Researching locations for a new book is often nothing more than an excuse for a nice holiday, not so Djibouti, where I need seven shots before I got on a plane. Now before you all start feeling sorry for this poor author, let me explain I was staying at the Kempinski Hotel where a thousand US Dollars gets you two nights of bed, breakfast and dinner. Notwithstanding my luxurious accommodations I spent most of my time travelling across Djibouti and meeting local officials and US and other Western Navy Personnel. I was also able to speak to a few ex foreign legionnaires.
Once you are out of the city, which hold about 600,000 of the 800,000 population, the accommodation is shanty's built of discarded advertising signs and corrugated iron. Despite this total lack of facilities the kids head off to school smartly dressed in clean clothes and everyone has a smile for a strange author. I was humbled and pleased I made the journey.Djibouti will appear in Shadow of the Burj as I had planned but it will also be a long time in my memory.
