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After driving through the long lava fields, we found a place for lunch. Shade was extremely limited here, so we took shelter in a washed out road culvert with essentially three parking bays that we shared with the other tourists. Very interesting case of 'use what you have.' We had some more pasta with that spicy tomato sauce and some sauteed spinach. Yum. Then we just hung out for a little bit. Our guide said we did not want to arrive too early because it would still be hot, so we would take some time here.
We got through the town of Hamed Ela where we were going to stay the night. It was a small, mostly open hut and we would be sleeping on the traditional cots outside under the stars. I really enjoyed this in Djibouti and looked forward to it. In the meantime, the crew was unpacking the cars and we entertained a few local children. Soon, we left and headed to our next destination.
The salt flats at Lake Karum start just on the other side of town and extend over a large area. We stopped to take a photo soon after entering the salt
flats, with some hills and mountains in the background. We continued on to a location where we did a short walk along the flats. My flip flops were essentially ruined after this walk; the ground underneath the salt was surprisingly muddy! First, we noted a few small bubbling springs as we walked to a much larger, beautiful pool. The water was clear and was also fed by bubbling springs. It was also not hot, especially compared to the surrounding air. We all would have loved to take a dip, but if you look at the steep sides.... how would you get out?? A little further on was an abandoned pipeline that was just covered in salt and created a very unusual display, even with a bit of shade. It was nice.
We got back to the cars and then were driven further into the flats. Soon, we stopped near a rock out crop that had a little bit of shade, as well as a small pool where you could take a dip if you wanted. Only one of our group did, though the other tourist groups were also here off and on. We tried taking fun photos on the
salt, you know those crazy perspective photos, but it was just too hot. It was really amazing to see though. We rested here for a few minutes, just enjoyed being out of the cars.
Then we were put up on the top of the cars for a 360-degree view of the flats as we drove the short way to the lake where we would stay for sunset. Nothing crazy, just pleasant for me and L to chat for a few minutes. The lake itself was awesome. Very placid and shallow, so we walked out a bit where we got some good photos with the reflections of people and mountains. The water was also somewhat refreshing. Our guides were able to scrounge up a couple of bottles of rose wine, which we enjoyed while the sunset. The tour groups were spread along the lake edge, with each of us having our own spot. The sunset was very nice, though the wind started to pick up at this point.
It was a bit of a drive heading back, as the normal road had been adjusted due to the recent rainfall. When we finally got to our camp, we had a
quick dinner in the hut. We were to sleep outside on our cots, but the wind was getting worse. So, the guides parked their cars to block most of the wind. I was just laughing. At least the heat was not suppressing. The sky was very clear with beautiful stars and I even saw a few shooting stars. Somehow, I managed to fall sound asleep.
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Fine Wine
Great photo.