Hilltown Hotel Sanaa

... which gave Yemen it's "independence" in 1962, did not actually boot the Brits out until 1967.<br> Yahya's house in Wadi Dhuhr is quite spectacular. The drive out from the city took about 30-40 minutes. We came upon a honey seller as we descended into the valley. He sleeps beside the hives, and does his work during the day hoping that people stop by - we did. QUITE GOOD HONEY! The tickets for entrance onto the premises are more expensive for ...

... Yemen even remotely related to Christmas, and a very unique souvenir since Yemen is one of the only places where those two trees grow. Before heading back to the hotel to collect my bag I was glad to see the camel-powered mill near Bab al-Yemen. The camel was on a lunch break, but the open door allowed me to see how the camel's job was to walk in circles, moving the ancient mechanism. I had skipped breakfast since my stomach was still "delicate", but I ...

... I told them if they wanted to get paid that much then they should list the price on paper. I believe I had paid a fair amount ($2.50/hour which is a good wage in Yemen) and I felt bad that they were apparently trying to squeeze as much out of me as possible. It left me with a bitter taste for an otherwise recommendable hotel. I took a shared taxi back to Sana'a, praying to avoid a bout of further stomach ...

... I hate that response to my question of "how much?" I then caught a shared taxi to Shibam for $1, squeezing into the back seat with a carload of Yemeni men. At a police checkpoint I had to show my travel permit, and for some reason the soldiers made us wait 15 minutes as they checked it. I felt bad that I was holding up all of the other passengers, and at one point an old guy in our car stormed out to argue with the officials or maybe to tell the driver to just ...

... proposed sites that day. I asked my guide if travelling in Sana'a or in the surrounding area was safe for Americans. He said that it was, "...so long as nobody was looking to kidnap Americans today." He explained that kidnapping negotiations weren't part of the services provided by the tour agency. Good to know...that kidnapping was extra. I'm sure most of you would find that statement rather comforting. My guide made ...

... I sat next to an American going to Sana'a for six weeks for work for a oil company. Our flight routing was circuitous over the Arabian peninsula. Rather than fly due south to Sana'a, we departed north from Doha flying over Bahrain after about 20 minutes. Then, we turned southwest over Dammam and Riyadh in Saudia Arabia before heading back towards the southeast to Sana'a. Arrival at the Sana'a airport was basic, fitting ...

... has changed in these communities. The villages are still very much alive and populated with people who continue to farm on their ancestor's land. On the drive up to Manakha, it seemed that every corner we turned, we came across yet another breath-taking view of an ancient village perched on a steep mountain with terraces flowing down its side. This set up, intended for practical purposes, has also managed to make beautiful scenery absolutely ...

... or two ago). The next day (Friday), we chartered a landcruiser (c/w air conditioning!!) and drove to Wadi Do'wan, the most famous and picturesque of Hadramawt's branch wadis. On the way, our driver stopped at a group of frankinsense trees and cut into the bark to allow us to smell the incense - which made me think of some of the wonderful churches in Rome Giulia has shown me. For lunch, along with the standard chicken and rice, we tried a fried locust or two. I can't say I ...

... fascinating. I couldn't get enough of the ginger-bread style windows. Every single building was so beautiful! The only thing I didn't like so much about Sana'a was the increased cheating. One of the nice things about living in Aden is that we don't have much of this. When you get into a taxi in Aden, you spend about 30 seconds discussing the price and you quickly arrive at the normal price. When you arrive at your ...

... ve still got another day of lessons, I took my final test today (fingers crossed) as Adil has invited me for another meal - this time of fresh fish from the fish suq - and another Qat chewing at his house. If I score over 80 per cent, the bill is on me - if less than 70, he will pick up the tab! Well, I don't suppose I will fill in this blog until I get back from Hadramawt on 3rd September, but I will be sure to write a bit about it here. All the best.