Wow!! That’s the only word that can describe the change in scenery as we rode from Oman into Yemen. Oman with its new roads, orderly towns and laid back people, is a world away from Yemen who’s towns are full of crumbling infrastructure, noisy locals and litter…. plenty of litter. There IS something very addictive about Yemen though…

We crossed the border at Hawf (considered the safer of the two available). Processing on the Oman side was quick and efficient, but on the Yemen side it was another story. The officials tried to scam some money while issuing the visa and had no idea what to do with our motorcycle. After much debating and consultation, they finally scribbled something in Kamil’s passport and stamped it. So far, every time we stop at a check point and the police ask for the bike’s documentation, we just shrug and they waive us through.

Soon after the border we stopped for lunch at a small fishing village. The fish with rice was delicious! And at only US$2, dirt cheap too. The locals were really friendly and kept putting more fish on our table. We guess they had plenty to share…

Yemen is the poorest country on the Arabian peninsular and although this can be seen through its backwardness and the simple lives of its people, there are hardly any beggars and the locals don’t complain. Because of their tribal background, they are a proud and combative people. Weapons are a common accessory to their traditional tunic and turban. Usually it’s in the form of a dagger, but we’ve seen plenty of AK47’s and hand pistols as well…

Following the coast, we spotted dozens of men hauling nets from the sea. Thousands of sardines had been caught and were now drying on the beach. Stopping to take a few pics we were instantly surrounded by the Somali fishermen. They had come over from Somalia illegally by crossing the Gulf of Arden and were now trying to start a new life in Yemen. They were a curious bunch, asking about the trip, our motorbike, how the camera worked and whether we had any qat (pronounce ‘cut’).

It seems the whole country is on a constant high from chewing this magic green plant. Everyone is into it! Old folks, kids, government officials and even the cops can’t help themselves, though they claim if they were caught (we’re not quite sure by who) they would be locked up. The qat sessions start soon after lunch, so by evening everyone has droopy eyes and a ridiculously bulging cheek

We decided to skip the Wadi Hadramawt region and not venture into Yemen’s north. We heard that only as far back as January of this year, Al-Quaida had shot dead two Belgian tourists there.
The government is not taking any chances now and we were given an obligatory police escort from Bir Ali all the way to Aden. This area is very scenic where mountains, sand dunes and sea all mingle together.

Unfortunately, there is very little accommodation along this stretch and when we asked one cop whether we can camp at the police check point because it was getting dark. He shook his head, made a sign as if he was slitting his throat and pointed to us. We guessed that meant ‘no’ and that we would have to keep riding to the next town with a hotel. It was a bit of a ‘nervy’ ride…

The next morning we got escorted the remaining few kilometers to Aden and then rode alone over picturesque mountains to the beautiful Yemen capital - San’a. The old town is a UNESCO listed heritage site with some buildings dating back 2,000 years!! Walking the labyrinth of small alley ways, the atmosphere is intoxicating. It seems that within the walls of the old city, life goes on as it did some 500 years ago. In one tiny cellar we found a camel walking in circles around an ancient mill that was grinding sesame seeds into oil!

While sitting at a teahouse (drinking ridiculously sweet milk tea) we were invited by one of the locals into his house for a qat chewing session. He must have been some kind of celebrity in the old town as everyone knew him and he showed us a Japanese tourist video in which he was the main star. With his mates picking off the edible leaves from the qat branches for us, we sat trying to make conversation (they didn’t speak English and we don’t speak Arabic) chewing like cows and waiting for the ‘kick’. Our cheeks almost bulging with the green stuff and no feeling of getting high whatsoever, we decided this qat thing wasn’t for us and left.

Our hotel is one of over 14,000 tower houses in old San’a. They were built from mud bricks hundreds of years ago and are usually 6-8 stories high, which made them the skyscrapers of their time. During sunset the views from the rooftop are very cool!!

The only downside is that we are in close proximity to all the mosques and at 5am every morning, we are woken by the call to prayer which echo’s around town.

The plan now is to chill out in San’a for a couple of days, then ride to Al Makha (Mocha - the home of the coffee bean) from where we’ll catch a boat to Djibouti (AFRICA)!!