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Asmara

Published: December 11th 2006Africa » Eritrea » West » Asmara
Dom n Joms Big Trip icon
Dom n Joms Big Trip
December 11th 2006

I wonder if this naming-the-beer-after-the-city malarkey would catch on at home? - "I'll have three bottles of Glasgow please" - perhaps not but it certainly makes life easier for thirsty travellers like us; we've got enough to contend with, like tackling extortionate airport taxi cartels and getting our paws on dollars in a bankrupt country without a single ATM..... Asmara, formerly known as Piccola Roma (Little Rome), is essentially a result of Mussolini's grand plan to create a second Roman Empire in Africa.....but WWII scuppered that. The city is known for its diverse architectural styles, manifested in buildings such as the Art Deco Cinema Impero, the eclectic Orthodox Cathedral, the futurist Fiat Tagliero Building and neo-Romanesque Roman Catholic Cathedral. It also has a quintessential Italian touch, not only for the architecture, but also for the wide ... read more




The State of Eritrea

Published: April 22nd 2006Africa » Eritrea » West » Asmara
bedreddin icon
bedreddin
August 17th 2005

3:30am. A petrol station in Assab. The daily bus to Asmara is about to leave. Our entire room, sheets, mattress, etc reeked of (someone else's) sweaty penis, but I still wish I could have slept a couple more hours. We're facing a 1 ½ day journey up the Red Sea coast in August -- following the Danakil Depression, one of the hottest places in the world - until we reach the cool highlands' spring weather. It's pitch dark, but we're already sweating profusely in the absence of even the slightest breeze. Trying to lug my sack onto the bus, and simultaneously fight with a fat lady who's taken my seat, I slip in my sleep-deprived state and end up with a bloody mess where I once had a big toenail. I will devote most of the ... read more









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