Day 9 - Simien Mountains

I am in complete and total awe after going to Simien Mountain National Park (on Sunday - 7/26/15). WOW. But let’s start at the beginning: the car/jeep thing pick Dan, Mustofa, and I up at 6:30am. Early morning lol. The kitchen wasn’t even open yet for breakfast or coffee. It took us about 1.5 hours to get to the national park office, where we had to register and pay to drive through the mountains. It didn’t open until 8:30am, so we got breakfast at this little hotel café in some town near the mountains. That is where the paved roads ended. We had another 30min drive to get to the “gate” (which was really only a guy holding a rope across the road). We picked up our guide/guard (this Ethiopian guy in a military looking uniform carry a rifle of some sort) and ventured into the park. I was under the impression (based on what I’d been told) that the guide/guard stays with you the whole time. Well about 5 mins in, we stopped, he got out, and he called for a scout to accompany us the rest of the way. The scout turned out to be a local farmer who actually lived in the Simien Mountains, so that was pretty cool.

The ride was really bumpy, as none of the roads were paved, but the views were well worth it! There were big groups of baboons everywhere. It was insane how close they were to us when we got out to take pictures! Interestingly, the landscape of the mountains changed. The baboons were mostly lower, in the more green, wooded area. Farther up it got rockier, with strange looking trees that reminded me of the trees in Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax. That’s were we saw the Ibex. It is a big goat like animal, and the males have these crazy big horns. We got out of the car and hiked, following them as they went across the mountains. Since we were so far up, the air was much thinner and we all had to rest to catch our breath after like 3 steps. It was an experience. ;) But seeing the group of Ibex was well worth it!!

Our scout and some Ibex (right above his head)

We were able to get out of the car quite a bit, which was nice. The driver kept pointing out birds and other wildlife, which was great and slightly concerning because I was hoping he'd keep his eyes on the road lol. But really, the views are indescribable. I don't even think the pictures I took do it justice. The Simien Mountains were just amazing. The following 2 pictures are just a fraction of the pictures I took throughout the day (the internet is too slow to upload more). Enjoy :)

The internet got better today (7/29/15), so here are more pictures:

Baboons!!

We could get so close to the baboons!

The views were just astounding

Some kids living in the mountains

Crazy roads we were driving on

It was cool how part of the mountains were in the clouds. Also, we found a waterfall :)

Much love,

Joslyn :)

P.S. "And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful." Colossians 3:15. Peace and being thankful are two things I can relate to right now. :)