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 unspoken currency in Djibouti is water. But, it is also generosity. Throughout my trip, bottles of water were traded, gifted, requested, or searched for. My guide would keep cases of water in his trunk so that he could hand them out to small village children and old, addled men. I watched as he would slip a coin into the hand of a shriveled-up Khat addict, no more than forty, but who probably wouldn't see his next birthday. Another example of generosity: Very few Djiboutian's have a vehicle. Those with wheels would pick up those without. Women and children hitchhiked as frequently as men. Villages were miles from towns with goods and services. In Lac Abbé, a scrawny young man pleaded with our driver and guide to take him to a faraway town because his children were hungry. I couldn't stand to think his kids were going without food because my guide and driver told him they could not take him because of Covid and because I was a paying customer. I pleaded, and they relented but told the young man he had to ride on the roof. He had to sit on cardboard because it was so hot. The ride in the desert was so rocky that I made the driver stop and tell the man to come inside the vehicle. They sat three in the front two seats, and it was a standard...ouch.
It was several hours of hard-driving, in the heat, in the desert before we arrived at the town. I questioned the driver and asked if the man would have walked the distance. "Yes, he would walk to the town and then walk back with goods on his back." I've never felt so privileged. And, so thankful for Wegman's.
4. Djiboutian's dislike Somalian's and the police are vigilant scouting Somali terrorists. Ethiopia and Djibouti are important trade partners. Djibouti is stable, safe, and welcoming to foreigners.
3. There is a lot of fear of this part of Africa, the Horn of Africa. While caution is always wise, there is so much to learn and explore about this part of the world, and I am glad I did not let the fear of the unknown hold me back. How is it that I did not know where Djibouti was located, how to spell Djibouti, how strategic its location and vital to the United States and other countries, how beautiful in its desert nakedness, and unique in its oddness. Whale Sharks, salt lakes, volcanic- otherworldly- geographic formations, tribes and cities, French food and the Somali language, and so much more. I would never have ventured to Djibouti if not to visit my daughter, but I am glad I did.
It is only by learning about and trying to understand each other, learning about each other's customs and religions, respecting the differences, and celebrating the commonalities that we will bring peace to this world. I believe in immersion, as I believe that only by living inside the goldfish bowl with other fish will we understand how to swim and navigate in the water together with our fellow man.
Peace, and happy travels. Please include me in your listserv if you travel and blog, as I would love to hear all about it.
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| On my way to the store... |
So much respect for our government workers.
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Animal Refuge
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| 48 hours of travel was worth it!!! |
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Missing Home!
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| Lac Abbé at sunrise |
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| Lac Abbé during the day |
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| Desert Travels near Ethiopia |
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| Rest stop |
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| Typical village |
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| Caravan |
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| World Food Bank housing grain |
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