Days 321 to 330 Diary Index
After walking into the city center to see the boss of Marill, who wasn't there. I turned around and walked down to the port area. After getting a pass at the port office I wandered round the various docks, checking out the ships and boats. I first went to the big ships, two of which were cargo carriers and the third was French military. I got permission to board both of the cargo ships and talked to the captains. One was heading back to India the other non stop to America. Interestingly they both entertained the idea of taking the Landy on board, but neither would take me as well. Something to do with needing an international crew certificate to be covered by there insurance. I then went round to the where the smaller boats were moored. There were a couple of dhow's that were big enough and strong enough to take the Landy. I chatted to there captains this time there were willing to take me and Landy, but they only sailed to Yemen and the price they were asking was a bit steep. But I figured I could bargain this down. It was not long after this that I spotted two foreign sailing boats that had pulled into the key side further down. So I went down to investigate. It turned out that they were two of a larger international group sailing round the world. So I asked both of the crews if they needed anyone to crew for them. Both of them declined but said some of the other crews might be interested. By now it was lunch time, every was closing down and I was tired from walking around the port in the hot sun.
I walked back to the hotel and made some lunch and relaxed in the shade for a while. Later that afternoon I walked back into the city center to go to the Bureau De Change to get money out. While there I ran into two more yacht crews, so I again asked them if they needed crew. But both had made there own arrangements already. Not long after I ran into Dani and Cameron, so we teamed up to go for dinner and one of the cheap street restaurants. After which we wandered back to the hotel for the night.
I spent the morning sorting out which of my cloths I would take with me on the plane, washing, reading up on Paris and Luxembourg in the Lonely Planet and working on my web site. After lunch I headed into town center to see if I could change my travelers cheque's. But Western Union didn't want to know and the bank was closed that afternoon for some reason. So I spent my time in the internet cafe and walking around the various travel agents checking on availability and prices of flights. I did receive an e-mail from Verena saying that she had got my valentines gift, again thanks to the wonders of internet shopping.
That evening me and Cameron walked down to the old yacht club to see if we could talk to any of the other crews. We met one coming ashore for dinner and they told us that there would be a captains meeting at 09:00 the following morning. So we walk back to the hotel, Dani and Cameron then went for dinner and I spend the evening chilling out watching a Troy on DVD with the laptop.
I was up and about with time to spare and walked down to the old yacht club early. As I turned up so the captains and some of the crews were assembling. At first the subject was day tours and sit seeing of Djibouti, but then the meeting started properly and a presentation of the route ahead was given. I proved interesting to see just what was involved and what sort of information they had and what formalities they would have to go through. Towards the end of the meeting I piped up and asked all present if they were interested in taking on any crew. I was met by dumb silence. I got to say I was a bit disappointed as the crews had been nice enough when you had something they wanted, whether in was information or parts. But we had to respect their decision and dejected we left.
At least one thing had come out of the meeting and that was now it was certain that sailing home was not a option, I could move on with my original plan. I again stopped in at the offices of Marill Transit but the boss was not there. This time I was told he would be in in the afternoon. That stop was the bank to see if I could change my travelers cheques, but again they didn't want to know. This now reaffirmed my view that travelers cheques where only good if you were in touristy locations, out of which they weren't worth the paper they were printed on.
The next frustration of the day was when I went to book the flight to Paris I now found that all the places were booked. I then spent another half an hour talking through all the available options/routes to be able to leave on the coming Sunday. None of which looked particularly good. I left instructions to contact me if a place became available.
Once back at the hotel to get some lunch, the Lady from the English yacht crew turned up to buy the Gaffer tape I had offered. Money and tape changed hands and I was again left with the feeling that I was only good enough to know along as I had something they wanted. Not a feeling I had got off of any other travelers I had met on my journey.
After lunch I returned to the offices of Marill Transit, saw the boss and confirmed that I wanted to ship my Landy with them. I then received a call from the travel agent saying a place had become available on the flight I wanted. So I shot straight round as soon as the details were arrange with Marill. Once at the travel agents I said to book the place straight away. Because I wanted pay with my credit card I had to go round the corner to their other office to use their machine. The lady tried to put the amount through on the card, once, twice, three times it didn't work. Frustrated I left and rushed down the road to the Air France office, which was the carrier the flight was with. There I explain what had been going on and managed to book, pay and receive the tickets there and then from them. Stress!
With the ball rolling I went round to the internet cafe and e-mailed Mum and Verena the news and travel details, before returning to the hotel to claim down. Not long after I was back Cameron and Dani turned up with a Swedish lad (Marco) in tow. They knew the guy from running into him in other locations around the Middle East as he was also touring around. So over dinner and long into the night we swapped stores of our travels and one another. Also Dani and Cameron announced that they would leave tomorrow.
As I now had stayed at the Auberge Sable Blanc for over a week I was fast becoming one of there best customers. This lead them to offer me their best room, now that the other guest had left. So I changed rooms, which was bigger and I had its own toilet. My mission for that day was to sort out the money I would need to pay Marill to ship the Landy. I first counted what I had and calculated the difference plus what I would need for the next couple of days. I then went to the bank to withdraw the rest of the money on my credit card. Everything went smoothly and after a but of shopping I was back at the hotel for lunch.
Not long after I had finished lunch Marco turned up and we decided to go for a walk to find various embassies and check if it was possible to get their visa's issued here. As It turned out the embassies were only open in the mornings for visa applications, but we still managed to get some info off the guards. After spending a couple of hours walking around and not achieving a lot, we returned to the city center and went to the internet cafe. After which we went in search of a Dutch guy who was overlanding in a beat up car, and Marco had met before. We finally ran into the guy in the street and we all had dinner together in a street cafe, before going to the Ethiopian club for a few beers. As we had now found this the cheapest location in all of the city for a drink. The bonus for me it was just round the corner from my hotel.
After being up and about, I refueled the Landy from the jerry cans and sat reading my Landy mags until Marco showed up round 10:00ish. We then jumped into the Landy and drove out of Djibouti city westward along the main road for around an hour before turning north toward the lake. As we approached we stopped a couple of times to admire the views of the valley and mountains, while also taking plenty of photo's. As we crested a hill the whole lake was laid out before us. Lake Assal is a salt lake, which meant a fantastic contrast in colors, from the pure white salt, deep blue of the water to the earthen colors of the mountains. After descending to the lake side, we followed the track along its side and eventually to the pan its self. Here the colors did not loose any of their appeal, and so decided it would be a great location for lunch. The lake floor is also the lowest point on the African continent at -155m below sea level. After tucking into our egg mayo sandwich's, seasoned with salt directly from the lake, we climbed back in the Landy for the trip back.
As we are humming along on the good tarmac road back toward the main road, I spotted a goat far off, at the side of the road. As we approach it decides it suddenly wants to cross. I had been in this situation many times before with various animals, and as long as you give them a wide berth they think twice and don't move. This one as it turned out had even less brains that your average stupid goat, and sprinted at the last second. Even though I was now driving on the opposite side of the road the goat manage to reach us just in time for its head to connected with the solid steel winch bumper. There was a metallic thud and I looked in my mirror to see the goat spinning to the floor. I stopped, back up and got out to look at the goat and the Landy. The result was not a scratch to the Landy but the goat had definitely seen its last playing chicken with vehicles days. Marcos theory was that the goat had got so depressed living a pointless existence in the middle of no where, that it had decided to commit suicide in the only way it could. Looking around I had to admit there might be something to his theory. As we drove away we saw a local who had spotted the potential meal, now jogging to claim it. So at least even if the goat had had a pointless existence it met a purposeful end.
Along the way back we decided we would go in search of a beach marked on the Lonely Planet map and so at Arata turned off. After some poor directions we finally descended a very steep rough track to the piste leading to the beach. It still took us quite some time to reach the shore, and where immediately disappointed with a rock strewn featureless beach, not the lush white sand descending to coal reefs we had in mind. Marco was still keen enough to go for a swim. Even if it was just to lay claim to swimming in the Red Sea.
On the way back to Djibouti city we were flagged down by the drive of a minibus taxi, next to his stricken vehicle. It turned out that he had forgotten to fill up with fuel and had run out. Luckily for him I still had one jerry can fully, which I sold to him at the local price. This made me a little profit because the fuel came from Ethiopia where is it cheaper. Once back in the city we drop the Landy back at the hotel and then walked into the city center and to the internet cafe. After an hour or so there we went to our now favorite street cafe for dinner. While eating the Dutch guy turned up and we again spent the evening sipping beers at the Ethiopian club until late.
I started the day with a leisurely breakfast and sat reading my Landy mags for quite a while. When I eventually moved it was to give the Landy a quick wash down to get the salt off. By which time it was not far from lunch time and Marco turned up. I suggested a early lunch at the Ethiopian club, and so we went over. We ordered Tib's which is a massive sour doug pan cake with a selection of fillings pilled in the middle. During which Marco stated that he was going to try and catch the afternoon boat to the north side of Djibouti and go onto Eritrea. So after lunch I accompanied him down to the harbor. 3 hours of waiting and chatting later, no boat had turned up and we were told none would leave that day. So Marco and me said our goodbyes and he headed off into town to find a bus to take him instead, while I walked back to the hotel.
A spent the rest of the day and the evening sorting and packing away what I would and wouldn't take with me on the plane. When that was done I relaxed reading my Landy mags and working on the web site.
Once up and about I busied myself with the final details of my packing, paid the hotel and got ready to put the Landy into the container. As this was the day the boss of Marill and me had agreed to do so. 09:00 sharp, I turn up outside the Marill office and upon entering were told packing the Landy into the container had been delayed until tomorrow. I was not impressed and told them off for not informing me of the change of plan. Annoyed, I cross the road to the internet cafe. I am not sure how, but once logged onto the system I notice that the session clock wasn't ticking. So I took advantage of the fact and spent the rest of the morning there surfing for free. After a little food shopping I drove back to the hotel and had some lunch. All of that afternoon I just spent working on my web site and writing my diary. That evening was uneventful and I just relaxed and watched Oceans 12 on DVD before falling asleep.
For the second time I turned up at the Marill offices at 09:00 sharp. This time the boss was there and he and a college jumped into another car which I followed to the port. On arrival there was a bit of confusion and I had to obtain a pass for the vehicle so it could enter the port area. With that done and visited the customs office to get my carnet stamped and than we drop down to the container area. Again there was some confusion over which container had been allocated to me. Once they had found it and moved it from the pill to the floor, it was evident take there was a large gash through the skin on the container. After insisting that they patch it up water tight, we proceeded to load the Landy into the container. At that point we found that the spare would have to be taken from the roof rack for it to fit. After a extensive rummaging around in the Landy I find the keys to the padlock holding it on, remove the spare and load it into the back. The Landy is then loaded, tied down with metal wire and the container sealed. We then returned to the office in the city to finalize the paper work and payment. By the time it was all finished it was lunch time, and before returning to the hotel I quick went to the internet cafe to send an e-mail update to my Mum and Verena telling them that things were going to plan. Or as least as much as they every do in Africa.
That afternoon I just spent pottering around, reading and relaxing. That evening I made myself and big meal from the remaining food I had and got ready to leave for the airport for the 22:00 check in. At the right time I jumped into the taxi to take me to the airport and was dropped at the door. After waiting for ages in the queue I finally checked in. But as it turned out my bag where 5Kg of weight, so I was directed to the excess baggage desk. The guy told me the price 7.50 USD he said. I thought OK and produced the money. He then said "No, no 75 USD". I explained that I didn't have the money on me as I was leaving the country so why would I carry so much foreign cash I wouldn't be able to use at my detonation. On returning to the check in desk the manger saw my point and reluctantly let me through. After two hours of waiting and slow progress toward the plane I finally board the aircraft. When I find my seat I find that someone is already in it. I point this out to the bloke and we both present our tickets to the hostess, where we are left standing for a decision. She eventually returns say it is mine and that the bloke will have to sit else where. Which was better that what I though might happen. That they would say they double booked, don't have space and chuck one of us off the plan.
Tired from the stress of the day, I slump into my aircraft seat, with personal TV, blanket and in flight socks, thinking that I would soon find myself back in a world totally different from this one, and wondering if I would find it just as strange. One things for sure I would find it cold!
All that night it had been a pleasant flight, and I had managed to get a decent amount of sleep. As the wheels of the aircraft made their spinning screech on connecting with the runway, I realized that was the end of my African adventure in all but detail. As I step from the plane the near 0C air sliced its way through the gap between the aircraft and the tunnel into the terminal, as a cold reminder that I am returning to a different life. I clear customs, collect my bags and head for the train station. All the way I see the stainless steel and glass ultra modern finish of the building around me and the taken for granted fact that everything here works. I buy my ticket walk to the platform and after it has arrived board what seams like space age TGV train bound for Brussels. It is a uneventful ride to Brussels and after a brief bout of stress to find the connecting train in time, I again relax into another train seat for the last stage to Luxembourg. I disembarked the train and search the platform for any sign of Verena. I see her standing straight and proud in her sharp, smart office clothes, staring back. It's at this point that I realize what I must look like. Rapped up in all my warm gear, sporting long hair and full beard. I approach wearing a big grin and rap my arms around her. She shows me to the bus, while asking a list of questions about my trip back, which I done my best to answer. Soon I find my self standing in her new shiny share flat clutching a cup of tea, saying goodbye as she has to return to work. I am then left in the flat for the afternoon, to find my feet and contemplate my future.
That evening I am introduced to her flat mates Marco and Frank and we go out to enjoy a welcome back meal and to talk properly.
I wake to find myself not dreaming, raped in soft white sheets, with a world of possibilities and challenges ahead.
So was it all worth it?
Most definitely yes! I had a fantastic time, met lots of interesting people (local and traveler) and saw many wonderful places and things.
Given what I know now would I do it again?
Yes, it most definitely had its highs and lows but anything that is really worth doing is not without the odd bit of hardship and work.
Would I do another overland trip?
Yes, I really enjoyed that way of traveling. It comes with its own problems and restrictions, but also has many advantages. One being closer contact with the people, even in your day to day dealings, like asking for directions, shopping at the markets and being able to get off the beaten track to more remote places, away from tourist traps.
Note: After waiting for the Landy to arrive in Le Harve. I traveled across to meet it by train and then drove it back to Jersey. The Land Rovers wheels touched Jersey soil on the 12 April 2005 after driving 33,000 Miles in 340 Days.
Days 321 to 330 Diary Index