A fast evening flight from Al Mukalla to Sana’a, and our Yemen trip was almost over. There was one more day in Sana’a with additional time to shop, revisit museums or do nothing before the farewell lunch. With the exception of Bill’s appendix, we had no other traumatic story to relate to friends and family [...]
“Travel Tips & Advice on Yemen”
Back in Sana’a and Some Yemen Thoughts
November 10th, 2007 
Sheila Simkin 
Posted in Yemen 
Tags: adventure, destination, event, events, hiking, information, landmark, log, nature, Sana, sightseeing, travel, Yemen 
1 Comment »
Through Wadi Doan/Daw’an To Al-Hajjarayn and Al-Mukalla in Yemen
November 9th, 2007 Sheila Simkin Back to Seiyun for the night and the next day it was back on the road again. There is a road to Al-Mukalla from Seiyun but we drove instead through a dry canyon called Wadi Doan/Daw’an with a stop at Al-Hajjarayn, another rocky village built on a hilltop in a breathtaking setting. Al-Hajjarayn means “two [...]
Posted in Yemen Tags: adventure, Al-Hajjarayn, Al-Mukalla, destination, event, events, hiking, information, landmark, log, nature, sightseeing, travel, Wadi Daw'an, Wadi Doan, Yemen No Comments »
Shibam, “The Manhattan Of The Desert” in Yemen
November 8th, 2007 Sheila Simkin Shibam is an ancient city and probably the most impressive in southern Yemen. It has a skyline of hundreds of white, five- and six-story buildings (most in deplorable shape) and is known as the “Manhattan of the Desert.” The driving approach to Shibam was really some sight…flatness everywhere in the desert and suddenly, there was [...]
Posted in Yemen Tags: adventure, destination, event, events, hiking, information, landmark, log, nature, sightseeing, travel, Yemen.Shibam No Comments »
Visiting Seiyun and Tarim In Wadi Hadhramawt, Yemen
November 7th, 2007 Sheila Simkin Seiyun is the largest town in the Wadi Hadhramawt, a 220-mile wadi which has a collection of 31 small sultanates with Aden in the middle. Hadhramawt is the biggest wadi (seasonal river) in the Arabian Peninsula and runs for 99 miles through a stony desert along a valley. This area has been settled since at [...]
Posted in Yemen Tags: adventure, Al Howta Palace Hotel, destination, event, events, hiking, information, landmark, log, nature, Seiyun, sightseeing, Tarim, travel, Wadi Hadhramawt, Yemen No Comments »
The Yemen Ramlat As-Sabatayn Desert Crossing to Seiyun
November 6th, 2007 Sheila Simkin Today was the big desert crossing. Sarah Timewell was on her way back to Sana’a with Bill (leaving Carolyn in charge) and would catch up with us. No contact lenses for me, scarves and anything else we could think of to protect against the sand. This was going to be an all-day journey. Tough, rugged [...]
Posted in Yemen Tags: adventure, Al Hawta Palace Hotel, desert, desert crossing, destination, event, events, hiking, information, landmark, log, nature, Ramlat As-Sabatayn, Seiyun, sightseeing, travel, Yemen No Comments »
Bedouin Country, Wadi Dahr and Ma’rib/Marib in Yemen
November 5th, 2007 Sheila Simkin In the section of Yemen we’re heading tomorrow, tribes rule…not the government. This is Bedouin Country with deserts, oil fields, AK-47s, and kidnappers. The group started off for Ma’rib in the afternoon stopping by the rock palace of Wadi Dahr sitting on top of a tall crag. A fantasy in rock. Down the mountains across [...]
Posted in Yemen Tags: adventure, Bedouins, Bilquis Mareb Hotel, destination, event, events, hiking, information, landmark, log, Ma'rib, medivac, nature, sightseeing, travel, Wadi Dahr, Yemen, Yemen desert crossing 1 Comment »
Manakha, Al-Hajjara and Al-Houdaib in Yemen
November 4th, 2007 Sheila Simkin A day trip to visit Manakha, Al-Hajjara and Al-Houdaib, all found in the Jebel Harraz region of Yemen. This is an area of fortress villages and terraced hillsides planted with coffee, millet and Qat. Traditionally home to the Ismailis who built their defensive towns in the high mountains, Manakha is the principal town of the [...]
Posted in Yemen Tags: adventure, Al-Hajjara, Al-Houdaib, destination, event, events, hiking, information, landmark, log, Manakha, nature, sightseeing, travel, Yemen 1 Comment »
Ta’izz/Taizz, Jibla and Ibb in Yemen
November 3rd, 2007 Sheila Simkin In Ta’izz, staying at the Royal Ta’izz Hotel. we visited the 13th century al-Ashrafiya Mosque, not longer in active use. That meant we were allowed to visit the inside. Ta’izz is located at the base of Mt. Sabir and is a holy city. The Palace of Imam Ahmed is a national museum and crammed with [...]
Posted in Yemen Tags: adventure, destination, event, events, hiking, Ibb, information, Jibla, landmark, log, nature, Royal Ta'izz Hotel, Salah Palace, sightseeing, Ta'izz, Taj Sheba Hotel, travel, Yemen No Comments »
Al-Mahwit Through Wadi Surdud to Al-Hodeidah, Yemen
November 2nd, 2007 Sheila Simkin Al-Hodeidah is Yemen’s second most important port. The city itself was nothing but on a clear day you could look straight across the Red Sea to Eritrea and Ethiopia, less than 40 miles away. This area is coastal with a big African influence. The population of Al-Hodeidah is around 130,000 with a wide blend of [...]
Posted in Yemen Tags: adventure, Al-Hodeidah, Al-Mahwit, destination, event, events, hiking, information, landmark, log, nature, Royal Ta-izz Hotel, sightseeing, travel, Wadi Surdud, Yemen No Comments »
Day Hiking Around Al-Mahwit and Qat/Khat in Yemen
November 1st, 2007 Sheila Simkin The group spent the day hiking down and through the mountain terraces. There were peaks and cliffs dotted with small villages along the entire route. Unfortunately, the hike also took us through piles of pink plastic bags and trash. Pink plastic bags could be Yemen’s logo because I’ve never seen so many bags (or so [...]
Posted in Yemen Tags: adventure, Al-Mahwit, destination, event, events, hiking, information, Khat, landmark, log, nature, Qat, sightseeing, travel, Yemen No Comments »
