Asmara Eritrea - December 03 2007

 

Today's exercise is a walk from Asmara to the Seidieci restaurant (and back) on the road to Massawa, following the snake-like roads descending the Asmara plain.

Going down is an easy three hours hike, and I even have plenty of energy to climb small hilltops. It is a difficult to believe that just the climate vitalizes the body.

I cached a cold because of the difference between the daytime and nighttime temperatures in the first week of my stay in Eritrea, but I feel a lot stronger and healthier than two weeks ago when I left Holland. I guess the sun and pace of life are a fantastic remedy to eliminate stress and improve your physical condition.

The hike in the opposite direction, going up the escarpment, takes more time and energy. I take some rest and mineral water at every restaurant or bar I pass.

When I pass the St. Georgis Orthodox Church for a second time, I climb the small hill behind the church that is used as a grave yard. An Eritrean man is sitting on top of this hill and we start a conversation. About my experiences in  Eritrea, his family in Europe, about Woyane tricks and preparations to launch another war against Eritrea.

Back in Asmara I keep my promise to visit Kibreab in his office at the Housing and Commerce Bank. We drink coffee in the Damera Bar. He does not allow me to pay the bill. "You pay the bill when I visit Europe", he suggests. I ask him if he will ever visit Europe. "They will not let me leave the country until I am 50 years old".

It is a policy of the Eritrean authorities to reject exit visa to any man or woman that is a potential soldier, as long as the "no war, no peace" situation exists, to safeguard Eritrea's sovereignty, as long as Ethiopia is persistently rejecting the border demarcation.

 

Crematorium - Biet Georgis Asmara Eritrea.

St Georgis Orthodox Church - Biet Georgis Asmara Eritrea.

View from the edge of a cliff - Asmara Massawa road Eritrea.

Abune Argawi Orthodox Church on a hilltop - Asmara Massawa road Eritrea.

View from the edge of a cliff - Asmara Massawa road Eritrea.

Scenic view through the valley - Asmara Massawa road Eritrea.

Scenic view through the valley - Asmara Massawa road Eritrea.

Seidici, the three seasons restaurant - Asmara Massawa road Eritrea.

St Georgis Orthodox Church - Biet Georgis Asmara Eritrea.

Scenic view from the top of the hill - Biet Georgis Asmara Eritrea.