Impatient citizens attempt to circumvent the line in front of city hall and take their grievances directly to the mayor of Djibouti City through his office window. This former French colony is Africa’s smallest mainland country with a population of around 900,000. It features a harsh, arid landscape of desert, mountains and few trees. Strategically located in the Horn of Africa, Djibouti is near shipping lanes with access to the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. As a result, numerous countries have a military presence here, including the U.S. and the French Foreign Legion. I mention the latter because while waiting in the capital to hitch a truck ride to neighboring Somalia I witnessed an all-night party binge at nearby bars by Legion soldiers that included occasional celebratory gunfire. I missed experiencing Dodge City and Tombstone in their heyday, so a Saturday night in Djibouti City, Djibouti will have to suffice.