Day 1 - Hargeisa (13km on foot)
I arrived at around 11am, and of course airport security
asked me for a document of sponsorship from my hotel which I did not have as I
was told this wasn't needed by the Oriental Hotel prior to leaving the UK!
However, all was fine in the end after filling in a form and handing over a
passport photo and $60! My passport was stamped for only 14 days though, as I’d
mentioned I was in Somaliland for only 12 days!
I grabbed a taxi outside the airport for $13
to take me to my hotel. I soon realised my driver was disabled, that is he had
no legs! He had a wooden pole with one end wedged between the stumps of his
legs and the other resting on the break paddle and his right hand was holding
another wooden pole which he was pressing down on the accelerator, and so using
his left hand to steer! The guy was telling me he had been driving like this
for 20 years, truly inspirational I was completely blown away. (When I think of
how old he may have been I assume he may well have lost his legs during the
civil war)
After a shower at my hotel - The Oriental ($18 a night with breakfast) I headed out on foot to explore a little and tried to find the Ministry of Culture and Tourism but failed miserably! There were plenty of friendly people all wanting to say hello to me though whilst I was walking around which was nice. I decided to relax for a while with a nice pot of tea and cake at the Harrar Coffee House where I met the lovely lady owner who had spent many years in the end of London. I later had a wander around Jama Mosque and met another young guy also from the east end of London before heading back to my hotel for some much needed sleep.
View from the roof of the Oriental Hotel
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