the fronts. We still want to take a closer look at what the children have to sell. They actually have their hands full of semi-precious stones like amazonite, various quartz and agates. They found the stones in a nearby river bed, as they tell us. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can add to the things we have purchased so far.

New York Formation near Gesergiyo - Konso - Ethiopia

New York Formation near Gesergiyo - Konso - Ethiopia

New York Formation near Gesergiyo - Konso - Ethiopia

New York Formation near Gesergiyo - Konso - Ethiopia

New York Formation near Gesergiyo - Konso - Ethiopia

New York Formation near Gesergiyo - Konso - Ethiopia

New York Formation near Gesergiyo - Konso - Ethiopia

New York Formation near Gesergiyo - Konso - Ethiopia

New York Formation near Gesergiyo - Konso - Ethiopia

New York Formation near Gesergiyo - Konso - Ethiopia

Image 382 - 391: The so-called New York Formation near Gesergiyo

Several gorges open up before our eyes, which show themselves with countless red-brown clay and sandstone towers and artistically profiled walls with deep furrows. It is a fairy tale world that is different from every point of view. Like castles, these structures protrude several dozen meters above the valley, which is lined with bushes. Every now and then they are crowned by stones, trees, various plants or bird nests. Locals' houses stand worryingly on the edges of the various gorges. Better not drink a drop of alcohol if you live there. Above and in between there are even some paths that look quite tempting. But that is not so recommended, at least as far as the upper ways are concerned.

New York Formation near Gesergiyo - Konso - Ethiopia

New York Formation near Gesergiyo - Konso - Ethiopia

New York Formation near Gesergiyo - Konso - Ethiopia Lily - New York Formation near Gesergiyo - Konso - Ethiopia

New York Formation near Gesergiyo - Konso - Ethiopia

Image 392 - 396: The so-called New York Formation near Gesergiyo
Image 395: Presumably a Gloriosa lily

You don't want to leave this wondrous place and would like to take one of the hiking trails through the valley and also visit the village on the cliffs, but we don't have enough time for that, because we have another point in our plan.



Video: New York Formation near Gesergiyo

We drive back towards Konso and visit Gamole, a little west of our lodge. Our local guide has to accompany us again. The Konso village is said to be over 400 years old and is surrounded by three stone walls. There are villages with more or less curtain walls. The outer wall of Gamole is approximately 1,300 meters long. These walls are approximately 1 m thick and can be up to 3 m high. The Konso villages surrounded by stone walls are also known as paletas. Several gates lead into the interior, which are made of old, gnarled wood and give the villages a prehistoric character. The oldest of the wall is inside and encloses the original settlement area. Today the place is under the protection of UNESCO. Gamole is not the only interesting village in the area. There are numerous others like Mechelo, Lower Dokatu, Dara, Olantu, Gocha, just to name a few. About 55 square kilometers of the Konso area, a cultural landscape with villages, terraced fields, irrigation systems, dry stone walls and much more are under protection.

Gamole - Konso - Ethiopia

Image 397Google Map - Gamole Walled Village - Simply click on the picture or link and continue exploring the location.

Gamole Walled Village - Konso - Ethiopia

Gamole Walled Village - Konso - Ethiopia

Gamole Walled Village - Konso - Ethiopia Gamole Walled Village - Konso - Ethiopia

Gamole Walled Village - Konso - Ethiopia

Gamole Walled Village - Konso - Ethiopia

Image 398 - 403: Gamole

Unfortunately, on our muddy paths along the endless stone walls, we get very little insight into the densely packed farmsteads of the Konso and their everyday life. Our local guide apparently has no idea how to delve deeper into Konso life. He's probably more worried about his fancy sneakers with which he almost becomes a "wall walker" in order to avoid any contact with the mud. The mud also has an advantage, because it is easier for the Konso's pulling sleds, which they use to transport their animals' dung outside, to slide along it. These sledges consist of a simple wooden construction with pull ropes and a large "plate" made of some natural material on which the manure is stacked.

Gamole Walled Village - Konso - Ethiopia

Gamole Walled Village - Konso - Ethiopia

Gamole Walled Village - Konso - Ethiopia Gamole Walled Village - Konso - Ethiopia

Image 404 - 407: Gamole Walled Village - Konso

Gamole Walled Village - Konso - Ethiopia

Gamole Walled Village - Konso - Ethiopia

Wagas - Gamole Walled Village - Konso - Ethiopia

Wagas - Gamole Walled Village - Konso - Ethiopia

Image 408 - 411: Wagas

The Konso are also known for their memorial statues for a dead man, the so-called Wagas. These are stylized wooden figures that are arranged in groups. The deceased usually stands symbolically in the middle and is surrounded by his wives. In addition, heroic events from the life of the man, such as the killing of an enemy or an animal such as a lion, a leopard or a crocodile are depicted. Traditionally, a waga was only built over the grave of important Konso men such as heroes or clan chiefs.

Gamole Walled Village - Konso - Ethiopia

Gamole Walled Village - Konso - Ethiopia

Image 412 + 413: Gamole Walled Village - Konso

The round houses and storage rooms of the Konso often have a two-part roof, which is crowned with a clay pot. Every now and then an ostrich egg is attached to it.

Gamole Walled Village - Konso - Ethiopia

Image 414: View from Gamole

Gamole Walled Village - Konso - Ethiopia

Gamole Walled Village - Konso - Ethiopia

Gamole Walled Village - Konso - Ethiopia

Gamole Walled Village - Konso - Ethiopia

Image 415 - 418: Gamole - A Pafta - Village community center

Generation Tree - Gamole Walled Village - Konso - Ethiopia Generation Tree - Gamole Walled Village - Konso - Ethiopia

Gamole Walled Village - Konso - Ethiopia

Image 419 - 421: Gamole - A generation tree on a mora (ceremony place)

There are six ceremony places (Moras) in Gamole, which are used for a wide variety of occasions. There are also the open common rooms (paftas) covered with an oversized round thatched roof, which are probably only used by men. Meetings, negotiations, but also games, bachelor parties and much more are held there. So-called generation trees, which are built from dry juniper wood, stand on the squares. The age of the villages should be determined from these trees and their number, whereby 18 years should stand for a generation. However, we do not know exactly how this works or how it can be determined.

Ehestein - Gamole Walled Village - Konso - Ethiopia Gamole Walled Village - Konso - Ethiopia

Image 422 + 423: The marriage stone and stepping stones that have been smoothly polished over the centuries.

The so-called marriage stone is also located on the site of the Mora. If a young Konso wants to get married, he must first prove his manhood and strength. He has to lift this stone and throw it back over his head. Over the centuries, the stone has acquired a perfect shape and a mirror-smooth surface. But it certainly couldn't have come from the ritual.

Gamole Walled Village - Konso - Ethiopia

Gamole Walled Village - Konso - Ethiopia

Gamole Walled Village - Konso - Ethiopia

Image 424 - 426: Gamole Walled Village



Video: Gamole Walled Village

After about an hour we leave Gamole again after our shoes are soaked and have become significantly heavier. We'll have to clean something again in our lodge afterwards. At least the sun is shining beautifully today, which should speed up the subsequent drying process.

Konso - Ethiopia

Konso - Ethiopia

<img style="width: 575px;"

Image 427 - 429: Village square in a suburb of Konso between Gamole and Kanta Lodge and a tire recycling facility a few meters further

At around 5 p.m. we are finally back in our beautiful lodge and unfortunately we have no water again. As before, only a thin string comes out of the pipe, with which one can hardly do anything. These are of course difficult circumstances for washing our shoes and trouser legs.
So we have to go to the management of the lodge again and ask for water and we can't believe it, but after a long wait it is even enough for a warm shower. Now it's time to quickly fill the bucket in the bathroom. You never know if the water will find its way to us at night.

We will see each other again tomorrow at this point when we go to Jinka and spend two nights there in the ECO Omo Lodge. Jinka is northwest of Konso. At around 300 km, this is one of the longest stages of our journey. Let us be surprised what there is to see on the route.

Copyright: www.reggaestory.de
Photos: Marion & Peter Joachim
Text and videos: Peter Joachim
English version: Gabriele Brown

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