Oceans, Seas and Gulfs have always exerted a strong attraction on me. From my days living by the sea in El Salvador during 1969 and 1970, to my many weeks-long stays on the Mediterranean Coast of France during the 80's, my several years living by the Sea in Santa Barbara and Carpinteria, Southern California, my few visits to Baja California, Mexico, my two-year stint in Barcelona, Spain, my full year living by the Sea of Japan (East Sea) in the town of Gangsung, South Korea, my months-long stay in the city of Loutraki, Greece, right at the bottom end of the Gulf of Corinth, my months-long stay on the island of Shikoku, Japan, my several months living on the archipelago of Malta in the Mediterranean Sea, and my six-month stint in the city of Istanbul, Turkey, right between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara, large bodies of water have always been a magnet to me.

Djibouti is no exception.

One of the reasons I accepted to come here is the fact that Djibouti is at the bottom end of the Gulf of Aden, right by the mouth of the Red Sea. In addition, the city of Djibouti is located on the southern tip of the Gulf of Tadjoura, which makes it sort of pivotal for viewing and visiting the three bodies of water in question.

So, after a little over a month of staying put in the city, not going anywhere, I decided it was high time for me to take a short trip to a beach. Any beach. I enquired a bit here and there about rental cars, ferry boats and boats, and finally decided to take a Khat Boat out of the Fishermen's Port of Djibouti to a beach across the Gulf of Tadjoura called Sables Blancs.

Khat Boats take Khat to the different ports of this country. Khat is a leaf sold in small bundles that makes the locals feel good when they chew on it. Khat is a drug sort of like Coca leaves, but here in Djibouti it's not illegal to consume it (please see pictures No. 10 & No. 11 below). I haven't tried Khat yet, but I might do it one of these days just for the heck of it. Many locals consume it on a daily basis and you can see them at around noon sitting on shaded spots chewing on their Khat.

Many locals are trying to ban the sale of Khat here in Djibouti, arguing that it is addictive and that many men waste their money on it instead of using it to improve the lives of their families. But other locals claim that chewing on Khat is an age-old local tradition that keeps communities together because of the social rituals involved in its consumption.

For my part, I'll just let the locals decide what's best for them and what's not.

In the meantime, visiting Sables Blancs was a nice experience. The landscape was somewhat reminiscent of Playa Armenta, in Baja California, Mexico. If I remember well, Playa Armenta is located somewhere between Mulejé and Los Barriles, but since the last time I went there was a few decades ago, I'm  not totally sure of that.

I intend to go back to Sables Blancs again soon, but next time I'll stay for at least a couple of full days.

The photos below are shown in the order they were taken.

To view larger versions of the photos just click on any of them and keep clicking "next".