Djibouti City

Janet has made it to Djibouti Citi. She's staying for a couple days at the glamorous Menelik Hotel.

There's (spotty) wifi at the hotel. Here's an update from Janet:

It was a long flight here (i've got the swollen ankles to prove it) but here I am. Djibouti City is not as developed as Macale in Ethiopia, but this hotel is nicer. We walked the city, around the mosque, changed money with a woman with a huge bag of cash just out on the street, went through a chaotic market, a crazier place where local buses pick up and drop passengers, had lunch in the restaurant that was bombed in 2014 and am now back at the hotel, showered and ready for a nap. I met our Afar guide. He seems like he really wants to please us so hopefully it will be a good trip. 

Tons of cats here, mostly hanging around the goat and fish stands ... way more flies than cats though. It's hot as hell and everybody is saying how cool it is ).

After a long shower and a nap, Luke and I struck out for the port. We got a bit lost, but was fun. 

We wandered through the center and then to a fancy high end neighborhood close to the Presidential Palace. We finally got to the port which was interesting. Tons of Ethiopian trucks loading, unloading, and crowding the roads. Old abandoned wooden fishing boats, next to one or two fancy yachts/sailboats and then a ton of tankers. We walked towards the Southern Somalia boarder (which is really close) and past the presidential palace. It's huge with a garden area that looks like a F1 track with tents here and there. Major armed guards everywhere. We heard that every once in a while he will open the garden to the locals for a concert or party. 

 

We found a really nice restaurant on the water that Ken had recommended. We had a big lunch so just had drinks sitting outside on the water. Made Djibouti look really pretty. Almost forgot all the raw sewage we walked by to get there. Sat for a long time watching the sun set then strolled back to the hotel (occasionally followed by some small child saying momma, momma begging for money. We walked past more places on the water, pizza shop, hookah bar, whore house/dance club,