Epic hike - Tom's birthday - Educate Ethiopia

Hello! We are good, sunburned, and not sick anymore. I think its Tom's turn to write a post, we'll get him to do it tomorrow probably. Its his birthday today, and we celebrated by going on an epic hike, wonderful picnic, and then Em's carrot cake will be after dinner followed by beers in town. (By the way, a draft beer, not quite a pint, costs 3 birr...you can do the exchange on your own, but the conclusion is mindblowing. so cheap!) Our hike was about a 30 min bus ride away where we jumped off near an incredible canyon, extremely narrow at places but very very deep. We could jump across at one point, over a 20-30 meter drop. But first we hiked up the side of a mountain, very steep at the top with a backwards stumble sending you hundreds of feet down bouncing off some rocks on the way. We separated into two groups by accident, my group thinking everyone was going to the top of this mountain where we would hang out and explore, with the other group going around the other side, along the side of the ridge, to a small church perched on top of the highest peak on the ridge. My group had no idea that was the plan, so we got to the top of our mountain, hiked along to a higher peak, and sat and waited and enjoyed the sunshine. But the other group never came up! So, we went back to the road where a lady said the others hadn't come down yet, so we knew there were no accidents or anything, and we sat on a big rock and waited. And waited...and then a car from the seminary came driving slowly by carrying Em (who had stayed behind to bake the cakes), Abba Joseph and Hagos and, best of all, lots and lots of lunch. The other group eventually made their way down from the church and we had an amazing lunch of pasta, sodas, beer, potatoes, lentils, bread, and Ethiopian cake for Tom. This wonderful picnic took place on flat concrete under a bridge for the road above...nice and cool and the perfect space for 20 hungry hikers. After lunch we explored the canyon, then walked back along the road to a nearby town and bus station where we crowded on for the ride home. I almost fell asleep, but got back, took a shower, and here I am, sunburned and happy!

Hope things are good in London, Em and I are making mental lists of food we want when we get back. For the first night: grilled salmon, avocado/pine nut salad, mozzarella/tomato/basil salad, and cheeeeeeeese....we miss cheese and fish the most.

Love from Africa,

Peter

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