Back to Sana'a
Trip Start
Dec 15, 2008
1
8
9
Trip End
Dec 23, 2008
Sanaa,
Yemen
Sunday, December 21, 2008
I skipped breakfast, got my things together, and took a photo of the hotel owner, Abdullah, and his son, Ahmed. I had bought a post card a few days earlier in Sana'a of 2 traditionally dressed Yemeni men, and amazingly it turned out to be Abdullah and Ahmed! There are 21 million people in Yemen, so it was quite a coincidence to meet a couple of guys that were pictured on a post card that I was carrying in my backpack
Ahmed & Abdullah holding their post card
. They both seemed very nice, but a minute later my guide from the previous day stepped forward and asked me to pay him more than what I had already given him (R3000) the day before. I refused. I had a bad feeling when he had told me "just pay whatever you like" the night before the hike. I told him I would pay R3000 ($15) (based on what the 2007 Bradt guidebook said), and he said, "If you are happy you can pay R7000, 8000 ($35-40). If you are not happy you don't pay me anything." I repeated that I would pay him R3000. We really should have written it down to avoid later misunderstanding or hard feelings. So this morning he asked for another R4000, and I said no. Ahmed also politely told me to pay it but I didn't budge. 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 trouble, and I made it back without any emergency. I was actually feeling good enough to take some photos around Bab al Yemen, the gateway through the old city walls of Sana'a and a hive of activity. I started shooting discrete photos of Yemeni women, not even bothering to ask
At Bab al-Yemen, the gate to the old city
. It was a beautiful day, less hazy than days past and no afternoon cloud build-up. It was really an excellent time of year to be in Yemen.I went back to the Taj Talha Hotel and checked back in to a $20 room. I then caught a taxi to Pizza Hut, ready for my first full meal in over 24 hours. The prices were great, with a small pizza costing $4, mozzarella garlic bread for $1 and a 7-Up for under a buck. I wrote some post cards while waiting for the food, occasionally looking up to see the Yemeni families enjoying their lunch with the women exposing their faces more than normal in order to eat. Through the window was the largest mosque in Sana'a, an impressive structure on a modern boulevard with barren mountains behind. The food arrived and it was amazing how it was able to transport me temporarily back to my great home of America. It was so nice to have an appetite again and to satisfy it with familiar food. It was the first western meal I had had in Yemen.
After lunch I tried to use the internet but within 2 minutes I was reminded that my stomach was not fully back to normal. I made a hasty exit for my hotel 5 minutes away. Back in my room I napped for 2 hours and was reminded how much I love naps!
Modern mosque, as seen from Pizza Hut
I returned to the internet place with my laptop and spent the next 2 hours online. I responded to Suzan's worried emails, assuring her that I was fine. I probably shouldn't have told her before the trip about the tourist kidnapping incidents in Yemen. I also updated my travel blog and uploaded some photos onto Picasaweb. I checked the United flights and the Dubai-Dulles flight looked fairly good. I sure hoped I could get a seat in First or Business.
I skipped dinner, still not fully back to normal, and retreated to my room for my last night in Yemen. I wrote two days of journal entries and went to sleep around 11.
