Gheralta Part One (ኢትዮጵያ Part Three)

The day after our more localized Lodge/Hawzien day, we set out for one of the main events of our time near the Gheralta range. For months before our trip to Eastern Africa, we (well, I) obsessively researched as much as I could among the scant information available regarding the many ancient rock hewn monasteries clustered in that area. A few of them stood out in my mind (and stand out in my mind) while I researched, due to their locations or aesthetics or age. One of these, the oddly monikered "Abuna Yemata Guh", we set aside a whole day for and the photo below represents the quiet morning post breakfast respite before we set out to drive/hike/climb our way to the precipitous heights of Abuna.

Saw the man below as we walked to our transport for the day, took him as a good sign

The way to Abuna Yemata Guh, only 4km left to go

Ronaldo watching over us from our van's window, probably about to cry

Suitcase slung and the way set before us. From our parking spot, we had to hike a few miles to the base of that mountain in the distance before we climbed our way to the monastery perch, about midway up that mountain in the distance.

But before we arrived there, a roof dog greeted us frantically from his perch. The hay stack in the tree next to roof dog was a familiar sight all 'round northern Ethiopia. An ingenious way to keep errant livestock from eating into the supply when they aren't supposed to.

More scenes from the hike to the base of the monastery through washes quite dry

A well walled in. Such a precious commodity in that part of the world

The gentleman below, Legesse ("le guess uh"), was one of the sherpa pack that helped us find A.Y. Guh. When he learned of Melissa's name, he almost instantly came up with one of the hit songs of our time in and around the Gheralta range, whispering their rhyming names one after the other. Melissa, Legesse, Melissa, Legesse and so on. Really quite catchy

Anyhow, we eventually made our way to the base of the mountain containing Abuna, all spires jutting into the relentless blues of pre-rain season Tigray.

We then shimmied up smaller and smaller paths horizontally switchbacking (Legesse handling tripod duties) until we had to ascend vertically.

Handsomest monk award as we waited for each other to climb up the first pitch

What a hunk

Steve roped up and went first 

Hands and feets getting placed carefully by the sherpa crew

Legesse guided my barge up the rockface mostly with his words.
Not nearly as sketchy as the Debre Damo ascent, I didn't feel the need for a rope assist

Looking down upon camera'd Melissa, who was allowed to scale the rock face with us and even enter the church, even though she's of the womankind

Steve working the angles, midway up our ascent

When we neared the top, we found a pile o' monks

Little door, not sure what for

Cross dug and worn, the hands and feet of the faithful at work

Near the top, family portrait time

part two (production family)

The entrance to the monastery was up that rock face ahead of us, then alongside the skinny ledge to the left, high above parched Tigrean expanses below

What we had left to go up, more abstracted by angle. The little brick hewn window is the rear of the church. We had to swing around to the left to find the entrance

Getting up that last ascent

The back of the church up close

Perspective down from which we came, we didn't have to cross that rickety "bridge" thankfully

Another view out into the Tigrean countryside from our sanctified perch

Mega call to worship device

Melissa wall clings her way to the entrance. Everything that I had researched about this place did little to prepare me for the epic beauty and absolute holiness of it. The photos I have gathered here do little to express those realities of this place, unfortunately. I feel fortunate, though, to have been able to experience that place so steeped in years of penitent worship and natural beauty. As Richard Rohr has said "wilderness is as much a cathedral as the cathedral" and this place was the perfect marriage of the two.

Hunk monk near the entrance to the monastery

Orange twinn as we waited for the other tourist who was close behind us on the climb up have her fill of the innards of the church before we took 'er over for cinematic purposes

Leg battle as you wait

Shelf path we took to the monastery (not as sketchy as it looks)

M and I and sherpa waiting, taking in the outside cathedral

Back to cubby-holed Abuna foyer

Jan cuddle session

Had to get a shot for that before we were let into Ethiopia

Church innards, at last. I will let them speak for themselves

The way out

and then down

Melissa spots something to affix to film via thrift store camera

Out and out into that parched land

Pathways dug by faithful feet

Another monk bone repository, no doubt. Couldn't find an angle to look into it from, unfortunately

Legesse, Melissa

Melissa, Legesse

Dude was playing absolute jams for us via that cellphone as we waited for Steve and Jan to make their descent. Although there are now burgeoning industries devoted to cassettes outta Africa, it seems that the main way music is consumed out there now is via SIM cards, phone to phone. I suppose there is a burgeoning industry for this as well. Anyhow, seriously great jams from the tiny speaker of that phone down there. Wish I could have shared it with my own phone.

Melissa lies in wait

And then, from on high, the rest of our crew descended to meet us

"Ted" in Tigrinya

The walk back, greyhill

From whence we came

A little who followed us for a bit

Studies in scale (and heart imploding cuteness)

Amharic sugar water, back in Hawzien at the little shop we would return to after the next days rock hewn adventures further afield in the Gheralta range.

That evening we took a stroll around the neighborhood with some locals

Passed this pile, quarried nearby to the lodge, which will all eventually become another dwelling space among the others in that magical land

Melissa and gato in repose before dinner after our time at Abuna. I intended to include all of our rock hewn church adventures in this one post, but it would have made for an extremely lengthy one (even by the standards of this blog). Stay tuned for the rest of our adventures out there soon (hopefully).