With my breakfast, they gave me a big stick, but didn't tell me why.
It didn't take long to figure it out. I was still swallowing my first bite when two monkeys, both carrying babies on their stomachs, flanked me.
I looked at one and she pretended to be nibbling on a fern and then looked away from me as if she was just another breakfast guest.
When I seemed distracted, she inched closer - actually smacking her little monkey lips. I just touched the stock and she backed away.
Then I noticed the other monkey was practically in my lap contemplating a grab and run.
We started a dance - I would take a bite, they would inch closer, I would touch the stick, they would back away. Repeat.
It made for an entertaining, but stressful breakfast.
For the final chapter of my trip, I decided to visit Awassa, a lakeside resort town between Arba Minch and Addis Ababa and home to hundreds and hundreds of monkeys.
I met a Peace Corps volunteer who lives here and has been showing me around.
Awassa is the capital of the Southern Nations - all the tribes in the Omo Valley (more than 50) are governed here. It's also a hot spot for wealthy Ethiopians and a tourist stop for foreigners not far from Addis.
The streets area wide and paved. They sidewalks are cobblestone. There are crosswalks and glass buildings and ice cream.
The Peace Corps volunteer hasn't seen the rest of Ethiopia but I keep telling here she doesn't know how lucky she is to be posted in Awassa.
It's been a nice ending to my months in Ethiopia - sitting by the lake in the evening with by American friend.
It's a good mid-point between village life and home in Texas and I imagine it might keep me from being too weird when I get home because I've had a shower, some English conversation and a fresh mozzarella, basil and tomato salad.
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