Travelogue Burki July 2018: 2 weeks in Ethiopia – 2 families with 6 adopted children
Our trip to Ethiopia started “well”: Our first flight was canceled due to a storm over Vienna. A good star helped us and we ended up in Addis with only one hour delay. But all suitcases were missing! 19 in total (half of them for the Peter Bachmann Foundation). Fortunately, we were finally able to find all the luggage, the last suitcase only 5 days later. With humor and good humor, we have weathered the initial turbulence well.
After a night in Addis, the 8-day trip, organized by PBF, continued to Lalibela, Ethiopia’s “Jerusalem” (flight).
When I was there 15 years ago, there were two hotels. Today there are more than 30! The son of a priest was our guide. He showed us the rock church (13th century, UNESCO World Heritage Site) and told exciting personal life experiences.
With Mesay, PBF manager in Lalibela, we looked at the various projects: the car wash, a brick factory and several houses built for the poorest families. It’s nice to see how the projects have made the lives of many people easier, how people have become self-reliant and an enterprising spirit has spread!
Travel Lalibela – Gondar (360 km) by minibus with stopover in the clinic Emmanuel (also by PBF) and Awura-Amba Village (http://visitawraamba.com, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Out5aigb5Ls )
This village is a self-governing Ethiopian village where women and men enjoy equal rights. The ride was very pleasant. We came through beautiful little villages and landscapes. Our ride was accompanied by songs of our children and our funny drivers.
In Gondar, we stayed 3 nights in a hotel, ideally located above the town on a hill. We visited there palaces from the 17th century. Next we went to Bahir Dar (about 3 hours). After a short hike we could enjoy the beautiful waterfall of the Blue Nile. It is worthwhile to travel there in August: the Blue Nile, thanks to the rainy season, carried a lot of water.
We spent two nights at the Kurifto Resort in beautiful bungalows right on Lake Tana.
The other 5 days and nights we spent in Addis Ababa with shopping and museum visits.
Eventually we finally had a meeting with the birth mother of our youngest son, of course full of emotions and touching moments. She then invited us to visit her house, with a large reception committee with 7 other family members (aunt, brother, mother, niece, etc.).
We felt very comfortable during these 2 weeks. We love this country, the people, the food (we already miss the Injera!). Being on the road with PBF was very pleasant, well organized, with loving guides and drivers, always reliable and punctual. Many thanks to all!
Christel Burki