Djibeautiful

by Sharon Odek (Kenya)

A leap into the unknown Djibouti

“How good is your French?” This was the question that would lead me to Djibouti. Well, who knew that the French I had learned out of passion would be my ticket to work and travel. A dream come true! But wait a minute, Djibouti? “Where is Djibouti?” “How safe is Djibouti?” Those were just a few of the questions my family and friends couldn’t stop asking when I told them the news. I was taking a leap of faith into the unknown. The tiny little country that not much and not many people know of or even think of as a travel destination. Yet, here I was geared up and ready to explore not knowing what I would find. I did some research to know what to expect before I traveled but even finding enough information on this little known country was difficult. All the perceptions I had from my little research quickly changed on my arrival to Djibouti. This was a beautiful country with wonderful friendly people right from our reception at the airport to the hotel. The weather was exceptionally good contrary to our expectation that it would be extremely hot since it’s a desert. After work we would generally sample restaurants to explore different cuisines. Djibouti has many foreigners due to the various military bases for many countries such as US, France, Japan and China. Due to this we were able to find variety of restaurants with local and exotic cuisines. On our final day, we had the opportunity to do an excursion of Djibouti. We woke up early and set out for our journey out of the city. We headed to Lac Assal and on arrival were mesmerized by its beauty. What looked like a white sand beach was actually the largest salt deposit in the world with salt crystals that were beautifully formed in a manner that was mesmerizing. The lake is the saltiest body of water on earth, saltier than the Dead Sea. I know, that was also my reaction. Forget the Dead Sea, this is the place to float. It sits in what is also the lowest point of Africa at 153m below sea level. I thought I had seen it all after being in Death Valley which is the lowest point in North America at 86m below sea level but Lac Assal was almost twice lower than Death Valley. As we drive back up the road, we stopped to have a look at a tiny hot spring from the foot of the mountain with algae that gives the water vibrant blue and green colors. We also got to see the Great Rift Valley in Djibouti. I had only seen the part which ran through my country Kenya. The view was a sight to behold. A deep crack on the surface of the earth running all the way to the sea. It is believed that the crack is widening and that soon the country would be split into two and this got me thinking if the same would happen to Kenya. The thought in itself is scary enough but who are we to stop Mother Nature. At this point we were exhausted because of the heat and the bumpy ride we had taken to go see these points of interest. On our way we got to see the beautiful desert, mountains and the traditional housing of the Djibouti people that was made in a dome shape with branches and covered with woven mats. These huts were movable to facilitate their nomadic life. En-route, we also got to see L'ile du Diable which translates to the Devil's Island and according to the locals' beliefs hosts demons. Later that evening we went to the beautiful white sandy beaches of Sable Blanc in the gulf of Tadjoura which was also a hidden little paradise in a desert. The turquoise blue water and the breeze was amazing and we had the beach to ourselves. Unfortunately we did not get to see the whale sharks but I enjoyed the whole trip to the least visited country that holds some of the most amazing hidden gems of nature. I’m glad I took the leap into the unknown.