People are strange when you're a stranger

We went to Yemen for spring-break. Just a few days before we left a couple of westerners (muslims) were killed by extremist groups, so we stayed away from the nothern areas.

I'm fascinated by the general everyday-wear there. Women traditionally wear niqab, not unlikely followed by a set of sexy shoes, with a few exeptions who bore a traditional, usually black higaab. Some foreigners were spotted unveiled. Men were a bit more frisky though, they went for the knee-long, white cotton galabeya, heavy sandals, a green or nature-coloured suit-jacket, and a huge, bent dagger connected to a special-made embrodided belt, and topped it off with a headbandage. Oddly enough though, the harassment was absolutely nothing compared to Egypt, even though egyptians generally look and behave more slutty themselves. That being said, we were veiled most of the time, but mostly out of covenience. Personally i don't find that a headcover attracts the same immediate attention as long blonde hair, so it was a personal choise, i'm sure either would be fine.

We landed in Sana.a in the wee hours, and the boys booked us into an hotel down town and we got in a cab that finally agreed to 3 times the price R's arabian peninsula-book adviced. Which was still nothing.

The first few days we just looked around, went to the market and museums and took pictures and watched the boys eat grilled chicken while we didn't. We met a german/norwegian woman who was married to a yemeni and studied semittic languages. She was unveiled and seemed very nice, and had also lived in Egypt. She could confirm our notes about the harrassment being much less. We didn't ge to see more of her though (unfortunately) cause we were heading in different directions. We also went to a gallery/atelier and saw some beautiful paintings, really amazing work done by women (if not all women, atleast mostly)

Rubes donated my first happy-moment after he'd purchased a bag of kaht for too much money, and proceded to stop in the middle of the crowded space (with us clinging to their arms like two scared women in a pack of cattle, trying to avoid accidently rubbing into the locals) and yell out in arabic that he was a foreigner and had no idea of how to chew kaht and needed help. Granted, he got it, without much fuss, and we all got a good giggle. Yemenis seem a bit more relaxed than other islamic cultures i've encountered, people were willing to help with a smile, but we weren't run down as soon as people noticed us.

We went up into the mountains one day, and saw some beautiful views. Went trough the old jewish quarters and up to the most beautiful stone-castle. Well-preserved with pictures to tell. (Dar al hajjar) I did, however, not get a new memory-card before i left and have almost no pics to tell.

We grabbed a bus down to Aden after a few days, and everyone but me had a terrible bus-ride. Rafe got stuck with a drooling, kaht-chewing poor person trying to be social and friendly and borrow his ipod. We got stopped on checkpoints and passportchecked rather frequently, where noone could read latin script, nor knew what a norwegian was and tried to show my passport (with a picture of me unveiled) to random people asking where i was from, who could only repeat that i was from, indeed Norway. The only thing that was negatively portrayed about the west as far as i saw, was the ban on norwegian and danish products after the tard-stunt the people who drew the prophet-cartoons did. Jewish americans are much more popular than us, which is very understandable (nevrmind my thing for jewish men, i'm telling you this has nothing to do with that stop questioning me). The bus filled up with kath-chewing people really fast, and after Rubes rather unlucky testride that gave him nothing but green gums, and between Liz and Rafe who had gotten over that state, we were probably the only ones who didn't chew. And there were enough leaves on that floor to cover it completely.

In Aden the hotels were a little more expensive, but the one we had was nicer. One day we went and had shitty expensive beer at the (insert plaza, sheraton or whatever it was here) and chatted and swam in the ocean. AAHHH the ocean, it was so beautiful. Then we discussed penises and other world-issues. Afterwords we ate fish, that we picked out at the bay (meaning, i picked them out, and after poking and fondeling the fish a little to ensure freshness provoked following disbeliving Rubes comment; What ARE you really!?) then we took the fish to a resturant that grilled it for us. There were packs of cats around the table that jumped onto it as soon as we finished. Yemeni cats are prettier than the egyptian ones, by the way, and they are also different from Sanaa to Aden.

We decided to go by car back up to Sanaa, and got a driver who immediately told us we should make sure we had a police-escorte the next time. Ohwell. We drove and slept and drove and drove (some time during all of this i am taking up smoking again when i'm safely hidden from the public), and Rubes did the talking (in fusha) until the driver had chewed so much kaht he became incomprehensable.

Back in Sanaa we went back to the market and got some stuff for our significent others and daggers and other necessities. I got some dress-fabric, and rubes got some gorgeous mirrors. I bought a cute dress for my sisters coming baby just as she was in labour with her first boy (wish i'd seen that coming). Yay i'm an aunt again!

Things about Yemen:

(or the middle east in general before you get to know the country well): Women: Cover up, don't got to a place that conservative almost showing wour shoulders and think a scarf randomly thrown over your (still showing) hair does the trick. You don't have to be veiled, you just have to be respectful. Yes, woman with shoulders almost showing and a cleavage-top, i am talking to you, you're ignorent and you give other westerners a bad rep. Sholders and knees are covered, aswell as chest, in clothes that are not too tight or open at the middle. Neutral colours or black are usually the safe way to go.

The money are small. We got 20 000 each time we went to the bank.

Even though Yemen is supposivly the mother of coffee (who the hell said that anyways??) the coffe stinks. Bring nescafè or die from caffeinedeficiency. At best, it's piss from a slightly dehydrated coffe-drinker, soaking sugar.

Everyone chews kaht. If the thought of your driver being drugged up scares you, you better bring your licence.

Like everywhere, there is a way to get a little tipsy if you want to. Bring tax-free or go to an expensive hotel. DO NOT appear intoxicated in public. Goes w/o saying.

Bring a man. It's just easier, espessially if they speak arabic, actually, bring Rubes. (and if you're taken hostage, tell them how his mum will hunt them down unless her boy comes home safe)

Bargaining isn't as big as in Egypt, but you can still bargain some. Prices are genrally lower, we payed about the same for taxies though.

People eat birds. Veggies; rice, bread and dips (salata tahina etc) are friends.


Heard in Yemen; YEMEN 07 DUDES! SWEET! Yemen does too rhyme with seven, something's wrong with your english, man. Yemen 07 bitches, Yemen 07 babes! Yemen 07 people! Sa-weet! (all of which is screamed rather than shouted, in a high-pitch voice)

Note to self; try and figure out what Rafe thinks i have against germans since he tries pulling my leg about them all the time, and remember, not peeing makes your kidneys squeek.