[fleur-de-lis]

I read the CIA profile on Djibouti (social, economic, terrain, weather, etc.). Reads like hell on earth. Worse than Afghanistan!

[Ax]

I spent about six weeks in Djibouti in 1982. At the time, there were no Marine Security Guards assigned to the little embassy. We relied on the Foreign Legion troops for external defense. The place is like the far side of the moon, once outside the city itself. There were a bunch of Legionnaire bars near the port, and one was advised to tread lightly and not incur the interest of the Legionnaires. There was a Sheraton Hotel there, believe it or not, and they sold T-shirts and caps that read: "Djibeautiful, Djibouti, Dje t'aime." It is almost impossible to describe the absolute desolation of the area outside the town.