Gardening in Bishoftu

gardening leave in Bishoftu

View Point Lodge is owned by Yann, a Belgium guy married to a local, and the views are truly exceptional. It’s over-priced for basic conditions (Birr 700 / 900 per single/doubles), but it’s rustic and laid-back. They do meat/fish lunches/dinners including soup, salad, fresh veg, rice or fries for Birr 100.

I take the lakeside cottage accessed through two bamboo ladders, the first leading up to my veranda where i play some R n B covers and a the 2^nd up to the basic mud and wood bedroom with floor to ceiling window directly over the lake. None of the lakeside cottages have a toilet but access to a cold shower. 

boats ply across lake Bagamoya

The views over Bagamoya lake are fantastic, and the bird-life rich and varied, including two black and white kingfishers that perch on my windowsill. At night i can hear the hyenas sounding off hauntingly across the lake and i wake pre-dawn to the cacophony of bird-song.

 pied kingfisher next to my window

It can be bloody cold at dawn and i’m bloody pleased i’ve packed my yak blanket.