Lalibela

We took a breath-taking flight to the tiny, dusty hill top (2630m) village of Lalibela, home of Ethiopia's most famed attractions, the 12th century rock-hewn churches. Legend states that King Lalibela, whilst in a poision-induced coma, travelled to heaven where God instructed him to return to Ethiopia and re-create the holy city of Jerusalem. And that's what he did, with the help of a few others, they carved a laberynth of churches out of the bare rock! Some of the churches aren't just carved into the rock but have been entirely freed from it. Pretty amazing stuff.

It's not just the out side of the churches that get all the attention, but some of the interiors also have amazingly detailed carvings. Many of the churches within this maze are linked via a warren of tunnels, some along as 30m!

The unexpected bonus was a meander around the so-called monestery. The monestery is simply a series of tiny carved out hollows into the rock face. The monks have since been kicked out and is now inhabited by nuns who live in these little rock cells, resembleming bees in a hive. The nuns were very keen for us to try some of their home made 'beer' and injera. Once again, apart form the main atractions here, which were spectacular, the town has little else to offer.