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Imagine a country where the Internet barely works, ATMs don't exist, and the government controls nearly every aspect of daily life. Welcome to Eritrea, off the east coast of Africa. Perhaps the weirdest country I've ever visited. Over the next four days, I'll be alone and completely off the grid, meeting locals who speak fluent Italian. Tasting some of the world's best coffee. Never had anything like this before. Exploring a rural camel market. He's drinking water from his tongue. And partying at a tribal wedding in a remote village.
This is what life looks like in a nation that is cut off from the rest of the world. And I run into my first problem as soon as I land at the airport. This is officially the slowest visa process in the world. I've been here an hour and a half. Last person to leave the airport. Bro, what's going on? I'll be right back. Apparently the printer is broken, but, why don't they just get another printer. or have a backup plan?
Not a good start to the trip. So, two and a half hours later, still no visa. So they gave me a temporary pass which allows me to enter the country until tomorrow morning, and then I got to come back to the airport and get my full visa. I mean, come on. Good morning from Asmara. It's actually pretty chilly today. First stop of the day. is coffee. Eritrea was an Italian colony, and they definitely brought their coffee here. Not to mention, the original coffee comes from Ethiopia, a neighboring nation. So, when you put the two and two together, it might be the best coffee country in the world.
This is the absolute best cup of coffee I've had in my entire life. The perfect macchiato. Most people have never heard of Eritrea because so few tours are allowed inside. The authoritarian government tightly controls access and requires detailed visa approvals that are often delayed or denied without explanation. All travelers face surveillance and a need for special permits to leave the capital. It's no surprise that many people refer to this nation as the North Korea of Africa.
There's no freedom of speech, no free press, no social media, and military service can last a lifetime. Yet somehow, Italian culture still lingers from the colonial period. They didn't just bring gelato and architecture, they also brought their religion. It's Sunday morning, so I've made it to a mass here. Eritrea is predominantly a Christian country. Everyone's kind of sitting outside praying. I really enjoy the spiritual moment here.
It's crazy to think how popular Christianity is here. When you think about Eritrea being surrounded by Muslim countries. Egypt, Somalia, Djibouti. Super fascinating. Going inside the church here, pretty cool. It's really cool how they wear these white outfits that cover their bodies. Both the men and the women. It's something very unique.
What do you enjoy about your country, your culture? The culture in here in Eritrea is integrated between the nine ethnic groups. It's the most peaceful. place, as you can see. You're from here, but you now live in the US for many decades, right? What is it like to go back and forth? Yes. For me, it's like, you know, I call it a time for declensing from the social media. And I don't look at it like a shortcoming. What he's saying is accurate. To get WiFi in Eritrea is like going back in the 90s.
You walk inside an Internet café, pay two bucks and get a scratch card with a password. The connection is so slow that it takes minutes to send one email. This is one of the many ways it shows how Eritrea is truly stuck in the past. Even if you want to take out a mortgage in Eritrea, you can't. There's no such thing. There's no money loans. Eritrea is a 100% cash only society. That means there's no credit cards, there's no bank transfers, there's no money apps.
You have to use cold hard cash to pay for everything. Pretty crazy. I'm excited to explore more of Asmara. But before we go anywhere, my driver hands me my passport and visa that he picked up from the airport. It's nice to finally be legal here. Now we are on our way to this retro bowling alley and sports complex where all the locals hang out. And it feels like stepping into a time machine to the 1950s. This is such a cool place. You have the video game section, you have people playing billiards and. bowling. You have these old pictures on the walls of like these old Italian men who are in bowling competitions here. with Eritrean men. It's
really cool to see! So, there's nothing digital or electronic in this entire building. Everything is done manually. The scoring is done by hand. When the pins go down, there's a little kid back there that puts the pin back in the spot. Look at the ball. It just has a hole in it. One. This bowling alley and sports recreation center. It's one of the best parts about Eritrea. So. vintage and old school. You feel like you're living five decades ago. So these guys are from Rashida tribe, the smallest tribe in Eritrea.
He's 16 years old and he's married. How long have you been married? Four months ago. Sixteen. How old are you? I am, uhh. Fifteen. You have a Fiance? I have a wife, but I'm 33. Yes. I'm now entering the back of the bowling alley, which is the coolest part here, where the kids are manually putting up the pins and sending the balls back.
Here's a graveyard of all the balls. that are broken. I'm now sitting with my legs up while somebody bowls. So I don't get my legs taken out. Man! I'm going to lose my fingers, bro! Okay, finish. Just throw the ball down the slide. So cool, man. Slide. After hanging out with the bowling alley, I'm starting to work up an appetite, so I can't wait to dig into the local flavors of this incredible country. I'm with my awesome Eritrean friends here. I actually met Fado on the plane yesterday. How do you say your name? Hiiii! That's a cool name. And you?
Na'Ahmi. Both of you did not grow up in Eritrea. Where did you grow up? No. We were raised everywhere. And what is it like to live back here? It's almost where the heart is. My heart is here, so. Yes. Yeah. I love that. This is Janti's. Okay, whatever Janti's is, I'm into it. I've never seen a plate that looks like this, but it looks amazing. Look at all the colors on here. And what is this? This is a Ful, Ful but the spicy version.
The food here is really. spicy. I don't remember it being spicy last time. It's really tasty. The owner is. insisting that we taste. his honey. Whoa! Was it sweet? Yeah, super sweet. In your travels, when you were moving around and you told people you're from Eritrea, people probably say, what? Like, what is that? How do you feel that. most people in the world have never heard of Eritrea? For me, it's. you know, it's like I have this platform. to speak about my culture.
You're avoiding biases because not everyone knows about Eritrea. So whatever you tell them. You know. Thank you so much. The hospitality here is Yeah, is the best. he keeps bringing us stuff. Thank you. By the way, it's not because we're on camera, but he's normally like that. In such good company, I could eat a whole another plate. But I have to save room for dessert. On the other side of town, I heard about this gelato shop that literally transports me back to Italy. It's literally perfect. And just outside the shop, I meet another friendly local who's eager to share what life is like here.
Life is good. you see? Maybe we are not such an extravagant society, but. we are living a normal life. You spend your whole life in Eritrea. Yeah! So, you grew up in the 60s and 70s? In my opinion, when I'm here, I feel like I'm going back in time. Yeah. But when you grew up, does it feel the same like it does now? Naturally it's different. So by default it's different. Different time, different opportunities. But our everything is the old type.
We don't have that, the modern ones, but, uh, we enjoy it. If you could say one message to everyone in the world, what would you tell them? Better to live peacefully. Peace is the very important thing. Hearing a local say that peace is the most important thing says everything about Eritrea today. But in 1991, Eritrea gained independence after three hundred and fifty years of colonization. First under the Ottomans, then the Egyptians, Italians, and finally Ethiopians. In 1998, a brutal conflict with Ethiopia killed tens of thousands and froze tensions for two decades.
Since independence, Eritrea has been ruled by President Isaias Afwerki, who turned it into a tightly controlled one party state. So, while the guns may have gone quiet, Eritrea still isn't free. I've entered the massive tank graveyard here in Eritrea. All these tanks were from the Ethiopian war. There's like thousands of them and they're all just in the nature now. So, it's a sad story. They were terrifying them and terrorizing these trucks were, uh, a show of, uh, too much, uh, terror and power. At the end of the day, they. won the game, so. And this is just the memories?
Yes, the memory. They don't want to sell them or. destroy them, they just want to keep them. You know, these tanks were found all over Eritrea during the war. But the most important part was a city called Massawa. It's on the port of the Red Sea. Over time, so many different empires colonized Massawa. Until the huge war in 1990 when the Iran pushed them out. And nowadays if you go to Massawa, all the buildings are just left as is. Kind of like, how these tanks are just left as is. It's absolutely bizarre and it's a really cool place to visit.
There are loads of prickly pear cactus which remind me of home in Arizona. They look exactly the same. All these kids are helping me take out these thorns. Thank you. It reminds me of growing up when I was playing in my front yard and I fall over in the cactus. but it goes in my leg. At least I got pants on. Thank you guys. Thank you. It's been a good time so far in Asmara, but now we are heading north to a town called Keren. It's actually the second biggest city in Eritrea.
We're going to stop at some little villages along the way and try to have a little deeper understanding of the beautiful culture here in Eritrea. Stopping in a small little village here, somewhere in between Asmara and Keren. Because the houses look really cool. People are living here, like, they were living almost a thousand years old ago. This village is split between Islam. and Christianity. And the way you can tell is the Christians have a little cross at the top.
Because the greetings here. You have to kiss and. Really appreciate how basic life is out here. No Internet, running water. Just people hanging out doing the same things they've done for thousands of years, literally. Not worried about politics, not worried about social media, not many materialistic things. Just simple, peaceful life and lots of smiles. One really sweet old lady just invited us inside for some coffee. Of course, we can't say no. So, we have
having a coffee ceremony. This place is Islamic. Everything is handmade here. The ladies will craft everything. They have electricity? Yeah, uh, solar powered. Is that solar powered? Yeah. This lady making coffee for me is so sweet. And this is one of the coolest experiences I've had. in this part of the world. Do you enjoy life in the village? She said, she doesn't speak much Tigrinya. Yes. So you can't speak to her? Yes. I mean, just few words only.
It's so interesting. You can't speak to her. We only drove two hours from Asmara and people can't. You can't speak to them. This is called Injera and it's a staple dish eaten with every meal in Eritrea. It's a spongy, sour flatbread made from fermented teff flour and you can use it to scoop up stews and salads. Alright, fresh ginger coffee from this lovely lady. Whoa. That's super gingery. It's like sweet ginger coffee. Never had anything like this before. And all you need is one little cup and then, you wake up. You know,
in the US we drink like huge cups of coffee and it's all watered down. We were just told that there is a wedding in a nearby village. So it's hard to say no when somebody tells you about a wedding. But first, I'm heading out to visit a camel market in Eritrea's second largest city called Keren. The craziest part is that tourists aren't really allowed to visit Keren, but I'm lucky that my guide from Young Pioneer Tourist is able to get me access. So far, it's pretty cool. It's clean, nice people. That feels more tribal out here. I really feel a sense of community up here in Keren.
You know, Asmara is a bigger city. It's more commercial, there's more embassies, more foreign influence. But here in Keren, it is like the real deal. It's really traditional, really authentic, and really freaking awesome. We just passed by this shop with all these. men. chilling in chairs, watching. the news or watching tv. Because keep in mind, they don't have Internet on their phones. They likely don't have a TV in their house. So this is where they. get information. Lovely toilet situation here in Eritrea.
It's very hard to breathe in here, but, get a nice look at. what we're working with. And with all the food I've been eating. Been having to use these a lot. Oh, my God! There are a lot of camels here. Camel. I'm just surrounded by camels right now. Totally different planet out here. He's drinking water from his tongue. I've been to many camel markets around the world, but here everyone's really friendly and they don't mind if I. shake their hand and take a picture.
In other markets, they're really, like, protective of their camels. How much is this camel? Uh. One thousand one hundred dollars. Have not made it to the ass market. A lot of ass. So, the camel and ass market is down there. But if you go up the stairs over this fence, you'll see a huge livestock market that goes all the way to the mountain.
This could be the largest animal market I've ever seen in my life. And it's amazing. Everyone's just whacking their animals with sticks, like hard whacked. It is so incredibly dusty here. It's in my eyes, it's in my nose, in my mouth. Jesus. We are walking up to the top of the mountain because there's a place to get tea. I suppose, while you admire the. livestock.
Just sat down with the men here. They're eating some peanuts and drinking some tea. We get an amazing view of the market in front of us. I mean, just. This is incredible, man! Are you guys selling one of the animals? Are you just hanging out? A little chai won't hurt anyone. It's like cinnamon tea. What I love about the tea and coffee culture here is everyone makes it slightly different.
You don't get the exact same cup of tea everywhere you go. Like, the lady has her own recipe. Ah, we got a little peanuts to go with it. Peanuts are really, really good. Oh, yeah. Two cups of chai and some peanuts for $1. Not bad here for you. It's a tip. That's how she gets dishes. Someone just sticks an arm through the hole. And then. Eritrea just keeps on giving. But at this point, I'll be disappointed if we can't find the wedding. So, we're heading back to the village to talk to locals and figure out where the party is at.
This village is called Halib Bental. It's just like a bigger version of the other one we were in. A little bit more modern houses, but also traditional. It's safe to say they like to have babies in this town. There's like 50 kids behind me. The wedding? Yes. Where's the wedding? The wedding is by this. Come with us. No. You speak Italian? You do? Yes. Why do you speak Italian? I learn in the phone.
What do you like better, English or Italian? What's better for you? My favorite language is English. You speak Arabic? Yes. English, Italian. What? How old are you? Is 11. You speak 7 languages? Yes. What? That's crazy. It's amazing. What is, uh, crazy amazing? It's just it's unique. This is my new friend, Abdul Maji. He speaks seven languages and he's only 11, and he drives a Toyota. He's guiding us to the wedding because we don't know where we're going.
The man. The man is hid in this. Where is the. Where's the woman? The woman is hid in the houses. So this is for the eating food. This is so cool. Now, I'm in the women's section, and they're all just, like, hanging out. They're, like, yodeling, like. What kind of drink is this? The drink? It's beer? This is frog. Yes. What Abdul is saying is all these are like fermented beer, but they're huge, huge pots of them.
Okay, a little bit. No, no. It's too much. Too much, too much. That's too much. A little bit, a little bit. These ladies are all asking me if I want a drink. How can I say no? Cheers. No, no, no. That was a cheers. Alright, let's try it. Yeah. That's not the greatest thing I've ever had. It's the same kind of fermented taste that I've had in other countries in Africa. It's really gross, but I will never tell her that.
Thank you so much. Here, you finish it. Everybody's, uh, asking me questions now. It's It's like they've never seen a tourist here. I guarantee it. How are you? I'm good. How are you? It's so. amazing out here. Wow! The views, the mountains and trees. Which one is your house? My house is there. This is your house?
How many brothers and sisters do you have? Nine. Yes. We are nine, but the four is. The four is boys and the five is girl. Thank you. Wow! You have a cow. What's the name? Yeah. Sham. Yes. Sham? This is my bedroom. Nice. Do you sleep in this bed or in this bed? In this and this? I sleep in anything. So, Abdul's mom has kindly invited us in for coffee and food, and she just said, you can hang here until the wedding happens. How can we say no to that? As I've said time and time again, you can't really appreciate and feel a culture until you get inside someone's house. And however you're able to get inside,
whether it's someone invites you in, you knock on a door or a friend of a friend, do it. Thank you. Since there's no Internet access in the village, Abdul's phone comes with a variety of offline apps that were assembled in China. That's how he's able to learn English and Italian so well. Excuse me. To say thank you. Grazie. You say, Grazie. You're smart man. From work, everybody will come. She brought the coffee over and, like, gave us, uh, aroma to smell that was really cool as the coffee beans were roasting. And we're just like.
This is actually my. permission to be in this region of Eritrea. You have to get it like a separate visa to enter. Any other place besides Asmara. That's how you know that no tourists ever come here. Thank you so much. Wow. Oh, my God. This is fantastic. It's amazing that they drink coffee at night. How do you sleep? I find out that Abdul's mom is a widow raising nine kids on her own after her husband passed away. This moment is beautiful. The energy, the hospitality, the food. That's really spicy and really good. It's such a special experience in the countryside of Eritrea.
Last moments of daylight here. This is just a calm before the storm, because we're kind of just killing two hours here before the wedding festivities begin. So, lucky that we were able to catch a wedding. So, lucky that I was able to meet Abdul. This is why I wear the two words, just go on my shirt. I really believe that life's greatest moments happen when you just go someplace. Step out of your comfort zone, go strike up a conversation with a stranger. Like in five, ten years from now, when I look back and think about Eritrea, this experience is going to be number one. It's going to be plugged into my brain.
We have arrived at the wedding. Something I find really fascinating and amazing about Eritrean people is that they don't smoke at all! Here's a scene of a bunch of old men behind me. And in almost any other country in the world, there would be chain smoking cigarettes. But here, I mean, they drink, but. They just hang out. It's really nice. I love to see it. And as Phil was telling me, it's just out of respect.
People don't like smoking and they just don't smoke. It's pretty cool. Alright, everyone is now gathering, beating the drum. The adults are here. We're just waiting for the bride and the groom to show up. And then it's a full on party. The wedding begins with the bride and groom arriving in traditional dress. Then the men and women split. The women dance in circles, clapping and singing, while the men gather with hunting sticks, stomping in rhythm.
It's part celebration, part ritual, and it's all community. Alright, I'm going in. I love what they're chanting and everyone's having a good time. The men have finally joined the women, by the way. The guy just came in stumbling drunk and everyone was laughing at him as he got kicked out by his friend. Same shit, different country.
Eritrea might be the world's strangest country. But beneath all that, I found something I didn't expect. Incredible warmth. The people here are kind, welcoming and proud of their culture. And that is what I'll cherish the most.
