Asmara Eritrea - June 8th 2005

 

Time for the goodbyes. I take a bus to Sembel, where Feshaye lives with his wife, his mother Tsehaytu and their five children. When I walk into their street, a few of the smaller children recognize me and ran in my direction. "Hannes, Hannes!" I drink coffee, the traditional style. Yordanos bakes me an egg with bread.  From her shop I buy a few bottles of Araki. Still 32 Nakfa per bottle, the only commodity that seems to have a stable price, and therefore cheaper in terms of dollars than last year.

Next to visit is Terhas and Feshaye and Biniam and Rawha in the Corea Housing Complex and Freweini and Haile in the Center of Asmara. I ask Freweini if she is willing to take me to Almaz, who lives in Kahawta. I have never been to her house before, so I need someone to show me the directions. Michael, her son, will accompany me.

We drink coffee with Almaz and there is some pastry. I should have thought of taking some as a present. Last time I met Almaz she lived in Germany. She returned to Eritrea a few years ago. She tells me today is actually the first time she speaks German since she returned.

A new church has been build in the new part of Kahawta. I ask Michael to bring me there. In front of the church, a lot of people pray. A woman hands me a small bag with holy earth. Michael translates the instructions the woman gives on how to use it and what diseases it will cure.

When we leave the church site, Michael tells me that some time ago a plane crashed in this area. We will walk to the scene. But we have to be careful. There is a lot of military in the area. We are close to the airport. I suggest we should forget the walk and return. I want to be on the plane tonight and not in an Eritrean police station. But Michael does not listen and continues his walk to the wreck.

I pack my camera in my bag, after removing the memory card. If there is any questions, the military should be convinced that it is not my intention to picture the airport installations. I do not want any problems on this last day in Eritrea. The military is not the only risk. The area is rough, very rought. I have to take care not to get hurt, slipping into one of the many dry watercourses. 

One of the guards approaches us. Michael explains what we want to do. The military man urges us to have a quick look at the remainders of the crashed crashed Ukrainian IL-76 cargo plane, and than leave the site as soon as possible. And so we do. No pictures. The plane crashed on July 17 1998, but the most of it remained scattered on the field.

The two kilometers walk through rough, partly ploughed land, and back, makes me very thirsty. We drink a coke in a snack bar in the new build section of Kahawta and than wait for the bus to return to the center of Asmara.

Michael will go home, I will go to Edaga Arbi, to say goodbye to Gorzit, Tabotu and Ethiopia. We drink tea. some short dialogues. Neither Gorzit, nor Tabotu speak English.

And than finally there is a few hours to organize my luggage, take a good shower and prepare for the flight back home. When packing my clothes, I realize that it makes no sense to bring all three May 24th t-shirts back home. And I remember Johnny in the Damera bar, who asked if he could have one. I hurry back to the center. Johnny is exited that I did not forget him. Although I almost did. 

I have a last drink have some mini pizza's. Gebrehiwot is waiting at his house. I have to check in. But by now I know that check in at ten o'clock means that you should not come to many hours later. I make some last phone calls, and off we go to the airport.

At eleven o'clock I pass the various checkpoints (airport gate, passport and ticket check, passport check at the airport hall entrance, airport tax, electronics declaration form, currency declaration form, exit form and passport control, luggage and physical checks). Everything well organized, efficient and strict.

There is lot of passengers who know me. but unfortunately I forgot the names of most of them. We share our experiences in Eritrea, have some last drinks at the bar and wait until it is time to board the plane.

After dinner, a short chat and photo session with the cabin crew in the kitchen, I have some sleep on Eritrean Airlines night flight to Amsterdam.

 

Yordanos' new born baby Netsanet - Sembel, Asmara Eritrea.

Michael my nephew, and his girlfriend Nardos - Asmara Eritrea.

Almaz, my sister in law, Kahawta, Asmara Eritrea.

Melat - Asmara Eritrea.

New Coptic Church of Kahawta - Asmara Eritrea.

Michael at a lake just outside Kahawta, when we were
walking to the crashed crashed Ukrainian IL-76 cargo plane.

New built houses and offices in Kahawta - Asmara Eritrea.

"Follow me" - Edaga Arbi, Asmara Eritrea.

Asmara International Airport - Tax free shops and waiting area.

"Thank you for flying Eritrean Airlines, we hope to meet you on one
of our next flights". Flight attendants Meraf (left) and Taha (right).