Cruising Djibouti on Monday, January 10
Today is Monday, January 10. Happy Birthday, Tee Z. The world is a better place for having you in it.
I haven't mentioned this before, but though not illegal, it is widely known that photos are not wanted or allowed. When researching Djibouti, the horror stories of the police confiscating cameras and people shouting and chasing amateur photographers and demanding money for taking a photo have made me hesitant to pull my "real" camera out of my suitcase. Therefore, my photos are taken on the sly and with my iPhone. The better photos I have posted on this site may be downloaded from stock photos. True confessions :)
Yesterday, Sunday, January 9
Katherine and I went to Casino yesterday. Ha! That is the name of their grocery store. I love saying, "I'm going to spend a few hours at the Casino this afternoon." It makes grocery shopping a little less painful. And, it was superly air-conditioned, which didn't hurt a bit.
Casino is large. And, it is well stocked. If you have been to Antigua, think Epicurean. Exactly like this. Otherwise, think large grocery store with many local items, some good produce, some bad produce, lots of frozen parts of animals in many freezer cases, small pharmaceutical aisle, dry goods, and a whole section of hardware items.
There is a French Café connected to Casino where we decided to have lunch. Good idea! Fresh sandwiches on an assortment of breads, made hot to order, and a whole deli case of delectable pastries. I went for the Croque Monsier (when in Rome) and a chocolate eclair. I died and went to heaven.
Notice that there is a snorkel on my LC, too. Let's just hope I don't go diving.
For dinner, we had leftovers and made a large salad. Since water is not potable, we dipped every morsel in a bowl of vinegar and water to kill any bacteria hanging around.
Because we were both up before the sun this morning, I opted for a movie and early bedtime. I did not make the movie.
Monday, January 10
I woke up at 5:30 am this morning, but I was elated! I've been waking up at 3–4 am since arrival. Katherine was already out the door to work. She tries to put in a full day before we have lunch.
Coffee has just arrived! They call me Katherine's mother when room service talks to me. Honestly, I only ordered coffee, but I could not hurt room service's feelings by turning away the freshly baked French pastries they brought with the coffee.
I set out on my own around 9:00 am. I did not have a plan other than finding Casino again and buying some paper towels.
Djibouti is a military state, and it is located between Ethiopia, and it is an estimated twenty kilometers to the border with Somalia. As. such, there are Djiboutian police everywhere. Any large gathering place has a level of security, including Casino and the Djibouti Mall. Yes, the capital of Djibouti has a new shopping mall with a movie theater. Before entering the parking lot, you have to stop for the men to use mirrors to look under your car. I suppose they aren't looking for mud. Entering the parking lot for Casino, the hotel, and other places, concrete barriers are placed strategically to thwart a speeding vehicle. There are often concrete barriers that neck the road down to one lane. The police will stop traffic each way and check the cars and trucks. Katherine assures me they are not looking for a very white, blond, senior citizen driving a Land Cruiser. I have only encountered one checkpoint so far, and I was waved through without stopping.
At the mall, I park and proceed to the only entrance/exit. I have to go through a metal detector, and then I am wanded by a female employee. I am reminded to wear a mask. As I wander the mall, I take my mask off and place it in my purse. Katherine alerted me that only westerners are asked to wear masks, not anyone else.
Katherine gave me a mall tour several days ago, so I headed right to the grocery store. The mall path makes a square, with shops on the inside and outside of the square. At one of the corners is the grocery store, and the opposite corner is the movie theater. This is a Muslim mall, and there is no alcohol sold anywhere in this mall. But, there is a Burger King and a Cold Stone Ice cream establishment. A small spice store was beautiful to go into and explore the many different spices it offered. I could not take a photo of the spice store, but I took one of the grocery store's spice areas. While not as beautifully displayed, it was still extraordinary. The produce truck must have just arrived at the grocery store, too, as it was fresh and plentiful, unlike the produce at Casino the day before.
After picking up a few needed items like paper towels and a veggie peeler, a can of Pringles (sorry Rachel), and some European cookies, I head to my vehicle. It is easy to spot in the parking lot. It is a nice dark desert sand color and sits up very high. No electric window; only roll down. I love that!
I head south. I'm going to try to get to the embassy area. The embassy family housing is beautiful. I only make one wrong turn coming out of a round-a-bout, and I know it at the same moment it is too late to correct. I spit out onto a desolate strip of road with shanties on either side and lots of people milling about. I decide not to turn around here but to keep going until I can find a more secure area to turn. The road goes on for quite some time, and I pass what looks like the Djibouti army post. It is heavily fortified. I keep ongoing. I see a gas station up ahead and pull in to do a U-turn—piece of cake.
Once back in the capital, I continue heading south. Until today, I didn't notice the schools because I am passing them just as they are being let out for ... what? Prayers, lunch, siesta? I'm not sure, but the doors have opened, and every child and their parent is pouring out of all the schools. I have been trapped in traffic for a very long time. Parents stop their vehicles wherever they like to pick up their kids. I'm swerving and stepping down gears for what seems like forever. I take the first major street to the east to try to get out of the traffic. Argh, it's another street full of traffic. I turn on the radio and sit back and relax. Ed Sheeran is on the radio singing Shiver. I laughed out loud, thinking I was listening to my favorite artist in the middle of a traffic mess, in a Land Cruiser, eating Pringles and cookies, in the heart of Djibouti, Djibouti. I decided to sing along and loudly. It was a moment, for sure!
I headed back to the hotel because I could not contact Katherine. I'm thinking she will be heading home around 1:00ish. We have a golf date this afternoon!
Feel free to comment or ask questions! Thank you for reading.
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