Paul's second (and final) blog post!

(No, Jenny is not sleeping off another hangover, however, during my time in Lalibela we have partaken in germ warfare; lobbing ever more potent strains of some sort of cold virus to one another. Jenny is currently high on painkillers, which gives me - in my relatively lucid state - opportunity for a farewell post...)

Work at the school has pretty much finished so I’ve had chance to do some touristy things over the last few days. Yesterday I agreed to climb a local mountain with some of the Ethiopian teachers - which proved a humbling experience. What I hadn’t accounted for is that Lalibela itself is already 2000 odd feet above sea level so the air is pretty thin. My oxygen starved companions quite happily bounded the extra few thousand feet through the clouds to the summit – leaving me (after an overly enthusiastic start) to stagger behind fighting for breath. Excess consumption of caffeine and sugar is the only way I can explain how I finally wheezed my way to the top.

Other than that, some inexcusably bad (and wine-fuelled) attempts to replicate the local dancing (freakishly quick shoulder gyrations) and the accrual of classic lobster-esque sunburn bring things pretty much up to date after the last blog.

Looking back at the whole trip though - my endearing memory of Lalibela will be how extremely friendly the locals are to tourists. Everyone wants to talk to you! The only downside to these constant demands to exchange (very) basic pleasantries is that simply getting from A to B can be a lengthy process. I have tried seeking refuge in the company of fellow Westerners – though conversations have tended to revolve around the intricacies of the Ethiopian adoption process! I'm actually surprised that crowds of children dare follow me through the village given the frequency with which they seem to be whisked off out of the country.

Assuming Jenny hasn’t developed a drug resistant super virus (as threatened) to give me, I should be back in the UK on Wednesday – hot shower, beer and TV here we come...

Over and out

Paul

PS The ‘Jenny Ethiopian Experience Inc’ is only in business till October so I heartily recommend imposing on her if you get the chance (I’m proof that you don’t need to wait to be invited!)