keren city

Keren Eritrea - November 25th 2005



First reason to visit Keren is to bring a birth announcement card to the shrine of Mariam Dearit. Miracles happen. So I return to say "Thank You", on behalf of Deborah and her mother and ask the Holy Mary to take care of Deborah, so she can take care of her baby. I leave the card in front of the statue in the small chapel, a hollow tree, enough room to host several people. A miracle itself, that the tree survives in this condition.

When I walk away from the tree a woman calls me. She is from Germany and visiting her family from Agordat. I join her coffee ceremony with her father, her mother and her sister. We share our experiences and plans for the coming days. We share the food and the drinks we brought.

Hansu and Afworki are not in when I arrive at their house. But Tarig and Yohanna, two children of neighbor Kidane, hear me knocking and invite me in and make me a pot of tea. I have some rest until Hansu comes home and joins us.

The roads around her house are under construction. Many groves for a new sewerage will be a risk in the dark. I will sleep in a hotel. I choose the Yohannes Hotel. It is only for one night, so I prefer to stay close to the bus station, to have an early bus to Barentu tomorrow.

The rest of the day I spend walking through Keren, the center, remote suburbs, meeting people, until it is getting dark. Bar Estifanos has a nice terrace where you can sit outside and watch the street life in the center of Keren.

In the bar of the Yohannes Hotel I conclude the day with some double araki's, to make my blood useless to mosquito's (if there are any) and to assure a good nights rest.