Khat and the worst place on earth

Few places in the world are stranger than Djibouti. Earlier notes detail my journey there, though a suffocating land infested with flies, dust and, of course, khat. That's the leaf-like drug most of the East African country is addicted to. It's an unnerving, eye-opening experience to walk through a city that's collectively stoned each afternoon after the daily khat shipment arrives from Ethiopia.

So little is written about Djibouti that those notes - thrown together on my Blackberry when I could find a spare minute - have become popular with contractors trying to learn more about the country before deploying there.

A few years back, Esquire had a fascinating look at the khat trade and its impact on Djibouti, which the magazine dubbed the worst place on earth. The piece is worth reading, to understand the drug and the country it controls.

Just don't read it while chewing khat, or you won't be able to make it through all 7,000 words.