O WNER REPOR T – ESPER
Described as the world’s second poorest country in one reference book, we found it enthralling, beautiful and accommodating.
T e town of Massawa is a joy. Streets lined with old Italian colonial buildings, now riddled with bullets from its war of independence with Ethiopia in 1989, are fi lled with running children and women in elegant, if well-worn, brightly coloured clothes. At around 5pm the smell of incense overwhelms you as you walk around the dirt lanes and witness women starting the hour-long process of making fresh coff ee on their doorsteps. Like Suakin it has its share of shanty dwellings abuzz with family goings-on; also like Suakin it is free from litter. Once again Jamie played the Pied Piper with the children, who followed him around the market and lanes, laughing and shouting.
We must make mention of the Red Sea as a feast for bird lovers. All along the coast we found ospreys, oſt en with their nests lying unguarded, on the ground. Pelicans and fl amingos abound and one night we identifi ed a bridled tern, which hitched a liſt on Esper. Many types of herons, waders and gulls can be seen and we were charmed by Brown Boobies, prolifi c in Eritrea. We saw fan-tailed ravens, hoopoes, kites, and weaver birds further inland, and our favourite bird so far, the fantastically comic (in spite of its name) Sacred Ibis was out in force in Massawa.
Whilst in Eritrea we made the journey to its capital, Asmara. T e bus ride, which almost makes the visit worthwhile in itself, starts from the plains around Massawa and takes you up into the increasingly cool and verdant hills. Each settlement we passed contained both a church and a mosque, indicative of the sense of co-operation we found in this proud, new republic. As we climbed steadily higher along the narrow roads ancient terracing appeared across every slope and peak, sometimes in use but usually leſt untended. Finally the bus emerged through the clouds at 2,325m, into the town itself. It is a vibrant place with Italianate boulevards in its centre gradually turning into shanty dwellings further out.
T e last stage of the Red Sea was one of the most spectacular and memorable parts of our voyage so far. T e coast to the south of Massawa becomes beautiful and hospitable again, much to our relief, as it was at this point the wind started to turn round and come straight at us. Between Massawa and Sadla Island we ducked in for shelter, waited for weather breaks and motored directly into strong currents. It was hard going and took its toll on some of the boats.
“ In a sharp reminder of how fast
situations can chan ge alon g the African coast we were awoken at dawn by gun- toting military boats demandin g that we leave immediately. “
Esper valiantly did her best against fearsome currents and confused waves but fi nally, aſt er an engine scare in very inhospitable conditions, she brought us to the strangest and most eerily majestic part of the coast so far, Mersa Dudo. We had noticed the big red exclamation marks on our charts claiming that this was a restricted area, but Lo had stayed here several times before and anticipated no problems. In a sharp reminder of how fast situations can change along the African coast we were awoken at dawn by gun-toting military boats demanding that we leave immediately. T e fact that we had 25+ knots of wind on the nose made not a jot of diff erence to these angry men. Aſt er some frenetic discussion Lo managed to get them to allow us to anchor off nearby Sadla Island to wait out the weather. What a lucky break. Sadla is a large, chocolate brown volcanic crater, seemingly newly formed. Its
beaches are jam-packed with shells. On one side of the island turtles were laying eggs and sharks swam in the shallows, while on the other side the snow white sand led up to ospreys nesting on ledges. It was the closest we have ever been to paradise. Lo had fi nally brought us to a place, which rendered us speechless.
You can follow Liz and Jamie’s experiences on their website,
www.followtheboat.com, where you will fi nd more of Jamie’s dazzling photographs. They also publish an extremely popular weekly podcast, available through the website or iTunes.
Photos: Jamie Furlong
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