D3. HARGEISA- BERBERA
With my new travel buddy Magnus, we leave this morning for the cattle market. It’s Friday today so the activity is not so intense. We go by taxi because it is a bit far from the city center. It’s an interesting place to talk to local people. There are mainly dromedaries, goats, sheep, and some cows. Livestock is the first export of Somaliland, mainly to the Arabian Peninsula. The country has more than 5 millions dromedaries more than people!
We return to town and leave for Berbera, a 3-hour drive. We are lucky that the bus is almost full when we arrive at the bus stop, in the city center. We pay 30000 shillings each or 3 USD. The road is in bad shape for over 70km, paved all the way but there are huge potholes. Local hotel in Berbera is 7usd for a room with shared bathroom and wifi.
We have lunch in the restaurant near the small port, the fish is excellent and fresh! The city is asleep at this time of day because of the heat, so we head to the beach. Good choice because it is very popular with locals on weekends, especially with young people. Women bathe fully dressed. We sit on the sand and people approach to discuss, they are very friendly and curious. Girls too. We meet several groups of young people, and spend a very nice time! The beach is wide and extends for several kilometers. The water is hot, unfortunately, I can not swim… Well, I could but dressed I don’t think it’s very comfortable…
