The City

I have received several requests by e-mail that I describe the city and life in Asmara. You mean you don't want to read for pages on end about the miserable state of pediatric care and the leagues of malnurished, dying children? For the life of me I can't figure why not... j/k ;)

Anywho, Asmara is a charming city. The first thing everyone here emphasizes is how safe it is. And as far as I have been able to tell, it's true. I feel very comfortable walking around alone, even at night. (Don't worry, Mom and Dad, I have not made a habit of wandering alone aimlessly at night. I am always safe and attentive to my surroundings). As was the case in Burkina (you'll notice I make a lot of comparisons to Burkina Faso. I hope it's self-explanatory why. there are not many beggars and homeless people on the street. My perception is that in general many of the African cultures do a better job of taking in and caring for family and friends in need. There are still the children selling gum, tissue paper and cigarettes on the street, but they are not too aggressive and usually more interested in practicing their English.

Also, much to my dismay, but good for the health of my intestines, there is no street food. I was just thinking about bisap last night and almost drooled on myself. There is however, an over abundance of cafes selling tea and capuccino. How exciting is it that I can come enjoy a slower pace of life, get away from whiny, spoiled Americans for a while and still have the luxury of a good cup of coffee?!?

As for the city layout, my guess is that the main part of Asmara is on par with Albany, CA as far as geographical size. It is easy to navigate (thankfully, for this traveller with absolutely no sense of direction), with only a few main streets, and almost all of the streets are paved. Another sign that Asmara is more prosperous than Ouagadougou is the number of cars. There are many more cars here, proportionally, and almost no motos at all. There are certainly the bicyclists (with the best African tool ever, the long piece of rubber used to tie to world to the back... In Burkina we called them "cow-shoes," which I believe is a bastardization of the pronunciation of the word for "rubber" in French), but in general much less traffic on the road. There are two reasons for this. One is that Asmara has a city bus line (which crowds people in like sardines). And the other is the ease with which one can walk places.

Still, when you look around, it is clear that you are in Africa. There are road and building projects everywhere that look like someone just walked away with the full intention of coming back to finish. But they remain that way indefinitely. And there is little organization to the layout of the city. Sure, there are many more shops and restaurants along the main roads. But trying to find a nail salon (my feet are in bad need of a pedicure from all this walking) or a store to buy a SIM card for my mobile phone has nothing to do with logic. The largest, fanciest restaurant or store can be found down a tiny, unpaved alley that otherwise leads to nowhere. And sometimes three boutiques all selling Magi, Omo and Nido will be located right next to each other on the same block.

As for the weather - it can't be beat. It is slightly warmer than San Diego, almost always sunny and there is practically no humidity. I wear light pants and a short sleave shirt every day. I don't even need a sweater or jacket at night.

OK, time's up. I need to run. Next time I'll let you know how my discussion with the medical director went (let's say for now, just about as expected) and talk about the food. Mmmm. Ciao.