May 26th, 2010 at 3:30PM: Can a country that doesn't officially exist develop a tourism industry? Some entrepreneurs in Somaliland think so.
Abdi Abdi, owner of the Oriental Hotel in Hargeisa, already runs a tour company. Other hotel owners are following suit and experimenting with special tours. Abdi Abdi offers home stays with nomad families. Hassan Ahmed Hussein, owner of the Hadhwanaag Hotel and Restaurant, is ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
somalilandadventure posts
Somaliland: the next big adventure travel destination?
May 26th, 2010 at 3:30PM: Can a country that doesn't officially exist develop a tourism industry? Some entrepreneurs in Somaliland think so.
Abdi Abdi, owner of the Oriental Hotel in Hargeisa, already runs a tour company. Other hotel owners are following suit and experimenting with special tours. Abdi Abdi offers home stays with nomad families. Hassan Ahmed Hussein, owner of the Hadhwanaag Hotel and Restaurant, is ...Somaliland: building a nation
May 24th, 2010 at 3:00PM: The most interesting thing about traveling in Somaliland is that you get to see a country in the process of creating itself.
When it achieved independence from the rest of Somalia in 1991, there wasn't much to work with. The capital had been destroyed, a large number of people were homeless and without work, and the country wasn't recognized by the outside world. Recognition still hasn't come, ...Somaliland adventure: Bumbling in Berbera
May 21st, 2010 at 4:00PM: Besides the painted caves of Laas Geel, the most promising road trip from Somaliland's capital Hargeisa is to Berbera, 160 km north of Hargeisa and the country's main port on the Red Sea. Nobody knows how old Berbera is, but it's been an important port since ancient times and is mentioned in The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, a Greek sailor's guidebook from the first century AD. It boasts ...Khat: the legal high of East Africa
May 20th, 2010 at 4:00PM: East Africa is addicted to leaves.
Khat (also pronounced "chat" or "qat") is a leafy shrub found in the mountainous areas of East Africa. It's a major cash crop for Ethiopia and a popular high in the whole region. For the Somalis, as well as the Hararis in Ethiopia, it's a social drug and a way to relax. It's also popular in countries further afield such as Yemen. In a Muslim society, khat ...Laas Geel: Somaliland's ancient treasure
May 17th, 2010 at 3:00PM: Before becoming a writer I worked as an archaeologist, and one of the things that inspired me to choose that profession was the beautiful cave art of Europe--places like Lascaux, Altamira, Chauvet, and so many others.
One of the things that inspired me to go to Somaliland was the recently discovered painted caves of Laas Geel. The paintings are being studied by Sada Mire, Somaliland's head ...Exploring a Somali camel market
May 14th, 2010 at 3:00PM: Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, is built on an oasis used by nomads since ancient times. It's been a center for camel and livestock trading for centuries. Hargeisa's camel market, the Senlaola Hoolaha as it's called in Somali, is a huge and dusty field a mile from the city center. Most of the day it´s used as playground by schoolchildren, but between 7 and 12 a.m. the scene is taken ...Hargeisa: a capital in search of a country
May 13th, 2010 at 1:30PM: For a people without an official nation, Somalilanders sure love their flag.
It's everywhere--painted on doors, flying from government buildings and private homes, hanging from rear view mirrors, worn on belt buckles and even knitted into a cap like this barber is wearing in the photo. Somalilanders are proud of their nation and want everyone to know it.
After sleeping off a grueling ...Somaliland adventure: getting to nowhere
May 12th, 2010 at 11:00AM: One of the tempting things about travel in Ethiopia is the proximity to other nations offering a variety of different experiences. I decided that my two-month trip would include a side trip to Somaliland.
The first reaction most people have when I say I've been to Somaliland is, "You went to Somalia? Are you crazy?"
The answer is no on both counts. Somaliland is the other Somalia, the place ...
