Lalibela Day 1

We flew to Lalibela and wandered around town. We had lunch at a hotel with a magnificent view overlooking the valley and surrounding mountains. We must have been approached by every person under twenty and over seventy in town. Unfortunately, begging seems to be a major pastime here. Old women hold out there hands. Young children yell to us “hello” quickly followed by “hello money” “hello pen” “hello pencil”. We started saying to them “hello birr” and holding out our hands. This produced hysterical giggling. The teenagers are on break from school and spend their time trying to get “sponsors” They are a little more restrained for a while. “Hello” “what’s your name?” “where are you from?” are followed by “I’m a student. I’m on break. I need a sponsor.” There is a lot of poverty here that is hard to witness although everyone does seem to have enough to eat. The land is very fertile and all kinds of crops are grown. Also, unlike Kenya, school really is free here.

On Friday, we  saw a very nice hotel built in the style of the traditional tukals but with modern amenities and negotiated down the price. We moved Saturday morning and lined up an excellent guide for the Lalibela churches.

A very strange bird!!

At the restaurant with the panoramic view

Sights in town

traditional Lalibela Houses

Cute, friendly boys.