Painted walls

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It was a very last minute decision to head to Djibouti, but enticed by the chance to snorkel with Whale Sharks, I got a visa in Dire Dawa (and also had to pay my first bribe of the trip), and leaving Ethiopia behind for a few days, jumped onto the overnight bus to Djibouti City. It took a while to get into the swing of things in the former French colony, and I spent the first day or so confused by the language, incredibly annoyed by the lack of Whale Shark tours, and - shocked by the expensive of the place - scared of buying anything. But, once I'd started conversing in a mix of English, broken Arabic, and broken French, learned to ignore the cost of things, and having finally sorted out a Whale Shark tour, I started to love the place.

It must be one of the most low-key capitals in Africa. The whole city seems to have a siesta from 12-4, when due to the heat, the population for sit in the shade, chew chat, or drink fruit juices in the few stalls that actually remain open. The first day I realised this I'd over-slept, all the cafes and restaurants were closed, and it was 4pm before I'd managed to have a decent meal. But once you've got into it (and woken up before midday) it's a great way to spend an afternoon.

The French architects have left a large impression too, and the centre of the city is dotted with colonial buildings, which contrary to the norm in many other old colonial cities, are still used and in a good state of repair. But, for me, the most likeable aspect of the city are the murals, adverts, and shop signs that now adorn almost every square inch of the city, and make the city feels alive. To an extent I've seen it all the way down from Cairo, but here it's even more pervasive, and you can hardly walk in inch without seeing another painted wall. It's a cacophony of colour and noise, with pictures of sunsets, photographers, barbers, computers, telephones, chickens, chips, and pineapples, amongst other things, bombarding the passerby from every direction. And each picture is accompanied by a unique hand-painted typeface, in a mix of Arabic, French, and pigeon English. A designer's heaven. What could be a run-down city centre of broken walls and falling plaster is instead a work of art. Beautiful, beautiful, Djibouti.

And you can even snorkel with Whale Sharks...

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