Djibouti is a strange country to visit as a backpacker. I shared a plane with legionnaires, other military, Indian guru's, missionaries, nervous small businessmen from Ethiopia and India, traditional dressed Arabs and whiskey sipping James Bond lookalikes.

There is Djibouti city, a strategic harbor at the Red Sea, where business is done. Then there is the French legion that brings for all the families shopping at the expensive malls. And American special operation forces. Outside of Djibouty City is a desert-like country mostly inhabited by dirt-poor nomads. I visited Djibouti as a side trip from Ethiopia.

I spend most of my time in Djibouti city but also did a trip to the beaches, to Tadjoura, the oldest settlement in Djibouti and to the place where the African plate meets the Arab plate.