Agew Awi is one of 10 Zones in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Agew Awi is named for the Awi sub-group of the Agaw people, some of whom live in this Zone. Agaw is one of more that 80 languages spoken in Ethiopia.  There are a million Agaw speakers. The Agaw have traditionally practiced a land-management system that is well adapted to the local ecology, enabling them to sustain the fertility of the soil and minimize erosion. This area is recognized as one of the most productive in the Amhara Region.  The section along the road runs from 2400m to 2000m in elevation, generally sloping down from south to north.

It appears that things haven't gone so well on the hill; along the flotsam and jetsam of other stalled vehicles, there are three large blocks of marble (left) that must have fallen off a truck. They look like they should have considerable value, but maybe not enough to send out the heavy equipment that would be needed to retrieve them.

At the top of the hill is a derelict tank (left), likely dating from the civil war. This and other passes between northern and southern Ethiopia were strategic ground and many battles took place around them.  The value of such war relics may not be sufficient to justify the expense of pulling them out and recycling them.

One lesson the tank demonstrates is the practice of rotational farming.  In 2014 (upper right), wheat in the field that the tank is in. In 2015 (lower right) the field is left fallow and the tank is surrounded by weeds.

This day is developing to be the best day so far.

The grain can then be taken to the mills (right), in the towns, where it is ground into flour.

At the far right are a couple of camouflaged hornbills. There are two birds in the photo.
 

The zone has it own social service programs, education office, teacher training college, and other capacity building initiatives.

It is also a "green culture", in that shades of green are clearly the preferred color for clothing among the people here, especially women. And clothing that is not green often seems to be dominated by red.

The lake is a draw for tourists, largely Western birders and Ethiopians picnickers . This is reflected in the souvenir stand at the foot of the trail leading to the lake.
 

More likely to be heard than seen are African fish eagles. Even if you see them, they tend to be hard to photograph. The fish eagles find the trees ideal perches for watching the lake, in hopes of spotting their next meal.  There are numerous other birds in the forest around the lake, but all seem to be easier to hear than to see.

Referring to the photos below, left to right, counterclockwise: A popular breakfast is foul, a tasty lentil dish generally served with bread. It is similar to Indian dal. Variations can be found from the Levant, down through Arabia, the Red Sea and through out the Horn of Africa.  If you order 'special foul' it comes with scrambled eggs, yogurt and extra onions, and is even tastier.  In better restaurants, on the breakfast menu you can find fetira (sort of a pancake with egg, honey or butter) and chechebsa (strips of fried flat bread mixed with cumin, pepper and other spices). Presumably everything is nicely paired with the telai (local beer). Coffee and tea are more readily available the telai. Even in the smallest village there is often an element of art and elegance in the way the jebena is tipped and the presentation of coffee. The most common tea is flavored with cinnamon, but ginger tea is frequently available. The coffee and teas are drunk very sweet. Another home-brew is tej, honey wine or mead, usually served in a berele, a round glass flask or beaker. Leaves and twig are added in the fermentation process to give it a bit of a smoky flavor. It is very sweet. Pure fruit smoothies are commonly available in papaya, avocado and mango. A glass of all three is a 'spites'.

Injibara is the largest town in the Agaw Awi National Zone. Within the long commercial strip there is a beautiful Mikeale Orthodox Church (left), lots of stores selling ready-made western-style clothes, and a large billboard featuring four women, each holding a condom. All of the script on the billboard is in Amharic so I can't relay the precise message, but the logos at the bottom include USAID.  Presumably it's part of a safe-sex and HIV prevention campaign.

The new section has several multi-story hotels, banks, phone stores, and a long, unique row of purposefully decorated, roadside coffee stalls, where the dominant color is pink.  This section is much more oriented to the traffic that is using the highway.

Though there wasn't a lot of local bicycle riding to be seen when we were on the street, there is a local bicycle shop and bicycle rental business in Dangla (right).

The combination of energetic people and the diverse and a scenic natural environment made the Agaw Awi National Zone the best day so far.
 

North of Dangla, Highway 3 is relatively flat.  The elevation drops 1900m to 2000m and we are back into the corn belt.  The Gilgel Abay River still had some water in it, but not likely enough to sustain much agricultural irrigation
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Whether the whole forestry is sustainable is an open question: eucalyptus has a huge need for water and a deep taproot, so even if the area is drought-prone, the tree can reach down into the water table and start drinking.  If there are enough eucalyptus trees, over time, they can drink the water table dry

Consistent with other woodlot areas, the donkey carts hauling bags of charcoal (far right) indicate that the cottage industry is near by.
 

Among the crowd that gathered around were some students and a teacher. From a short chat we learned a little about each others' lives.

There were more bicycles out on the roads in and around town where the terrain is flatter. This increased ridership might be the explanation for the bike wash business down at the stream at the edge of town.  The bike was being thoroughly scrubbed and was in deep enough to have its hubs, bottom bracket and chain submerged -- a questionable practice.

The roadside scenes continued to be continually changing and engaging:

A new horticultural project near Bahir Dar is growing flowers. It is a joint venture between Ethiopian and foreign investors.  The greenhouses (right) are still under construction.  The economy of this project will include the nearby Bahir Dar airport, where the fresh cut flowers can start their journey to European and Middle East markets.
 

(South: Dejen to Bure) (North: Bahir Dar)