The Country That Doesn't Exist

 Conor and I with our travel buddy Monty and soldier Mohamed at Las Geel.

Two days ago I returned from a week-long trip to Somaliland/Somalia with my buddies Chris and Conor. Somaliland is technically an internationally unrecognized but de facto sovereign state, meaning that it has essentially seceded from the volatile southern regions of Puntland and Somalia, both of which are by all definitions failed states. Somalia proper is one of the most war-torn areas on the planet, a haven for terrorists, and virtually no westerners are allowed there. But the good news is that Somaliland is relatively peaceful. Every once in a while terrorists from Mogadishu attack within the country, but the last attack was a series of suicide bombs in Hargeisa back in October 2008, and Somaliland has since tightened controls of its borders.

 One of countless checkpoints on the drive to Berbera.

 Mohamed about to punch a camel.

 Inflation galore! Money-traders would sit around with bricks of Somaliland shillings worth only a few bucks.

 

Foreigners traveling outside the capital of Hargeisa are required to have an armed soldier accompany them, or risk getting turned back at the many checkpoints that litter the roads there, so we arranged a driver, soldier, and 4WD vehicle for our jaunt to Las Geel and Berbera. The next morning, we joined our guard, Mohamed, and our driver, Abdi, for the ride to the Berbera. On the way, we stopped at the stunning archeological site of Las Geel, where five thousand-year-old cave paintings adorn a rock formation springing up from the desolate desert landscape. We spent the next few days in Hargeisa and Berbera, exploring the towns and swimming in the Gulf of Aden, but were fortunate to avoid any run-ins with Somali pirates.

Mind-boggling cave paintings at Las Geel.

Me, Mohamed, Chris, and Conor at Las Geel.

 Me about to put the hurting on some hyenas that were eating raw meat from my mouth in Harar.

Somaliland on the whole was without a doubt the most unique place I’ve ever been—a supremely surreal country. Upon seeing both towns, I joked that Hargeisa looked like it had been shelled about a year ago, and Berbera looked like it had been shelled last week. Up until very recently, the country was ravaged by civil war, the after-effects of which are still visible everywhere. Many buildings were reduced to rubble, and those that were left standing were pockmarked with bullet holes and artillery shells. It definitely looked like something straight out of Black Hawk Down. But that made exploring both towns all the more exciting and edgy.

Camels on the road to Hargeisa.

To add to the surreal atmosphere of the country, we only really saw three other foreigners during our five days there. And as if we needed more edge to our adventure, elections took place while we were there, and results were announced on Thursday night while we were staying in the capital. The opposition party (Kulmiye) won, and fortunately the transition of power was peaceful, a rare event in east Africa. On Thursday night, all of Hargeisa poured into the streets to celebrate the peaceful transition, singing and dancing about the streets waving flags. It was definitely memorable to be there for elections and witness history in the making.

Kulmiye supporters stoked about their party's victory.

More Kulmiye pride...