Ethiopia 5 – Crocodiles and Footie

Aber Minch

This university town is situated high on a hill between 2 very large lakes. The lake on the right is the red lake, where the crocodiles are and we are going to see if we can see any today – so we head off. After a 30 min dusty drive, we arrive at the lake. As we are getting out of the car there is kerfuffle in the bushes and a 7-foot crocodile slides away from us into the water. It s matter of feet away from us – I am now really wary and tread carefully. I realise that health and safety wasn’t going to be a big priority and that you slightly take life into your hands in Ethiopia, but I hadn’t expected it to be quite so raw… so we head off to the only little hut around to get fitted out with life jackets – hmm, not sure they are going to be much good if we end up in the water. The guard with a Kalashnikov over his shoulder (fat lot of good that is  when he didn’t even notice the croc just metres away from us) just shrugs his shoulders when we point out that Millie’s life jacket is like a huge dangly necklace and reaches to the ground!

So we we putt-putt out in the boat on the silky cream waters, it doesn’t seems possible somehow that such a huge vicious reptiles could live in these gentle waters. We get to the other end and there are hundreds of theses beasts, smiling contentedly, they slide into the water, they don’t seem too bothered by us. Then we spot 3 hippos – let’s hope the boatman knows what he is doing… as Mark points out, if the hippos turf us out we are mere nibbles for those crocs, down in one.

Back in the car…. I half expect there to be a mutiny from my children, but there isn’t, they seem quite reconciled to it by now….even content!

We  are heading back to Addis via a one night stop at Lake Langano. Unfortunately we forget to book the Langano Lodge, which is one of the loveliest places to stay on a lake, where everything just works, more than works, it is attractive and has a beach on the only lake where you can swim in Ethiopia. It’s Sunday night and it’s FULL – so we have to cope with our disappointment and settle for the next best thing.

The waters of this lake are red and muddy, but surprisingly warm – everyone piles in for a swim, then football on the beach, followed by volley-ball.