Still on this wretched boat! Arrived at the port 26 December 2000 at 5 p.m., but then nothing happened. Eager to disembark, Jim and I looked to the captain who made a motion with his hand we knew to mean closed and then held up three fingers. No darn way was I going to spend the next three days and four nights on this boat waiting for offices to open again after the Eid festivities and holidays. We’d been assured this was an ‘international port’ open 24/7. But what could we do?!

Jim went to try and find someone working at the port and I sat inside the car watching the sun set as droves of swarming mosquitoes materialized. I just couldn’t believe I was going to spend another night on the damp, hard deck. Jim returned after a couple of hours and said Customs might come tonight or perhaps tomorrow a.m. Preparing to spend night five on the dhow, we pitched our tent again and I couldn’t sleep for a very long time. The tent smelled musty and dirty. I felt sticky all over and my hair felt as though I’d combed a bucket of Crisco through each strand. Plus Jim and I were getting pretty cranky with one another. Hopefully tomorrow we’ll find a way off this launch.