With this post I will end the first group of churches in Lalibela. The remaining churches of this group are considerably smaller: Bet Meskel, Bet DanaGhel, Bet Mikael, and Bet Golgotha. Actually, they look more like chapels than full churches.

Bet

Mikael and Bet Golgotha are called “twin churches”, and King Lalibela himself is supposed to be buried at Bet Golgotha:

I really think that the Lalibela churches deserve more than one visit to truly appreciate them and would suggest to go at least twice and maybe have a map, book, or pictures before you go to be able to recognize them and their features.
I hope I can get back someday and see them again.
I have more pictures at the blog’s Facebook page if you want to check them out.

In Lalibela, I visited the second group and also a small church carved in the mountain, the Nakuto Lab monastery, that is about 6 km from town and that I think is the most beautiful and peaceful place I have ever been to. If you have some money to spare, please go; guides charge about 40 dollars to drive you there and the entrance is of the 100 birr. You can walk if you want, but the road to get up there is uphill and remember you still have to get back to town… One of the reasons I went is that a German tourist that was also traveling alone invited me to go with her, if it wasn’t for that I probably would have never discovered it.
There is also another church further away from Lalibela that not many people go to but that probably deserves a visit, Yemrehanna Krestos.

I will leave Lalibela churches for a while now and jump to the subject of the TESFA trek in the next post.

AliciA