After some long driving over the last several days, it was nice to overnight at the Sabana Lodge on Lake Longano, about an hour north of Hawassa. The lodge was quiet and peaceful, with a lot birds and even some tortoise! It was a real treat to wake up to the melody of five or six different bird specie “talking” to each other.  Even though the water was a bit chilly, a couple of our group went for a morning swim.

 

After a hearty breakfast, we gathered for a group photo with our Pump Run t-shirts, overlooking Lake Longano in the background. You can see it has a red tint, caused by a high content of ferrous oxide, but perfectly safe. In some parts of the lake there are alligators and hippos! Not around the lodge, luckily.

Also along the road to Addis, we made a stop at Lake Zeway and visited a local fish market.  Mary captured the two storks pictured above fighting over some leftover fish. Yummy! We reached Addis by mid-afternoon, giving us time for a couple of meetings with partners and some rest.

  

We ended our evening with a cultural celebration of food, drink, dance, and fun at the Habesha 2000 restaurant. We got to experience first-hand many of the regional dances and food from around Ethiopia. Everyone had a great time! Thanks, Diversity Tours! (http://diversitytoursethiopia.com/)

Speaking of Diversity Tours, our group wants to honor the team that has been with us the last days. Pictured above are Yohannes, our tour leader for the last 10 days or so, with Tesfaye, Mundie, and Teddy, our fearless and skilled drivers. Their service has been excellent! We are grateful for their help and knowledge, which made our time here so enjoyable.

Tomorrow will be our last day in Addis and Ethiopia, a bit of sightseeing and shopping with a few meetings mixed in. Then we all head back home with more stories and renewed dedication to the mission.

 

After some long driving over the last several days, it was nice to overnight at the Sabana Lodge on Lake Longano, about an hour north of Hawassa. The lodge was quiet and peaceful, with a lot birds and even some tortoise! It was a real treat to wake up to the melody of five or six different bird specie “talking” to each other.  Even though the water was a bit chilly, a couple of our group went for a morning swim.

 

After a hearty breakfast, we gathered for a group photo with our Pump Run t-shirts, overlooking Lake Longano in the background. You can see it has a red tint, caused by a high content of ferrous oxide, but perfectly safe. In some parts of the lake there are alligators and hippos! Not around the lodge, luckily.

Also along the road to Addis, we made a stop at Lake Zeway and visited a local fish market.  Mary captured the two storks pictured above fighting over some leftover fish. Yummy! We reached Addis by mid-afternoon, giving us time for a couple of meetings with partners and some rest.

  

We ended our evening with a cultural celebration of food, drink, dance, and fun at the Habesha 2000 restaurant. We got to experience first-hand many of the regional dances and food from around Ethiopia. Everyone had a great time! Thanks, Diversity Tours! (http://diversitytoursethiopia.com/)

Speaking of Diversity Tours, our group wants to honor the team that has been with us the last days. Pictured above are Yohannes, our tour leader for the last 10 days or so, with Tesfaye, Mundie, and Teddy, our fearless and skilled drivers. Their service has been excellent! We are grateful for their help and knowledge, which made our time here so enjoyable.

Tomorrow will be our last day in Addis and Ethiopia, a bit of sightseeing and shopping with a few meetings mixed in. Then we all head back home with more stories and renewed dedication to the mission.