The tiny African country of Djibouti is hardly what you might call a hotbed of tourist activity. Frankly, Djibouti City leaves much to be desired. But there is one saving grace for the country. It is arguably the best place in the world to swim with Whale Sharks.
Whale Sharks are not whales. And they're hardly even sharks. An ancient species, originating some 60 million years ago, it is actually quite unique. So unique it is the only species in it's genus. It is a filter feeding shark which dines mainly on itty-bitty plankton. But all that science stuff is hardly the reason to seek them out. These bad boys are huge! Measuring up to 13 meters long (although there are claims of larger) and weighing 21 tonnes, this is the biggest fish in the world. It is a rare and unique opportunity to swim with these spotted giants. Although i had seen them before (in SE Asia), i had to take the chance to try to get a little closer.
Every year, between October and January, these gentle giants flock
to the Bay of Ghoubbet in Djibouti (clearly they haven't read the traveller reports on the country). There is no need to SCUBA, as with a bit of luck, you can snorkel with them. Dive companies, such as Dolphin Excursions, will take enthusiasts out for the day. It's an early-ish start, around 7:30 am. Launching from the colourful and busy Fishing Port, it's a roughly 2 hour slow boat ride out to the bay. The boats are comfortable enough, with free water (but coffee and such are available for a small fee). Once at the location, you leave the big boat for the smaller dingy and head off for what amounts to a hunting expedition without guns. As you scoot up and down the coast line, the captain keeps his eyes peeled for tail fins near the surface. Once spotted it's a full-on guerilla mission to suit up, jump in the water and chase down the poor creature.
Although Djibouti may be the best place to spot Whale Sharks, there are no guarantees. The captains spoke of days when they saw 10 or 12, others when they didn't find any. On my day, things were looking bad. The first attempt failed to find any. But the second attempt, after lunch, we spotted one who quickly descended to the depths. We gave up. On the way back to the big boat, we spotted another, more co-operative shark. I was able to swim along him for some time before he descended. As i surfaced to look for the boat, the captain pointed to another one nearby, but by the time i got there, it was little more than a shadow in the low visibility of the bay.
We sometimes need to be reminded how small we truly are. With a little bit of luck, the opportunity to swim along the graceful giants of the sea is definitely worth the $70 tour fee. It is a 'magical' experience making up for the necessity to stay in Djibouti.
Ok. Maybe i'm a bit immature (or a lot... whatever!), but i can't help smile every time i say the word Djibouti. I have these tremendous flashes of the pomp and circumstance of a KC and the Sunshine band final chorus. However, from the very moment i entered the tiny African country of Djibouti, the laughter died. I did not wish to “shake” anything.
Djibouti as we know it (although this may be the first time you've heard of the place) has a common recent past as many other colonial regions. The French came, screwed stuff up and kind of remain around when it benefits them. From 1897 to 1967, Djibouti (or then French Somaliland) was fully Frenched up, complete with baguettes, berets and cafes. But after a brief stint of being part of Somalia, Djibouti gained independence in 1977. But foreign presence has remained heavy. The French, the US and others use this as a “strategic” location. Plus there's the fact it's the largest port in the area. All element lending their worst (or so it seems) to local custom.
The thing is... Djibouti sucks. Some will disagree and you have that right. But for me, Djibouti easily moves to the bottom 5 countries i have ever been to. First of all, it's expensive. I don't mind paying European prices for European quality in Europe, but why the HELL is Djibouti so expensive??? Just to get there will cost a small fortune. Visas can cost between $40-$80 depending how/where you get it. Flights are ridiculous costing $300 to any nearby hub to fly anywhere else. Then there's the hotels, $35 for a shoebox with a shared toilet, serious?? $200 for a day trip to see a stupid freakin' salt lake, are you insane??? $3 for a juice??? The country is WAY overpriced, and not at all value for money.
On top of that, there is little to see of do in the city. True, the colonial architecture can be nice enough in places, but how long does it take to walk up and down 6 streets? The Grand Marche (main market) is more a transport hub than a market. It is of little interest other than to those who have nothing else to do.
Logic might dictate, that a normal person with R&R from their job in Iraq might seek out something a little on the tame, serene or pampering side. I've been called a many things in my time, but logical or normal are not leading exemplars to describe me. With a final destination being the Horn of Africa, i was forced to transit somewhere on route. Given the choices of boring Dubai where i'd need a visa to merely go to some overpriced mall to shop, or Cairo in the midst of a bloody revolution, my abnormal logic needed no time to make a decision.
man marches which brought Tahrir Square into the spotlight of the world's media. Sure there are a couple tents still up and a few people whinging about the new military dictatorship, but things leading up to my visit had calmed considerably. But when a situation remains a tense pressure keg of pissed off youth with nothing else to do, it's ready to explode at anytime. And that's exactly what happened as i made my way to Tahrir. Things had progressed from rock throwing and name calling (with the occasional camel mounted beating) to full on warfare. Hardhats were the newest fashion as a group started attacking a number of buildings surrounding the square,
Perhaps there was some arbitrary line that was crossed. But even
I made it to my hotel, which i specifically chose for it's proximity to the square. Things in the square were secured, as i'm sure the fight moved on somewhere else. I went to Burger King (which i hadn't had in a million years) then headed back to the airport to catch my flight to Somalia via Ethiopia. But more on that later.
