"Vehicles"

Living in Eritrea has helped to broaden my vocabulary. Well, actually, that's not quite it. Rather, living here has helped me to broaden my definition of certain words.

One of those is the word "vehicle." Of course, when I think of vehicles, I automatically think of cars and trucks. But if I were asked to broaden my definition of the word, I would probably include any motorized means of transportation. Finally, I might include certain non-motorized conveyances, such as bicycles, canoes, horse carts, and dog sleds. But none of these definitions is quite broad enough for Eritrea.

This past fall, our office asked people living in the areas affected by the war with Ethiopia to complete claim forms describing property they lost during the war. The form asked about various types of property, including vehicles. I'm not sure what the author of the claim form had in mind with this question, but several of the respondents answered this question by listing the donkeys and camels they had lost.



While this response made me laugh, it's basically correct. People through out Eritrea still heavily rely on beasts of burden to transport themselves and their property. And in light of something James told us last night, I'm not surprised. Apparently, as a percentage of GDP, gas here costs the equivalent of $237.00 per gallon in the US.

Although the seal of the State of Eritrea is a picture of a camel, donkeys are far more common. In fact, donkeys are even a common sight in Asmara. In contrast, you have to drive a ways outside the city before you'll see a camel. Donkeys are used primarily to transport stuff, including agricultural products, water, and firewood. But Eritreans also use donkeys for transportation.



But I don't think anyone should give up their car just yet. One guy I know was supposed to go to a wedding in Adi Keih a couple of weeks ago. But he only got a travel permit to go as far as Dekemhare (about an hour from Adi Keih in a car). He therefore assumed he wouldn't be able to go to the wedding. But then an Eritrean friend of his suggested that he drive as far as Dekemhare and take a donkey the rest of the way to Adi Keih so he could avoid the checkpoints on the road. The guy thought yeah, maybe, and asked how long it would take. The answer: about two days.