Blogs from Djibouti City, East, Djibouti, Africa

Litter was everywhere. It was as if a dumper truck had simply spewed its contents into the street. Random men were lazing about in whatever shade they could find – inside doorways, under trees, besides walls – all of them chewing khat, the ubiquitous drug of choice for men along the horn of Africa. For thousands of years, from the wilds of Yemen to the northern reaches of Kenya, millions of East African men (and sometimes women) had been chewing away on lumps of green leaves to get their stimulation. From what I could see, the men of Djibouti loved it, for all were munching away on the government-approved euphoria, cheeks bulging, teeth stained green. Every morning, fresh lorry loads arrived from neighbouring Ethiopia, which was then distributed among local khat sellers, who sold ... read more

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 ... read more

Hotel reception sees me walk in. I ask for availability and she replies. “Yes but you are not allowed to bring any women into your room.” I throw my hands in the air, look disgusted and say “What!...” shack my head, pause to wait for her reaction. Hejab wearing lady is like ‘well that’s the rules’ type expression. I smile and say, “Only joking.” But this is the major problem with accommodation in Djibouti its not that one of the cheapest places is $35. But even after charging me this extortionate rate they have the audacity to not give me the freedom of choice on bringing a prostitute back to my room. How outrageous! No wonder this country doesn’t receive much tourism dollars!! I’m actually trying to make myself not sound like a tightarse by complaining ... read more

We were enveloped in a disruptive blackness. Somewhere, in the Horn of Africa, our carriage rested, while inside our bodies contorted uncomfortably on plastic benches. Supposedly, this was First Class. But our butts, backs and remaining body parts disagreed in Western fashion as the hours of darkness slowly ticked intermittently between quick slumbers of exhaustion. One person stirred, which caused a domino effect of passengers waking, rustling, and repositioning themselves into something vaguely tolerable. Outside was more of the same. Shouts of Afar and Somali traveled in chaotic yellow beams of flashlights that sliced into the night air. Above, the skies were clear as stars glistened in their full desert regalia. They encircled a waning moon that reflected what little light there was, forming silhouettes of the surrounding landscape. We were found in the middle of ... read more

I haven't got any pictures from the local market But I remember somehow what was on sale. It was a large vegetable, fish and meat market. I also remember the sale of the khat . It's a bunch of leaves that the locals like to chew and chew for hours. it's classified as a drug and consumers spend loads of money into it. They say that it enhances alertness and concentration and that is good to use for studies. Personally I rather noticed that people using it were in a state of nonchalance and apathy. Some cab drivers use it quite often and you can tell by their red eyes and ... read more