Eritrea

[OnlyTeco]

I am back from Asmara and for anyone looking for girls there is a small hotel with a bar beside Asmara palace, choose your girl at night and enjoy.

[Idol1]

As long as you bring less then 10.000 Dollar, you don't need to fill out a currecy declaration anymore.

Valid since middle 2013.

So they "allow" you now to freely change your foreign currencies?

[Amadeuss]

Hope the currency is clear now, what you declare in hard currency when you arrive is compared against what you cashed while there and if it doesn't add up to what you have left over when you leave, you can get trouble. All of this is done on paper (what you declare, what you cash into Nakfa) I strongly urge you to under declare and put the hard currency in your crotch, they don't Xray you just your luggage. I never was XRayed. The girls will gladly change your currency and get somebody to change it for you. I guess you have to trust the girl.

As long as you bring less then 10.000 Dollar, you don't need to fill out a currecy declaration anymore.

Valid since middle 2013.

[Lover Africa]

Hello guys,

I am going to Asmara next week so could you help me where can I find girls and about the money for over night thank you.

I have a business trip coming up, will be in Asmara for 4 days in November, anyone with some updates?

[SHewate]

Hello guys,

I am going to Asmara next week so could you help me where can I find girls and about the money for over night thank you.

[SunnyBoy1965]

Hello guys,

I have read the whole blogs from the beginning. The only thing what my suprised was that the blogs stopped in somewhere in 2011. Has somebody recently been in Eritrea? Are the described cases like currency declaration, hotels and bars to pick up chicks are still the same or something has changed?

Thank you.

[KaliDude22]

I will be visiting Asmara in late June, and seeing that this thread is almost 2 years since the last posting, I'm wondering if any of you would be willing to shed the light on the scene of Asmara? Mainly, I'm coming to see the wonderful Art Deco architecture of Asmara as a tourist, but I'd be happy to greet the locals and get to know what Asmara's all about. So any latest info about hangouts would be appreciated!

[Member #4379]

Do you really believe I ll giving my money to a local girl?

I lived in Eritrea so I had a bit of time to meet a girl who became my regular. Once she depended on me for cash, she knew if she cheated me she was gone so it worked out just fine. But if you are only there for a small time it may be risky. But definitely pay them in dollars at 40 Nakfa to the dollar you should not pay more than $15 for an overnight session. You could test her with small amounts first, like $20 and see what happens.

[Member #4364]

Do you really believe I ll giving my money to a local girl?

[Member #4379]

Hope the currency is clear now, what you declare in hard currency when you arrive is compared against what you cashed while there and if it doesn't add up to what you have left over when you leave, you can get trouble. All of this is done on paper (what you declare, what you cash into Nakfa) I strongly urge you to under declare and put the hard currency in your crotch, they don't Xray you just your luggage. I never was XRayed. The girls will gladly change your currency and get somebody to change it for you. I guess you have to trust the girl.

[Member #4364]

But enough is enough; there are also other countries.

On this planet

[Thaijuan14]

If you come as a tourist : the critical moment is when you ENTER in the country at the airport.

You are not stripped! But in an african desorder, you have to declare on a paper the currencies you carry with you. A stamped receipt of your declaration is given back to you and each time you will change strong currencies against Nakfa (at official exchange offices owned by the state; or in some authorised currency dealers hotels) ; your precious stamped copy will be stamped with deduction of currencies officially exchanged

Okay, that was the clarification I was looking for. I couldn't understand how the gvnt was going to sweat people about declarations when they are leaving, but you explained it by saying they give people a "stamped receipt". I have never been to a country that worried about money exchanged. There were times I needed my passport or they gave me a receipt and I think they tracked those.

Transactions because of the employee and not the tourist.

I was worried about strip searching because I carry a tube sock that goes around my calf. I always carry this simple piece of cloth with the bulk of my money. I was thinking of hiding maybe a $100 bill in there and say I just over looked it. If they don't strip you down, then can you just outright lie and under declare? It seems like they have a trust system if they just ask you what you have.

I asked my Eritrean friend about her Eritrean friend who got caught with extra currencies, how did she get caught and she said they saw the money from the x-ray system. They fined her and kicked her loose. I was concerned after reading the incident with the tourist that gave euros and was almost jailed. I have a bad habit of giving US dollars along side of local currencies.

I don't plan to spend a lot since I know my friend will insist that I stay at her family's place, but I will still bring good money because that is how I roll. I would rather just give them (the lovelies) a good amount of Nakfa and not have to worry about pissing off any official. I am probably only going to go there once-unless something magical happens and then I want to go back.

They say I look like the Pres. So maybe I should be getting some free play. I am just going to experience the people and their culture and if I get any action then that will be an added bonus, I am not trying to conquer the women like I do in other countries.

[TigeDeJade]

I am very happy to see some current reports on Eritrea. I know an Eritrean woman in the US and she really wants to take me to Eritrea-next year. She wants to go in Feb. She said because the flight is cheaper then. We will stay at her relatives place making the trip cheaper for me.

I have read mixed reports on Eritrea. The one thing I don't understand (and I travel alot) is the thing about exchanging money. In an earlier report, the member said you have to claim how much money you have when you arrive and then how much you have when you leave. It was said you could get into trouble with some money difference? I am not sure what that means? If I bring US$1k and I exchange $500 into nakfa, if I give a woman some of the nakfa for entertainment fee, that won't make me suspicious? Is it because people are changing the money on the black market to get a better rate? And that makes them so strict at customs?

Anyway, please if anyone wants to PM me with some heads up info. It would be greatly appreciated. I feel like you have to try something at least once-unless you read on the this board not to! But like I said, a good friend wants to take me to Asmara, so at least I can go once and form my own opinion. She knows I love Eritrean women so she would be helping me not hindering me in hooking up.

I see there is no change on this topic of currency exchange and blackmarket since my last trip (cf my long report)

If you come as a tourist : the critical moment is when you ENTER in the country at the airport.

You are not stripped! But in an african desorder, you have to declare on a paper the currencies you carry with you. A stamped receipt of your declaration is given back to you and each time you will change strong currencies against Nakfa (at official exchange offices owned by the state; or in some authorised currency dealers hotels) ; your precious stamped copy will be stamped with deduction of currencies officially exchanged;

By difference, when you will leave, the customs at the airport will not strip you, but ask you to show your remaining currencies that you are fully entitled to bring back home.

If you cannot show these currencies in hand; it is the proof for them that you exchanged money at half rate on black market. As currencies disappeared without an official exchange!

Then fine (?) or jail (?) or call at your embassy. And in any case you might be blocked to miss your flight (as my embassy told me: once a group of tourists of my nationality visited the country and gave here and there tips or gratuities in euros. The consulate had to plead that it was mistake of simple tourists not currency smuggling. And they were blocked several days!)

So never give currencies as a gift to anybody EXCEPT the currencies you underdeclare when arriving in the country (so I did to my girl friend last time dividing by two my mongering cost. As she might change my currencies at black market and for her it represented the double. Personnally I never changed in blackmarket in the streets and do not advise to do it as it my be a police spy!)

The technique is to UNDERDECLARE when you arrive (and show exactly the difference at customs when you leave. You will not be stripped: if in fact you have more remaining currencies because you would have been especially reasonnable. As was my situation with my sweetie at USD 10 a day, no problem I just showed the exact difference and hidded the remaining in my pockets!)

[Member #4379]

Is there a double standard for natives and foreigners?

Absolutely with Eritrea showing the worst extremes. Everywhere in Africa there is a 2 tier pricing system where foreigners get over-charged compared to locals since they don't know what the local prices are. On top of that, my 1 year in Eritrea was nothing but 'backwards nationalistic racism' where the elites (Eritreans at the UN, landlords etc) would tell you Eritrea is a 'peaceful' knowing full well that 1% of its population escapes to Sudan to get out of the lack of freedom and torture and imprisonment for anyone who gets caught escaping or criticizes the dicktatorship. And Eritreans can't accept any form of criticism. I've seen grown men (who have been in combat) behave like children anytime Eritrea is criticized.

Smuggle your dollars in, the going rate for long time is about 500 Nakfa, that's about $15 at black market rate of $1 = 40 Nakfa

[Thaijuan14]

I think I understand the situation about declaring your money, it's new to me, because all of the countries that I have traveled, they have never sweated me over my currency. If they don't do a strip search of you and your luggage, I guess you could hide a few foreign dollars and if they find it, maybe play dumb?

I tried to ask my Eritrean friend about this declaration thing and she wasn't really understanding. She went last year, so she is up to date on what's going on there. She did say an Eritrean friend of hers did get caught with a small amount of undeclared money (claimed ignorance, could have been sincere). Her friend was given a fine of US$50. Is there a double standard for natives and foreigners?

I know Kenya is the place to be according to the board, but I go with what drives my libido and Eritrean women out of all African women, interest me the most. I have found that you can find beauty in any race, so not to put down any breed of women anywhere. I probably would not go to Eritrea if I did not know someone from there.

Coming from the states, are there shots I should take? Is a visa needed? Thanks