Southern Ethiopia - Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somaliland - page 340

people, rather than taking you to the typical tourist spots; and whether they are physically able to help you carry
some of your gear if necessary.
I've lucked out and had a couple of great guides on my trips to the Omo Valley. I've made a great friend,
Anteneh Endale Mamo ( 0911-536954; [e-mail]) . Anteneh is from the south of Ethiopia
and knows the area well, having grown up among the various ethnic groups living here. The people respect him, and
by association, they respected me too, and that made things a lot easier. He's often on the road and out of contact,
though.
Hard drives: When I travel for photography, I know that the most valuable things I have are not my cameras or
equipment, but the images I am creating. I have a very simple formula: I travel with a laptop, and dump my images
to two different hard drives. I always keep those two hard drives in separate places. For example, one is in my pock-
et at all times and the other is left at the guesthouse. With this system, it's hard for both drives to go missing.
Charging batteries: Hotels and guesthouses in the Omo Valley are run on gas generators. The manager will only
turn them on for a short time at night. If you need to charge something during the day, bring extra gasoline in a jerry
can and offer it to the manager. Gasoline is hard to come by in such a remote area, so this goes a long way and be-
comes a great bartering tool for keeping your stuff charged.
This is not a safari or zoo: You are in another person's backyard. This is someone's home. If you want to take
photographs, ask permission first.
Around Jinka
MURSI VILLAGES
For almost all visitors, the Mursi is the most anticipated Lower Omo tribe. The unique
chance to meet half-naked women with giant lip and ear plates and ritually scarred bodies
simply proves irresistible. But visiting comes with a catch. Even though things have im-
proved in recent years, the Mursi are the most aggressive tribe in their interaction with
tourists and you can expect to have your arm, clothes, camera bag and maybe even hair
pulled. Things are worse in the afternoon, after lots of alcohol has been consumed.
There are five Mursi villages. The most visited is Hayloha . It's the biggest and even
has a few 'modern' buildings. Smaller and purely traditional, Mirige tends to come with
fewer hassles. The other three villages are down horrible roads and rarely visited. All
charge Birr100 per person entrance.
Guides (per day Birr200: includes visiting an Ari village if you want) must be hired in
Jinka through the local guide associations ( Click here ) which can also arrange transport
by 4WD and motorcycle. And, since the villages are just west of Mago National Park, you
must also pay all park fees ( Click here ) just to drive there. Visitors can sleep in any of
the villages for Birr100 per person.