Picture Gallery 12 - Southern ETHIOPIA - and south Lower OMO VALLEY and local tribes.
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Southern ETHIOPIA - Lower OMO VALLEY
This part of the trip has been all about people – Ethiopia is reknown for the number of different tribes/ethnic groups that inhabit it, with the the Lower Omo Valley having more than its fair share of ethnic groups – we had just 5 days and visited as many as we could – photography in the villages was both stressful and rewarding!!
For the first time we hired a guide, Biruk Desalegn, who we met in Moyale, a freelance tour guide to the Omo Valley (ph: +254 725 27 18 01, email: elsabiruk@yahoo.com ) PO Box 135, Moyale Ethiopia – and we were glad we did – he knew where to go and what to see in the time we had, and he was fun to have along!!
Lower Omo Valley (pics from left to right) Biruk with Neil, Viv & Helen on the road to Weyto; the remains of what was once an Italian stronghold during WWII; Konso boys ploughing the field with their cattle; a young Konso girl carries a huge pile of sticks back to her village hut .
Lower Omo Valley (pics from left to right) - The road to Weyto, our first camp and visit to the Tsemay people; village hut and sat dish!!!; local village shop front.
Lower Omo Valley (pics from left to right) - The local Tsemay village and its inhabitants; next onto the village of Arbore and its local people – a young Arbore boy fully decorated and a couple of young Arbore women.
Lower Omo Valley (pics from left to right, top to bottom) - Next stop, on the road to Turmi and the local tribal group, the Hamer; we met lots of men carrying guns (there is still a lot of fighting amongst tribes - not tourists! ); a beautiful young Hamer girl and the wonderful beading work on her garments; they put on a traditional dance, which they seemed to enjoy – Hamer men decorated for the dance; Hamer women; 3 young kids enjoying the dancing; a couple of ‘lads' watching, with gun!!
Lower Omo Valley (pics from left to right, top to bottom) - Headed northeast into the Rift Valley, and the valley of the Omo River and the land of the Karo people; the wide expanse of the Omo River at our camp at Murulle Lodge ; a goat BBQ – Ehtiopian style (the goat was pretty old, and chewy!!!); a Koro woman grinds some grain.
Lower Omo Valley (pics from left to right, top to bottom) - The nearby village of Kolcho is set back a short distance from a high cliff overlooking a U-bend of the Omo River; girls doing some hairdressing Koro style; Biruk with a couple of the local young Koro boys; a Koro man (with gun); an elderly Koro woman with a head dressing of cockroach cases – delightful!
Lower Omo Valley (pics from left to right) - The busy Demika market, where the locals come to sell their wares; Viv trying to negotiate to buy one of the beaded back skirts of the Hamer woman – no luck!!; onto to Omorate, on the banks of the Omo River, further west and a canoe trip across the river to a village of the local Dhasanech/Galeb people; a very old and wrinkled Dhasanech woman.
Lower Omo Valley (pics from left to right) - Next stop, Banna country and the market at Keyafer – an attractive Banna girl on her way to market; the market at Keyafer – we were early and it hadn't really got into full swing; the Health Clinic at Keyafer where were were kindly allowed to camp – Viv & Helen handing over some handknitted garmets that Helen and Viv's Mum had knitted – they were most appreciative; Demelash Habtie Teferadegne OIC (back), and Admassu Tesfaye (front) the 2IC and head nurse of the health centre showed us around the Centre and the patients they had – this girl had come in suffering from cerebral maleria (she was lucky to be alive!!)
To read more about this Health Centre, which does some amazing work on a very limited budget, please go to this page and read more about what they do. Perhaps you just might be able to help.
Lower Omo Valley (pics from left to right) - On our way back to Arb Minch, we stopped at a little hotel in Soddo for Biruk's brunch – and what a spread at the Memories Hotel – Viv with the head chef; a visit to Biruk's parents in Kofele - Neil, Helen, Viv & Biruk with his parents - Mum, Tshgye Tirunsh, and his dad, Deslagn Mekonin; Biruk with his Mum, Viv, Helen & Neil, eating the delicious meal that she had prepared for our visit; a beautiful sunset above the clouds on our drive back into Shasemene.
Next stop Addis Ababa (pics from left to right) - A traditional coffee making ceremony – it was really good, even Viv & Helen, who don't drink coffe, enjoyed it; our hotel in Addis Ababa – the Baro Hotel and Viv in our salubrious (very basic) room working on the computer and the next web pages; washing drying on the roofs – Ethiopian style at the hotel.
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