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Published: December 24th 2006
Yemen - part I
Hello everybody,
finally I've now arrived in Yemen's capitol Sana'a. But to tell you the truth for a long time I thought this vacation was lost to me.
Actually this story started before I took off from Stockholm International Airport the day before yesterday. It started when I applied for my visa to Yemen. I started looking for information on
how to get a visa already one month ago. The problem is Yemen doesn't have any embassy in such a small an insignificant country as Sweden. So I have to apply for visa elsewhere. But where and how was my worries a month ago. After some looking I learnt that the Yemenia Airlines office in Stockholm can arrange for a visa application to be sent to London. I applied for the visa, the application was sent to London and the Yemenite embassy sent everything back to Stockholm. Here is where the trouble started. The UK Postal Service should deliver an express letter within 24 hours to Stockholm. This particular letter will take 8 days or more before it arrives. I don't know how long because the letter has not arrived yet.
The day before yesterday I learnt that my passport with my visa is stuck somewhere in London. I started a frantic hunt for replacements. I went to the Yemenia Airlines office and they wrote a letter saying that the UK postal service has lost my passport. They called the Yemenite embassy in London and had them write a similar letter to be faxed to Stockholm. I went to the airport and checked in. I was not very popular when I explained that I neither have passport not any visa to my destination 10 minutes before boarding. I went to the airport police and they made me an emergency visa on the spot when I explained what had happened and after some sweettalking to to the people at the airline they let me onboard.
So there I was on the way. The first leg of the trip was to Turkey and there I knew there wouldn't be any problem. Emergency passports are fine there and visas aren't necessary.
I had 26 hours stopover in Istanbul so I went to see a little of the old town.
Hagia Sophya and the Old City Water Cistern both received a visit from me.
After that it was time to go to the airport for the flight to Sana'a in Yemen. It was surprisingly little fuzz about my dodgy (read: next to non-existing) paper work at the check in. They let me onboard and I was soon on my way.
At the airport I met up with Ivan Follender, one of my two travel companions on this journey. We were on the same flight to Sana'a this evening. We've never met before actually and I still can't understand how he could recognise me. Does it say Swedish dork without passport and visa all over my face?
A few hours later we arrived in Sana'a. I was welcomed there by a relative to the manager of Yemenia Airlines in Stockholm. This relaive works at Sana'a airport. He had earlier received a phonecall from Stockholm with the request to take care of me. He helped me get a new visa on the spot and he helped me through the immigration. I was now in Yemen after a lot of trouble and quite a few nervous moments. I can't believe that I actually pulled this stunt off. I managed to go to Yemen without a visa and without a real passport...
I'd like to be able to say "Why play things safe when this it is so much more fun this way" but that wouldn't be true. Really I have now had quite enough excitment for one trip.
When Ivan and I arrived at the hotel we met up with the last of our little group of travellers - Harvey, Ivans father. He has already been here a while. It was late at night and we soon went to bed. Something that isn't so easy around here. I am 197 cm tall (6 foot 5,5 inch) and the beds are only about 180 cm (6 feet) long.
Today we have been looking around in central
Sana'a. The old town here is interesting with it's painted brick houses. I am desperately trying to upload some photos of them but that will have to wait. I think the Internet connection is too slow for it to work. I'll do that later, OK?
Other than the high brickhouses it is the local market that is the major attraktion here. Both the produce of the market and the people visiting it was interesting. The people are mostly men, they are all chewing khat (mild drug) and they are all wearing a traditional dagger in their belt.
Now I log off for today. Next we are heading for Wadi Hadramawt, a fertile valley in the west of Yemen. There we are going to see
Shibam one of the true mavels of this country. It is a town that is nicknamed "Manhattan of the Desert" because of the high brick houses in the middle of the open landscape. I don't know how the Internet service is around there so it might be a couple of days before I get to a computer next time.
Take care,
Ake
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Bruce Martin
non-member comment
Wow - What a Writer
Ake, You did a great job in describing your travel paper circumstances. You should consider writing a article about your trip for a magazine like "Outside" or the "mens Journal". You are a very gifted author. Really looking forward to more comments. Keep up the great work.