As the Himalaya approached Aden I remember thinking that this was by far the most desolate looking place that I'd ever laid eyes on. This view appears to have been shared by P&O's pamphlet on the port, the introduction to which is "First sighting of Aden from the sea is uninviting, when the hot sun, reflected from the yellow volcanic rock, gives the whole coast a parched and unwelcoming appearance." Mum and Dad must have decided that it looked a bit safer than Port Said, because we happily went ashore, and then walked along what I remember as a single row of small shops on the waterfront. There were camels and goats everywhere, but virtually no trees or other greenery. I don't remember there being overly many people around either, despite the pamphlet's assertion that its
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