Leaving Aden

Clearing Out of Aden

Mon 4 Jan 10

0320hrs: The music is still going with a reasonable size of crowd dancing over there at the Sailor’s Club. No jitterbugging, it’s mostly swaying and waving the arms around though one or two couples are waltzing. The music thankfully finishes shortly afterwards.

0800hrs: It’s a little bit blowy from the east this morning but not too bad. There are still a few odds and ends to do that Andy wants to finish up. Today we’ll visit an Internet shop, post a DVD disc, get a few last minute shopping items and then start to clear Customs, Immigration and the Harbour Master. We’ll also want to fix Wally up for his services and then leave Aden tomorrow for our next stop at Salalah in Oman.

Our plan is to follow the coast up to 10 miles off, travel as fast as we can and don’t stop. With the extra jerry containers plus the 320-litre fuel bladder already on board we’ll be able to motor all the way if we need to.

1000hrs: Take the dinghy ashore to meet up with Wally. Drive out to Lulu’s again and get a few more grocery items. Wally takes us into Krater where we find a plumbing type shop in a back street where we got a 12 metre length of drain hose and a plug to fit the fuel bladder inlet. Andy gets a haircut. Go to the post office to post the DVD with a copy of the Jenzminc journals and photographs. For some reason they won’t accept it right now and we’ll have to return at 1600hrs.

street scene Aden	a model on a road roundabout of an ancient bridge which no longer exists
Aden is 99 percent Muslim. St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in the Tawahi district is one of only a few Christian  churches,used sometimes by foreign workers and some refugees.	downtown Aden
street vendors downtown Aden	public water stand with a standard taxi

1400hrs: Back onboard. Lunch. Rest.

Late afternoon: Back into the dinghy. Meet up with Wally who is waiting patiently as usual at the pier for us. Clearing out procedure requires going to the Immigration Office first, then the Harbour Master to get a certificate  then back to the Immigration Office. Before returning to Immigration we go into the little shop at the Port Control Office which happens to be a mini post office. The young man in there can’t find an envelope big enough for the DVD case so we cut up an old brown envelope and wrap it up using wide belts of sticky tape. He promises to post it in the morning for me.

We pay off Wally (Wal-Id) with USD$100. I think he’s almost in tears as he stands staring at it. That’s a lot of money for a Yemini but it doesn’t stop him asking for more. This is expected so we give him another 5000 Rial (about USD$20). Without his reliable and ever friendly services our stay in Aden and getting things done would have been exceedingly difficult. To us it’s worth it especially as its split between the three of us.

Left: The Immigration Office

The next important thing to do is to email the next updated part of the Jenzminc Journal. Wally drives us into the local market area and drops us off at an internet shop. Say our goodbyes to him there. The internet shop is full so we wander around for a while looking for another one. As usual internet shops are everywhere until you are looking for them and we can’t find another one. Return to the first shop and wait … and wait. Eventually manage to get a computer. Have to get the guy to change it to English first. Send the email off while Roger and Andy stand outside eating an ice cream.

Return to the Immigration Office where the man reaches into one of those small two-drawer steel office cabinets and pulls out a small package. Our passports had been wrapped in a piece of paper with Arabic writing on it and held together with a rubber band. After some fussing and fiddling with ledgers and papers the man finally gives them back to us and tells us we are free to go.

Back to the boat. Cook dinner. Early to bed.

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