God sent me an angel

Notice that Ethiopia's official date is 8 years behind current date.

A young man was referred to me by my hotel to assist me get a bus to Bahir Dar.  He said he could arrange for a hotel pick-up at very early in the morning but he offered me his services.    He will

One of them was my guide

go  with me as a guide and I pay for his fare, hotel accommodations and food.  That sounded like a good deal so I took him along.  His name is Dude, 23 years old, carries a tourism ID and a self-confessed ex-addict of all sorts.

Beautiful tree-lined street of Bahir Dar

Bahir Dar is a beautiful town, a government center being the seat of the Amhara region, and a launching pad for tourists who visit Lake Tana, the biggest lake in Ethiopia known for its islands and ancient monasteries.  In Ethiopia, as in some parts in Uganda, the bus fare is different for locals and

Bahir Dar

farengis (foreigners), and this goes for hotel accommodations, too.  The difference could be more than double.  Well, my guide had proved to be helpful because he would tell the driver that he is the one paying for my fare, so I get the local price.  But the script did not work for hotel rooms.  For the same type of room, I pay more than twice as much as what they charge my guide.

Lobby of the hotel where I pay as a farengi

 In one of the towns that we passed during the 6 hours trip, the driver stopped the bus and had an argument with some passengers.  I was told that 5 passengers did not have enough fare money to complete the trip so the driver would not take them any farther.  I told the guide to tell the

A Lake Tana sampler

 driver and passengers that I will pay for the difference.  That said,  we continued our trip.  I learned later that the 5 passengers were Ethiopians who lost their jobs in Sudan as soya bean pickers and had barely enough money to reach home.

They said thank you with a smile

 When they arrived at their destination, they thanked me profusely in their broken English.

I felt sad seeing them walk home and happy that I was able to reunite them with their families.

Walking home to their families