Articles from this Category
11 November 2008
After several false starts, Marie and I finally left Sana’a today bound for Zabid via Hudayda in a pigou (Peugeot) shared taxi. Zabid is reputedly the hottest place on earth. I have awful memories of my last visit in mid-summer … it was so hot and the power was off … no air-con then. And […]
8 November 2008
Even though this is my fourth (arguably fifth) stay in Yemen, daily activities still put a smile on my face. Like buying bread or sipping of cuppa tea. Its just seems better in Yemen. Or sometimes just different: People here seem cooperative rather than competitive … eg. restaurants will sometimes get you something from next […]
7 November 2008
Above: Big lunch at Adnan’s. Adnan, my former teacher and Marie’s teacher, invited us for lunch with his family today. It was a lovely meal. Marie is helping fund the education of the oldest boy who now goes to a private school instead of a government school. We got our travel permit yesterday for our […]
6 November 2008
Just before bed time we heard a chorus of cars tooting their horns … they came closer and closer and then we saw a convoy coming up our street. Some cars were decorated. Aaahh … a wedding we thought. Perhaps in the rural areas, there would be firing of the AK47s but firearms are not […]
5 November 2008
Civil war Last trip I bought souvenirs from Yemen (for the first time) fearing that I’d never be back. Now I fear (perhaps unfounded) that global events and the civil war in Saada may worsen… and the country would not be safe for any foreigner. So I thought I’d go shooting with my camera. Trust […]
3 November 2008
Above: Our two helpers … one big wheelbarrow and one small one. One young man and child labour. We moved into our new home today. With the paid help of a boy and a young man and their wheel barrows, we moved Marie’s stuff over from Kristina’s flat … plus our wheely travelbags in tow. We […]
2 November 2008
Marie had sent her feelers out for possible accommodation. This morning we got a phone call from a Yemeni friend of hers (and her French husband) who had a place available. Instead of settling into the nitty-gritty of the rental issue, we went out for lunch … then went to the house where we settled […]
1 November 2008
Above: Hello Kitty’s birthday! Today, being the first of November, is Hello Kitty’s Birthday. Not that I’m a fan of that Japanese cartoon cat. But I came across a picture of it in Hong Kong saying that it was born in London on 1 November! Why London?!?! It is only my second night back in […]
30 October 2008
I had booked a night into a relatively cheap Panorama Deira Hotel in Dubai for my overnight. With the scheduled flights arriving from JFK at 1945 and departing for Sana’a at 0710, it would have been a little cruel to oneself to spend the night at the airport after a sleepless night flight. But it […]
