Entering The World's Strangest Country

Imagine a country where the internet is almost non-existent, no ATMs, and the government controls almost every aspect of life. Welcome to Echire. Besides the east coast of Africa, it's probably the strangest country I've ever been to. In the next four days, I will completely lose contact, meet with the famous local people of Italy, I enjoy some of the best coffee in the world, I've never had anything like this before, explore a flea market in the countryside, drink water with my own tongue, and attend a wedding in a remote village. This is a life in a country that is almost completely isolated from the world. And I met the first problem right after landing at the airport. This is officially the slowest visa application process in the world. I've been here for an hour and a half. I'm the last one to leave the airport. What's up, buddy? I'll be right back. The printer seems to be broken, but why don't they have any other printers or plans? A good start. Two and a half hours later, I still don't have a visa, so they gave me a temporary permit to enter the country until tomorrow morning. Then I have to go back to the airport to get an official visa. It's hard to believe. Good morning from Asmara. Today the sky is quite cold. The first point of the day is coffee. Echire used to be a land of gold, and they must have brought coffee here. Don't forget, the original coffee comes from Ethiopia, a neighboring country. So when you combine the two, this could be the best coffee in the world. This is the best coffee I've ever had. A perfect macchiato. Most people have never heard of Echire because very few tourist tours are allowed here. The authoritarian government strictly controls entry and requests for a detailed visa, which is often delayed or refused for no reason. All tourists are monitored and require special permission to leave the capital. There is nothing surprising when many people call this country the North of North Korea of Africa. No freedom of speech, no independent press, no social networks, and military missions can last a lifetime. However, the culture and ideas are still preserved from the time of the land. They not only bring gelato and architecture, but also their religion. It's Sunday morning, so I came to attend the ceremony. Echire is mainly a Catholic country. Everyone sits outside and prays. I really like this spiritual moment. I can't believe that Catholicism is so popular here, while Echire is surrounded by Muslim countries like Egypt, Somalia, and Djibouti. It's so interesting. The inside of the church is quite beautiful. I find it very interesting when they wear white clothes to cover their bodies. Both men and women wear like that. It's very special. Oh, oh, oh, oh! Yeah! What do you like in this country? In your culture? I like the harmony of our culture and our culture. This is the most peaceful place. You come here, but you have lived in the US for many decades. Right. How do you feel in the US? As you know, I spend my time reading and reading social media. and I don't see it as a negative thing. He's right. Going online in Echire is like going back to the 90s. You go online, pay $2, get a high pass with a password, connect slowly to the point where you lose a few minutes just to send an email. This is one of the things that shows Echire is really stuck in the past. Even if you want to get a job in Echire, you can't. That concept doesn't exist. There's no money. Echire is a society that uses face money. No credit, no transfer, no electronic fee. You have to use face money for everything. It's crazy. I'm excited to explore Asmara even more. But first, the driver gives me a passport and a visa that he got at the airport. In the end, I'm legally here. Now we come to an old-style sports and bowling center, where locals gather. It feels like going back to the 50s. This place is great. There's an electronic game area. There are people playing billiards and bowling. On the wall, there are old photos of people playing bowling with Echire. It looks really interesting. There's nothing electronic in this building. Everything is done by hand. The scores are written by hand. When the pins are dropped, there's a kid standing behind to stack them up. Look at that ball. There's even a hole. One pin. This bowling and entertainment center is one of the best things in Echire. It's classic and nostalgic. It's like living 50 years ago. This is the Rasaida tribe. The smallest tribe in Echire. He's 16 years old and married. How long have you been married? Four months ago. 16 years old. How old are you? I'm 15 years old. Are you married? Yes, I am. I have a wife. I'm 33 years old. Now I'm going to the back of the bowling alley. It's the most interesting place. It's where the kids stack up the pins by hand and push the ball back. This is the meaning of the broken balls. I'm sitting on my feet when there are people playing. The ball hits my feet. Oh my God! I'm going to lose my fingers. You take the ball. Done. Then throw the ball down the net. That's great. Down the net. After playing in the bowling alley, I'm getting hungry. I can't wait to try the local cuisine here. I'm going with my wonderful Echire friends. I met Fado on the plane yesterday. Hi. What's your name? Fichado. Fichado? That's a great name. And you? Nahami. You both didn't grow up in Echire, did you? Yes. Where did you grow up? No. We live in many places. So how does it feel to live here? Home is where the heart belongs. My heart is here. I like that sentence. Yes. We're here. Yes. No matter where it is, I like it. I've never seen a dish like this before. But it looks so delicious. Many colors. What is this dish? This is Phung. Phung version is spicier. The food here is really spicy. I don't remember it being this spicy last time. It's delicious. The owner must want us to try his honey. Wow. Is it sweet? Yes. It's so sweet. What a pity. In your travels, when you say you're from Echire, everyone must wonder where Echire is. How do you feel when almost everyone in the world has never heard of Echire? To me, it's an opportunity to talk about my culture. Because few people know Echire, so I avoid prejudice. They'll believe whatever I say. Thank you so much. Thank you. The hospitality here is great. Right. He brought more stuff for us. Ah, it's not because of filming. He's always like that. With such wonderful friends, I can eat the whole plate, but I have to be full to eat dessert. At the top of the city, I heard about a gelato ice cream shop that made me feel like I was back in Italy. Perfectly delicious! Right in front of the shop, I met a friendly local who was willing to share his life here. Life is very good, see? Maybe we are not rich, but we live normally and happily. You lived all your life in Egypt? Yes, that's right. So you grew up in the 60s, 70s? Yes, I feel like I'm back in the past. With you, was it like now? Of course it was different. Times have changed, opportunities have changed, but life is still the same. We don't have modern things, but we are still satisfied. If you could send a message to the world, what would you say? Live in peace. Peace is the most important thing. Listening to a local about peace is the most important thing to understand about Egypt today. In 1991, Egypt became independent after 350 years of oppression. First was Ottoman, then Egypt, then Italy, and finally Ethiopia. In 1998, the war with Ethiopia killed tens of thousands of people. The tension lasted for two decades. Since independence, Egypt has been led by President Isaac Aboukir and has become a tight-knit independent state. Even though the guns are silent, Eritrea is still not free. I'm at the Eritrean giant tanker. All of these are from the war with Ethiopia. There are thousands of them lying in the middle of nature. It's a sad story. They used this tanker to threaten and terrorize, showing too much brutality and power. But in the end, they won. So this is just a memory? It's just a memory. They don't want to sell or destroy. They just want to keep it. These tanks used to appear all over Eritrea during the war. But the most important place is the city of Massawa, which is located by the Red Sea. Over time, many empires conquered Massawa, until the Great War of 1990 when the Eritreans pushed them back. Now, if you come to Massawa, the buildings are still intact. Just like these tanks, they are kept intact. It's very strange and an extremely interesting place to visit. There are a lot of dragon bones in my hometown, Arirona. They look exactly the same. These little ones are helping me remove the thorns. Thank you. I remember when I was a kid, I played outside, I fell into a dragon's den and it bit my foot. At least I have long pants. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. So far, Asmara is great. But now we're going to the north, to the town of Karim. This is the second largest city in Eritrea. We will stop in a few small villages on the way and try to understand a little bit more about the beautiful culture here. We stopped in a small village between Asmara and Karim because the houses here look very interesting. People here live as they lived almost a thousand years ago. This village is divided between the Muslims and the Catholics. It is easy to recognize because the houses of the followers of the Lord are worth the price. Here, the greeting is to kiss the hand. Thank you. They are shy. I really appreciate the dignity of life here. No internet, no water. Only people who live like ancestors have lived for thousands of years. No political worries, no social network, little material. Only monotonous life, peace and a lot of laughter. A very kind old lady invited us to her house for coffee. Of course, we couldn't refuse. We are attending a coffee making ceremony. This is a Muslim place. Everything is done by hand. The girls do everything themselves. Do they have electricity? Yes. Use solar energy. Is that solar energy? Yes. She makes coffee for me very cute. And this is one of the best experiences I've ever had in this area. Do you like life in the village? She can't speak a lot of Tigrinya. So you can't talk to her? Only a few simple words. Interesting. We only drive two hours from Akhmada, but we can't talk to each other. That's right. We don't understand each other. That's right. This is called injera. Injera is a main dish in every meal. It is a sour and sweet bread made from fermented glutinous rice flour. It is used to make stews and salads. And this is fresh ginger coffee made by her. Wow! The ginger is very strong. The coffee is sweet with ginger flavor. I've never had anything like this. You only need a small cup to wake you up. In the US, we drink a lot, but it's a mess. I've just been told that there is a wedding in the village. It's hard to say but I refuse to hear about the wedding. But first, I will visit Ladda market in the second largest city of Echire. The name is Keren. The crazy thing is that tourists are usually not allowed to come to Keren. But luckily, my tour guide from Pioneer Tour helped me get in. It's great so far. It's clean and friendly. It feels more tribal here. I can feel the community in Keren. Asmara is more urban and commercial. Asmara has many embassies. It has a foreign influence. Keren is truly traditional, authentic and wonderful. I just passed by this store. Some men are watching TV or news. Remember that they don't have internet on their phones. Maybe they don't have TV at home. This is where they update information. The toilet in Echire is like this. It's hard to breathe. But at least I can see the conditions here. With the amount of food I put in, I have to use this machine all the time. Oh my God! There are so many Ladda here. Now I am lost among the Ladda. Like on another planet, it drinks water with its tongue. I have been to many Ladda markets. But everyone here is friendly, willing to shake hands and take pictures with me. In other markets, they keep Ladda very carefully. How much is this Ladda? $1,100 Now I am at the market. There are so many people here. Ladda and Lua markets are down there. If you climb up the stairs and go through this alley, you will see a huge wholesale market that stretches to the top of the mountain. Maybe this is the largest wholesale market I have ever seen. I am impressed. Everyone is beating some animals with a stick. They beat them hard. Terrible dust. My eyes, nose, and mouth are burning. Oh my God! We are climbing to the top of the mountain because there is a tea shop up there. Maybe we can drink tea and look at the Ladda. That's it. I just sat down with some men. They eat peanuts and drink tea. From here, the whole market is very beautiful. I mean, you can see it. It's really spectacular. Some people sell Ladda or just sit and play. They have cows. They have cows? Yes. Thank you. A cup of tea is not harmful to anyone. It's like cinnamon tea. I like the culture of tea and coffee here because everyone makes it in a different way. There is no place that has a cup of tea like this. Each lady has her own recipe. Oh, there are some peanuts to eat with it. Peanuts are really delicious. Oh, that's right. Two cups of tea and a cup of peanuts only cost one dollar. Too cheap. It's yours. Here you are. Give me the change. She received the cup in this way. Someone missed it. And then... I was always surprised. But now if I can't find a wedding, I'm a little disappointed. So we came back to the village to ask people and find a meal. This village is called Halibenta. It's like the previous village but a little bigger. It's a little more modern, but it still keeps the tradition. People here like to have children. There are about 50 small children behind me. Wedding? That's right. Where is the wedding? Wedding is near here. Go with us. Do you speak Italian? Yes. Really? How do you know Italian? I study on... on an Asian phone. Do you like English or Italian? Which one is easier for you? My favorite language is English. Do you know Arabic? Yes, I know. Really? How old are you? 11 years old. But you know 7 languages? Yes, that's right. What? I can't believe it. You're really good. I didn't think... You didn't think? What does it mean? No, I mean... It's very special. This is my new friend, Abdul Mahdi. He is 11 years old. He can speak 7 languages and he also drives a Toyota. I'm taking us to the wedding because we don't know the way. What about the bride? She is being hidden in the house. Ah, so this must be the dining area. Great. Now I'm in the women's area. They are sitting and relaxing. They put on their hairpins like this. What kind of water is this? This kind of water is... Beer? This kind is strong. That's right. Abdul said this is Billion Man. And they are standing in extremely large pots. Enough. Just a little bit. No, no. Too much. Just a little bit. Everyone here invites me to drink. How can I refuse? A glass? No. No, no. A glass, not... Let's try it. Yeah. It's not the best I've ever had. It tastes like some other places in Africa. It's really hard to drink. But I won't say that to her. Thank you very much. Here, have a drink. Now everyone asks me this and that. I've never seen such a tourist before. I'm sure. Hello, how are you? I'm fine. How about you? It's wonderful. Wow. Beautiful scenery, mountains and trees. Which is your house? This is my house. Is this your house? Yes, it is. How many siblings do you have? A total of nine. Four are boys, five are girls. Thank you. Wow. Do you have a cow? Yes, I do. What's its name? Sam. Sam? Yes. This is my bedroom. Great. Do you sleep in this bed or that bed? Any bed is fine. So Abdul's mother has kindly invited us to drink coffee and eat. And she just said we can stay here until the wedding. How can I refuse? As I said many times, you can't really understand and feel a culture until you step into someone's house. And no matter how you get in, someone invites you, you knock on the door, or you are your friend, just do it. Thank you. Because there is no internet in the village, Abdul's phone has many offline applications installed in China. That's why he is very good at learning English and Italian. Thank you. Please. Sorry. To say thank you, you say crazy. You say crazy. You are so smart. He brings coffee and gives us a very interesting aroma. When the coffee beans are boiling, we just… This is my permit to stay in this area of Etire. You have to have your own visa. Anywhere except Asmara. That's why you don't know any tourists who have been here. Thank you very much. Wow. Oh my God. It's wonderful. It's surprising when they drink coffee in the middle of the night. But how can I sleep? I know that Abdul's mother is a single mother after her husband died. This moment is beautiful. Energy, hospitality, food, very spicy and delicious. This is a special experience in the village of Etire. The last moments of the morning light. This is just a temporary peace of mind because we are spending 2 hours before the wedding starts. We are lucky to have this wedding. I am lucky to meet Abdul. This is the reason why I wear the shirt with 2 words, just go. I really believe that the best moments of life happen when you go to a new place, step out of the safe zone, talk to strangers. 5, 10 years later when I look back at Etire, this experience will be number 1. It will always be in my head. Here we are. We have come to the wedding. What I find really interesting and wonderful about the people of Etire is that they do not smoke. This is the scene of the old men behind me. In almost all other countries, they will smoke continuously. But here, they drink but just sit and play. Very easy to bear. I like to see that. And as Phil said, it's because of respect. People don't like to smoke, so they don't smoke. Or really, okay. Everyone is gathering, fighting. The elders are here. We just wait for the bride and groom to come. Then it will be a big party. The wedding starts with the bride and groom wearing traditional costumes. Then the men and women separate. The women dance, clap and sing. And the men gather with the sticks, step on the rhythm. This is both a festival, a ritual, and all is a community. Okay. I come in. I like these rhythms. And everyone is very happy. The last man also joined the women. The man just walked in. Everyone laughed at him when his friend kicked him out. The old story, another country. Etire may be the strangest country in the world. But besides all that, I found something unexpected. The warmth and kindness of the people here, their hospitality and pride in their culture. That's what I value the most.