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Last Thoughts on Djibouti

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Last thoughts.... 1. Seated in 1st class leaving Djibouti, I headed to the Ladies Room just after take-off. I inquired of the Flight Attendant with a slight nod to the bathroom door that I was on a mission. "Wait," the Flight Attendant commanded. I stopped, hoping that I didn't look like I was headed to the cockpit, not the WC. A full liter of Evian Water was placed in my hands. I must have looked confused as I was, and I shook my head and said, "no, I need the bathroom, not a drink of water." Three flight attendants gathered around me, and as I backed toward the restroom door, they explained in unison. Djibouti has no fresh water source. There is not enough water to fill the plane when refueling. Therefore, the Evian water. Use it to flush. Use it to wash my hands. Take a swig if I'd like. Then leave the bottle for the next person.  Hmm. If 1st class has Evian, does economy have Dansani? What a luxury it is to have fresh water and plenty of it.  2. The unsp...
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Last Day! Whale Sharks, after all. Yay!

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WHALE SHARKS! I had to be creative, but I found a guide, a skiff, and a driver to drive my truck to the whale shark beach, about an hour and a half from Djibouti, Djibouti.  We left late in the morning because I HAD to get a Covid test to fly into the US. I was offered to take it a few days early and have it say that I had taken it the day before I left DJ, and even though DJ was not slogged with Omicron yet, I was not going to take any chances. I was given a Rapid PCR, but only after I vouched, I had not had coffee with in the last hour. Coffee skews the test, or so this clinic told me. I rinsed my mouth out several times because I was at the 54-minute mark, and I wanted to ensure I did not get a false positive. But I digress... It was a heck of a ride to the beach. Again we had to go off-road for about 45 minutes. We went through the French training base. The French do live ammunition practice where we were. They named their base camp after a ten-year girl who was tending her goa...
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Lac AsSal: Second Saltiest Lake in the World

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LAC ASSAL ME! The last stop on my overnight is to Lac Assal in the Afar depression where three tectonic plates diverge. It is a beautiful sight, and if I did not know better, would have mistaken Lac Assal for a Caribbean beach, with bleached white sand and the clearest, deep blue water. It is very deceiving to the eyes from a distance, but as we neared the edge, I realized the immense expanse of white sand was not sand at all, but hard, crusty salt, rock-salt crystalized, jagged and razor sharp. It was gorgeous. The water is ten times saltier than the ocean and at 155m below sea level, it is the lowest point in Africa, and third lowest point in the world after the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee. Geologists say the lake originally contained freshwater and there is no real evidence for how it turned. Hard soled water shoes are a must. The salt crunched beneath my feet and the whiteness of it was blinding. I didn't swim, just waded in for a quick pic, but the salt stuck lik...
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Overnighting in Lac Abbé, 10 km from Ethiopia

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Road to Lac Abbé  The Drive to Lac Abbé (Happy Birthday, Philip Hodges!) Friday morning, I headed north  with a guide and driver to the famous Lac Abbé, and Lac Assal, regions of Djibouti.  I am just back from the two-day trip. Because there was no wifi or cell service, I could not communicate with anyone, and I am behind in the blog. I know Will was a little worried he did not hear from me. I assured him there had been no kidnappings of Americans in Djibouti this year.  Of course, I'm kidding. I was hesitant to go on the overnight so I texted the guide, and he assured me that it was very safe and that he would take good care of me. I was hoping he didn't mean he'd take good care of me for a million bucks.  Fathi, my guide picked up at 8:00 AM on Friday.  He brought  with him a driver, Leo, who did not speak English or French. He spoke Somali, I think. However, this driver was the absolute best driver I could have asked to take me to this extremely rem...
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A Whaley Good Time - or Not

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                                   DIVING WITH WHALE SHARKS          (Happy Birthday, Rachel Hodges Davison! I love "ya booty" to the moon and back.  Happy Birthday to you too, Amy!  And, I didn't post on Shelayne's big day!  I hope it was fabulous and I'll be home for the pageant.)  Thursday, January 13 When in Djibouti -- I have learned that things change very quickly, and flexibility is a must.  Katherine and I will not be Whale Shark diving tomorrow as there has been some illness in her office, and it is all hands on deck at work this weekend.  The excursion was made up of seven of us, six from her workplace.  So, because of the cancellations, all hands on deck means that I would be the only one left on deck for the trip.  Therefore, it was cancelled, and I will not have time to reschedule for next week.  ...
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