Barentu |
Thu 22 Apr
The
next day I journey on, first dropping out of the highlands back into the all-too-familiar
Sahel, I am travelling in the wrong direction but I want to see the continuity
from the Sudanese lowlands as if I have entered Eritrea from the land border.
The provincial town of Barentu in
the west of Eritrea is having its main street rebuilt. It’s not until the evening
"rush hour" that I realise how much traffic there is. I’m sure more
than 30 white Toyota Land Cruisers blaze their way through leaving clouds of
dust. Children make their way back from school. Muslim men get ready for prayers.
An enormous earth-mover is driven confidently by a young woman. "Fight
together, work together" used to be appropriate but I am assured that now
women are increasingly being forced back into traditional roles. Barentu
is hot and dusty. It lies in a plain surrounded by dry looking acacia trees.
There’s one good hotel, only one hotel for me (I’m assured by a local). They
ask for 100 Nakfa which seems extortionate (more than Asmara and Keren), that’s
14 bottles of beer, but then I realise it’s just over £3. Accommodation in Eritrea
is cheap, and beer even more so.
Barentu |