Aden

Aden is is city of contrasts. Of the limited areas we have seen, there are old colonial buildings, new buildings of local design and many, many half finished structures. You see very expensive cars and many cars close to falling apart and some abandoned. It seems there is much disparity between those who have and those who do not. Many of the local men are seen lounging around chewing a green leaf called qat. Apparently it has a mild stimulant effect. By the end of the day many have such a large amount in their mouth that it looks like they have a ball in the cheek. Not the most attractive look. Many people want to be your taxi driver, but since we are somewhat limited in where we are going, we do not have much need for taxis. There are a few restaurants and shops in the port area. A bus was arranged to take us to town to the big supermarket, it was very large with most everything we wanted to buy.

Lo,  the organizer of the rally, has been doing an incredible job of keeping a group of 11 sailboats working together to reach Aden. His patience, sense of humor and good nature truly make this work and I think all of us are grateful for the benefit of his experience and his good company. We will have a few more days of convoy once we leave here and then we will free sail from stop to stop for the rest of the rally. For an entertaining description of what it is like to try to get 11 boats to sail together, read the latest blog posting at Endelig's site.