This past weekend, Laura and I spent a night at the Kuriftu Resort in Debre Zeit, a town only about an hour outside of Addis Ababa. Our intention was for some relaxation, to escape the pollution and noise of Addis, and to soak in some of the African sunshine. Our goals were met.
We left Saturday morning with our driver, Thomas, and arrived in the afternoon after stopping briefly at a different resort, Dreamland, for a drink. Laura had found a lake in her research close to the Kuriftu, Arenguade Bahir (which means "green lake" in Amharic). It is named after its color - green - which is caused by a rare species of anaerobic algae in the lake that actually causes it to be barren in terms of fish and other animal life.
In order to reach this green lake, we would have to travel on rather rough dirt roads in the country side. There were many locals returning home to their villages from the Saturday market in Debre Zeit. The masses of people along with their donkeys crowded the single lane dirt road, but moved at the sight of an elusive car coming on the beaten path.
At one point the road would meet a bridge that crossed a gorge that carried water during the rainy season. No water was present when we saw it, however. The bridge appeared and felt as though it would collapse as we tested it by foot. Our journey to the anaerobic lake had to end there. We turned around and made our way to our destination for the night.
Upon our arrival at the Kuriftu, we found a beautiful, posh resort that is typical of the resort chain.
Similarly as in our experience in Bahir Dar, the resort was beautifully lush with flowering vegetation and was situated on Lake Bishoftu outside of Debre Zeit. The hotel's restaurant sits over the shores of the lake, making our dining experiences rather pleasant. We watched the wildlife in the lake while local herds made their ways to the banks to replenish their water supplies. Locals also swam and bathed in the lake.
The resort offered kayaking and had a pontoon boat that could be used to take a very short ride on the lake due to its small size. On the opposite side from the Kuriftu was an orphanage, though we didn't realize it until after we had already left.
We laid out by the pool on Saturday as well as Sunday. Sunday, however, the intense African sun burnt my white skin, leaving me in a bit of pain that night and the following couple days. Thus goes life in Ethiopia. The weather is incredibly beautiful now, but it will sting if the proper precautions are not taken. I was reminded of that the hard way...
We left Saturday morning with our driver, Thomas, and arrived in the afternoon after stopping briefly at a different resort, Dreamland, for a drink. Laura had found a lake in her research close to the Kuriftu, Arenguade Bahir (which means "green lake" in Amharic). It is named after its color - green - which is caused by a rare species of anaerobic algae in the lake that actually causes it to be barren in terms of fish and other animal life.
In order to reach this green lake, we would have to travel on rather rough dirt roads in the country side. There were many locals returning home to their villages from the Saturday market in Debre Zeit. The masses of people along with their donkeys crowded the single lane dirt road, but moved at the sight of an elusive car coming on the beaten path.
At one point the road would meet a bridge that crossed a gorge that carried water during the rainy season. No water was present when we saw it, however. The bridge appeared and felt as though it would collapse as we tested it by foot. Our journey to the anaerobic lake had to end there. We turned around and made our way to our destination for the night.
Upon our arrival at the Kuriftu, we found a beautiful, posh resort that is typical of the resort chain.
Similarly as in our experience in Bahir Dar, the resort was beautifully lush with flowering vegetation and was situated on Lake Bishoftu outside of Debre Zeit. The hotel's restaurant sits over the shores of the lake, making our dining experiences rather pleasant. We watched the wildlife in the lake while local herds made their ways to the banks to replenish their water supplies. Locals also swam and bathed in the lake.
The resort offered kayaking and had a pontoon boat that could be used to take a very short ride on the lake due to its small size. On the opposite side from the Kuriftu was an orphanage, though we didn't realize it until after we had already left.
We laid out by the pool on Saturday as well as Sunday. Sunday, however, the intense African sun burnt my white skin, leaving me in a bit of pain that night and the following couple days. Thus goes life in Ethiopia. The weather is incredibly beautiful now, but it will sting if the proper precautions are not taken. I was reminded of that the hard way...
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