>> WELCOME TO "JOSEPH ROSENDO'S TRAVELSCOPE," WHERE YOU JOIN US AS WE ACCEPT THE WORLD'S INVITATION TO VISIT.

>> [BELLOWS] [CAPTIONING MADE POSSIBLE BY FRIENDS OF NCI] >> TODAY ON "TRAVELSCOPE," I TRAVEL TO NORTHERN ETHIOPIA TO UNCOVER ITS ANCIENT HISTORY AND DISCOVER ITS SPIRITUAL PRESENCE THROUGH CULTURAL ADVENTURES, MYTHS, AND LEGENDS.

>> "JOSEPH ROSENDO'S TRAVELSCOPE" IS MADE POSSIBLE BY VOLVO'S OVERSEAS DELIVERY PROGRAM, WHERE BUYERS CAN PICK UP A NEW VOLVO IN SWEDEN, USE IT IN EUROPE, AND THEN HAVE IT JOIN THEM AT HOME; NO-JET-LAG JET LAG PREVENTION; AUBERGE RESORTS' DISTINCTIVE COLLECTION OF LUXURY RESORTS, RESIDENCES, AND SPAS.

>> [SINGING] >> NOTED AS THE BIRTHPLACE OF MANKIND AND AN EARLY HOME TO CHRISTIANITY, ETHIOPIA IS ONE OF AFRICA'S LARGEST AND MOST POPULOUS COUNTRIES.

ONE OF ONLY TWO AFRICAN COUNTRIES TO RESIST COLONIZATION, UNTIL 1974, IT WAS A MONARCHY WHICH TRACED ITS DYNASTIC LINEAGE BACK TO THE DAYS OF KING SOLOMON.

WHILE SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA IS FAMOUS FOR ITS ETHNIC TRIBES, I START MY JOURNEY IN THE NORTH, WHERE REMNANTS OF ETHIOPIA'S GLORIOUS PAST SURVIVE, AND THE URBAN AND MODERN FLOURISH SIDE BY SIDE WITH THE NATURAL AND TRADITIONAL AND PEOPLE CONTINUE TO LIVE AS THEY HAVE FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

TAKING A WALK TO THE BLUE NILE FALLS IS ONE OF THE THINGS TO DO FROM BAHIR DAR.

THIS TRAIL IS ABOUT A 30-MINUTE WALK TO THE VIEW POINT.

IF YOU GO THIS WAY, GET TO WALK OVER THE 17th-CENTURY PORTUGUESE BRIDGE.

THEY SAY 1,000 EGGS WERE USED TO MIX WITH THE MORTAR TO CREATE THIS BRIDGE.

THAT'S QUITE A HARD-BOILED EGG THAT'S STILL STANDING.

SALAM.

THAT'S BEAUTIFUL, AND IF WE WERE HERE IN AUGUST OR SEPTEMBER, THAT WHOLE PLAIN WOULD BE FLOODED WITH WATER, AND WE'D BE COVERED WITH MIST, YET SINCE IT'S CLOSE BUT STILL SO FAR, THERE IS ANOTHER WAY TO GET THERE.

YOU COULD TAKE THE BOAT ACROSS THE RIVER AND THEN WALK TO THE EDGE OF THE FALLS.

OK.

HERE WE GO.

THIS IS A LOT MORE FUN.

AMESEGINALEHUGN.

WHOOP!

HOO HOO HOO!

HA!

HA HA!

WHOO HOO!

THIS IS GREAT, VERY SIMILAR OF WHEN I WAS LOOKING OVER VICTORIA FALLS IN ZAMBIA.

THE LOCAL NAME FOR BLUE NILE FALLS IS TIS ISSAT, WHICH MEANS WATER THAT SMOKES.

THE LOCAL NAME FOR VICTORIA FALLS ALSO TALKS ABOUT SMOKING WATER.

THIS USED TO BE THE SECOND LARGEST WATERFALL IN AFRICA.

IT'S LOST A LITTLE BIT OF ITS FIRE BECAUSE OF THE HYDROELECTRIC PLANT THAT'S UP RIVER, BUT TODAY IT'S SMOKING.

WHOO HOO HOO!

ETHIOPIA, WHICH IS TWICE THE SIZE OF TEXAS, IS REALLY AT LEAST TWO DIFFERENT COUNTRIES.

IN THE SOUTH, THE ETHNIC TRIBAL PEOPLE LIVE IN A LANDSCAPE IN THE RIFT VALLEY OF SAVANNAHS AND OUR STEREOTYPICAL, IF YOU WILL, IDEA OF WHAT AFRICA SHOULD REALLY LOOK LIKE.

IN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA, IT'S COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.

THERE'S MOUNTAINS.

THERE'S CANYONS.

THERE'S PLATEAUS.

THERE'S RIVERS, STREAMS, AND LAKES.

IN FACT, ETHIOPIA IS CALLED THE WATER TOWER OF AFRICA, THERE ARE SO MANY RIVERS AND STREAMS AND LAKES.

WE'RE ON LAKE TANA, WHICH, AT OVER 2,000 SQUARE MILES, IS THE LARGEST LAKE IN ETHIOPIA.

FROM THE LAKE, YOU COULD STOP OFF AT 31 DIFFERENT ISLANDS AND VISIT 37 DIFFERENT MONASTERIES.

ONLY A 35-MINUTE BOAT RIDE FROM BAHIR DAR, THE MONASTERIES ON THE ZEGE PENINSULA ARE A POPULAR STOP.

I'M PERSONALLY WELCOMED TO THE URA KIDANE MIHRET MONASTERY BY MY GUIDE TOMAS.

WHAT ARE THOSE BALLS ON THE TOP OF THE SANCTUARY?

>> OSTRICH EGGS BECAUSE OSTRICH, IT'S LOOKING AFTER HER EGGS.

ALSO OUR CHURCH, SHE IS LOOKING, YOU KNOW, HER PEOPLES, YOU KNOW, FROM THE TOP TO THE DOWN.

>> I HEARD THAT THE OSTRICH EGG-- I HEARD ONE STORY THAT IT REPRESENTS THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT IS WATCHING OVER THE MONASTERY JUST LIKE THE OSTRICH WATCHES OVER HER EGG.

>> YES.

>> OH, WHAT'S OVER-- OK. SALAM.

HERE, I IMAGINE, TAKE OUR SHOES OFF?

>> YES.

>> OH, MY GOSH, THIS IS BEAUTIFUL.

>> YEAH.

THIS IS THE SANCTUARY.

NO ONE CAN GO INSIDE EXCEPT PRIEST, DEACON, AND MONKS BECAUSE THIS IS THE PLACE WHERE THE ARK OF THE COVENANT IS HIDING... >> I SEE.

>> THE REPLICA ONE.

THE ORIGINAL ONE IS FOUND IN AKSUM, BUT EVERY CHURCHES HERE IN ETHIOPIA HAS THEIR OWN ARK OF THE COVENANT, THE REPLICA ARK OF THE COVENANT.

>> SO IF I UNDERSTAND, THESE PICTURES DEPICT THE LIVES OF THE MARTYRS... >> YES.

OF COURSE.

>> AND BASICALLY TELL BIBLICAL STORIES SO THAT PEOPLE-- WHEN WAS THIS BUILT?

>> IN FOURTH CENTURY.

>> SO WHEN PEOPLE CAME HERE TO PRAY, THEY LEARNT A STORY OF THE BIBLE BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T READ AT THAT TIME.

>> SURE.

WE HAVE ONE HISTORY.

ACTUALLY, IT'S NOT FROM THE BIBLE.

IT'S FROM THE BOOK OF MARY MIRACLES.

SO ONCE UPON A TIME, SAINT MICHAEL, HE BROUGHT HER IN HEAVEN, AND SHE LOOKS AT THE PEOPLES IN HEAVEN, AND SAINT MARY WAS VERY HAPPY, AND THEN IN THE SAME TIMES, HE BROUGHT HER IN HELL, AND SHE LOOK AT PEOPLE IN HELL.

THAT'S WHY SHE WAS CRYING.

>> AND THE BOOK OF MARY MIRACLES, IS THAT AN ETHIOPIAN HOLY BOOK?

>> YES.

YES.

>> FROM THE CHURCH, TOMAS AND I VISIT A SMALL MUSEUM WHERE ANCIENT SPIRITUAL TEXTS ARE WATCHED OVER BY ONE OF THE MONASTERY'S MOST TRUSTED MONKS.

THIS WAS PAINTED BY THE MONKS AT THAT TIME.

>> SURE.

YEAH.

>> HOW OLD IS THIS?

>> NINTH CENTURY.

>> NINTH CENTURY.

>> NINTH.

>> 9, AND HOW DID THEY WRITE THAT?

>> BAMBOO PEN.

>> WITH A BAMBOO PEN?

BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL.

>> LOOK AT THIS.

LOOK.

>> WHAT AMAZING TREASURES THESE ARE.

BEHIND THERE ARE THE CROWNS OF THE KINGS OF ETHIOPIA.

WHEN THEY CAME TO THE MONASTERY, THEY WOULD LEAVE THEIR CROWNS AS A WAY TO HONOR THE MONASTERY.

>> SURE, SURE, BECAUSE IN THE ANCIENT TIME HERE IN ETHIOPIA, STATE AND RELIGION HAD STRONG RELATIONSHIPS.

>> FROM THE MONASTERIES OF LAKE TANA, I TRAVELED TO GONDAR, WHICH WAS FOUNDED BY EMPEROR FASILIDES IN 1632 BECAUSE OF ITS STRATEGIC LOCATION.

GONDAR WAS THE THIRD PERMANENT CHRISTIAN CAPITAL ESTABLISHED IN ETHIOPIA, FOR ALTHOUGH THE ETHIOPIAN CIVILIZATION IS MORE THAN 5,000 YEARS OLD, BY THE FOURTH CENTURY A.D., CHRISTIANITY HAD BECOME THE STATE RELIGION.

SERVICE IS IN PROGRESS WHEN I ARRIVE AT THE DEBRE BERHAN SELASSIE CHURCH WITH MY GUIDE [INDISTINCT].

>> THIS CHURCH WERE BUILT IN 1682 BY KING ADYAM SAGAD-IYASU, THE THIRD GONDARIAN KING, IN 1682.

[BELL RINGS] >> [SINGING] >> THEY SAID, "GIVE US MERCY.

JESUS, GIVE US MERCY."

>> "GIVE US MERCY"?

>> YEAH.

>> [SINGING] >> SO THEY'RE GOING INTO THE CHURCH NOW.

>> YEAH.

THEY WILL GET HOLY WATER.

AFTER THE PRAYING, WE BELIEVE THOSE WATERS WILL BE HOLY WATERS.

IN 1888, WE HAD 44 CHURCHES AROUND GONDAR.

ABOUT 40 OF THE CHURCHES WERE BURNED BY THE SUDANESE, BUT WHEN THE SUDANESE CAME HERE TO BURN THE CHURCH, THE SWARM OF BEES COME OUT FROM THE CHURCH AND ATTACK THE SUDANESE.

BECAUSE OF THAT, THIS CHURCH SAVED BY THE SWARM OF BEES.

>> WELL, IF THEY'RE GIVING THE HOLY WATER FOR THE MEN ON THE OTHER SIDE, LET'S GO.

>> YEAH.

LET'S GO.

[SPEAKS AMHARIC] >> THE RITUALISTIC ACT OF WASHING MY FACE IN HOLY WATER GIVES ME AN ENTREE INTO THE EXPERIENCE, WHICH PROVES TO ME ONCE AGAIN THAT EVEN IN SITUATIONS WHICH ARE FOREIGN, WHERE YOU FEEL LEFT OUT, IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, YOU CAN ALWAYS FIND A WAY TO CONNECT TO A CULTURE.

5-HOUR DRIVE FROM GONDAR TO AKSUM TAKES ME BACK FURTHER IN TIME.

MORE THAN ANY OTHER PLACE IN ETHIOPIA, AKSUM IS CONNECTED TO THE PAST.

ITS HISTORY IS TOLD THROUGH STORIES AND LEGENDS THAT ARE SUSTAINED THROUGH FAITH ALONE, AND WITH A CAST OF CHARACTERS THAT RANGE FROM MOSES AND KING SOLOMON TO THE QUEEN OF SHEBA, ETHIOPIA HAS HAD A LONG AND RICH HISTORY, AND AKSUM PLAYS A VERY IMPORTANT PART IN THAT HISTORY.

ESTABLISHED AROUND 400 B.C., IT WAS THE SEAT OF THE AKSUMITE DYNASTY, WHICH RULED UNTIL 700 A.D.

I'M IN STELAE PARK, WHERE THERE ARE 22 STELAE.

STELES ARE A BILLBOARD OF POWER AND A TOMBSTONE.

BEHIND ME IS THE ROMAN STELE, WHICH WAS TAKEN FROM THIS SITE IN 1937 BY THE ITALIANS AND BROUGHT BACK TO THIS SITE IN 2005 AND RAISED IN THE SAME LOCATION.

THE GIANT STELE WHICH LIES ON THE GROUND WEIGHS UP TO 517 TONS.

THAT'S OVER A MILLION POUNDS.

ALL OF THE STELAE OF AKSUM ARE PRE-CHRISTIAN, AND YOU'LL FIND PAGAN SYMBOLS ON THEM--LIKE THE SUN AND THE MOON ON TOP, WHICH THEY WORSHIPPED, AND THE DESIGN OF THE IBEX, WHICH WAS THE ANIMAL THAT WAS SACRIFICED IN HONOR OF THE DEAD.

THE TIME BETWEEN THE SECOND CENTURY B.C.

AND THE FOURTH CENTURY A.D. IS CONSIDERED THE AGE OF INNOVATION AND EXPLORATION IN THE AKSUMITE DYNASTY.

AT LEAST TWO IMPORTANT THINGS HAPPENED.

THE LANGUAGE EVOLVED, AND, AS SYMBOLIZED BY THE FALL OF THE GREAT STELE, BY THE FOURTH CENTURY, PAGANISM HAD MERGED INTO CHRISTIANITY, THE NEW STATE RELIGION.

BEHOLD THE PALACE OF THE QUEEN OF SHEBA... MAYBE.

ETHIOPIA IS A LAND OF STORIES, AND THE STORY AROUND THE QUEEN OF SHEBA IS SHROUDED WITH MYSTERY, BUT EVERY ETHIOPIAN WILL TELL YOU THAT THE ROYAL LINEAGE OF THEIR FORMER MONARCHY CAN BE TRACED BACK TO KING SOLOMON OF JERUSALEM AND THE QUEEN OF SHEBA, WHO WAS QUEEN OF ETHIOPIA IN 900 B.C.

DURING THAT TIME, SHE WENT TO THE COURT OF KING SOLOMON ON A TRADE MISSION AND CAME BACK WITH CHILD.

THAT CHILD WAS KING MENELIK, THE FIRST OF A 3,000-YEAR-LONG SOLOMONIC DYNASTY WHICH ENDED IN THE 1970s WITH EMPEROR HAILE SELASSIE.

THE GREATEST MYSTERY OF THEM ALL IS THE MYSTERY OF THE ARK OF THE COVENANT.

JEWISH TRADITION HOLDS THAT THE ARK OF THE COVENANT WAS DESTROYED WITH THE FIRST TEMPLE OF SOLOMON.

ETHIOPIANS BELIEVE THAT THE ORIGINAL ARK OF THE COVENANT IS IN THAT CHAPEL RIGHT THERE GUARDED AND MINISTERED TO BY A SOLITARY MONK WHO HAS LIVED THERE FOR 36 YEARS AND CANNOT LEAVE AND THE ARK HAS BEEN IN ETHIOPIA SINCE THE NINTH CENTURY B.C.

IT CAME WITH KING MENELIK.

HE VISITED HIS FATHER'S COURT IN JERUSALEM AND, UPON LEAVING, WAS GIVEN BY THE HEAD RABBI THE ARK OF THE COVENANT, AND HERE'S HOW THE OTHER HISTORIC SITES TIE IN WITH THIS MYSTERY.

NO ONE REALLY KNOWS HOW THE GREAT STONES AT STELAE PARK WERE TRANSPORTED 4 KILOMETERS FROM THE QUARRY TO STELAE PARK AND ERECTED.

TRADITION HOLDS THAT IT WAS THE CELESTIAL POWERS OF THE ARK OF THE COVENANT THAT PERFORMED THIS MIRACLE.

WHETHER OR NOT YOU BELIEVE THE ARK OF THE COVENANT IS IN THAT CHAPEL IS A MATTER OF FAITH, BUT ONE THING OF WHICH THERE IS NO DOUBT IS THAT THE ETHIOPIANS ARE FILLED WITH THAT FAITH.

FOR CLOSE TO 1,000 YEARS, THE AKSUMITE EMPIRE DERIVED ITS ANCIENT WEALTH AND POWER FROM ITS FERTILE LANDS, NATURAL RESOURCES, AND PRIMARILY ITS LOCATION ON THE RICH TRADE ROUTES OF AFRICA AND ASIA.

AT AKSUM'S CHAOTIC SATURDAY MARKET, IT'S EASY TO IMAGINE WHAT IT MUST HAVE BEEN LIKE TO VISIT THE BAZAAR DURING ITS HEYDAY.

THIS IS THE KIND OF MARKETS I LOVE--HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE, AND THEY'RE SELLING ALL SORTS OF INTERESTING THINGS.

LOOK AT THESE LITTLE TOMATOES.

THIS LADY CAME FROM 15 KILOMETERS AWAY, AND THESE CAME RIGHT OUT OF HER GARDEN.

ON MARKET DAY, PEOPLE COME FROM LONG WAYS.

I MEAN, THEY'LL WALK FOR HOUR OR MORE JUST TO GET HERE.

THEY START ABOUT 11:00 OR A LITTLE BIT LATER BECAUSE IT TAKES TIME FOR PEOPLE TO GET TO THE MARKET.

THIS IS AN INTERESTING PARKING LOT HERE AT THE AKSUM MARKET.

YOU HAVE CAMELS.

YOU HAVE DONKEYS.

I THOUGHT THIS WAS WHERE THEY WERE SELLING THE ANIMALS, BUT, AS A MATTER OF FACT, THIS IS THE MODE OF TRANSPORTATION IN THIS REGION.

THE AKSUM MARKET IS A COMMODITIES MARKET.

IT'S A FOOD MARKET, AND ALSO THERE'S GRAINS HERE.

WE HAVE BARLEY.

WE HAVE WHEAT, AND THERE'S MILLET HERE THAT THEY MAKE A LOCAL BEER FROM.

>> HA HA HA!

>> HE'S A GOOD-NATURED GUY.

YOU KNOW, HE'S HAPPY TO SPEAK TO US.

>> [SPEAKING AMHARIC] >> WHAT?

WHAT?

HMM?

BUT HOW DO YOU COOK IT?

OH.

MY GOSH, THIS IS HARD AS A ROCK, AND HE'S CHEWING IT RIGHT DOWN, BREAKING-- HE MUST HAVE JAWS OF STEEL.

OH, IT MAKES YOU BIG AND FAT.

AH.

HA HA HA!

MAKES YOU HEALTHY AND BIG AND-- YOU'RE GONNA BREAK MY TEETH.

I'VE LEARNED IN THE MARKETS HERE IN ETHIOPIA THAT IT'S NOT JUST A MATTER OF A PLACE TO BUY AND SELL.

IT'S A MATTER OF A PLACE TO COME TOGETHER, AND THIS GENTLEMAN SEEMS TO BE MAKING THE MOST OUT OF HIS STAY HERE.

AMESEGINALEHUGN.

WHILE LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE EMPIRE THAT REPLACED THE AKSUMITES, LALIBELA--LOCATED AT 9,000 FEET IN THE ROCKY, DRY MOUNTAINS OF CENTRAL ETHIOPIA--STANDS AS A NAMESAKE AND A TRIBUTE TO KING LALIBELA OF THE ZAGWE DYNASTY.

IT IS HERE, IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, THAT KING LALIBELA SET OUT TO BUILD A HOLY PLACE OF PILGRIMAGE.

ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS THE ZAGWE DYNASTY THAT RULED FOR 200 YEARS THROUGHOUT THE 12th AND 13th CENTURY.

THEY ESTABLISHED THE SECOND PERMANENT CHRISTIAN CAPITAL HERE AT WHAT WAS CALLED ROHA.

IN ORDER TO KEEP HIM FROM FULFILLING HIS MOTHER'S PROPHECY THAT HE WOULD BECOME KING, THE THEN-KING, HIS HALF-BROTHER, POISONED LALIBELA.

HE WENT INTO A COMA AND HAD A VISION.

LEGEND SAYS THAT HE ROSE UP INTO HEAVEN AND FROM THE HIGHEST ON HIGH GOT ORDERS TO COME BACK AND CREATE THE NEW JERUSALEM, AND SO LALIBELA BECAME KING, AND AT THE END OF THE 12th CENTURY, OVER THE COURSE OF 25 YEARS, HE AND 40,000 TO 60,000 WORKERS CREATED 11 CHURCHES IN TWO GROUPS WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE, ROCK-HEWN CHURCHES CARVED FROM THE MOTHER ROCK AND STANDING SEPARATE FROM IT OR CARVED INTO THE MOTHER ROCK.

ALL THE CHURCHES IN THE TWO LALIBELA GROUPS ARE CONNECTED BY A MAZE OF TUNNELS, STAIRWAYS, AND TRENCHES.

JUST VISITING THIS SITE IS AN ADVENTURE.

TO HELP ME NAVIGATE THE MAZE OF PASSAGEWAYS AND TUNNELS, CONNECT THE HISTORIC DOTS, AND INTERPRET THE SIGNS AND SYMBOLS ON THE ROCK-HEWN CHURCHES, I ENLIST THE ASSISTANCE OF MY GUIDE [INDISTINCT].

>> SO, JOSEPH, THIS IS SAINT MARY'S CHURCH, SUPPOSEDLY THE FIRST ROCK CHURCH CARVED IN LALIBELA.

THE TOP 3 RECTANGULAR WINDOWS REPRESENT THE TRINITY, BEING 3, AND BELOW, THE 3 DIFFERENT CROSS DESIGNS SHOW JESUS IN THE MIDDLE AND THE TWO BANDITS TO THE RIGHT AND LEFT SIDE OF JESUS.

>> STORY OF THE CRUCIFIXION.

>> STORY OF CRUCIFIXION, AND YOU ALSO HAVE A SIGN OF KEYS LIKE WHEN WE SAY KEY TO HEAVEN AND THE OTHER ONE THE KEY TO HELL.

>> SO THE ONE THIEF MOCKED JESUS, SO HE HAS A SYMBOL THAT THE BOTTOM WHICH HE'S GOING TO HELL, AND THE OTHER ONE PRAISED HIM.

HE'S GOING TO HEAVEN.

>> EXACTLY.

>> SO EVEN IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW THE STORY, JUST BY COMING HERE, YOU CAN LEARN THE ST-- >> YOU CAN LEARN A LOT ABOUT IT.

YES.

SO NOW WE ARE IN TWO CHURCHES.

ONE IS THE CHURCH OF GOLGOTHA, WHERE WE HAVE THE GRAVE OF KING LALIBELA, AND HERE WE ARE IN THE CHURCH OF SINAI, WHERE WE HAVE THE HOLY OF HOLIES BEHIND THIS CURTAIN.

FROM YOUR STAY IN AKSUM, YOU REMEMBER THESE PRE-CHRISTIAN SYMBOLS, LIKE THE MOON, WHICH ALSO YOU CAN SEE DEPICTED ON THE WALLS OF THE CHURCH.

>> IT'S IN THE WINDOW THERE.

YOU KNOW, THAT HAPPENS ALL THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.

IT'S CALLED SYNCRETISM, WHERE THE NEW RELIGION, CHRISTIANITY, INCORPORATES THE SYMBOLS AND THE DESIGNS AND THE BELIEFS OF THE PREVIOUS RELIGION.

IT MAKES IT EASIER FOR THE PEOPLE WHO BELIEVED IN THOSE PAGAN GODS TO NOW CHANGE AND INCORPORATE THE CHRISTIAN GOD.

IT'S VERY INTERESTING TO SEE IT HERE IN LALIBELA.

THE LAST OF THE 11 ROCK-HEWN CHURCHES IS THE CHURCH OF SAINT GEORGE, WHO IS THE PATRON SAINT OF ETHIOPIA.

SO WHY IS IT THE LAST CHURCH?

CHURCH HISTORY TELLS US THAT KING LALIBELA, AFTER FINISHING THE OTHER CHURCHES, HAD A DREAM WHERE THE PATRON SAINT CAME TO HIM ATOP A WHITE HORSE AND SAID, "WHY HAVEN'T YOU CARVED A CHURCH FOR ME?"

SHORTLY THEREAFTER, KING LALIBELA CARVED THIS SPECTACULAR CHURCH.

IT'S INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT THERE ARE MORE THAN 200 ROCK-HEWN CHURCHES IN ETHIOPIA.

THESE ARE SPECIAL.

THEY'RE NOT CARVED ON A MOUNTAINTOP, NOT CARVED ON A CLIFF FACE.

THEY'RE CARVED OUT OF THE EARTH BELOW GROUND LEVEL FOR DEFENSIVE REASONS AGAINST CHURCH DESTROYERS, AND SO IF I DIDN'T TELL YOU THAT THIS WAS HERE, YOU WOULDN'T EVEN BE ABLE TO SEE IT FROM ANYWHERE AROUND.

>> [SINGING] >> AFTER A FULL DAY OF HISTORY AND LOOKING AT THESE CHURCHES HERE IN LALIBELA, IT'S GREAT TO COME BACK IN THE EARLY MORNING AND SEE IT COME TO LIFE WITH PRAYERS AND CHANTING, BUT THESE CHURCHES HAVE BEEN A DESTINATION FOR PILGRIMAGES EVER SINCE THEY WERE BUILT.

THEY WERE BUILT AS A MANIFESTATION OF ONE MAN'S FAITH, AND FOR THE PEOPLE WHO COME HERE AND STAY HERE AND PRAY HERE, IT CONTINUES TO BE THAT.

>> [SINGING] >> THIS GENTLEMAN IS ONE OF THE PILGRIMS WHO HAVE COME HERE TO LALIBELA, AND WE'RE WITHIN, AS YOU CAN HEAR, CHANTING DISTANCE FROM 3 OF THE CHURCHES IN ONE OF THE COMPLEXES.

WHEN THESE CHURCHES WERE BUILT, THE SMALL CAVES WERE CARVED INTO THE ROCK SO THAT PILGRIMS WHO CAME WOULD HAVE A PLACE TO SIT AND BE QUIET AND MEDITATE.

IT WOULD BE GREAT IF I COULD SPEAK WITH HIM AND PRAY WITH HIM.

SO WHAT I CAN DO IS, HE CAN PRAY IN HIS WAY, AND I'LL PRAY IN MY WAY.

THAT WAY, WE WILL PRAY TOGETHER.

THESE ARE THE KIND OF TRAVEL EXPERIENCES YOU NEVER FORGET.

AMESEGINALEHUGN.

>> [SPEAKING AMHARIC] >> [SPEAKS AMHARIC] SHH.

TOURISM CAN HAVE A POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE INFLUENCE ON A CULTURE.

ON THE POSITIVE SIDE, I VISIT SAINT LALIBELA SHEKET ELEMENTARY AFTER LEARNING THAT THE AGAPE KIDS CHOIR AT MY SPIRITUAL CENTER IN LOS ANGELES IS ASSISTING THE SCHOOL.

IN 2005 ON A CHURCH-ORGANIZED TOUR OF ETHIOPIA, CHOIR MEMBERS CHRISTIAN AND MARLEY OYEN AND THEIR PARENTS DOUG AND ANDREA VISIT THE SCHOOL, MAKE FRIENDS, SHARE EXPERIENCES, AND RECOGNIZE THE STUDENTS' NEEDS.

UPON THEIR RETURN TO LOS ANGELES, THEY INSPIRE AGAPE'S ZEBRAH SMACKS TO SUPPORT THE SCHOOL THROUGH THE WRITING, RECORDING, AND PERFORMING OF THE GROUP'S ORIGINAL SONGS.

THE $20,000 THEY RAISED FUNDS A 2,000-GALLON WATER TANK, 2,500 LIBRARY BOOKS, AND A COPY MACHINE.

>> YES.

YOU ARE GIVING THIS FOR THE TEACHERS.

>> OH, THIS IS GOOD.

SO THIS IS REALLY A TOOL THAT THE TEACHERS ARE ABLE TO USE... >> YEAH.

THIS IS TOOL.

>> AND THE CHILDREN FEEL GOOD GETTING THEIR TESTS IN THIS FORM.

>> YEAH.

>> I CAN'T IMAGINE FEELING GOOD ABOUT GETTING TESTS IN ANY FORM.

>> YEAH.

HA HA!

>> THE PROOF OF EDUCATION IS IN THE STUDENTS.

DIRECTOR BELAY TAKES ME TO MEET SOME OF THEM.

>> WELCOME.

HOW'S THE MISSUS?

>> YES.

SIT DOWN.

>> SALAM.

SALAM.

SALAM.

SO THESE ARE THE SECOND GRADERS.

OK. HOW MANY STUDENTS ARE HERE AT THE SCHOOL?

>> USUALLY, WE HAVE ALMOST 2,400 STUDENTS.

SOME OF THEM ARE LIVING WITHOUT THEIR PARENTS-- THEY ARE POOR STUDENTS--BECAUSE OF HIV.

>> ARE YOU FROM THIS AREA?

>> I'M FROM THIS AREA.

I BORN HERE.

>> YOU'RE BORN HERE?

>> YEAH.

I LEARNED HERE GRADE ONE UP TO 6.

>> IS THIS LIKE A MODERN SCHOOL NOW COMPARED TO WHERE YOU LEARNED?

>> YEAH.

IT IS VERY NICE SCHOOL.

USED TO BE POOR.

NOW THEY ARE LEARNING HERE.

THEY DON'T GO TO ANOTHER PLACE.

EVERYTHING IS GOOD IN LALIBELA.

>> AH.

>> WELCOME TO LALIBELA.

>> SALAM.

SALAM.

SALAM.

>> SIT DOWN, STUDENTS.

>> HOWDY, SHERIFF.

>> OH, THEY KNOW ENGLISH.

>> THEY LEARN AMHARIC, ENGLISH, MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE, MUSIC... >> OH.

>> AND SPORT.

>> NOW, WHEN YOU ASK THE CHILDREN WHAT DO THEY WANT TO DO LATER IN LIFE-- >> YEAH.

YOU CAN ASK, "WHAT IS YOUR VISION?"

>> WHAT IS YOUR VISION?

>> SCIENTIST.

>> SCIENTIST.

OK.

HERE'S A SCIENTIST.

HOW ABOUT YOU?

WHAT IS YOUR VISION?

>> [INDISTINCT] >> A PILOT.

>> A PILOT.

FROM GRADE ONE, YOU GIVE THEM A VISION.

>> YEAH.

WHAT IS YOUR VISION SO YOU HAVE TO STUDY HARD.

>> AMESEGINALEHUGN.

>> THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

>> OK.

I'LL SURPRISE ANOTHER CLASS.

>> OH, YEAH?

>> YEAH.

>> OK. [MUSIC PLAYING] OH... AMESEGINALEHUGN.

AMESEGINALEHUGN.

THANK YOU.

[BELL RINGING] THANK YOU FOR JOINING ME ON MY NORTHERN ETHIOPIAN ADVENTURE.

DURING MY TRAVELS THROUGH NORTHERN ETHIOPIA, I SAW AND DID MANY THINGS.

THIS IS A LAND WHERE LEGEND, HISTORY, AND FAITH COME TOGETHER AND HAVE MUCH TO TEACH THE TRAVELER, YET WHILE ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS, TOWERING MONUMENTS, AND RELIGIOUS MYTHS CAPTURED MY IMAGINATION, IT IS THE EXPERIENCES WHERE I TOOK THE TIME TO SLOW DOWN AND ALLOW THE MOMENT TO OVERTAKE ME AND THE CULTURE TO TOUCH ME THAT I WILL CHERISH THE MOST, LIKE WALKING TO THE WATERFALL, PRAYING WITH A PILGRIM, OR DANCING WITH CHILDREN.

THESE ARE THE MEMORIES THAT WILL LAST LONG AFTER THE GLOW FROM MY ETHIOPIAN JOURNEY HAS FADED.

UNTIL NEXT TIME, THIS IS JOSEPH ROSENDO REMINDING YOU OF THE WORDS OF MARK TWAIN-- "TRAVEL IS FATAL TO PREJUDICE, BIGOTRY, AND NARROW-MINDEDNESS."

HAPPY TRAVELING.

>> "JOSEPH ROSENDO'S TRAVELSCOPE" IS MADE POSSIBLE BY VOLVO'S OVERSEAS DELIVERY PROGRAM, WHERE BUYERS CAN PICK UP A NEW VOLVO IN SWEDEN, USE IT IN EUROPE, AND THEN HAVE IT JOIN THEM AT HOME; NO-JET-LAG JET LAG PREVENTION; AUBERGE RESORTS' DISTINCTIVE COLLECTION OF LUXURY RESORTS, RESIDENCES, AND SPAS.

FOR A DVD OF TODAY'S SHOW OR ANY OF JOSEPH'S "TRAVELSCOPE" ADVENTURES, CALL 888-876-3399 OR ORDER ONLINE AT TRAVELSCOPE.NET.

YOU CAN ALSO E-MAIL US AT TV@TRAVELSCOPE.NET OR WRITE US AT THE ADDRESS ON YOUR SCREEN.

>> NOW THAT WE'VE ENJOYED CULTURAL ADVENTURES IN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA, LEARN MORE AT TRAVELSCOPE.NET, WHERE YOU CAN FOLLOW MY ADVENTURES THROUGH MY E-MAGAZINE, BLOG, PODCAST, AND ON FACEBOOK.

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[CAPTIONING MADE POSSIBLE BY FRIENDS OF NCI] [CAPTIONED BY THE NATIONAL CAPTIONING INSTITUTE --www.ncicap.org--] >> [SINGING] >> FULL?

SATISFIED?

GET FAT?

THIS IS LIKE CHARADES.