Ethiopia, where true beauty has no measure

By Lynet Otieno

The sweet, strong and aromatic smell of coffee ushers you to the Kuriftu Resort and Spa, Debrezeit where the waiter’s warm and inviting smiles waits.

Inside is a complete contrast to the hot sun and acres of dust that characterised our trip here. They say Ethiopia has the sun 13 months a year and I can attest to this just after a day. But here it’s all very calm and scenic with magnificent view.

We are thirsty and thankfully, as soon as we settle round a table shaped like the continent of Africa, a waiter rushes to us smiling. Without second thoughts we ask for cold fresh juice.

The hospitality is of high quality. You are effortlessly but skilfully served to your satisfaction. Talking in low but audible tones with genuine smiles the staff is at your beck and call. Nobody seems to be in unnecessary hurry to finish with you to rush to the next customer. All waiters and waitresses are young and agile.

Any noise you hear is of revellers having fun; perhaps enjoying the variety of music in the main hall, or children giggling past as they dash to the buffet table. There is a blend of beautiful traditional and modern music from a short distance, a hall away from us.

The DJ mixes a range of collections, from African to western music, which sometimes pulls guests from their seats to dance while others enjoy while seated, partly lost in their conversations, meals or drinks.

Tropical gardens

Couples, big families, singles and groups seem to love the breeze coming from Kuriftu, a crater lake almost surrounding the hotel.

Like many, I cannot resist the pull of the music, but my attention is once again diverted to the strong smell of coffee brewed by a woman in a traditional Ethiopian attire, seated on a low stool with a tray of tiny cups in front of her.

The lake and beautiful tropical gardens on the other side provide a perfect view for those inside the hotel or up in the rooms. There is a gigantic sitting deck outside slightly spanning over the lake at the main restaurant where the music is playing. From here, one has a full view of the fairly busy crater-lake, with people canoeing, power-boating, fishing or swimming. And a view of the resort from inside the lake shows an elegant and artistically built structure.

The journey to this place had been long, having taken us more than two hours instead of the normal 35 minutes from Addis Ababa. On the way, we had visited several other places, where we took time exploring and taking photos.

The Ethiopian Government’s Communication Affairs office had given international journalists who had arrived earlier to cover the African Union summit a tour of the country’s attractions in and on the outskirts of Addis Ababa, a day before the Heads of States’ session began.

We were made to choose between touring the city or Debre Zeit, where we could visit the industrial area and a few natural scenes. I chose the latter and this summed up my delight for the day.

A few vehicles on the way complemented the many horses pulling seemingly loosely roofed carts with a capacity of at least four passengers. The sight of emaciated horses was fascinating because back home a horse is a sign of affluence and lives a better life than an average Kenyan.

Along the way, homes border roads so closely that one wonders whether accidents ever occur here. But considering that for the whole two weeks we were there, I only saw one very minor road accident, I now understand why they are at peace.

Healthy culture

There is a visible good road culture. Even public service vehicle drivers have no madness associated with matatu drivers in Kenya. It is a Keep-right country and the roads have no bumps even where they pass through residential areas or near schools.

Passenger service vehicle drivers are courteous even to to their private vehicle counterparts, and wouldn’t hesitate to give way. Potholes are scarce and electricity and water are well provided in this rural area.

Women in long traditional Ethiopian dresses, mostly white, noticeably dot the roadsides as they go about their daily chores. And as we come close to the Resort, there are myriad green houses, most of them growing flowers for export.

We visit one and even though the experience is not different from those in Naivasha, it is nice to know flowers do well in such a dry place. Since I arriveds in Addis Ababa, I felt secure walking with my laptop in a bag and using my telephone in crowded streets. And even when they know you are a foreigner, they would rather beg for money than snatch a loosely placed item.

The same applies to this area 45km out of town. A child stares at us as we feed on groundnuts at one stop on our way to Kuriftu. When I share mine, there is a clear huge sigh of relief on her face. She mutters something like "amasaginalo," which we later learn means ‘thanks’. But before she can eat the nuts, she shares it with another smartly dressed woman, maybe her mother, who tells us the same thing.

Friendly folks

Perhaps it is because of the military nature of the country that people are well behaved. Even beggars do it in style. Were it not for the child, you would not take the woman for a beggar. Despite knowing we are foreigners judging from our language and skin colour, there is no sense of exploitation.

Instead, they try to greet us in their language and welcome us. Our tour guide tells us they are culturally taught to welcome visitors and treat them well. By the time we get to the hotel, we have learnt how to say ‘thank you’, call a male or a female person and maybe shout at a man walking carelessly on a busy road.

And when it is time to eat, the attractive buffet is welcoming, with beautiful designs and a variety of food that will make you feel like you belong. There is a wide choice of culinary delights and it is here that I sample real Kenyan food after two weeks of trying different Ethiopian ones.

Reluctant farewell

After the sumptuous meal, we head to a conference room from where we can view the garden-like cottages below us.

Even from outside, there is a huge sense of dÈcor, fireplaces put in front of every cottage and nice resting places on the porch.

By the time we are done with the Government officials who brought us here and everyone has to leave, I am tempted to remain behind and book myself in for another week to experience the spa and engage in outdoor sports like horse riding.