From Asmara to Keren Eritrea May 25 2011

 

I have decided to have a good night rest, and go to the bus station at 8:00. I do not need an early bus at all. When I arrive at the bus station, there are no queues, and I can board immediately.

"May I ask you where you came from?" one of the other passengers asks me. When I tell him I am from Holland, The Netherlands, I meet a lot of approval. He also wants to know when I think about Eritrea and its people.

Boys and girls enter the bus with watches, biscuits, grissini, water, and more. Some ask for charity.

At 9:00 the small Mitsubishi Rosa bus leaves the bus station, to arrive in Keren at 11:30. Most of the checkpoints have been removed, so there is less delay than in previous years.

At the bus terminal I have a fresh fruit juice, and in bar restaurant Stuttgart a big bottle of mai gaz (carbonated mineral water) and a reunion with Elen, Rahel, and Hidat.

From bar restaurant Stuttgart, I walk to the holy grounds of Mariam Dearit, where workmen are painting the poles and the cross, so it will look perfect during the May 29 festival.

I visit the small shrine in the baobab tree for a short prayer in front of the black Madonna.

I spend the rest of the afternoon walking through Keren and visiting friends,

When I arrive at the house of Afworki and Hansu, they are not in. Yohanna, the daughter of the couple living in the house on the opposite side of the street is just coming out. "Come to our house. If Hansu is not in the house, you come to our house. Okay?" I can even take a shower if I want.

She makes me tea and she insists that I should eat. Some kitcha is enough for me. It is hot (for a white man) and I am not hungry. I should lose some weight anyway. I check my rucksack for some gifts for the girl.

When Hansu returns from her work at the Ministry of Education, she is happy to see me. She makes coffee and fresh injera with shuro. She knows I like the shuro. By now we are almost family (Afworki is the brother of my wife's girlfriend).

There is always a room for me in her house. Fully furnished, clean, with a good bed. She would regard it an insult if I would choose a hotel instead. She hands me a key to the house, so I can get in any time.

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Small scale trade - Massawa bus station Asmara Eritrea.

Virtual queue lined up for a public bus - Anseba bus station Asmara Eritrea.

Women selling roasted maize - Bus stop to Keren Asmara Eritrea.

Boys selling bread - Bus stop to Keren Asmara Eritrea.

Bus terminal - Keren Eritrea.

Antique private bus - Asmara Eritrea.

Bar & Restaurant Stuttgart - Keren Eritrea.

Beles (cactus fruit) - Road to Mariam Dearit Keren Eritrea.

Gate to the Mariam Dearit shrine of the Holy Mary - Keren Eritrea.

Baobab tree & Mariam Dearit shrine of the Holy Mary - Keren Eritrea.

Women praying at the Mariam Dearit shrine of the Holy Mary - Keren Eritrea.

The black Madonna in the hollow baobab tree - Mariam Dearit Keren Eritrea..

Ceiling of the shrine of the Holy Mary - Keren Eritrea.

Local woman collecting water - Mariam Dearit Keren Eritrea.

Preparations for the festival  - Mariam Dearit Keren Eritrea.

View on the regional administration and Catholic Cathedral - Keren Eritrea.

Keren Public library - Keren Eritrea.

Wall painting depicting the liberation struggle - Keren Eritrea.

Ministry of Tourism Anseba Zone - Keren Eritrea.

Giro Fiori - Keren Eritrea.

Giro Fiori - Keren Eritrea.

Giro Fiori / road to Asmara - Keren Eritrea.

Young Eritrean woman - Keren Eritrea.