shelter

Fairly well equiped for stretches of autonomous travel - tent, mats, sleeping bags, stove, cooking set all loaded on our tiny bikes - we indulged quite often in the primitive pleasures of camping, especially in thinly populated areas like Socotra and the Jol. Selecting a spot at dusk, collecting firewood, pitching the tent, cooking a pasta and watching the stars through the gauze of the tent.



On some of the beaches we found small huts made of palm trees - with the occasional Egyptian vulture as a morning visitor.




In Sana'a, we managed to stay in the mafraj of the Taj Talha hotel, a typical (large) tower house turned into a hotel. The mafraj is the breezy top room, slightly recessed from the tower shaft, where the men of the family spend their afternoons chewing qat and discussing politics. Our mafraj proved delirious enough without the qat - only 20 bucks for a stunning 360° view over Sana'a and the surrounding mountains. Unforgettable, especially at sunrise and sunset, with a cascade of hundreds of muezzin calling for prayer...



Samples of some of the other hotel rooms we stayed in across the country - mud, stone, concrete, wood.

mm mm

Special awards for doctor Ali's superb guestroom in the highland village of Karal (left), for the generously offered camping spot on the roof of the National Bank of Yemen in Hureidha (middle), and for... the rock (right).