Days 7 & 8 - Bahir Dar sights: the regional Fistula Hospital, Blue Nile Falls, local markets, and boat-ride to a monastry on the lake..

This morning we visited the regional Hamlin centre locatedwithin the grounds of the government hospital. Run by a very compassionate doctor, this centre offers life-changing and life-saving treatment to women in this region, supported by remote and rural health centres that have Hamlin trained and employed midwives embedded in them. The patients and staff treated us to impromptu traditional dancing and there was a general happines at the break in routine and a genuine welcome to us.
We have since learned that the total money raised by our group this year is enough to run a centre like this for a year. This hospital undertakes fistula surgery and importantly full maternity services focussing on caesarian section for previous (cured) fistula patients who subsequently fall pregnant.
In the afternoon we travelled the 30-odd km (over an hour on the worst road we have come across so far) to the Blue Nile Falls. Although shorter than the White Nile, Ethiopians consider the Blue Nile to be the "real" Nile River as 80% of the water of the Nile downstream is sourced from Lake Tana and flows down rhe blue nile over these falls (or around them through the 86MW hydro power station). The lake is relatively low at the moment and the power station not operating, so the flow we saw over the falls is the natural flow for this time of year.
On our second full day in Bahir Dar we spent the morning wandering in the local maketplace and in the afternoon travelled by boat to the "island" monastry / church that is actually on a peninsula that sticks out into the lake. A pleasant day getting the feel of this place and enjoying the sights.