Glimpse of Ethiopia Part: 6 Blue Nile and Its waterfalls

The excitement of going to Nile river side and see the water fall of Nile also called Niagara of Ethiopia was pushing my adrenaline to hilt. Reaching the base from where we had to walk few kilometers through the villages, farms spotting colorful birds every now and then.

 

Crossing the fields and the river flowing by the sides, we reached the Nile banks from there we took the boat and embarked further on foot to reach the water fall. The river flow has been regulated tostore water in dam for hydro electric project, thus by the villages where the river flows it is not too forceful flow. This river is the life line of all villagers and theis farms in the vicinitry.

 Nile looked so pure, peaceful and the clear water with a green reflection was too good to explain in words. The whole book of Wilbur Smith came alive in front of my eyes. Now I could literally picturize the queen with her entourage on the river Nile and the dust Axum where she went and made the tomb of her beloved.

Nile water flow is regulated because of the Millennium Dam being built in Ethiopia. Yet the flow was good. Locals tell that during rains the river flows mightily and in full force. Few pictures I post here will give you a fair idea of the beauty of Nile.

Ethiopians are very fond of groundnuts. We gave few packets to the boat man and the smile and bow he gave was extremely touching. These Ethiopians may be poor in materialistic sense but are very rich by heart. The happiness on the face of boatman when my husband gave to the him was delightful moment of the day.

The plentiful water and nice climate provides ideal climate for cultivation and farming. ‘Khet’( a leafy shrub which is highly intoxicating and almost every Ethiopian is addicted to it) is cultivated here and supplied to all corners of Ethiopia. Fresher are the leafs more price they fetch. River side of Nile has thick shrubs and big trees thus hosts lot many species of birds, we had a gala time clicking pictures of the scenery, birds, river and the locals. 

The long walk though strenuous did not tire us. We all enjoyed spotting the birds, hushing anybody who would make noise. I wished I could stay in this place for a day or two but there is no arrangement for the same.

One has to very careful about the wallet and mobiles as the same are flicked with very nimble fingers. Also you have to shoo away the urchins else they sometimes become nuisance in the peaceful sojourn.

As we had gone almost after 2 months of rainy season and the water were being stopped for storing water in Millennium dam the falls were not as spectacular as we saw in the pictures in magazines, yet they were awesome. A huge swinging bridge has been made over the river for commuting of people of two sides. The path from where the river goes to gorges and takes twists and turns to continue its journey through Ethiopia and finally to Egypt can be seen from the top.

My stay of Ethiopia became fruitful for I fulfilled my dream of yester years and what better way to witness the unsullied beauty with slight drizzle on us to relieve us from the strenuous walk. The drizzle became strong and for the fear of getting stuck in rain in a remote place with no electricity supply was scary so we had to leave. Unwillingly I dragged myself from the stupor and picked up my backpack and camera for the return journey taking as amny photos as possible to capture every aspect of the beautiful river, and its path.

On the way back from Nile we crossed many villages on the way back. Villager working on the loom producing fine cloth for church goers, deep old wells and small but neat and cozy houses of villagers gave us a fair idea of how hard life is for them yet how happy and welcoming they are. They offered us the feast they had prepared for their newly born ceremony we took some memorable pictures and went n our way.

 Excellent ventilation and saftey from rain in houses by using broken pitchers we an eye opener.

Some thing I noticed was that almost everybody had a mobile even if they had to go to 5 km. on foot to get its battery charged by paying 2 bir (a mighty some for a poor villagers). Go anywhere in Ethiopia you will find people merrily chatting on their mobile Hail Technology!!!

Last stop was to see palace but again our luck was not with us. It was closed for the day. After all church time is never to be compromised, be it for duty or pleasure. Emperror Haile Selassie is revered in Ethiopia next to God, as it is his foresight and vision that Unified Ethiopia as Republic, developed the strongest army in the region.

Back in Addis we stopped for dinner and then headed to the place we were staying Debre Zeyiet the town of volcanic lakes.
dates discrepancy in pictures is due to wring setting done in cameras:)