Margot and I are spending the weekend at Lake Langano, hiring a hidden away bungalow. I feel like we’ve found our own little world.
Lake Langano is one of the rift valley lakes, about three-four hours drive south of Addis. The Lake is amazingly peaceful. There are no cars, no people shouting “frenji, frenji”, and just the gentle squawks of a fantastic selection of rift valley birds. The lake is bordered by impressive mountain ridges, sits at 1,500 meters (a whole km less than Addis) and has a surface area of about 230 km squared (I measured it). While the lake is the only lake safe for swimming in Ethiopia, the water is a vey muddy, brown colour. Apparently this is due to its high mineral content. Yet, while I’ve been promised that there are no crocodiles and hippos only appear during rainy season, you can’t help thinking what lurks at the bottom of the dark lake.
The bungalow is basic, but great fun. It has a small kitchen and a couple of bedrooms. The kitchen is good for cooking, but it’s normal to load up the car with a weekend’s supply of beers, pizza, snacks, and other goodies. The place is powered off a battery, charged during the day by solar power. It means that you need to turn all the lights off during the day, and keep your fingers crossed at night. The shower and toilet are connected directly to the Lake: While the water is clean, it’s slightly odd showering in water that’s the same colour as the muck under your toe-nails. The bungalow is ten meters away from the lake, and walking down to the water this morning, I felt warm sand on my feet for the first time in over a year. It’s a strange feeling when you swim, as in many ways you feel like you’re at the beach, but is not that salty taste in your mouth. Margot and I have been out canoeeing as well, and trying to top up on the tan (Margot, not me - I stay red). Tonight, we’re lighting a fire on the beach, taking out some blankets, and watching the shooting stars while eating roasted marshmallows. Bliss.
What was not bliss however was the drive down. I am really starting to love Ethiopia. But I don’t think any degree of warmth will ever allow me to like Ethiopian drivers. They are the worse in the world (in my mind). You go to overtake, and then you have a small horse-driven cart trying to over-take you are the same time. You drive up hill, and you’ll find two lorry drivers, one in each lane, grinding their loads uphill at a painful pace, talking to each other through their windows. There are donkeys and horses standing in the Ethiopian version of the M1 (in fairness, this isn’t the drivers fault). And best of all, you be happily driving in your land, turn a corner, and find a car coming towards you in the wrong lane (i.e. your lane) at 120 kph, flashing and beeping because it can’t be bothered to move back into it’s own lane. Driving down here, I reckon Margot and I lost three of our nine lives (and we’ve still got to go back).
But driving aside, a great weekend. And a great place to bring friends and family.
Sunday, 31 October 2010
Sunday, 10 October 2010
Meta Beer
Firstly, sorry for the lack of blogs recently. A couple will be posted this week. Managed to fall behind again!
This afternoon, Margot and I visited the Meta Beer brewery. It's about 30 kilometres outside of Addis. It is best to describe it as a compound, with a waterfall at its centre. You pay to get in (20 birr (about 80 pence), which pays for entrance, one beer, and the use of a camera). There is a pleasant green area, and two large swimming pools. From what I could make out, both pools seemed to be filled with drunk Ethiopians. But with the temperature at 29 degrees, who can blame them for going to unwind in the pool. The actual factory is well hidden, and the only sign that it exists is the sweet hops smell which hangs over the compound.
The visit was funny in many ways. There was properly a good 200 people sitting around, drinking Meta beer. A few people had a bit too much to drink, but most people seemed pretty relaxed. At one point, a bride and groom arrived, and walked passed everyone to go and have their photo taken by the waterfall. One of the bride's maids carried the bride's dress to ensure it didn't get dirty, while one of the page boys ran ahead clearing the way. Despite this, neither bride nor groom seemed pretty happy at the prospect that they were about to spend their life together. I felt that this was a shame in many ways, especially as they walked right by the "£1 camel ride" camel. Yes, a real camel was there, ready to carry drunks from the bar to the waterfall and back. I certainly think that I wouldn't stop laughing were I to have a camel at my wedding. And if the camel didn't work, the bride and groom could have had a go on the guns that could be hired. You might think that the combination of beer and firearms isn't up there with Torvel and Dean as an ideal partnership. But it seemed to work here. People wold stroll out of the bar, hand over some money, and have a go at hitting a few targets with an air-gun. The gun owner would politely hold your beer while you shoot.
Meta beer is one of the seven excellent beers Ethiopia produces. It has a malty, slightly bitter taste. It hasn't been one of my favourites, but today, sitting amongst the unhappy bride and groom, the camel, and the guns, it developed a certain charm. Other excellent beers include Harar, made in (wait for it) Harar (interesting given that it is a strongly Muslim town); Dashen (the government owned beer - could you imagine Labour doing that?); St George (previously mentioned on this blog in the context of our world cup lose); and my personal favourite, Bedeley Special, which seems to be the stellar beer - slightly more expensive, only sold in the more refined establishments.
This afternoon, Margot and I visited the Meta Beer brewery. It's about 30 kilometres outside of Addis. It is best to describe it as a compound, with a waterfall at its centre. You pay to get in (20 birr (about 80 pence), which pays for entrance, one beer, and the use of a camera). There is a pleasant green area, and two large swimming pools. From what I could make out, both pools seemed to be filled with drunk Ethiopians. But with the temperature at 29 degrees, who can blame them for going to unwind in the pool. The actual factory is well hidden, and the only sign that it exists is the sweet hops smell which hangs over the compound.
The visit was funny in many ways. There was properly a good 200 people sitting around, drinking Meta beer. A few people had a bit too much to drink, but most people seemed pretty relaxed. At one point, a bride and groom arrived, and walked passed everyone to go and have their photo taken by the waterfall. One of the bride's maids carried the bride's dress to ensure it didn't get dirty, while one of the page boys ran ahead clearing the way. Despite this, neither bride nor groom seemed pretty happy at the prospect that they were about to spend their life together. I felt that this was a shame in many ways, especially as they walked right by the "£1 camel ride" camel. Yes, a real camel was there, ready to carry drunks from the bar to the waterfall and back. I certainly think that I wouldn't stop laughing were I to have a camel at my wedding. And if the camel didn't work, the bride and groom could have had a go on the guns that could be hired. You might think that the combination of beer and firearms isn't up there with Torvel and Dean as an ideal partnership. But it seemed to work here. People wold stroll out of the bar, hand over some money, and have a go at hitting a few targets with an air-gun. The gun owner would politely hold your beer while you shoot.
Meta beer is one of the seven excellent beers Ethiopia produces. It has a malty, slightly bitter taste. It hasn't been one of my favourites, but today, sitting amongst the unhappy bride and groom, the camel, and the guns, it developed a certain charm. Other excellent beers include Harar, made in (wait for it) Harar (interesting given that it is a strongly Muslim town); Dashen (the government owned beer - could you imagine Labour doing that?); St George (previously mentioned on this blog in the context of our world cup lose); and my personal favourite, Bedeley Special, which seems to be the stellar beer - slightly more expensive, only sold in the more refined establishments.
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