We're getting close to having children, so we
visit the fertility shrine at Keren. The shrine is
built in a living Baobab tree. An old Bilen lady
ushers us inside and we make our wish. Serious
pilgrims are supposed to brew coffee by the tree. If
a passerby accepts a cup, your wish will be granted.
We don't have time to pick coffee beans, grind them,
start a fire, and make a brew. We pray the Madonna of
the Baobab grants our wishes anyway. We traveled
through Eritrea's bleak western highlands to reach
Keren. Burned out tanks litter the road, a legacy of
Eritrea's long war with Ethiopia. Keren is a
crossroads for traders and travelers. Many people
from different ethnic groups throng Keren's
marketplace. We watch Sudanese men, dressed in white
frocks and turbans, buy goods from Bilen women,
adorned in gold and colorful veils, squatting beneath
umbrellas raised against the sun. Later in the afternoon we go off-road to Eritrea's 'Green
Belt,' a region centered around a village called
Fil-fil, 63 km north of Asmara. Filfil reminds us of
California, cool and dry hills, good farmland, forests
of sycamore, pine, and eucalyptus. The hospitality of
the country is great here - we're invited to several
farms for coffee. We accept and enjoy a breezy porch
view of lush farmland. We listen to singing birds, eat fresh
grilled corn, and sip strong coffee. This is the best place to see Eritrean
wildlife and at nightfall we see an
Ethiopian fox, an endangered species found only in
this region of Africa. |