The first part of this story was about my experience at Kagnew which happened on the last day of my three-week trip. Here are some pictures of the rest of the trip. I have some of Asmara, the road to Massawa, Massawa old and new parts, the road back to Asmara, and some other pictures that some of you might find interesting. There won't be as much narrative in this section as there was in the first. At least that is what I am planning we will see how it goes.
I was met at the airport by family members and friends of the family that I have stayed in contact with for over 30 years. They drove me to the hotel where I was staying. We remember it as the Imperial Hotel. It is now called the Ambassoria. It was a nice hotel, except for the bathtub shower combo. Never did get the hang of it. The people who worked at the hotel were the best you could ask for, all as friendly and nice as I remember. The guy at the front desk is Zaguy.
The next morning they were coming back to pick me up and take me to a welcome home party at their house which is in the little village next to the golf course. It was right off of the number three fairway or on your left hand side as you drove up to the clubhouse once inside the gate. I was really excited to see Letekidan's mother and brother. I had not seen the Mother in 30 years, but saw the brother a few years ago when he came to the States for an operation on his spine. He was home now and doing well as can be expected in a wheelchair. They had a cake and everything. We had a great time talking about old times and how they all were doing. Letekidan's sister Ragot played the drum I gave them some 30 years ago. They still had it.
Someone asked about Cassidy's Bar. Here it is today. His son is leasing it to an Eritrean guy from Canada. Here is a bar that I wondered if it were there when we were there. View from my hotel.
One of the movie theaters. Other under construction.
Great Italian restaurant but it was only opened one day I was there. Inside was really nice.
Here are the President's Offices.
Two office buildings in downtown Asmara.
Here are the offices of the National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students. They are badly in need of radio equipment to broadcast to the youth of the whole country about the dangers of Aids and other health related subjects, along with current music. I was going to bring this up at the 2001 Reunion to see if folks who new something about radios could help out, but never made it because of September 11th. The people here are also great and trying to help the youth of the country.
Here is the building across from Bar Fiori. This is the new Bar Fiori, it is called Lilay Bar.
Even Asmara has a cyber cafe. Went here often, just down the street from hotel.
An Asmara taxi driven by my friend Yacob was my transportation to and from Massawa
Here are twelve pictures from the road outside of Asmara. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 7a, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12.
Thirteen pictures from the road above Nefasit. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13.
While in Nefasit we stopped here for a coke.
More pictures of the Road. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11.
Another stop for a coke 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 in Ginda.
I never knew there was so much interest in the Eritrean trains or I would have taken more pictures of them. Here are the ones we took at a repair yard a few miles from Massawa. The batteries on the camcorder went dead here so I have very few videos of this place. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.
A shelter across the road from the train yard.
Here is the last cement bridge before you arrive in Massawa. Close-up.
We needed to recharge the batteries of the camcorder so we asked the lady breast feeding her child on the front porch of this house just over the bridge if we could recharge them in her house. While we waited we killed time on and under the bridge.
Welcome to Massawa. I could not believe how much the Eritrean coke tastes like regular coke. I even brought a few bottles home with me.
I was surprised by all of the new construction in Massawa. There were still neighborhoods in the same condition as when I was there in 1971, but the new part was really amazing. Here are a few of the new administrative buildings. 1, 2, 3 and the Eritrean Navy that helped saved Massawa. Here is a new condo building across the street from TTU, and another look at the construction.
Speaking of TTU, it looked the same inside and out, except for the lobby. Here are some shots of TTU from outside. 1, 2, 3, and the dining room upstairs.
I would never have found the road to the North Beach by myself. The area has really changed, so has the drive out there. At least, as far as I remember. The housing area in the beginning of the drive is the same on one side of the road. Here are some examples: 1, 2, 3, 4. Then this is the type of housing on the other side of the street. These houses all look the same and go on for a few miles.
Here are some pictures from the beach area. There are even a few night clubs out there now. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. This boy's grandfather was stationed at Kagnew and married an Eritrean lady. The boy and his mother are now living in Asmara, and she and I had a long talk.
Out by the beach area they have built a number on new hotels and there is a shrimp farm that is an amazing place. We were given a grade tour of the place. It has been almost two years since I was there so I may not have all of this right, but I will try. They run water in from the Red Sea to shrimps tanks and open lakes. In the lakes they raise tapia fish and sell the meat. The skins of the fish are sold for making things, as if it were leather. The leftovers go to the shrimp as food. The poop from the shrimp drains into lakes that are growing mangroves and something else that is used as a wood product. Begins with an "S". The water in the lakes is then filtered naturally through the earth and back into the Red Sea. The lakes also attract many endangered and threatened birds from the area. It is an amazing sight. Here are some of the pictures from the place.
Shrimp tanks 1, 2, 3, 4. We never saw a shrimp but were assured they were in there.
Here are some pictures are the water delivery system: 1, 2, 3.
Some other pictures of the area: 1, 2.
Under the shade of this tree we had a coke. They tried to get me to eat a fried egg sandwich, but somehow I couldn't do it.
This was our guide. He is from India and working with the birds there. He needs binoculars for school age children if anyone has an extra pair. I can get them to him.
Right in the middle of the shrimp farm is a fresh water watering hole. I have never seen so many camels.
Finally in the middle of this area is a tank that never made it across the water during the 30 year war.
This plane monument is at the bus terminal, near the old airport. The plane is Russian, taken out of action by a land mine during the 30 year war.
Here is a familiar place across the water from
TTU. It is still there but the rest of the harbor area really took a beating in
the war as you can see from these pictures. The interesting thing is people
live in most of these buildings.
1,
2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
7, 8, 9, 10, 11,
12, 13, 14, 15.
Some pictures of kids in Massawa: 1, 2, 3, 4. And a picture of kids just outside of Massawa.
One final set of pictures from Massawa. There is a nice display of three tanks as you drive onto the island. The three tanks were captured by the Eritreans during the war. After they captured them, the Eritreans used them for over ten years. All three were put out of service during the battle in Massawa. They now shoot water from their cannons.
Next to this display is a wall painted with a number of scenes from Massawa. Here are a few of them: 1, 2, 3, 4.
Here is a series of pictures from the drive back up the hill. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16.
A Muslim cemetery outside of Nefasit and people selling water in Nefasit.
When I was in Asmara in 1970 and 1971, I only remember seeing a handful of baboons on the road outside of Asmara but last year there were hundreds of them. I only got a few with the digital camera. We got a lot more with the video. Here is a picture of the road just before we had rocks thrown on us. Here is the best picture we got of the baboons, not very good I admit. While we were looking at the baboons I noticed two vehicles over the side of the mountain. They had to be about 500 feet down. I couldn't help wondering if the baboons caused the cars to go over the side because we watched hundreds of them run in front of cars coming around a corner. I also wondered what was going through the drivers' minds as they went through the air to their deaths.
Then just a few miles outside of Asmara, a police car came flying down the hill, blasting something from a loud speaker. We pulled over and my friends told me to get the camera and hurry. We got out just in time to see the first Tour of Eritrea bike race. There were over a hundred of these guys also blasting down the hill on their bikes.
On my last night we all went out for some Asmara beers. I brought some of the beer home with me along with two bottles of Zibib.
I am going to miss a lot about Asmara and Eritrea. Who knows if I will ever get back there again. The one thing I will not miss is this thing. It was the worst.
Ed White
