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Pilot Guides 03x02 Ethiopia
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00:00I'm in a place that has suffered more in the past decade than any other country.
00:08From famine, poverty and war.
00:10When things are changing, with hard travel, this place has got everything.
00:15Amazing culture, breathtaking scenery, stunning wildlife.
00:21And more water than you can possibly imagine.
00:24Believe it or not, this is Ethiopia.
00:30Ethiopia is one of the largest countries in Africa.
00:53Its ancient culture has its own language, time and calendar.
00:57It's the only African country that has never been colonised.
01:01And after 20 years of civil war, it's only now opening its borders to the world.
01:08My journey begins in the northern highlands.
01:11Starting from Aksum, I then travel through Lalibela and Bahadur, to the capital, Addis Ababa.
01:17Then I travel east to Hara, before heading south to Mago National Park.
01:23Home to some of Africa's most isolated tribes.
01:26There are a lot of different religions in Ethiopia.
01:52But Christianity was here 40 years after the birth of Christ.
01:58A lot of saints came to the area.
02:00But one came to this mountain, couldn't get up.
02:03So God lowered the snake and he climbed up and built a church on the top.
02:07So if you don't know any snakes, you've got to use this dodgy bit of rope.
02:11So I think I've got the wrong shoes.
02:23Come on, pull harder.
02:23What are you doing?
02:24Oh, God.
02:26Oh, God.
02:26Oh, God.
02:26Oh, God.
02:26Oh, God.
02:27Oh, God.
02:28Oh, God.
02:29Oh, God.
02:30Oh, God.
02:31Oh, God.
02:32Oh, God.
02:33Oh, God.
02:34Oh, God.
02:35Oh, God.
02:36Oh, I made it.
02:37I made it.
02:38Just God.
02:39Oh, God.
02:40That's where my legs have gone from that climb up.
02:46Oh, wow.
02:47But it's been well worth it just to see this, which is the oldest church in the whole of Ethiopia.
02:53Right now, I'm going to try and have a peek inside.
02:58Tani, you still in?
02:59Yeah, I still in.
02:59Hello?
03:00Hello?
03:01Hello?
03:01Can we have a look in?
03:02Yeah.
03:03Oh.
03:07Shoes off?
03:08Oh.
03:09OK.
03:09Oh.
03:10Oh.
03:11Oh.
03:12Oh.
03:13Oh.
03:14Oh.
03:15Oh.
03:15Oh.
03:16Yeah.
03:17Look.
03:18That's got me the saint with a snake there.
03:22Climbing up the rock.
03:23Oh, oh.
03:24Oh.
03:25Oh.
03:26Oh.
03:27Oh.
03:28Oh.
03:29Oh.
03:30Oh.
03:31Oh.
03:32Oh.
03:33Oh.
03:34Oh.
03:35Oh.
03:36Oh.
03:37Oh.
03:38Oh.
03:39Oh.
03:41Yeah.
03:42Oh.
03:42Oh.
03:42I didn't quite understand what he was saying.
03:42I'm not really a churchman, but this building, 1300 years old.
03:47in such good nick as no one can get up here. Where's my shoes?
03:56What's amazing about this place is the monks have lived here for centuries. They've had
04:01hardly any contact with the outside well, no women are allowed here and they're totally
04:05self-sufficient. They've got cattle, a reservoir and the most spectacular views.
04:17This is Axum and apparently behind these walls is the resting place of one of the most important
04:40religious artefacts in the world. It's the Ark of the Covenant and it's so sacred that the only one that can
04:47see it is a monk that guards it. And legend has it that if you do have a look at it, you instantly burst into flames.
04:54So long as I just have a little peek.
05:05What waste of time, no one's getting past that monk. I tell you, all this way, not even the looking, not even the smell of burning flesh.
05:18Before you come out here though, you really have this misconstrued sort of idea of what the country's like.
05:24You sort of just remember 85 famine and all the deserts and the starving people.
05:30I thought it was going to be much more barren and dry and there's forests everywhere and there's lakes.
05:35Most of Ethiopia is just luscious, green, water-filled land. It's gorgeous.
05:42I've just been hijacked along the road by these guys. Apparently we're going to a wedding and it's party time!
05:49I mean wedding celebration!
05:53So are we late for the wedding?
05:55Yeah.
05:56Are we? Yeah.
05:57And you're the brother so that's not too good, eh?
05:59Right.
06:00I'm not as smart as you. Is that okay? Is that okay with what I'm wearing?
06:03Yeah.
06:04Yeah? You don't care.
06:07Wedding time.
06:08Now how many marriages were there today?
06:15Today. Just today?
06:16Yeah.
06:17Today I think five.
06:18Five.
06:19And they all come up here?
06:20Yeah.
06:21Yeah.
06:22So it's one big party. What happens in the wedding?
06:24Music, dancing.
06:25Yeah.
06:26And eating.
06:27Eating meat.
06:28Yeah.
06:29And drinking champagne.
06:30Champagne?
06:31Great!
06:32Marvellous.
06:33Let's go and get in there then.
06:34Christianity reached Ethiopia before Europe. And as nearly half the population are Christian,
06:41white weddings are a common sight.
06:43Woo!
06:44Woo!
06:45Woo!
06:46Woo!
06:47Woo!
06:48Woo!
06:49Woo!
06:50Woo!
06:51Woo!
06:52Woo!
06:53Woo!
06:54Woo!
06:55Woo!
06:56Woo!
06:57Woo!
06:59Woo!
07:00Woo!
07:01Woo!
07:02Woo!
07:03Woo!
07:04Woo!
07:07There are plenty of busses in Ethiopia.
07:08But if you're travelling long distance, it's not always clear where the busses are going.
07:12This is Shire, yeah?
07:13So getting on the right one ain't easy.
07:17Oregon!
07:18That's one bus down anyways.
07:22There's about 20 to go.
07:25Shire?
07:26Shira?
07:27Shira?
07:28Shira.
07:29This is not Shira, no?
07:32Shira?
07:33Shira?
07:34Shira?
07:35Shira?
07:36Simeon?
07:37Is this Shira?
07:38Shira.
07:39Shira?
07:40Oh, yeah.
07:41This is the one.
07:42Squeeze through, squeeze through.
07:45Oh!
07:46Oh, God.
07:49Last seat on the bus.
07:51All mine.
07:52Yeah.
07:53Shira?
07:55Shira?
07:56Shira?
07:57Shira?
08:18The journey from accident via Shira to Lalibela is rarely travelled because of the rough roads,
08:23but it's well worth it for the views.
08:26And it's not surprising that all the locals have got off because it's eight hours in intense
08:31heat, but it's one of the best journeys in the whole of Africa.
08:36It takes you through the Simian mountain range, the most rugged of the highlands, which stretch
08:41across the northwest.
08:43It's good trekking country.
08:45The best time to come is between October and March.
08:49I'm in Lalibela for the Tin Cat, which is the festival of Epiphany.
08:54For Ethiopian Christians, it's the most important festival on their calendar.
08:58All the churches here carry a replica of the Ark of the Covenant through the streets.
09:03They meet there, and then there's a mass baptism.
09:07All right.
09:08All right.
09:09Tim Cat is the biggest festival of the year.
09:10Tim Cat is the biggest festival of the year.
09:11All the churches here carry a replica of the Ark of the Covenant through the streets.
09:17They meet there, and then there's a mass baptism.
09:20Timcat is the biggest festival of the year, and it takes place all over Ethiopia, although
09:41the one in Lalibela is the most colourful.
09:50The festival takes place in January, and lasts for two days, but there are other reasons
10:03to come here.
10:06Some people say this is the eighth wonder of the world, there's a church carved out of
10:10solid rock, there's eleven of them, and they're all connected by tunnels and passages.
10:16Most Ethiopians believe it was built by angels, because they could never find the tools.
10:24If you're really lucky, you can have one all to yourself.
10:28Is it finished?
10:31Is it finished?
10:32I told you not to put the double chins in.
10:35Did you get rid of it?
10:36We've got rubber.
10:44Horse games in Ethiopia are part of a tradition that goes back as far as Christianity.
10:49Well, I'm not too sure about the rules, but I know you need a horse and two teams.
10:56One team's got spears, one team's got shields, and what happens is the ones with the spears
11:01chase the ones with the shields and try and throw it at them.
11:04So if you've got a feet, a shield, get out of it!
11:15People here pride themselves on their riding skills, and regularly hold racing competitions.
11:23This competition is known as Ferris Gug, and the tradition originates from ancient warriors.
11:41Now it's become a popular sport.
11:43I was warned about Ethiopia, but I was told, it's too dangerous, there's no roads, you're
11:51not going to understand anything, you're going to get lost, and it ends up being totally amazing,
11:57and everybody's helping me out.
12:00This is the Roa private hotel.
12:02It's my room, nice and simple, just a bed, cost five dollars a night, electricity's from
12:07six to midnight.
12:08Now check the toilet out.
12:12Mr. Lou, with a view.
12:16The world's view of Ethiopia has mainly been through the 1984 famine.
12:37In this area alone, hundreds of thousands of people starved to death, sparking off a massive
12:42aid relief.
12:43Just got a lift in the UN band, and I'm going to find out what the projects are doing today.
12:48Most of the population in the north were still farmers or herders, tilling the soil with ploughs
12:59to grow millet, barley, and maize.
13:01Was this one of the worst areas?
13:02Yes.
13:03It was the worst area hit by the famine.
13:04So was that really important that the western aid came through to Ethiopia at that time?
13:14It was really life-saving.
13:15Yeah.
13:16Yeah.
13:17It was very important, very crucial.
13:18It has saved so many lives here.
13:19So millions would have died without...?
13:20Without that aid?
13:21Yeah.
13:22It's good to have been, yeah.
13:23Yeah.
13:24So what about aid now?
13:25This is a very crucial question.
13:26Well, what we need is now, to my understanding is, aid has to be development-oriented.
13:40A wide range of activities are now being implemented.
13:42We are now applying irrigation to the best of our capacity.
13:46The 1984 shock has taught us so many things.
13:49So now our activities are all geared towards self-sufficiency in food.
13:56It's the open airlines.
14:11Best reputation in the whole of Africa.
14:14You've got to expect some delays, but for long distance, it's the easiest way to go.
14:19From Lalibela, I head for Bahadar, crossing a series of volcanic lakes that are best seen
14:26from the air.
14:27This is Bahadar, apparently down the road.
14:32It's a beautiful little cascade, but you've got to choose a guide from all this lot.
14:37So you choose one quick, saves the hassle.
14:40Speak good English?
14:41Good.
14:42Good.
14:43How much to the falls?
14:44A few.
14:45Oh, that sounds good.
14:46Yeah.
14:47And how far?
14:48One hour.
14:49One hour?
14:50Yeah.
14:51Come on, let's get away from the rabble.
14:52A short walk from the village, a sheer cliff drops 3,000 feet into a gorge.
15:02Check that out.
15:04Yee-haw!
15:05Just up there is the source of the Blue Nile.
15:1280% of the water of the Nile starts right here.
15:18The best time to visit the Blue Nile Falls is towards the end of the rainy season in October.
15:39The Blue Nile Falls is the best way to end the day, instead of a three hour walk, jump
15:50on the local ferry.
15:51Is that nice to lean?
15:52All right.
15:53All right.
15:54All right.
15:55That night, I went to a local restaurant where I met Ben and Ben and Ben and Ben.
15:56The Blue Nile Falls is the best way to end the day.
15:57Well, this has got to be the best way to end the day.
15:58Instead of a three hour walk, jump on the local ferry.
15:59Is that nice to lean?
16:00All right.
16:01All right.
16:02All right.
16:03All right.
16:04All right.
16:05All right.
16:06All right.
16:07All right.
16:08All right.
16:21We are all very we're done.
16:22Yeah, it makes perfect.
16:23ItŃ has really perfect.
16:24And that is absolutely amazing.
16:25Really great.
16:26Well, it's very powerful.
16:27Everything lives in our country.
16:28Now, that night I went to a local restaurant where I met Ben and Liz.
16:30What can I get in here.
16:31Cold dishes?
16:32We'll probably get a mix up something like spinach.
16:33Yeah.
16:35And cabbage.
16:36Cabbage.
16:37Raw meat.
16:38Raw meat.
16:39Raw meat?
16:40Yeah.
16:41Because if you walk down the village, what they do is they kill the cow on the day and they
16:45sling it up in the butchers and you walk past and you see this sort of car
16:47and you see you this sort of carcass hanging in front of you and you walk up
16:52and you go I'll have that bit or I'll have that bit. Here we go, wow. Check that out, look at that.
16:59Amase ganalu betam. That's thank you. Amase ganalu. Amase ganalu. Amase ganalu.
17:05Right, I'll try and remember that. These are hot spices. And this is like tomato paste.
17:10This is quite safe actually, this tomato paste. This stuff is not safe. This stuff...
17:15Okay, so what you do is take your right hand and you tear off a piece of injera.
17:20What is this? This is injera. It is. It's like rubber.
17:24The other funny thing is that the cow in Amharic is lamb. Say that again.
17:30Cow, beef, in Amharic is lamb. So if you ask for lamb here, you get beef.
17:37Right. Confused? You will be. We've only just begun.
17:42We've only just begun. We're just going to have a little tin.
17:44Go on. No, go on.
17:45Go on. Did you see that?
17:47Look at that.
17:48Right. Go on. Get the beer ready.
17:51Five, four, three, two, one. Off to the toilet.
17:58We've plenty of internal flights at reasonable prices. I thought I'd make the most of it.
18:10This time from Bahada to Addis Ababa.
18:13Only 10% of Ethiopia's population of nearly 60 million live in cities, with 2 million living in Addis, making it one of Africa's largest inland cities.
18:35This is Addis Ababa. It's the capital of Ethiopia. It's the third highest capital in the world.
18:41And it's actually quite a modern city only being 100 years old.
18:44Big contrast from the countryside. But what I need right now is a nice hot cup of coffee to wake me up.
18:51Hi there.
18:59Can I join you?
19:00Good morning. Yes, of course.
19:01Want me for a coffee?
19:02Most welcome. Yes?
19:03How are you?
19:04Good morning.
19:05Ian's the man.
19:06Asafa is my name.
19:07Asafa. Hi there.
19:08What are you reading? What's this?
19:09Just the local newspaper. The monitor.
19:12Addis is quite modern, isn't it? Look at this. I never thought they'd get all these cakes and stuff.
19:18Yeah, Addis is a very sophisticated city.
19:22Is Addis easy to get around? Can you get around Addis quite easily?
19:25No, actually Addis is a beautiful city, but it's very difficult to get around because we don't have street names.
19:33Don't you?
19:34No. Usually the local people, they will identify an area by the church.
19:41For example, they will tell you this place near St. Gabriel, near St. Michael, but nobody uses the street names.
19:49We don't have maps, street maps, and I think for the tourists it's rather difficult.
19:54What about changing money? Is it easy to change money?
19:58Well, the banks are rather slow.
20:01Right.
20:02And the fact that they don't use credit cards.
20:04No?
20:05Is a nightmare for the tourists.
20:07Right.
20:08You know, you have to come with traveller's cheques or a lot of cash.
20:12I've got my Abbey Link card. Was that too?
20:16Which cards?
20:17Abbey Link card.
20:18No, not at all.
20:19I don't think you can use any credit cards.
20:20And I think this has to change very soon.
20:22Time to go shopping. This is Mercato. It's the biggest outdoor market in the whole of Africa.
20:35So if we don't get a bargain here, never will.
20:47This whole street is where the wicker baskets are sold. They're handmade.
20:51One like that takes about two months. The only trouble is, how are you going to get it home?
21:11This is driving me mad. I've been wandering around this market for about the last two hours.
21:16I haven't got a clue where I am. There's so many nooks and crannies and alleyways and passages.
21:20Now I'm in the spice bit. I don't even know or care what I'm after.
21:24How do people get around there? I mean, how can you get around this place?
21:27We Ethiopians, we come every two weeks here so we don't get lost like you.
21:32Is it an okay market? Is it trouble-free or is there a hassle here?
21:35Uh-oh. You have to be very careful about pickpockets.
21:41Three kids would come here, one would drag your attention, would talk to you and the other would show you somewhere and the other would pick you.
21:48Right. So you've got to be careful when you come here.
21:50Oh yes, you should really be careful when you come here.
21:53Some of the taxis are pretty mad. We've seen a few with, um, like they've smashed the windscreen.
22:03So instead of buying a new one, maybe they can't even get it.
22:06They've just like taken loads of strips of glass and then sort of slotted them in and then sellotaped them together.
22:13And then for another one for like the back lights, the brake lights, you see, sort of just a piece of metal with like red and orange and white painted on it.
22:23This is the easiest and cheapest way to get around Addis.
22:27What's good about it is you can hire a contract cab and have it for the whole afternoon for about next to nothing.
22:33It's like having a personal chauffeur.
22:35But the best thing about it is you can even get coffee in the cab.
22:40Oh, that's good. Oh, it's nice, it's nice.
22:43Mmm, yeah.
22:55Just heard about this local hydrotherapy centre just down the road from some natural hot springs.
23:01So the water's boiling and it's full of healthy minerals.
23:04But the best relaxation here by far is the massage.
23:09And don't worry if you're a bit shy, because all the massos here are blind.
23:13Oh, yeah.
23:16Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
23:20Oh, yeah.
23:23Blind Massa, yeah, I reckon.
23:27It's a very good idea if you come here and you're arranging to meet somebody to make sure that you either have European time, which they'll call Ferengi time, or Abasha time, which is their local time.
23:40Their clock, zero, is at six o'clock in the morning.
23:43One o'clock is seven o'clock, and it goes on until twelve.
23:48Confused? I was.
23:50Not only are there two different clocks, but Ethiopia has thirteen months in the year.
23:54So get it right, or you'll miss your train.
23:56I've got the right time, the right day.
23:58If I'm ever going to leave Annis, it's going to be now.
24:01And I'm getting off.
24:0317 and a half hours to go.
24:19I haven't got a seat.
24:21And I think it's going to be a rough journey.
24:25The next leg of my journey is an 18 hour train ride, which takes me east to the Muslim city of Harrah.
24:32And here's the lead.
24:34Ok.
24:35You might have a beer, get me through the journey.
24:39If you didn't open it.
24:40Not with your teeth.
24:41No.
24:42Oh no.
24:43No.
24:44No.
24:45No.
24:46No.
24:47No.
24:48No.
24:49No.
24:50No.
24:51No.
24:52No.
24:53No.
24:54No.
24:55No.
24:56No.
24:57No.
24:58No.
24:59No.
25:00No.
25:01No.
25:02No.
25:03Oh dear.
25:04What am I doing?
25:06What are you doing?
25:07Trying to get to the toilet.
25:08Yeah.
25:09Sit up there.
25:10Right.
25:11This is the moment of truth.
25:13It's been 10 hours now.
25:15I think I can hang on another 10.
25:32These walls were built around Harrah in the 16th century to keep the Christians out.
25:37It's the fourth holiest Muslim town in the world.
25:40There's more mosques than bars.
25:42Their main export is the strongest beer in Ethiopia because they're so religious hardly anyone drinks it.
25:49After the cold air and Christian flavor of the Highlands, the heat of Harrah was a shock.
26:06This is Mohammed.
26:07I've just now met him.
26:08He thinks he's a bit useful on the table but I'm going to have to teach him a lesson.
26:13What are you doing here, Mohammed?
26:15Well, I used to live in Los Angeles for a while.
26:19Yeah.
26:20So were you born out here then?
26:21Yeah, I was born at this, you know.
26:23Mohammed introduced me to Harrah's most popular pastime, a local plant called Chat.
26:28The leaves are chewed as a drug and you can find it everywhere.
26:32You couldn't get addicted to this stuff then?
26:34Oh yes, you could get addicted to it.
26:36If you chew it on a daily basis, everyday basis, then you would get addicted to it.
26:42The people, I think, they use it for a religion aspect.
26:45They chew and they read their Qur'an and their Bibles with it.
26:48Other people, they do it for enjoyment.
26:51Right.
26:52Do they do anything else but eat?
26:54Yeah, there is this man that feeds the hyena with his bare teeth, you know.
26:58Are you making it up?
26:59No, I'm not making it up.
27:01It's a true story.
27:02I'll leave you showing you the man.
27:03Too much leaves, are it?
27:05I don't know.
27:06It's not like camel feet.
27:08But I think you need to do.
27:10I've got some serious chat breath.
27:26It's good but the trouble is it keeps you up all night and I've been walking down the streets for the last hour looking for hyenas like that guy told me.
27:34Yeah, I reckon.
27:35Yeah, I reckon.
27:55As he lives on the edge of town, Yusef began to feed the hyenas to keep them from attacking his family and cattle.
28:04let's go.
28:05Oh.
28:06This is unbelievable.
28:07What am I doing here?
28:09Feed the hyenas bits of meat on the end of the stick.
28:14Look at that thing.
28:16Look at that thing.
28:17Look at that thing that could drag me off and rip me apart in about five seconds
28:47From Harrah, I flew back to Addis and then headed south to Shishemini via Lake Langanau
28:54One of several giant lakes in the heart of Ethiopia's Great Rift Valley
29:06This is the campsite, Fishengare on Lake Langanau
29:10Thought I'd splash out on the double room
29:13That's by Derek's
29:15You've got to have your neck because those mosquitoes are the worst
29:18If you want to know about real luxury, this is it
29:21Flushing toilets, shower
29:24Stranger, I don't remember this when I was camping as a scout
29:43Outside Addis, there are few places in Ethiopia that cater for tourists
29:49But these lakes and surrounding forests are home to a small but growing number of wildlife excursions
29:56There are a few places in Ethiopia that are safe to swim in the water without risk of contracting bilharzia
30:14A parasite that can make you extremely sick
30:17I'm in Shishemini on the way to the local Rasta community
30:27Only way to get there, local taxi
30:30In the 1950s, Ethiopia's former emperor Haile Selassie became a beacon for Rastafarians
30:39Mainly from Jamaica, who revered him as God
30:43As a result, Selassie invited some Rastas to Ethiopia and they settled in Shishemini
30:49All right guys
30:51All right
30:53All right man, safe man, safe
30:55What does the name Rastafari mean? Where does that come from?
30:59Well the word Rastafari is an Ethiopian word
31:03And it means Ras meaning Ed, Tafari meaning Creator
31:07So it means Ed Creator
31:09Ed Creator, all right
31:11As Rastafarians, we know and acknowledge that his imperial majesty, emperor Haile Haile Selassie
31:18I'm the first king of Eurasian
31:20Him alone is God Almighty without apology
31:23Tell me about the dreads
31:24Put it this way
31:25Because I want to serve God more than you
31:28I'm more zealous for God than you then
31:30I separate myself by a special liberty
31:32And this is my sign
31:33Let's get some bargains, Dan
31:35You can light this
31:36Let's have a look
31:38Yeah, get it down, I like that
31:40Is that partly religion as well?
31:42Smoking?
31:43Smoking?
31:44Yeah
31:45It's part of our way of life
31:46We use it for religious purposes
31:48Just like how the Orthodox Church
31:50Or the Church of England
31:51Or the Roman Catholic Church
31:52They use incense in the church
31:54In the census
31:55To purify
31:56Now we see our body as a temple of God
31:59Yeah
32:00So we smoke herb for religious purposes
32:03To purify our structure
32:05To make us, keep us in the right vibe
32:08You know what I mean?
32:09Keep us calm
32:10So it's natural herb
32:11It is not a drug
32:12Yeah
32:13Yeah, yeah man
32:14Buy these, can I have another pair as well?
32:15Yeah man
32:16Yes, yeah
32:17I'll let you get back to your music
32:25Nice thing about Ethiopia
32:26Is you get invited into houses for coffee ceremonies
32:29There's lots of different stages
32:31It takes about an hour
32:32But Ethiopia is where coffee originated from
32:35So you know it's the best
32:36Only trouble is
32:37You've got to drink about 10 cups
32:39Yeah
32:44Go on, long last
32:59I think it's ready
33:00Oh, and a second
33:04Oh, dear me, that's worth waiting for.
33:22One of the best ways to get down south is hire yourself a 4x4 car.
33:26It can be expensive, so share the cost with other travellers.
33:30Make sure you take loads of water.
33:31The only trouble is, what are you going to do with those hours and hours on the road?
33:37Go on, mate, tell us that brain teaser.
33:39I know you've been burnt him.
33:41Go on.
33:41Okay, the bloke's driving down the motorway, turns on the radio, pulls over and shoots himself.
33:46Why?
33:48Did he hit the dog?
33:49No.
33:50Did the dog hit him?
33:51No.
33:52Did Larry?
33:53No.
33:55The last leg of my journey takes me through the remote south, via Arbor Minch, through the
34:00incredible Mago National Park, and onto some of the most isolated regions of Africa.
34:05You'll see few travellers anywhere in Ethiopia, and even fewer, if any, in the far south.
34:35Just off to the Hamar tribe, but I had to stop at this campsite, because this is the only
34:43one in the area, and I'm just hoping that the shower still works.
34:49Oh!
34:50Oh, heaven.
34:52The shower is certainly working.
34:54All you do is put free burr in the meter.
34:57You can have as long as you like.
34:58There are no roads in these parts, and to get where I was going, not only do you need a
35:10guide, but you have to trek across remote scrubland and burning desert filled with thousands
35:15of termites of termite mounds.
35:21Dehydration can set in fast, so take plenty of water.
35:24Em
35:39Dehydration
35:44Dehydration
35:45Dehydration
35:46These regions on Ethiopia's southern border are home to a number of isolated tribes, like the Hama, largely untouched by the rest of Ethiopia, let alone the West.
36:07Well, I know about palm reading and tarot cards, but this is different. They read your fortune through a goat's intestine.
36:16We have seen your future and it's full of luck. You are going to build a house and have a lot of children. This time it's your first time and we slaughtered one goat. Next time you pass by, it should be two. But all your life, it's going to be successful.
36:45Cool. And happy.
36:51All from that. All from that bit there.
36:54This guy is going to be testing his bark.
36:58What does a cow do?
37:04I soon found out. Several cattle are lined up side by side and the young men of the tribe proved their manhood by running along the backs of the bulls without falling.
37:14I have this feeling that I'll be jumping some cows now.
37:29I've got a vision of like trampled flesh and cracking bone under cow boots.
37:35It's very short. This is a lucky breed that they put round you before you jump.
37:44Right. I've seen Evel Knievel do this, so it should be a breeze. Are you ready? Is she?
37:50Oh, here we go.
37:56He's made it! Oh, yeah!
37:59I like that.
38:0420 more, 20. Bring 20 more on.
38:11One cows.
38:13Oh, yeah.
38:18What that ritual was about is a manhood thing.
38:22If you do that, you impress the girl, so...
38:24Yeah, I'll be over there soon. Hold on.
38:35The Hama are a friendly and inquisitive people, distinguished by their mud-dried hair and aluminium jewellery.
38:46But not all of southern Ethiopia's tribes are as welcoming.
38:50Just hired this boat from Morley Lodge.
38:55It's the only place in the area you can hire boats.
38:58The plan is to follow the Omo River and eventually come across the Morsi tribe,
39:06which is supposedly the fiercest tribe in Africa.
39:09In the rainy season, the upper reaches of the Omo River are a good whitewater rafting destination.
39:23In the dry season, from this far downstream, it's quiet, almost deserted.
39:27If you're heading into this part of the country to visit tribes like the Mercy, you have to plan your journey carefully.
39:41I've just left the boatman on the river. He reckon he's going to wait for me.
40:00He says I should experience this all on me own.
40:02I don't know what to expect, but I asked him if it would be dangerous and he started laughing quite a lot.
40:10But apparently, the village is just at the top.
40:24But now I've got here, it's a bit weird.
40:27I don't know what I'm going to do.
40:28The Morsi are nomads, and there are only a few thousand left.
40:41And tribal wars can make it dangerous to visit.
40:53Morsi tribe women are famous for these lip plates that they've got in their mouth.
40:56Apparently, it started in the slave trade.
40:59They put them in so they'd look less attractive and not get captured.
41:03But now it's just part of tradition.
41:17I think I've been accepted a bit.
41:19The only two things I know is you spit a lot and there's a stick fight going on like a local boxing match.
41:26Stick fights are used to settle forals with neighboring tribes.
41:33I know when you've just been asked for a stick fight and that feeling in your stomach.
41:39These fights get much more vicious than this demonstration.
41:44Hold on, so since they obtained guns, the Morsi have been known to kill their opponents.
41:50Right, that's like that, yeah?
41:53God, I think I'm there.
41:54Got me on the leg, didn't he?
41:55Got me on the leg.
41:56You're the champ, man.
41:57Whose stick was this?
41:58I think this is back.
41:59I don't want it.
42:00I don't want it.
42:01I think this is back.
42:02I don't want it.
42:03I don't want it.
42:04Huh?
42:05It's all got a bit strange now, aren't you?
42:06I've got to have my body shaved to be...
42:07I don't want it.
42:08You're the champ, man.
42:09Who's stick was this?
42:10I think this is back.
42:11I don't want it.
42:12I think this is back.
42:13I think this is back.
42:14I think this is back.
42:15I don't want it.
42:16I think this is a good one.
42:17You're the champ, man.
42:18Who's stick was this?
42:19I think this is back.
42:20I don't want it.
42:21It's all got a bit strange now, aren't you?
42:22I've got to have my body shaved to be septic we'll in and then I'm going to be painted
42:32up or something.
42:33But it's all got a go, every last bit of it.
42:35And then they're going to be painted up or something, but it's all got to go, every last bit of it.
42:43It's my razor, yeah.
42:55You've been watching before, I had a full set of chests here, but it's all gone.
43:00It was like a forest, but no, it's just all gone.
43:05I don't know where we're going now, but I'm not going to have any trouble with this one.
43:35Before I got here, I thought it was just going to be intense heat, desert, sand and millions of flies.
43:50But I swear, Ethiopia is the right mind blower.
43:53It's like two countries built into one.
43:55Up north you've got the mountains, down south you've got the African plains and the tribes.
44:00And in between that, everything you could imagine.
44:03I mean, there still are millions of flies, but if you run fast enough, they won't catch you.
44:08Woo!
44:09Woo!
44:10Woo!
44:11Woo!
44:12Woo!
44:15Woo!
44:16Woo!
44:17Woo!
44:18Woo!
44:23Woo.
44:26Woo!
44:27Woo.
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