Yup! Got to go out in a rickety old boat and see some hippos. Boat was wood, assembled with nails, and painted in very bright colors. One of my favorite things was to see the fishermen on their rafts made out of reeds and long push sticks, waiting to sneak up on a fish…no gas power motor needed. The lake was beautiful with mountains right up to it. Though we commented on the fact that in such a dry and deserted country, we would have guessed that the capital city would be centered near a lake, but there was very little development. One very rich man owns the land around it, so the best way to access that water is to stay in his 5 star resort. That man’s name is Haile, and as we would later learn, he is a national treasure. A prized runner. He has one many marathons and is now a millionaire. He owns multiple resorts, multiple buildings, and employees many in this country. Once again we learn another interesting fact about “Charlie” as he claims, “He is a normal man, we are neighbors. I talk to him and tell him his resort is nice, his rooms are nice, his pool is nice, his restaurant…not so nice. But he doesn’t seem to care much about the restaurant.”
After hippos we were taken to do some shopping. This is a humorous experience. We laughed anytime we caught a glimpse of each other. It was apparent there were only specific shops we were being taken to by “Charlie” because he knew the families. It was one of those “no pressure” situations where no one pushed you to buy, but we were clearly paraded there for a purpose. One shop specialized in weaving traditional fabrics. In Ethiopia each region is known for a specific style of fabric, it is most similar to kilts in Scotland that are specific to a clan. The store itself was a small 8 foot by 15 foot area with 5 or 6 people sitting inside. Stacked from floor to ceiling were fabrics and garments representing the different areas. As we showed more curiousity, they offered to walk us through a small door to a room that was much larger, about the size of a two stall garage. In this room there were 4 people on sewing machines, once boy crimping snaps, and two people ironing. In the back there was an older gentleman, working on home made looms actually weaving each of these tradition patterns. As it turns out, this was a “one-stop shop”. Kurt asked about hats and after trying one on, there were some laughs and it was decided that Kurt’s head was too big for any hat they had ever made before. “That’s OK”, said Charlie, “they measure your head”. As long as they were going to measure Kurt picked out a shirt as well. Kurt kneeled down so his head was at an appropriate level. How do you not buy it when they specially make it for you, starting with the weaving of fabric? We walked out(the following morning) with a tailor made shirt and hat, a humorous memory and some laughs with new friends. Got to love it! Oh, and don't let us forget to tell you about our trip to the Merkato where the locals do their shopping.
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