Jonathan Proud

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School is out and everyone walks home	A Dorze village
The Ark of the Covenant was brought to one of these islands when Axum was sacked. Went on to a restaurant at Adami Tulu for a spicy fish goulash. Then drove to Abijatta-Shalla National Park and stopped at a viewpoint overlooking the two lakes. Went to see some hot springs where a man was boiling sweet corn in a rock pool. Drove on to Lake Langano and the Wenney Eco-lodge with bungalows in dense woodland beside the lake. Wed 11th: Walked down to the lake before breakfast and saw lots of birds - grey herons, a fish eagle, spur winged plovers, black and white shrikes and many others. Left the lodge and drove to Shashemene where we had huge mixed fruit juices at a 'juice bar'. The loo was through the kitchen at the back and when I came out, a woman appeared with a jug of water and a bowl to wash my hands.	A Dorze beehive hut
Comfortable chairs in the Dorze hut	Shashemene is the home of the Rastafarian community. Drove on to a village where we entered a compound belonging to the Wolayta people. They had circular wattle and daub huts, elaborately decorated on the outside. Inside was a 'living room' with raised beds at either side and a separate area for the cattle, which help keep the house warm at night. A boy in the hut was pulping false banana (enset). Had lunch at a hotel in Sodo - vegetable soup and omelette sandwiches. Drove on to a Dorze village where the huts are taller and cone shaped.
They can be up to 12 metres high and last for 60 years, though built only from bamboo and false banana leaves. Inside, they are similar to the Wolayta huts, having an area for the cattle, but they have more comfortable seating. There was a man working a loom and a boy appeared wearing a goatskin (over orange overalls) and traditional headdress. We saw how the false banana is processed before fermentation underground for several months. We saw their woven fabrics and I bought a length of cloth for 50 birr ($5). Returned to the 'main' road and continued to Arba Minch and the Swaynes Hotel. During dinner a small green snake was found amongst flowerpots by the bar. I helped James get it into a bucket and we took it away into nearby bushes.	Boy in a goat skin
Dorze woman spinning	Thu 12th: Opened three birthday cards before breakfast. We headed south through fertile farmland with human scarecrows in the fields to ward off baboons. We stopped at a village where no tourist group had visited before. James asked permission for us to enter a small compound and have a look around. The people were friendly enough, but I got the feeling they didn't understand why we were there. As we drove on, the landscape and people changed, sometimes in subtle ways. Children's dances at the roadside changed as did the style of women's dresses. After a long climb over hills, we descended into the Weito valley and hot, dry scrubland. Drove on to Key Afar. I got out of the car and a small boy tugged at my shirt "My name is Samuel, I am your guide". "Er, OK, we've got that sorted then". We walked into the market where Samuel told me all about the vegetables and spices on sale.
Swaynes Hotel	Beehives in a tree
Baboon at the roadside	Human scarecrow guards his crops
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