Final Day - Wadi Al-Dhahr & the Rock Palace

Amin, my terrific Sabre colleague in Yemen, was kind enough on this my last day in the country to offer one last excursion to see Wadi Al-Dhahr and the beautiful Rock Palace only a 20 minute drive out of Sana'a. This amazing structure was built over several hundred years by ruling Imams in this region.

The castle's location, perched high upon a large rock cropping, was chosen because of its ease to defend, spectacular view of the Wadi and strategic location along trading routes. The castle was also built with interesting innovations for the time including cooling rooms for meat & water on each floor. Separate winter and summer accommodations were built based on the angle of the sunlight thru the windows and air vents. It boasted an indoor water well and a private sundeck.

After this quick tour it was off to the airport for Christina and me. As I would soon discover my time in Yemen was not over. We checked-in together for our Gulf Air flight back to Bahrain, didn't happen to notice the gate agent placing the bag tags on the wrong bags (D'oh). Then we moved to Passport control, it was here that we realized I had a slight problem. When I had driven across the Saudi - Yemen border near Haradh, the Immigration officials had neglected to tear and retain the upper portion of my Yemeni visa and most importantly hadn't placed an entry stamp in my passport. They had however, registered the vehicle to me in my passport.

Unfortunately for me the Manager of Immigration at the Sana'a airport was out of the country and his deputy was not exactly a decisive replacement. Even after last minute calls by our local team the score was Bureaucracy 1 and Darren 0.

Adding insult to injury was the very courteous Gulf Air airport manager who dutifully pulled the bag with my tag from the aircraft before it departed. I was presented with Christina's bag while mine traveled with her back to Bahrain.

Since flight frequencies are few from Sana'a I had to wait another 24 hours. Again our local Sabre team was extremely helpful taking me to buy what was needed and sorting a hotel for one more night.

The following day an agent with the British Embassy, Mahmood Al Harazi, sorted out both the vehicle Customs matter and my Immigration issue. If you are traveling to Yemen, this is the man to know!

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Some Work Some Fun!

Today was dedicated to the Sabre Yemen team and to visiting customers in Sana'a. Amin & Hakim Al Khulaidi, Sabre's General Manager from our local office in Sana'a, picked me from Elizabeth's home and we started the day as everyone should with a feast of spicy blackened mackerel and freshly baked flat bread. The ambiance wasn't quite as authentic as Hudaydah but we certainly didn't leave hungry.

I was starting to learn that in Yemen breakfast is important but the midday meal was a serious affair. After our morning agenda was a wrap, we met back at the office to gather the team for lunch. We converged on a "hole in the wall" restaurant near a large Sana'a Qat market. It had a small back room for special guests and that was where we were ushered. As we walked past the kitchen area you couldn't help but notice the cooking surface, it is nicknamed "the Volcano". Four or five large gas jets fitted with a cradle for the large stone pots used to cook the meat at extremely high temperatures. It felt like you were standing in a hot air balloon gondola, heat blasting out in every direction. The "free for all" began as soon as the first few dishes were delivered. Don't even bother to take a seat, you must be able to reach across the table quickly. We gorged ourselves until the serving dishes were empty.

In the evening Amin arranged to take Christina and me to Bab Al-Yemen and the old city souk. This is the oldest section of Sana'a and a fascinating place to shop and people watch. Upon entering through the gate (Bab Al-Yemen) you are immediately accosted by several young would-be tour guides. It is worth the small tip just to meet these enterprising youth. Not only do they know the location of every shop and item you ask them, they also speak a wide variety of languages. Our guide was well dressed, extremely helpful and quite articulate. Amin was even impressed with his assistance and direction. Christina and I did not walk away from the market empty handed...

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The Castle Village and arrival in Sana'a...at Last!

We didn't exactly beat the sun up this morning but in time we made our way upstairs to the rooftop for "Breakfast with a View". It was a gorgeous day for hiking and even mid-morning the weather was still cool and dry. We took our time meandering through the village, meeting people, watching people, repeating "no pen" in Arabic as the children were persistent. We finally made our way to a hiking path across the mountain toward what looked like an abandoned castle perched even higher on this mountain range than the village of Hajjara. Our hike took us across a number of stone terraces which looked quite small from a distance but in reality each were at least 6 or 7 feet in height.

Once we reached the cluster of tall stone and mud towers we realized it was an inhabited village of 10-12 families. Eilidh (a fluent Arabic speaker) quickly established rapport with several of the villagers and we were followed by a group of lovely children, dressed in bright colors and with henna painted hands. The view, the air, the terrain, the food, the charm of the local people all combined for a memorable mountain excursion in the beautiful and historic region of Yemen.

We then made the 2+ hour journey to Sana'a, entering this 2000m high city from the South. Since Eilidh was still getting

settled and not yet in her new home, we stayed in the guest quarters of her British Council Director, Elizabeth White. The home is a beautiful old Yemeni style on the exterior while the interior was a Turkish design. It was originally built for the Ottoman mayor of Sana'a and is situated in a spacious private compound with a lovely garden room and fountain area.

That evening Christina and I provided a few hours of labor assisting Eilidh in the on-going job of setting up her new home.

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Spectacular Yemeni Village above the Clouds

I eagerly anticipated breakfast on this bright muggy Thursday morning. Hudayadah is situated on the Red Sea, a small coastal city about halfway between the Southwest tip of Yemen and the border with Saudi Arabia. Before the massive port was constructed there, the fishing trade was a major industry.

This morning our host Arif drove us to a large jetty where the boats had just returned from a night of fishing on the Red Sea. The fishing boats were anchored on one side of the jetty and the "breakfast" huts were situated on the opposite side. Arif drove down beside the long row of grass huts and began to inspect each fisherman's catch. We selected the third batch we examined. They pulled fresh Indian mackerel, crabs and even small squid from the cooler, filleted them on a cutting board, applied spices (similar to cajun seasoning) then cooked them in an open oven along with fresh bread. They spread newspaper over the table at which we sat and began delivering plate after plate of freshly cooked "blackened" fish and hot bread. We ate every scrumptious morsel with our hands and had to carefully grip our coke bottles so they didn't slip to the ground. It was also hilarious to see people attempt to answer their mobile phones with greasy blackened fingers, some would ask the waiter to grab the phone from their pocket, answer it and hold it up to their ears while they talked and still tried to eat.

We had a last minute change of plan and decided to meet Eilidh & Christina Phelps (another friend from Bahrain who was visiting Eilidh) halfway between Hudaydah and Sana'a in a popular [and historic] mountain region called Manakah. So, they set off from Sana'a in a taxi while we setoff from Hudaydah and met at the rendezvous point at nearly the same moment. We all caravaned to the small village of Hajjara high atop a mountain in the Manakah region, found our tourist hotel and lounged together on the floor to have lunch. The Hajjara Tourist Hotel is popular for its lunches, dinners and entertainment. Lunch is the largest meal enjoyed by most in Yemen. We were served lots of traditional delicious dishes, dips, salads and fruit. We were also introduced to Bint as-Sahan, a sweet pastry which is topped with lots of Yemeni honey.

We said farewell to Amin and Jihad, who traveled back to Sana'a with the taxi. We had a leisurely afternoon exploring the village and took a hike at sunset to a rock cropping which overlooked Hajjara.

The evening festivities were quite a surprise. The hotel was full of westerners, mostly younger "Lonely Planet" types and several language students, we had great fun. The entertainment was traditional music and dancing. We were invited to join in or just enjoy watching the dancers and listening to the music. We had a wonderful evening. This was a very humble accommodation (less than 1 star), pallets for sleeping but clean with "western" toilets. The staff was extremely helpful and very friendly. Breakfast was served on the rooftop which overlooked the town and had an amazing view of the entire valley. Since the village is located high in the mountains, even in June there was a refreshing chill in the air. We were absolutely wiped out (knackered) and a good night's sleep with the windows open and fresh mountain air wafting through the room was a perfect reward for this amazing day.

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Tried Khat? Yes, but I didn't Inhale...

Since both border crossings (Saudi & Yemen) had taken much longer than planned, we decided it would not be prudent to make the 5+ hour drive straight to Sana'a. Amin and his Uncle Jihad would ride with me the rest of the journey to Sana'a. The last 90 miles of the trip from the coastal plains of Western Yemen up to Sana'a is experienced on a two-lane mountain road with many switchbacks. We decided it would be much better to stay the night in Hudaydah and get a fresh start the next morning.

It was nearly 2:30PM when we left the border crossing compound and we drove the short distance to the village of Haradh. Once they realized we were not pressed for time, Walid and his crew were eager to show us some authentic Yemeni hospitality. Being a Wednesday afternoon (the start of their weekend), the restaurants were closed for the mid-afternoon break or finished serving lunch by this time, so we drove to Walid's home and entered his Majlis [sitting room designed for meals and entertaining]. Walid lived in a humble dwelling but we could not have been more comfortable, taken care of and well fed. Lunch was ordered in, we spread out on the floor and feasted until we were stuffed. Walid served fresh juice then sweet tea. He then insisted that we stay for a while longer and partake in a famed Yemeni tradition of-"chewing" together.

While I must admit this is not a particular vice that I would generally condone, I had a keen interest in trying it and would not have felt good about rejecting the hospitality of our host in this circumstance.

Khat (or Qat) is definitely an acquired taste. This might not have been the best quality crop but to me it just tasted like chewing the leaves from your garden shrubs. While I did not chew for hours (as is the custom), my 60-70 minute long chew yielded little reaction except perhaps the sensation derived from having a "Red Bull". There, I checked it off of my list!

After bidding Walid and his colleagues farewell, we then made the 2 hour journey to Hudaydah through a number of small villages along the edge of this coastal plain. We stopped along the way for a few pictures and to refuel (As you might expect there was quite a difference in the cost of fuel in Yemen vs. Saudi). Once we reached Hudayah, I was introduced to Arif (the owner of a large Sabre agency in the city). He arranged for our lodging and took us to dinner that evening.

What an amazing day! These are the experiences that will make this journey so rich and memorable.

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Drop in Altitude but Rise in Mercury

Wow, the drive out of Abha was breath taking (13 July, 2007). The city sits at 2200m and there was an amazing chill in the air as I loaded the car. I made a quick pass by a few historic structures in this picturesque city but needed much more time for proper sightseeing.

As you depart West toward the coastal plains you feel every meter of the descent down to sea level. Most of this well engineered dual carriageway was empty as I travelled until reaching a construction area near where the coastal plains begin. At times this section of road was nothing more than dirt, sometimes passing through a shallow but flowing river. Once again the terrain made a dramatic change. For perhaps 70Kms I travelled through a quite fertile farmland. The road still under construction wound through many beautiful plantations and groves.

As I neared the Red Sea and Gizon, both the temperature and the humidity rose quickly, my refreshing mountain climate had vanished but I was nearing the next adventure milestone, the Yemen border.

The Saudi border crossing took quite a bit longer than planned. There had been an "extra" middle name added to my passport record while crossing from Bahrain and Saudi border boys just couldn't seem to get their head around the fact that some of their Causeway brethren had made a typing error. "No man's land" crossings are always a fascinating experience, this was no exception. The Saudi side was a large wide open border area with tall sail design roof cover, well organized Immigration and Customs stations. The 2km distance which separated the countries was a desolate, ill-kept, wasteland with a two lane road which had not been resurfaced in years. The Yemeni side was a vastly different experience. It had a uniquely third world feel, no particular organization, few signs (even in Arabic) and "wasta" [influence] played a larger part in securing your clearance through this border.

I was joined in the Yemeni Customs area by a terrific Sabre colleague Amin Al-Qubati from our Sana'a office. Amin had also solicited a team of "border crossing" support staff from one of our Sabre customers in another city. Leading this team was Walid from the neighboring village of Haradh. Although the "processing" of Eilidh's vehicle through the Custom's office did take some time, the scene itself was fascinating to experience. You could see everything from Saudi's crossing over to visit family to merchants bringing goods across to stock their shelves. Each entrant carefully selected a customs agent and then began the processing of convincing him to process their paperwork first. Much negotiation would take place, papers verified, hoods opened chassis numbers verified. For some, a detailed inspection insued, for others, a greased palm was rewarded with the pounding of a stamp, first on a nearly dried ink pad and finally on their documents. All the while I had many stares, fingers pointed, people greeting me asking for a hand shake and could hear comments in Arabic "Amerikey", "Bahrain". Amin would tell me later that everyone was amazed to learn that a "Gringo" who lived in Bahrain had driven alone through Saudi and had come to Yemen.

POSTSCRIPT: Although the "processing" of this paperwork did take an inordinate amount of time, we learned a few days later that they only processed the Customs paperwork for Eilidh's vehicle and although I had given them the original issue Yemeni Visa, they did not actually give me an Immigration Dept entry stamp in my passport.

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The Longest Day

I started off at a leisurely pace from Jeddah. The maps and GPS indicated a 7+ hour journey first to Taif and then following a mountain route through villages and towns until finally reaching Abha.

All was going well, had purchased a detailed "Farzi Map Co." map of Saudi the day prior in a fantastic bookstore in Jeddah and was right on track. I passed around the Southern border of Mecca (another Christian Bypass exit) and began to make my ascent into the mountains. After some time had passed, I suddenly came upon a major road block. There were 10-15 large barriers placed to allow only one narrow way thru the blockade. The small passageway was guarded by a gnome-like gate keeper lounging in a small adjacent structure with his hand holding a length of rope which when pulled tight blocked the route. Of course, he spoke no English and my demonstrative gesturing yielded no breakthough in communication. I gave up quickly and placed a call to Faiz (Sabre contact in Jeddah), he translated that the road ahead, the few kilometers of mountain highway that would take me straight into Taif, had been destroyed in a landslide. So now, 2+ hours into the journey, I would have to go back, reroute all the way back around Mecca and retrace the path I had taken when entering Jeddah two days before, Argh!

This misfortune added nearly 5 additional hours to my drive time for the day and one other slight disappointment to come.

I now had to bear down and focus. While being familiar with the alternate routing around Mecca I had to try hard to enjoy the journey ahead knowing I was far behind schedule. I also assumed correctly that from Tiaf forward I would not enjoy the benefits of a well constructed, well marked roadway.

I will confess the scenery did not disappoint. There were vast stretches of this two lane highway which traversed the ridgeline of the mountain ranges which it followed. The views from high atop this lofty route were at times spectacular. However, I realized soon after leaving Taif that the sun would set still leaving me with a significant drive before reaching my destination that night. That meant some of the most beautiful scenery coming into Adha would elude my vision. My only consolation was the occasional view of beautifully lit villages and towns down the valleys seen as I reached the summit of several peaks along the Assir Mountain range.

The last two hours of my trip were quite treacherous due to extensive road construction, traffic and poorly marked diversions. I have never been so pleased to reach a destination, though sadly did not get to enjoy its full beauty and charm.

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Beware of Mutawa in Dark SUVs...

Today (11 June, 2007) was dedicated entirely to Sabre. Our two Western Province superstars Arman and Faiz, had a full day of activity planned. I only had the chance to photograph a few more examples of roundabout art.

We visited a number of terrific Sabre travel agency customers, plus Saudia Airlines and Pakistan Int'l Airlines. Running a bit late for lunch, we were almost turned away at a fabulous Indian buffet because the afternoon call to prayer (Asr) loomed heavy over our timing. All retail & public access activity comes to a screeching halt during the three (of five) calls to prayer that occur during business hours. Lights must be turned off, doors shut, store front covers pulled down, this time frame is dedicated to nothing else.

That afternoon we had to be extremely careful not to leave our car [as we sat in the parking lot] lest we arrive too early for a late afternoon appointment which happened to follow the first evening prayer time (Maghrib). During these times the religious police or Mutawa roam the streets in dark SUVs or the malls on foot, etc. looking for those Arab nationals (or other regional nationalities which practice Islam) who are not participating in prayers. According to the government there is no longer any actual interrogation of those detained for un-islamic behavior by the "Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (CPVPV)", as they are officially known. However, there is still much fear of this secretive force and certainly the threat of deportation for a non-Muslim who might be hindering the prayer time activity.

That evening I returned to my hotel late and just before collapsing in a pile, I repacked for the resumption of my travel adventure early the following morning.

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The Christian Bypass - Not a shortcut!

I made my way out of Riyadh before rush hour on a bright Sunday morning (10 June, 2007). The temperature in Riyadh is nearly the same mark on thermometer as Bahrain but their humidity is almost zero. Wow, what a difference. The drive out of Riyadh is quite beautiful, the city is perched on the edge of a plateau and when you travel west in the direction of Jeddah the gradual descent takes you down through another unique change in terrain. The landscape for the next several hundred kilometers is sculpted with Mesas and Buttes rising from the orange sandy plain. Today's 965 kilometer (600 miles) journey was the longest distance I would travel in a single day of the entire road adventure. On this leg of the trip I witnessed a variety of different terrain, from that just described to dark sandy hills with a one mile wide stripe of beige sand cutting through the center. a white sand flat with almost no vegetation, no hills, but some hardy camels & goats. Then, I moved through red sandy terrain with much more vegetation which gradually became hills which eventually became mountains as I approached Taif and Mecca. Sounds boring but the diversity was quite interesting.

As I approached Mecca I had completely forgotten about the diversion for non-Muslims. There is only one highway sign and it stretches over the roadway, if you miss it then hopefully a check point would stop you or a religious incident might ensue. The "Christian Bypass" as it is known, was quite a diversion. I went from a beautiful 6 lane divided highway to a 2 lane roadway with no shoulder and hundreds of 18-wheelers competing for position. I quickly lost GSM coverage and the 85 minute diversion, which dropped me into the small village of Bahrah, was still a considerable distance from Jeddah.

Since I still had a few hours of sunlight remaining, once I arrived in the city I began a circuitous route to try and quickly photograph some of roundabout art on display at each junction. Jeddah has the largest traffic circles (roundabouts) I have ever seen. They are typically made up of 4 or 5 concentric lanes with enormous and quite unique "larger than life" art work & sculptures in the center. The corniche area along the Red Sea on the city's western edge is also well maintained and very active with beach areas, shopping, restaurants, beach-side Mosques and many street vendors.

As I rushed out of my hotel to photograph the Red Sea sunset, I came upon two school teachers (who had just administered their final exams that day) having tea on the beach. They invited me to join and we chatted for about 45 minutes. They were both from near Abha in the Assir region where I would be traveling the day after. They described the challenges of teaching students today (boys only, of course) and how they enjoyed their 3 month summer break. Neither were married (late 20s/early 30s) but feared this might be the summer their families would demand they get serious about finding a suitable bride. I had dinner with Arman Sarang, my Sabre colleague in Jeddah and called it an early night.

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4 Hours to Riyadh - No Sweat!

Following weeks of planning, asking friends, work colleagues & customers for advice and after hours of scouring the far reaches of Yahoo & Google, I gathered my collection of maps, guidebooks, hand written directions, printed Google Earth images and a GPS to begin a 5 day trek across Saudi Arabia to Yemen.

My friend John Downe in Bahrain offered an early breakfast on a bright sunny Saturday morning (9 June, 2007) before I set off across the Causeway for the "magic kingdom" of Saudi Arabia.


I had been advised to arrive at the Bahrain to Saudi border crossing at 7AM, because a new shift takes over at 645AM & they would not be awake enough for a thorough search of a U.S. passport holder. I was, however, hopeful that someone would at least ask me about the cylindrically packaged tent which Eilidh had also asked me to bring as cargo. (The tent was about 60" in diameter and approx 6 1/2 ft in length and labeled in huge print "Made in Pakistan") Then I could confidently explain, with receipt in hand, that it was only a tent intended for use in the garden of a villa in Yemen. To my dismay, not a single question was asked.

The road through Al Khobar and in the direction of Riyadh was amazingly well built and maintained. It was perhaps even better in most places than a typical Interstate highway in the United States.

Along this early leg of the journey two memorable items of interest, that I had not encountered in my previous travels throughout this region, stick in my memory. The first was seeing black camels, these were the poor beasts that were slaughtered by the hundreds in the years leading up to the construction of roadside fences along the major highways in Saudi. At night, there was no way to spot them without night vision goggles and many camels, drivers and vehicles paid a heavy price. I also witnessed a mode of transporting camels that seemed economical but not "PETA" friendly.

I arrived in Riyadh right on schedule. Checked into my hotel (the Al Faisaliah) and was off to visit vendors & customers. Had great afternoon with the Sabre team and enjoyed their hospitality. My friend from Saudi Telecom (Mr. Othman Al-Zahrani) was kind enough to offer a tour of Riyadh and dinner. We had a great evening visiting several historic sites near the Governor's palace and paying a visit to one of the souks. This was a great way to cap off Day One of my road adventure.

Day One Photos:

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