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Journal of African trips

African trip [I]

Agelasto
2004-05-20 20:57:33

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times a
day (the most memorable being around 4:30 a.m.).

Eritrea/Ethiopia lie on the border between Islamic and Christian Africa, where the religions seem
to live in harmony. People are darker skinned than Egyptians but lighter than Africans to the south. As an independent traveler, with only the vaguest of plans, I spend much of my time
looking over the backpacker's Bible, a hefty book called Africa on a Shoestring, published by
Lonely Planet. I have used LP books in about a dozen countries. Imprinted January 1998, my
volume is sorely out of date, but I would be rather lost without it. For example, it suggested I
take red public bus #1 from the airport for the equivalent of US $.10, rather than a taxi for US
$7.00 (in taxis the locals have to pay the same as tourists, the rationale being that anyone, local or
foreigner, who has to fly can afford a taxi. Taxis in the city are cheap (US $.30 a ride), but I
found the town walkable. I like taking local transport (I keep my valuables stored deep in my
backpack or daypack, having learned a lesson when my wallet was pick-pocketed on a Shenzhen
bus last year). So most of the travelers I meet (average age 25) also carry around a copy of LP.
(LP has almost a monopoly in Africa. I used Rough Guide in Egypt and prefer to use Let's Go
(from Harvard) but they cover very few places in Africa).

I spend a considerable amount of time figuring out where to stay, where to eat and how to get
from one place to another. This is part of the backpacker's lot. So food tends to be very
important. I am so fearful of becoming an obese American that in Africa - where I am not
exercising or swimming much - I generally try to each breakfast and only one other meal. So I
look forward to lunch/dinner and will walk miles to find what I think will be a worthwhile eating
experience.

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