Getting Ready for Djibouti

                         

PLANE TICKETS

Before submitting for a Visa, I needed to have my airline ticket in hand. Only a few airlines fly into Djibouti, including Ethiopian Air, Air France, and Qatar Airways. Air France is the easiest and fastest, but the price is exorbitant compared to the other options. Katherine has been flying Ethiopian Air from Dulles to Addis Ababa to and from Djibouti, but a conflict between the government of Ethiopia and forces in its northern Tigray region has thrown the country into turmoil. I was advised not to fly through Ethiopia. I looked into Qatar Airways, and what I found I liked. A lot. Qatar Air has a new class of seats called the Q-Suites. A no-brainer for me as I am too old to fly sitting upright for over 24 hours. More on the Q-Suites, with photos, after I board. 

I will fly from Raleigh-Durham, NC, to JFK at 05:45 AM on American. I'll connect with Qatar Air and fly to Doha, Qatar, arriving with a mere hour and 20 minutes to connect. Katherine has already warned me that there is a good chance my luggage won't make it for several days because of this close connection. I'll arrive in Djibouti, Djibouti, at noon on Thursday, January 6. I booked the same return flight. Katherine advised that I should change my flight as this Qatar flight originates in Mogadishu, Somalia, an airport that has no security nor way to determine who or what boards the plane. I thought about it and decided that I only had to fly the five hours to Doha before I changed planes, and I'd be seated in the luxurious Q-Suite. I texted Katherine back and told her that I'd update my will instead of changing my flight, which I had intended to do for several years. And that is just what I did. 

VACCINATIONS

Katherine sent me a link with information on entering Djibouti. I needed to arrange to receive a slew of vaccinations, book a flight, and submit my Passport with booking information to the Djibouti Embassy for an entrance Visa. Past travel history sent me to the Duke Travel Clinic at Duke Hospital. I looked and looked, but I could not find where it was still up and running. I defaulted to Google, and a company called Passport Health touted that it could supply everything one needed for travel to anywhere in the world. I received five immunizations, including an updated Tetanus shot, pneumonia, yellow fever, and typhoid shots. I also got the Covid Booster and Flu vaccines and an updated Polio. I also have oral Malarone for malaria, although Katherine says it is entirely my choice as some people in the Embassy take it, and some don't. 

VISAS

I was worried about getting a visa to enter Djibouti because there were reports of long waits for Passports and Visas. I elected to pay for an expedited service from an online company I had used before when I traveled internationally, CIBT. I contracted for the basic expediting service because I felt I did not need hand-holding, an additional service you could pay extra. I filled out the forms, paid the online fee, overnighted my passport mid-November to their office in Washington, D. C., and waited. I had my Passport and Djiboutian Visa back in hand within five days. It was well worth the extra expense as I knew I needed to use my Passport in early December, and waiting six weeks was not acceptable. I was lucky that I only needed a visa. I have heard of others who needed updated Passports, and the regular submission process did not go smoothly. I definitely think expediting is the answer!

PACKING

What a mess. My bedroom that is. How do you pack for Djibouti? Katherine suggested I not wear safari clothing, and my resort wear doesn't look like it will fit in. 

I need to pack for the several adventures Katherine has planned for the two of us. We will dive with the Whale Sharks in the Gulf of Aden the first weekend. The second weekend we are doing a two-night overnight to Lac Assal and Lac A. These are two highlights of Djibouti, and I am very excited. 

Weather in January is the best it gets in Djibouti, with highs in the mid 80's and lows in the mid-'70s. "Bring a light sweater for evenings, " I was directed. 

 Djibouti, Djibouti is a coastal capital, and it is very hot throughout the year, with average maximum temperatures ranging from around 80F in winter to as high as 106F in the summer. The highest ever recorded was 115F. Djibouti city is one of the hottest inhabited places on the face of the earth. 

The higher-altitude interior is a little cooler, especially on the plateau. It is mostly above 2000 ft high. Djibouti receives less than 20 inches of rain throughout the year, and it mainly rains in the winter months and on the coast. Inland areas will get more rain during the summer months, but many parts of the country will receive hardly any rain at all. 

Katherine assured me that Djibouti is not the typical Muslim-dressing country; I don't need to cover my head unless I visit a religious establishment. Katherine says she does not wear shorts, but the length of my shorts are a tad longer than hers, so I'm going to bring a pair or two. I'll let you know if I made the right choice. Oh, and Katherine says that I can wear whatever I'd like to wear at the hotel - meaning I could wear a bikini if I wanted at the pool, which I really don't want, and neither do you.

Hat, sunscreen, cover-ups, sandals, sunglasses, tennis shoes, long, lightweight pants (I'm bringing my sailing pants), tops for day, night, and for hiking, several outfits for going out, black jeans, diving equipment, cameras - underwater and DSL, computer, phone, chargers, adapters, and I'll use Katherine's converter. Although I'm bringing a bag full of meds, I've been assured that the American military base Camp Lemonnier is right around the corner if there is a medical emergency. 

I am also packing two bottles of the red wine that Katherine and her dad made several years ago and bottled. Her friends have asked if it was possible, so Will and I have bubble wrapped, zip-locked, and wrapped softly in towels and gingerly placed in one suitcase, the one without my clothes in it!  Whether I can get them through customs is another thing I'll update you on later.  I'm bringing grits for my baby girl and some Liquid IV packets (electrolyte powder) for all. 

I have a wet bag and a knapsack. And a book of easy French phrases. I have to be able to order my evening cocktail!

At the end of the trip, I'll revisit to see if I packed well or missed the mark totally.