This morning we woke up and the heat in the cabins was terrible, so we hurried to the deck where it was much cooler with a nice gentle breeze.
We spent the morning on deck and after lunch tried to snatch an hour in a chair, as we hoped to go ashore in the evening when we docked at Aden.
We docked at 8 pm. I had been rather busy since Stuart�s tea, writing letters. You see, the mail had to be in by 7 pm and I just couldn�t let the post go without my letters. So far I hadn�t had any news of anyone since we left, and I hoped for some post at Aden.
The post came aboard when we pulled in. We had five letters. I looked hastily through them for my mother�s letter, which wasn�t there. I should have known it was too much to expect her to write so soon, but there was one from Ethel. I knew she wouldn�t fail me. As it was my very first link with home I had a weep and put the rest of the letters away for a little while. There was one from Harry�s Mam, Allan and Eve and one from Emily Bond who was in Mothers house when we left.
By this time we had to make haste and get ashore. Aden at night was not very pleasant. We were allowed ashore from 9 pm to 1 am but I think most people were back long before the stated time.
The shops are all lock ups, like bazaars, and the natives slept outside on the floor. We went into the back streets, which were very dark and not at all pleasant. All the men and boys slept out in the streets along the walls in rows. There were also dozens of goats in the streets. The shopkeepers were all very obliging and would turn the shop inside out for you to buy. The idea is not to pay the first price they ask, but to beat them down a bit.
Things were much cheaper there. Harry bought me a very nice cocktail watch for �2.15s � 15 jewels. Shirts were cheap and white organdie hand embroidered blouses were two for 9/-. If you have plenty of money, this is the place to spend it.
They looked an evil crowd of fellows. It would have been better if we could have gone in the daytime.
We came back on board, and it was just like a Turkish bath in the cabin, so we went up on the top deck. We saw the boys settled down for the night, and then sat at the rails until 2 am. It was nice and cool there.
Quite a number of people had taken their blankets up there and were settling down for the night. By the way, there had been no rain in Aden for 30 years!
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