![In The Footsteps Of RYP? [Updated]](https://thevelvetrocket.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/las-geel.jpg?w=290&h=290&crop=1 "In The Footsteps Of RYP? [Updated]")
When my Italian and I visited Las Geel, I took a look at the guest book and noticed this entry by “RYP” from California. I’m a fan of Robert Young Pelton and while there are undoubtedly others in the world with the initials “RYP”, how many of these individuals journey to places like Somaliland and … Continue reading
Las Geel (also known as Laas Ga’al, Laas Geel and Laas Gaal) is arguably Somaliland’s pièce de résistance. Were it not in Somalia this site would immediately be declared a World Heritage Site. Fortunately, with the ongoing conflict in Somalia, it remains a hidden gem (To get back to 2005 in the tiny guest book, … Continue reading
The self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland was formed in 1991 after the collapse of unitary Somalia. Thanks mainly to the dominance of a single clan (the Isaq), it has remained relatively peaceful and stable since 1991, despite the occasional terrorist attack. Somaliland has all the attributes of a “normal” state: a parliament, free press, a currency, … Continue reading
Straddling the border of Somalia and Ethiopia, Wajaale is where my Italian and I crossed into Somalia. It’s a real frontier border town with no frills or attractiveness. **** Below is the first Ethiopian border post we came to… Everyone is dragged off the bus and extensively searched – the guards paw through your luggage, … Continue reading
While driving through Somalia, we came across this battered tank – a casualty of the Somali civil war: I was surprised to see that it still had its number plate: The armed guard we hired, Mahamed Ali, poses next to the bombed-out tank for me: This crude graveyard was just behind the tank which led … Continue reading
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