As I moved away piled plastic bags or trays of food on the desk in my room, small cockroaches came out running. I'm afraid I made my roommate upset.
"Sorry. But I have to clean, and get ready to go."
I stayed in that a little filthy but cozy room of a hotel in Sanaa for more than 20 days. Too long. I didn't plan to do that.
I wanted to go to Djibouti by boat. But the idea seemed to be too reckless in the recent situation; especially with the piracy. Bad news almost everyday. Too much attention from the media. Warnings from the consulate or the tourist police. Nothing encouraged me.
Some people hinted me something positive. A man in a small Somalian travel agency said there were boats daily from Al Makkha to Djibouti, it should be safe, as he knew the owner of the shipping company. He actually gave me a phone number of the owner. But the line was always "disconnected, or out of the covered area."
In fact I didn't try hard to collect the information. I was just waiting passively and negatively, only spent so much time in net-cafes. I should have actually gone to the port first and asked. That's my regret.
Too late now. I've wasted too much time. I bought a flight ticket, am going to Djibouti tomorrow.
18 Apr 2009, Sanaa, Yemen
