Asmara Eritrea - June 4 2009

 

The three weeks in Eritrea are almost finished. I will say goodbye to the family and my friends, and buy the last souvenirs. Not much excitement today.

When I try to get into the number 12 bus with a large group of Eritreans, the boarding takes so long that workers of the bus company send the last ten passengers away, me included. The driver  must be in a bad mood, because the bus leaves the bus station with an unusual high speed. The back of the bus pushes me aside, making me angry as well.

We do not have to wait very long for the number 9 bus, an alternative for the Corea Housing Complex. Again all passengers do their best to be the first to pass the narrow entrance of the bus. I am right behind two old women, trying to lift a bag with grain up the stairs of the bus. With the others people pushing behind me, I get struck on the bottoms of the old woman pushing her upward into the bus.

This typical behavior of the passengers at bus stops is the result of the often overpopulated buses. The popularity of the bus is the result of the fact that the price is one Nakfa only. Only few people consider the alternative of walking.

As a tourist, I should not complain. There is plenty taxi's willing to drive you to Tiravolo for five Nakfa only, and from there it is a one kilometer walk to the Corea Housing Complex. But for a taxi, I will have to walk to the main street in the first place. It is easy to find a taxi to the center. To find a return taxi is more complicated.

In the bus the women selling tickets asks the passengers to move forward by knocking on the ceiling. The response is negligible. No one wants to give up his or her last breathing space.

And anticipating when one has to leave the bus is another lesson that still has to be learned. "Hansap, hansap, hansap!" The passengers want the driver to have more patience, because they have to push one's way through the crowd. If it takes to long, the bus will leave, and they will have to get off at the next stop.

A short Eri-TV editorial on good behavior in public transport might be a good idea to inform the public about the advantages of certain practices when entering or leaving the bus, instead of the pushing and shoving.

  

Shops and apartments -  Harnet Avenue Asmara Eritrea.

Mede Ertra bus station - Asmara Eritrea.

Mede Ertra bus station - Asmara Eritrea.

Mede Ertra bus station - Asmara Eritrea.

Mede Ertra bus station - Asmara Eritrea.

Bar Impero - Harnet Avenue Asmara Eritrea.

Regional Court - Ertrawit Ade Asmara Eritrea.

Residential building - BDHO Avenue Asmara Eritrea.

Cinema Croce Rossa - BDHO Avenue Asmara Eritrea.

Apartments - BDHO Avenue Asmara Eritrea.

World Bank Office - Asmara Eritrea.