Nefasit - Asmara - November 23rd 2005
Walking from Nefasit to Asmara (25 kilometers). Following the road from Nefasit up to Arberebou, and from there the railway up to Bar Durfo passing some very dark tunnels.
Walking is the number one mode of travel to experience the beauty and special qualities of Eritrea's landscape, intense and from nearby. To see the green mountainous scenery of the Central Highlands, punctured with traditional villages within distinctive red earth formations, and details that pass in a flash when traveling by bus or rental car.
Walking on top of the world, striving for the unexpected, meeting remote villages, exiting gorges, warmhearted people with their authentic lifestyles and, if you are lucky: a herd of baboons, waiting to be fed, and other animals in their natural habitat.
Nefasit - Asmara: 25 kilometers of asphalt road on the edge of the mountains, ascending from an altitude of 1950m to 2450m. Hairpin bents cut out of solid rock. Last Sunday I experienced it by bus en route to Massawa. Today I take the same bus, but I will leave it in Nefasit, where the railway meets the road, under the mosque.
My luggage: a large bottle of mineral water from Asmara, a few oranges, banana's and biscuits bought in Nefasit. And of course, my camera. I started early in the morning, when the climate is still cool. It is extremely cloudy and there is a lot of wind. Perfect for me, but the local people are complaining. Too cold.
The children want to know if I go to Debre Bizen. I point in the direction of Asmara, without a further explanation. They would not understand. Walking to Asmara when you are a tourist with a lot of money?
Every once an a while a small group of children accompany me on their way to school., asking for a Nakfa, a pen, or some biscuits. I take a break every hour, to have some water and an orange.
At Arberebou, where the railway meets to road, I decide to leave the asphalt and follow the rails. After a kilometer or so, I have to come to the conclusion that this was not a wise decision. Following the railway is very tiresome because of the rough path between and next to the rails.
And there is many tunnels. The first ones are exiting, but some are long and I have to walk in complete darkness finding my direction with the help of the the rail. Children use the railway as a shortcut from school to their village. I meet donkeys and goats, but no baboons.
When the railway passes Bar Durfo around noon, I can switch back to the highway and enjoy some cold mineral water, and the scenic views. From here it is two hours (8 kilometers) to Asmara. The road is climbing 7 or more percent and the sun dissolved the clouds. It is getting hotter. But I am proud and happy I did it all the way from Nefasit to Harnet Avenue.
Clouds over Nefasit Eritrea.
Clouds over Nefasit Eritrea.
Scenic view - Road to Massawa Eritrea.
Scenic view - Road to Massawa Eritrea.
Junction of the road and the railway at Arberebou Eritrea.
One of the many railway tunnels between Arberebou and Bar Durfo.
Two little boys on the edge of the escarpment near Bar Durfo.
Little chapel - Road to Massawa Eritrea.
Lagetto Nightclub - Road to Massawa Asmara Eritrea.
Garage - Road to Massawa Asmara Eritrea.
