Escape from Djibouti via the Sheraton Hotel to Millie in Ethiopia by Ambrose Blaine

A finer sight than the falling exit barrier of Djibouti port in your rear view mirror as one itches the accelerator hand with more petrol in the direction of the luxury Sheraton Djibouti can only be a tumbler brimming with hops sweet juice perched on a wooden bar, waiting to do battle with the thirst of thirsts. It seems natural to expect small luxuries like a set room rate, bike security, a reasonable Internet rate and hotel supplied taxis operated by law abiding citizens....... not in Djibouti.

On check in at the hotel, the rate fluctuated like the receptionists eyebrow as battle commenced over the extortionist rate of US$ 320 he first demanded, finally settling for $180. A kind taxi driver organised by the hotel offered us a scenic tour of Djibouti at a fee of 100 euro per hour, refusing to bargain, he remains sitting in the lobby. In spite of several assurances our bikes would remain safe, John's patience tried to its limits by the early morning dossing of some, finally found air.

Bungees removed earlier quickly found their way back, however it would take many more such attacks before our bikes finally rested in peace. John met his friend Merdad from Dubai whilst at breakfast who pointed out the business center for us to update our travels on the Internet. It was here he met Roger Nightingale a most kind hearted British business man who offered us a guided tour around town.

Having four years real life experience on the ground we found our perfect guide, a Shaikh of sorts. Djibouti with its old French quarter, military installations and embassy residences looks better on photo paper than to the naked eye. The weather was extremely hot and humid adding to its unpleasantness. There are evidences. of some improvement with the investment of Dubai Ports Authority and Nakeel the Dubai based property investor in the area, but still it may take some time to steal the tourism from Mauritius and Seychelles.

We had a very pleasant Italian meal in the Mask on Menelik Square washed down by a bucket of fine French Vin De Table, rouge! Some hours were then spent in the local Internet cafe updating trip information on line in the local Internet cafe at an amount some sixty times cheaper than the Sheraton, thank you Roger.

The following day, Wednesday, the day of Losses seen us rise at six am packed and in the Internet cafe again by seven thirty where to my great surprise sat my laptop perched where I left it the night before. John arriving phone less showed his first signs of humanity, late! A search locating the grail found reward in a coffee from John our banker at the historical Menelik hotel from where we departed on another days adventure at exactly 11.11am some four hours late, again falling behind schedule.

Djibouti means discomfort. On the highway south then turning north west towards the Ethiopian border town of Galifi I cant help wanting to see another country by nightfall. wishing a more friendlier culture, a higher and more cooler environment. Arrival at the Djibouti side of the border brought more troubles, our Carnets De Passages not stamped at the port of entry by customs encouraged the officiating official to conjure more ways to delay us, until the Banker greased away the problem with some green backs. Baksheesh my beautiful African medicine, makes most headaches disappear.

Crossing the border into Ethiopia can only arouse a sense of excitement that our adventure through Africa was about to begin, all we had read about, all we had dreamt about lay ahead. What probably amazes more than the vast openness of the African plains or the extent of an African sky is the ability of a Carlow man to bring a small border town in Ethiopia to a grinding halt.

James Quirke arriving in Galifi without a visa liked to the Lone Ranger arriving at a bank without Tonto could not have had a more devastating effect for the perpetrator. On contacting the Ethiopian embassy in London prior to departure Jim was informed that visas were issued at the borders, clearly misleading information.

The immigration official operating out of a barasti hut explained the gravity of his inability to issue such visas. He also declined to accept the other three remaining visas as the Ethiopian embassy in Dubai had omitted to insert issue and expiry dates where required. I sat in his official hut with my helmet camera rolling disguised as a GPS, smiling, settling in to what ever adventure this little hiccup was about to deliver. John remarking on how Peter would have had a proper visa remembered the Satellite phone Peter had stashed away for situations such as we now faced.

The possibility of returning to Dodgy Djibouti to the Ethiopian embassy there was been seriously considered. After some sharing of our nuts and much sweet talking the immigration official very helpfully offered to contact his Superior in Addis by way of our satellite phone. A deal was brokered where we would go directly to Addis in the morning to the immigration department to have the relevant visas issued in return for more tasty pistachios.

A fond fair well was bid to Galifi and it's kind and friendly Ethiopian people as we set off into the falling sun and the now beautiful plains where desert meets ever increasing vegetation. Kimmo forever the optimist and now very much in control of route navigation assured us at each stop we still had only a further thirty kilometers remaining to Mille. Using our GPS now fondly known as the Crow, All measurements been in a straight line made us wonder if we were indeed been led around in circles by Finland's answer to Christopher Columbus.

While stopped for petrol at one of the many filling stations where only diesel and kerosene were been sold at the pumps did some gentlemen making conversation with us recommend the Green Hotel at Mille. This road been the main truck road from Djibouti port to Addis handles five hundred trucks from the port each day and a further two hundred tankers from a fuel farm located adjacent to the container terminal also situated similarly. Some thirty kilometers later we passed through what should have been Mille, on now turning to the locals for navigation information we learned that indeed we passed through Mille, Lower Mille. and the bright lights up ahead were that of the Green Hotel in Upper Mille. What treasures lay ahead in Ethiopia we could only now imagine! The end.

News report courtesy of Ambrose Blaine