We camped at one of the "white" hotels in Bahir Dar and we booked a trip to the monasteries situated on Lake Tana (Ethiopia's largest lake, which are described in Wikipedia as "deep blue", but is in fact more shallow brown). There are in total 20 monasteries inhabited by nice "self cleansing" monks.

It was a perfect outing with an ancient cultural twist that we appreciated very much. Although this is not a lifestyle that I would go for, the monks are of course proud of the cultural shrine they guard and protect. Some of the monasteries date back to the 16th century and probably earlier. There is a slideshow on the Ethiopia country page under photoalbum if you want to see a few images from the visit.

After this religious safari, we went back to the city to explore the Saturday market day, which was another adventure into the merchants daily struggle to make a few bucks. Again we are met with nothing but friendless when we ask to take some pictures. On the above picture; A young man from one of the many islands, in a papyrus boat, on his way to the Saturday market to sell firewood.