The Horn of Africa

Day-trip to Berbera

Edna owns property on the beach in Berbera, on the northern coast. Her niece and her niece's mother (which makes her... what?) are here and on Friday -- Friday is a holiday here, like our Sunday -- all of us piled into two Land Cruisers with armed guards and headed off to the beach. The only American living long-term in Hargeisa, a Texan woman named Diana, joined us.

It was a two hour drive and it became steadily hotter as we drew near the coast. Along the way, there were huge herds of camels, posses of thuggy-looking vultures, digdigs dead on the road, thousands of goats, baboons, and some warthogs. I took pictures of the camels and of a funny hotel along the road. (Speaking of, I'm going to try to upload a few pictures soon. This computer, at the hospital, has PhotoShop CS on it.)

The property, entirely undeveloped save for two grass huts that're falling apart, had a nice stretch of beach. Unfortunately, it was so windy that you had to walk with your head under a towel, shielding your eyes from the blowing sand. The water, normally crystal clear, was clouded by dirt and sand. It was great to get out of the heat, and I didn't get eaten by a shark, but standing up out of the water meant you'd get pelted by flying sand at such velocity that it caused sharp pain. We didn't stay long. Still, it was nice to get out of the city, even if it was in a coddled, hyper-privilidged sort of way. Edna is a gracious host and it was nice to talk with Diana about her travels, the security situation in Mogadishu, what her daily life is like here in Hargeisa, etc.

posted by daviduri @ 1:18 AM