Continuing a Memorable Day

I'm still debating on telling you everything that happened this day. Gretchen will either appreciate those post or not. We'll see. After going to the museum, Able suggested that we go to a near by lion cage. We had extra time and I think that the driver Abeselom suggested it. Though I don't know why he was paid a flat rate per day, not by the hour. At the lion enclosure they charged us per person and per camera. And if you had a video camera it was more. We got out of the van under a millium (again sorry for sp, it will not give me any ideas) sign. Remember they are only in the year 2002. Emily forgot to bring her receipt to get inside the main gates so we waited on her. They were debating on whether or not we could all go in, they don't seem to understand that G, B and I are traveling together, even with the receipt. But finally they let us into the inter sanctum. I think I might have rather stayed outside. It was a circle shaped enclosure divided into 4 or 5 pie shaped sections. The center was probably where the lions slept. G, B and Able were in front of me and all of a sudden G jumped back. The attendants had just thrown a piece of animal over the fence to a lion and it was stuck on one of the trusses over head. The lion was standing on his back legs trying to get the meat down. When I say animal it was pretty much a 1/4 of something dead, not just a piece of meat like I've seen zookeepers give lions around here.

We could have touched the lions. There was a fence of chain link about 6 inches in front of a rebar cage. I took a picture through the chain link, it was unbelievable. They weren't very nice to the lions, to get them to move they sprayed them with water hoses. Terri got sprayed with the water. Ethiopian water, in the face. Oh yeah, she was sick later in the week, I wonder if that was what it was from. The smell was terrible. The cages were pretty clean but I think it was the temperature and the raw meat. YUCK!!!!!!!!!!! Able said he had only been there one other time, I think. I'm not sure he will ever take another family there even if they have extra time. The kids were very excited to see us. There was a school or group home there also. They weren't in uniforms. There was everything from party dresses to shorts, suit and ties to winter coats on the kids. We were stared at by several families. White people with black babies. We went to lunch at the Blue Top Cafe. Bill had fried chicken with lots and lots of breading. Gretchen and I had breaded chicken breast pounded into a huge piece, over 1/2 of the plate, spinach, potatoes, and carrots. We also had desert. G and B shared a banana split, only chocolate, no nuts. I had chocolate moose with ice cream, very, very rich. Very, very good, desert any way. I said we need to go back there and teach them how to cook American food. the soda is in bottles like we used to get out of the old soda machines, 8 oz or so. Amharic writing on one side COKE on the other, I brought some home, thanks Abel for bringing me some. After lunch we headed back to the guest house. This day will be several posts because it took me 16 pages to write it all in my journal.