UNIQUE PASSPORT trips are journeys of discovery. We take you to foreign places which are still mysterious. Not "adventure travel", not "eco tourism", UNIQUE PASSPORT seeks a multi dimensional experience with insights into a different culture, a different reality, and the perspective gained on our own world and common human experience.
Because UNIQUE PASSPORT seeks to provide an in depth tour, our escorts are travellers with a passion and insight into the destination. Our itineraries are creative and devised to provide where ever possible special activities which provide first hand involvement with the culture and way of life of the people.
A travel Journal
Exotic travel flows in Helen's veins and like a bottle of good red wine, her travel tastes improve with every year as her palate samples increasingly exotic delights. During the past few years Helen has visited such splendid destinations as Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka, Russia and Japan, to name but a few of her life's great journeys!
In February 2001 Helen was fortunate enough to embark on her long cherished desire to visit the splendours of Yemen, definitively the most amazing holiday of her life! The following extract from Helen's diary offers a taste of her first experience of Yemen. She has now been escorting groups each year and designing private itinerarie for those that couldn't make our dates.
"Sana’a, the capital city of Yemen, is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen. A city where I felt instantly whisked back to medieval times. Many hours were spent wandering the labyrinth of twisted, narrow streets of the old city that revealed a lifestyle unchanged in centuries. An architectural delight at any time of the day, the highlight of a visit to Sana’a is to wander amongst the unique tower houses, which are ornamented with elaborate friezes, their colourful stained glass windows being particularly splendid in the gleam of the moonlight. The minarets of the mosques, in all their simplicity, rise high above these intricately designed houses, the mauve hills in the distance forming a striking backdrop.
It was impossible not to be caught up in the frenetic pace of Sana’a’s Suq al Milh, a stimulating and vibrant market, every step full of wonderful sights and sounds. The men resplendent in checkered headcloths, long robes of white, blue or mauve drawn in at the waist by richly embroidered waistbands enclosing the obligatory silver jambiya (dagger), and the traditionally veiled women elegantly strolling through the streets, leaving fragrant, intoxicating perfume in their wake. There were many temptations in the suq and being a woman, well…. I like to shop! The small shops were brimming with silver jewellery, rolls of brightly coloured cloth, spices, incense, dates, gold, frankincense and myrrh……where were the three Kings?
The architectural delights extend well beyond Sana’a. The stone villages of nearby Thula, Kawkaban and Shibam are renowned for their magnificent stonework, but it was Al Hajjarah, a village in the Haraz Mountains, that captured my imagination. The village itself was a stunning example of stone architecture in a truly inaccessible location, with the surrounding scenery being equally magnificent. My friend and I spent two days trekking in this area with Ahomen, our Yemeni guide, through the patchwork of emerald terraces of sorghum, coffee and qat trees, fringed with cacti. Every so often the rocky pathways revealed fascinating scenes of mountain life. We stumbled into small hamlets where villagers would extend their famous hospitality to us and we would be invited into homes to share saltah (a delicious stew), bread and tea flavoured with the famous Yemeni honey.
It was wonderful up there in the mountains breathing in the fresh air, at times heady with the lingering scent of herbs. At one particular spot, Ahomen, always the gentleman, surprised us with a bouquet each of red geraniums and basil, the fragrance staying with me for days. Most of the time we were quite alone meandering along the donkey paths, relishing the silence, broken only now and then by the chatter of women collecting water, or the laughter from children leading their bleating goats to greener pastures.
Late afternoons back in Al Hajjarah were spent lounging around in the mafraj (sitting room) of our hotel, where we had the opportunity, or some could say the misfortune, to try qat, the local narcotic. The carpeted floor was strewn with branches of qat leaves that the men meticulously picked, cleaned and preened, before being delicately chewed and stored in the mouth, their cheeks bulging with the contents. This is not as easy as it sounds and well…. its not a great look either! You could say I never quite got the hang of it.
I loved the mesmerising music that accompanied these qat chews and I will never forget the musicians who entertained us with traditional songs on the oud (lute), mizmar (double reed flute) and the drums. This wonderful music prompted the men, already in a blissful state, to dance energetically and joyfully with jambiyas in hand, whipping themselves up gradually into a frenzy. It was riveting and one of the most memorable moments of my trip.
To be woken at 3.30 a.m. anywhere can come as a rude shock. The much anticipated Ramlat Sabatayn desert crossing from Ma’rib to Shibam, part of the ancient incense route, was about to begin. It was cold, I was grumpy through lack of sleep, but once we hit the road in our landcruiser, I put my head back listening to the soft, soothing sounds of a cassette of Ahmed Al Hubishay playing his oud. I was in another world. The night sky was brilliant. It was so clear I could almost work out every constellation. Then gradually over a couple of hours the sun rose and cast a golden hue on the sand dunes. It was a glorious sight.
It was fun cavorting up and down those sand dunes. Abdul was an adept driver and we felt totally safe with him. We were joined by Saalem, our Bedouin guide, who would escort us that day across the desert. I didn’t exactly want to get lost, though at times it was an appealing thought. Imagine what adventures we would have!
Eventually we stopped to visit a Bedouin family. Shown to the large open air tent, we reclined on the rugs and leaned luxuriously on the thick cushions. Within minutes, a young woman in a long black dress appeared, veiled to her dark and luminous eyes, graciously served us small cups of fragrant tea spiced with cardamom and cloves. I was so captivated by this exotic scene that I didn’t want to leave.
We had been on the road for nine hours until Shibam, the New York of the Wadi Hadhramaut, burst suddenly upon us like a heat induced desert mirage, shimmering in all its splendour. Built 400 years ago, the city is situated in the largest wadi (dry watercourse) in the Arabian Peninsula. Wandering around the tranquil narrow streets in the cool of the late afternoon, getting lost in the maze of 500 mudbrick skyscrapers, some eight to ten storeys high, is quite spectacular and you will experience nothing like it anywhere else in the world. Eventually, we found Shibam was best observed from the top of a nearby hill where the brilliance of the evening sunset showered a golden glow over the entire city. Another memorable, magic moment!
It was a slower, more languid pace of life in the Wadi Hadhramaut. A fertile and agriculturally rich area, the desert merged into cultivated fields of corn and barley. Veiled women worked the fields wearing tall witches hats made from straw, the men in little round hats and colourful, handwoven futas (a type of sarong) giving them a distinctly South East Asian flavour. Not surprising really when you consider how trade developed centuries ago across the Indian Ocean.
Driving through the Wadi Do’an region, the scenery changed yet again. The terrain ranged from desert to tablelands the colour of toffee, melting down to arid valleys brilliant with date palms and ochre coloured houses painted with smatterings of pink, blue, peppermint and saffron blending in harmoniously with the landscape. The village of Al Khoreiba was a classic example of the Wadi Do’an mudbrick architecture. We reached the village by driving on the loose dry rocks of the trackless wadi bed, in the glare from the towering limestone cliffs above. It was a beautiful village that reminded me immediately of a Moroccan kasbah. I woke one morning to the gentle lilt of the muezzin calling the faithful to prayer at the mosque in Al Khoreiba. There was a meditative quality to the rhythm of the muezzin’s voice that eventually lulled me back to sleep. I enjoyed these early mornings where from the roof of our simple hotel, I could see the mudbrick houses warmed by the translucent orange glow from the early morning sunrise. Gradually, murmurings of life filtered up from the lane below, and the rich aroma of freshly baked bread wafted upwards, tantalising my tastebuds. Aah, the joys of village life!
A series of sharp twists and turns took us through the Jol region where we suddenly arrived on a huge plateau. It was almost surreal, a moonscape. We felt on top of the world looking down into a huge canyon….the silence deafening. This extraordinary scenery led us all the way down to the coastal town of Al Mukalla, which from afar resembled a Greek village, the stark white houses striking against a backdrop of lofty mountains. Upon closer scrutiny, this attractive town revealed an architecture primarily Arabic and Indian in character.
Lazy afternoons were spent sitting overlooking the Indian Ocean savouring plates of fresh fish, cooked tandoori style, seasoned with chilli and washed down with bottles of Canada Dry (non alcoholic of course!). A fitting treat after exhausting ourselves, and our wallets, wandering aimlessly through Al Mukalla’s very attractive and plentiful suq
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Al Mukalla was a fitting end to an amazing journey. I will always have a lifelong affection for the warmth, humour and openness of the Yemeni people. I was privileged to experience a culture steeped in the old traditions which combined with its slower pace of life offers the traveller a package of experiences and life colour missing from many other areas of the world.
Yemen is a hidden gem waiting to be rediscovered. You too can experience the mystique of one of the most untouched and traditional Arab countries by joining one of our tours of Yemen.
