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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
............ 
Nov 28, 2007 07:00 PM Saudia - driving the night through the desert...
First, let me write something good about this kingdom: you can rent here a car for 20 euro per day with unlimited mileage. Second: for 1 USD you can have 6 litres of fuel. I think that only in Turkmenistan you can get more (do you remember my story?)
It was almost the midnight when I rented a car from AVIS (internet booking). It was hot and sticky air in Jeddah. I decided to drive all night... No time to waste - 72 hours only...
They did not have any map of Saudia in the rental agency - even in arabic (bring yours with you). I eventually went out of the city in the direction of Medina. I was not sure if they will not spot me on the first military checkpoint... The same situation was on the next checkpoints - lovely!
Uff... I was aproaching the first one very carefully... And can you imagine? Nobody outside the tent... Road is open... Go... go... At 5 am I was close to the holy city of Medina. Before I I reached the sea of the lights there was a big poster: Non-Muslim only left or right turn. No entrance to the city for non-Muslims. Sorry - left turn!.
Sunrise was nice over the desert. New portion of fuel at the pump (they understood what means "full") big 2l bottle of pepsi for 4 rials and go!
At daylight landscape changed: I saw red mountains, white sands. very few settlement. I reached destination at 9.00 am.
You ask me where I was driving all night? Of cource to Madain Saleh - number one attraction of Saudi Arabia - they call it "Second Petra" via Medina it is little more then 800 km...
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Nov 27, 2007 07:00 PM I am in Saudi Arabia - can you believe it?!!
Yes! Don't ask me now how I did it. They gave me a visa for 3 days only. Now I work hard to see as much as possible...
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Nov 26, 2007 07:00 PM Yemen. For the eagles only...
Shaharah, Yemen. 2600 m above sea level...
We, (total: 4 tourists) stay in the funduq - local Arab guesthouse with electric light in the evenings only...
I woke up before sunrise to see (and to photograph)
the great landscape in the raising sun... There are also other villages on the ridge - you can walk there if you plan to stay longer... Then we has traditional breakfast (flat bread with honey, tea). The cost of accommodation in the funduq with 2 meals is 3000 rials - 15 USD.
Shaharah has nice stone houses, white mosque and - most important - cut-out in the rock water catching reservoires. Ladies in black take water from the reserve and walk home...
Water is almost everything here - in the high mountains.
But the symbol of the village is the stone bridge (printed on the 10-rials coin) constructed between the two rocks. It is only 15 minutes walk from the funduq. Very impressive - the best light for the pics is at 9.30 am...
Ready to go down? The little truck and the soldiers of the escort are waiting! Another 1.5 h of super-bumpy mointain track... With the great views around...
On the way back to Sana we made a stop in Amran. It has an old mud-bricks-built medina. It is walled, compact and worth to see. Sana - I dream about a hot shower!
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Nov 25, 2007 07:00 PM An escort with machine guns...
After long fights between the police, army and tribal militia about a month ago they announced that the North Yemen is open for travel. But is does not mean thhat you can just jump to the local transport and go freely to Amaran nad Saada.
First: you must get a permit paper from the Ministry of Tourism. They will tell you: tourist are not allowed to go there with local share taxis - you have to have your private car and the number of the car will be shown in your permit.
Agencies charge from 80 USD per landcruiser with a driver per day. I found one for 60 USD and the persons to share the cost... (call helpful Ziad - 733425728).
The target was mountain village of Shaharah... We started at 8 am from Sana. Have at last 10 copies of your permit ready - every control post will collect one. But it is not all... On the third post they kept us half an hour to form the convoy of two landcruisers with tourist and a pickup with six soldiers and a machine gun inlstalled on. At 2 pm we reached an end of the paved road in Al Asha. Then there were 1,5 h bumpy road to the bottom of the picturesque mountains. In Al Qabi we changed landcruisers to the little trucks of local Beduins (extra fee: 7000 rials per truck RT). Next 1,5 hours on a clibbing trail was a great adventure in a dust, stones, outcrops... Even in Panistani Chitral roads were better... Wow! We reached Shaharah after 9,5 hours drive from Sana - deadly tired... But what a views!
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Nov 24, 2007 07:00 PM Wandering around Old Sana
Bab Al-Yemen - solid city gate is the central point of the town. Since the early morning crowd of people is going in and out. Men in their turbans wear ornate belts with big daggers - the jambiyas. Ladies are in black with covered faces - you can see their eyes only. It was 9 am when I met in such exotic place one of the greatest travellers - Andre Brugiroux. He is travelling like me - on a budget, often hitchhiking and he preferes to stay with the local people then in a hotels... We were sitting more then hour surrounded by Yemenis - talking, enjoying the strong sun and discussing future travel projects... What a place, what a meeting! Thank you Andre!
I see here less tourists then in 1999... Why? People are afraid... Yemen is still inexpensive to travel and to live: the bottle of coke cost 30 rials, bread roll - 10. an egg -20, local bus ride - 20, kilo of bananas - 150. For one dollar they pay 199 rials... In the afternoon I went to the expensive Burj al Sana hotel in the old town. They have even a lift! It is worth to take the lift to the top - 7th end to enjoy the panoramic view of the old town - probably the best in Sana. Do not forget to be there!
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Nov 23, 2007 07:00 PM Bus to Sana...
On the way back from Hodeida to Sana I made a choice of a/c bus (1200 YER insted of 1000 for regular) not because I like luxury but because the station in Hodeida is closer to the hotel.
It was 6.20 when I was walking there through the Peoples Garden - oh, camels! There were eating grass and leaves and then walked the wice central street.
Scheduled departure: 6.30 real: 7.10
It takes 5 hours to climb the mountains and to reach the capital of Yemen. Then I walked in the strong sun to "bank front gate Street" - it starts opposite to the gate of Central Bank. Al Ikhwa Hotel - I think it is best value for money: 1500 (after bargaining 1300) for single with bath, hot water and TV. It is clean, old fashion and only one old man there speaks english. First in the same street is Asia Tourist (twice expensive) then Sayun then 100 m to Al-Ikhwa. The choice is yours...
Sorry, nothing new regarding my Saudi visa...
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Nov 22, 2007 07:00 PM Fish, Friday Market and UNESCO...
Hot, hot, hot... They do not work on Fridays here. But the markets are open - so I woke up early and went to the Fish Market of Hodeida - noisy, stinky and full of different fish. Half an hour is enough to see and to take photos...
Then I took shared taxi to dusty Bayt el Fakih (200 YER) to see and to enjoy famous Friday Market. It is very authentic - people from countryside sell grain, vegies, fruits and home-made men's skirts. The place was very crowded but I was feeling safe. People loved to be photographed if you start with the smile, so I have more then 100 pictures from Bayt...
Third event of this busy day was Zabid - UNESCO World Heritage site. Old city dated back to 9th century full of old mosques, ornate front's houses and dust... They say that it is one of the hotest places on earth. Yes, it was very hot when I was walking sandy, narrow streets... It is not Sana range but the place is worth to see. The only unpleasant surprise were very nasty children - somebody should teach them how to address to the foreign guests...
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Nov 21, 2007 07:00 PM The bride of the Red Sea?
In the morning I visited the village of Hajara - still in the Haraz Mountains. It is the most picturesque, now easy accessible by road and... most tourist... Donkeys and cows were crossing the tiny gate when I was entering the village... Nice pictures - but from outside only... Do not take the guide - there is no much to see - the highlisht is the ouside view...
Then I sai bye to the Manakha and usin one by one theree junk microbuses I moved down to the Red Sea (3-4 hours drive).
I am in Hodeida - old town on the coast of the Red Sea. Once the called it "The bride of the Red Sea". Almost nothing remained from the legend. Wide streets, cars, noise... I stay in the Al Ikhwa hotel (2000 YER single room). After fresh air in the mountains it is like in the steam bath here. No beaches in the town. But the covered bazaar near Big Mosque is quite interesting and very authentic. People are nice... I did not see any other foreigner on the streets... Am I the only tourist in Hodeida?
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Nov 20, 2007 07:00 PM Trekking in Yemeni Mountains
Family run Manakha Askari (Tourist) Hotel offers beds from 2500 rials incl breakfast and dinner. Extra You will have wonderful views of the mountains ans folklore shows in the evening. Most of their clients are groups of Westerners travelling in landcruisers.
Just after breakfast I and my local guide (sorry it is necessary: no maps or singns on the trail) we took moto to the starting point and then walked from village to the village till 4 pm. There were some steep paths on the route, but the panoramas and the fortified stone villages are worth the effort. It is hard to describe this unusual architecture of stone towers - I hope to show you pictures after return...
It is worth to start treking as early as possible because around 1 pm clouds are covering slowly the peaks and the light for picture is not so good...
In the evening Yemeni men (sorry - no local ladies!) gave us great show of the local music and dancing... A bit noisy for me but still interesting...
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Nov 19, 2007 07:00 PM Who lies? Escaping to Haraz Mountains...
In the morning I was walking again (for the fourth time) well known route to the Saudi Arabia Embassy. Not to knock again the solid gate but to speak with the manager of NOSOK travel agency located just opposite. Mr Al-Sha just returned after few days stay in Aden. He said: I can arrange your transit visa to Saudia with the entry by bus. It is not easy but possible. I need your passport early in the morning and it will take 3 days. You must have Jordan visa already in the passport. Maximum period of stay with this visa: 3 days. -Are you sure? He said "yes". Then I asked how many such a visas for westerners he already arranged in 2007. He cannot remember...
Who lies: Mr Consul or powerful Mr Al-Sha?
Sana in exciting but I wanted to see some more interesting places - I decided to escape to the beautiful Haraz Mts. It on the main road from Sana to Hodeyda. The bus departs 7 am and 2 pm (1000 rials) and you have to disembark at Maghraba - after 3h drive. Arrange your permit (free) in The Ministry of Tourism the day before. In Maghraba I jumped on the motocycle-taxi (100 YER) and we started to climb the road to Manakha. What a views! That's what I love!
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