Just as the little bastard had probably planned it, only a few kilometers later I’ve discovered that the basket of berries he sold me was half full with banana leafs. Cursing aloud, but smiling inside, I had admit to myself that it was kind of clever and my own fault for not checking.
I was on my way to the Bale Mountains. African scenery is often monotonous and rarely overwhelming with few exceptions like the red dunes of Sossusvlei or Amboseli marshes with Mt. Kilimanjaro in the background. Bale weren’t mind blowing, but there was a certain magic in its forests where nyala bulls hid under the leafy trees on freezing early mornings, and let me get almost close enough to touch. The plateau was almost barren, but I was lucky enough to see about a dozen red Ethiopian wolfs, many birds of pray and enough Starke’s hares to feed them all (when they are fast enough to catch them – which is quite a challenge). I drove through the mountains, tall irregular towers surrounding the plateau covered in worn out velvet, riding as high as the clouds to descend into the tropical forest on the other side. There, I spent hours away from the villages (and villagers) by hiding in its mossy labyrinths with colobus monkeys panicking above my head and pink sunsets making me even harder to find.
Location: Bale Mountains, Ethiopia
Born in Ukraine, raised in Israel, and acquiring her higher education in the US, Sarit Reizin is proud to call herself a citizen of the world. However, to stay worthy of the title, she felt a nomadic lifestyle was in order, and in November 2005 left the comforts of the first world with no desire of coming back any time soon. http://HopStopTravel.com
