Well Djibouti is very different from Ethiopia. Apart from it being very, very hot, it’s culturally very different, with a French influence (the language is French, making communication for us reasonable). It’s quite a small country, with a population of just 800 000. I think that most people live around the capital, which is Djibouti city, and much of the rest of the country is desert. The border to Ethiopia is about 150km away.
We met up with the agent that is supposed to be sorting out the car for us and she was really quite surprised to see us. I don’t know what she expected us to do, however, given that we have not been able to speak to anyone whilst in Addis. It turns out that Thursday afternoon is a half day for everyone, followed by a day off on Friday. So the shipping company were closed by the time we got here and they don’t open until Saturday. So today, once we picked Sophie up from the airport, we decided to spend the day by the pool at the hotel. All is not too bad once you accept that there is nothing you can do to change things. We are meeting the shipping agent tomorrow morning and so will see what additional complications arise…….
If we get the car, the plan is to set off on our journey to Ethiopia on Sunday. There was some talk about needing 24 hours to sort ‘paperwork’ so I have a feeling that we may end up staying until Monday. Anyway, we are in a nice hotel and enjoying the break from the harsher life in Ethiopia. Djibouti is quite prosperous, having benefitted from the shipping industry they have built up.
Karen, You are always so organized. This has to be mind-boggling for you. The year will be over, and the paper work will still be in process.
ReplyDeleteYou're right John, I've found all the craziness rather tricky to deal with but have concluded that there's absolutely nothing you can do apart from smile. So this is what I do. In fact, I think I'm becoming more relaxed than Jeremy.......well, almost. Perhaps it's good therapy for me.
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