Socotra once again!

Loved Socotra so much that I brought a group here. There were seven of us and it was an amazing trip once again!

Took the Felix Airlines - Dubai to Socotra.

Yes, we're sleeping in tents in Aomak Beach......all arranged by Abdullah!

Kosta says "Leave Nothing".....so the chicken curry has been all polished off!

Once again Qalansiyah...and we are taking the boat.

We did see the dolphins!

The old man's beach.

The next day we head to Wadi Druher. It's a short trek through the canyon with water flowing.....a lovely place. At the end of it there is a beautiful natural pool where one can cool off if it's too hot. The area is home to many "Dessert Roses" and that time of the year it was all in full bloom and so looked really beautiful. Having lunch under the shade.....life is beautiful!

"3 Dessert Roses"!

Lunch being served!

Waiting, while the guys change the flat tire.

Debra in the cave

Kosta snorkeling!

Delishah Eco Lodge

A stream running near the Deilisha Beach

Last day before we are dropped to the airport we take in the sights and sounds of the capital Hadibo.

Gas station.....need to fuel up!

Sight of Yemeni women......very rare! Had to take a photo.

 That's a car still in use!

Drive a donkey!

Sinisa trying to converse with the locals!

A protest march in the market!

The group along with our Yemeni hosts.

And as we were waiting to board the flight back to Dubai.....Sinisa got this postcard and had all of us signed....."Socotra always".

Beautiful doors I saw in Yemen!

There are doors….and then there are doors! Some interesting doors that I saw as I travelled in Yemen.

This was one of the side door that I saw in Queen Arwa mosque, Jibla.

As I walked around Jibla village, this blue door caught my eye. It seemed quite old.

This was in Zabid….as I walked around the village….albeit a new door. A steel door but the design & the colours are fascinating!

Another steel door with beautiful colours in Zabid village.

The door of an old cinema house in Zabid, opposite to the house where the Italian film director Pier Paolo Pasolini used to live when he was shooting for his film in Yemen.

This is the door which leads to the sitting room of the house where Pier Paolo Pasolini (5th Mar 1992 - 2nd Nov 1975), the Italian Director lived during his days in Yemen while shooting for his film "Il fiore delle Mille e una Notte" (A Thousand and One Nights). He referred to Yemen as the most beautiful cities in the world and his pleas to UNESCO were instrumental in getting Zabid recognised as a World Heritage Site.

This was a door that I saw in Al Hajjarah village. It was built by the Turkish. Notice the star (6 points) just above the door.

Chewing Qat - Yeminis' national past time!

I had never heard of Qat till I landed in Yemen! All Yemeni men seem to be talking of Qat and preoccupied with getting a good quality bag of Qat leaves as post lunch they would indulge in chewing these leaves...putting in one side of the cheeks till the cheeks are bulging like a small ball!

Qat is a plant grown all over Yemen. Sometimes it is spelt as Kat or Khat. It seems the coffee plants which were being grown in some areas are now slowly being replaced by the Qat plants as they can harvest it many times unlike coffee. The fresh leaves when chewed makes one excited/ energetic as well as euphoric. It is described as lil stronger than drinking pots of strong coffee!

You will see markets for Qat only and one can be rest assured that this is a very busy market. It's serious business time here. The sellers will call out saying that they have very good Qat at a very good price. They will try to get your attention even if they have to push one another as you can see from the picture below!

The Yeminis will haggle and negotiate the price for their daily bag of Qat leaves. They will scout around for the best they can afford. Different quality has different prices.

After getting their bags of Qat for the day, they will wash the leaves, drain the water to let it dry while they wait for the lunch to arrive! (Though I have seen some chewing straight off from the market!)

My Driver offering me Qat as we drive along the Yemini countryside.

Did I try chewing Qat? Of course I sure did! See me in the photo below....chewing...nay eating! I say eating as I was not storing away in my cheek as I'm supposed to but in my stomach! I just chewed and swallowed it! The leaves are a lil strong but as one chews one gets used to the taste! One could easily get into the habit of chewing Qat!

In Jibla I even saw an old man pounding Qat leaves with a pestle.....preparing his Qat intake as he had no teeth to chew!

Did I like chewing Qat? Well, it was not bad. Fresh tender leaves with a distinct taste which grows on you....as you chew! I only chewed few hence didn't feel anything happening to my mood! For some effect to take place you would need to chew for hours storing away in one side of your cheek. 

Will I chew Qat again? Probably yes! In Yemen everyone does....it's a social activity. There's Qat sittings everywhere and to be one amongst them....I think I can chew some leaves! :)