![\"yemen.jpg\"](\"http:\/\/www.asianinny.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/12\/yemen.jpg\")
<\/p>\nInhabited almost forever Yemen is, in many ways, the birthplace of all our lives. In days past, the sons of Noah knew it as the land of milk and honey, Gilgamesh came here to search for the secret of eternal life, wise men gathered frankincense and myrrh from its mountains…<\/p>\n
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There can\u2019t be many places left in the world that could make God smile, but Yemen is one of them.<\/p>\n
Inhabited almost forever Yemen is, in many ways, the birthplace of all our lives. In days past, the sons of Noah knew it as the land of milk and honey, Gilgamesh came here to search for the secret of eternal life, wise men gathered frankincense and myrrh from its mountains and, most famously, a woman known simply as Sheba said Yemen was her home.<\/p>\n
Yet since the book of mythology was closed, Yemen has remained largely locked away in a forgotten corner, oblivious to the world that was oblivious to it. Today, like a spring tortoise emerging from hibernation, Yemen is awaking from its slumber and slowly revealing its face. And what a face it is. Sitting at the crossroads of two continents, this country has a little of everything. With its shades of Afghanistan, reflections of Morocco, flavors of Africa and reminders of Arabia, Yemen is utterly unique and deeply romantic. To travel in this most traditional of Islamic countries, surrounded by a people whom the Prophet once described as \u2018the most gentle-hearted of men\u2019, is a privilege you will not quickly forget. But never mind what we have to say about it, let\u2019s leave the last word to the man who made it.<\/p>\n
Legend tells how one day God decided to check out how his creation was fairing: London, he decided, had changed a lot, Egypt was nothing like he remembered it, but Yemen, \u2018Well\u2019, he smiled, \u2018that hasn\u2019t changed since the day I created it\u2019.<\/p>\n
Climate & when to go
\nClimatically, Yemen can be divided into three main zones: the Tihama (the Red Sea coastal strip); the central highlands (including San\u2019a); and the desert areas of the east and the far north.<\/p>\n
The best time to visit the Tihama is between November and February (summertime can be suffocating hot). The twice-yearly monsoons bring some rain to the region between mid-March and mid-April, and particularly July to September. Temperatures range from around 21\u00b0C in December and January to as high as 40\u00b0C in June. Humidity is also high.<\/p>\n
The central highlands (which range from 1500m to 3500m) enjoy a temperate climate for most of the year, though it can get hot at noon and chilly at night (particularly between October and February). The monsoons are light in San\u2019a, but heavy (up to 500mm rainfall) in the southwest and can continue into May. San\u2019a ranges in temperature from a minimum of 5\u00b0C (from November to January) to a maximum of 25\u00b0C (in July).
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\nThe desert regions of the east and the far north are hot (particularly between June and September) and very dry, with temperatures from 25\u00b0C in December to 37\u00b0C or more in June. The southern coastal strip is very hot and humid between May and September.<\/p>\n
The island of Suqutra is a special case and is never really too hot or too cold. Wind is the main factor here. During the summer monsoon period from May to September, winds blow constantly from the southwest at severe gale force with frequent gusts up to hurricane force. Don\u2019t underestimate how difficult this can make even simple tasks like standing up and walking! Bizarrely, the southern coast of the island and the mountainous interior have much calmer wind patterns than the east, west and north coasts.
\nThough the monsoons can flood wadis (river beds, often dry) and close roads, they do temporarily turn parts of Yemen into wonderfully green and fertile land.<\/p>\n
During the peak season (20 December to 10 January), you\u2019re advised to book hotels in popular tourist spots. Travel during the month of Ramadan is not recommended, and during the annual haj pilgrimage (as well as during Ramadan), Yemenia flights are often overbooked or cancelled.<\/p>\n
Getting there & away<\/strong><\/p>\n Sea One option is to try and persuade a sambuq owner to take you aboard, but again your fate will largely be decided by the will and whim of the captain. Note also that sambuqs do not have the best health and safety records! Speaking Arabic will considerably increase your chances. Be aware that voyages are generally hot, humid, uncomfortable and time-consuming. There are frequent sambuqs between Al-Makha and Djibouti, but many of these are involved in smuggling and recently a number of boats carrying Somali refugees have been attacked by the Yemeni navy, which has resulted in heavy loss of life. For the time being, this is not a safe way of arriving in or leaving Yemen.<\/p>\n Land<\/strong><\/p>\n Border crossings There are two standard border crossings for Oman, both of which are open to foreigners and neither of which present any major problems. Transport from Sayun tends to use the inland crossing at Makinat Shihan, while the coastal route uses the Hawf crossing. Whichever route you choose, the roads are brand new and in excellent condition and visas are available for most on the border.<\/p>\n See also information on visas and travel permits and additional information on border crossings.<\/p>\n Bus Entering the destination<\/strong><\/p>\n Entering Yemen Air Getting around<\/strong><\/p>\n Car & motorcycle There are real advantages to hiring a car with a driver. It\u2019s safer, cheaper, more comfortable and more convenient. Additionally, a driver acts as navigator, mechanic, and interpreter and sometimes guide.<\/p>\n Insurance Bus & tram<\/strong><\/p>\n Bus Yemitco has just one class, but some of the other private companies (such as General Land Transport) offer 1st- and 2nd-class on some services (though the difference in price is usually marginal). Yemitco services work out to be YR3 to YR3.50 per kilometer. Examples of fares include San\u2019a to Aden (YR1400, six hours) and San\u2019a to Al-Hudayda (YR1100, five hours).<\/p>\n You can usually buy tickets in advance, and on Friday and other public holidays this is highly recommended, particularly for longer journeys (when three days in advance is not too soon). Air Note that it\u2019s considerably cheaper to buy Yemenia tickets in Yemen through a Yemenia office rather than through a travel agency. For the cheapest fares, book flights well in advance. Yemenia offices can be found in all of Yemen\u2019s main towns, and accept Yemeni riyals, US dollars, euros and usually Amex, MasterCard and Visa credit cards. Bicycle Costs<\/strong><\/p>\n Tipping Economy Moneychangers Travelers checks Despite salacious press reports to the contrary, Yemen is probably far safer than your own country. Petty crime, even in the big cities, is almost nonexistent and the chances of being caught up in a terrorist attack are highly unlikely. Despite this nobody can say that a trip to Yemen is entirely without risk, and Western governments currently advise against all travel to Sa\u2019da province and also issue regular warnings about the dangers of overland travel in other areas of the country (Ma\u2019rib, Shabwa and \u2019Amran are the current hotspots) due to the risk of kidnap.<\/p>\n History The northern portion of Yemen was ruled by imams until a pro-Egyptian military coup took place in 1962. The junta proclaimed the Yemen Arab Republic, and after a civil war in which Egypt’s Nasser and the USSR supported the revolutionaries and King Saud of Saudi Arabia and King Hussein of Jordan supported the royalists, the royalists were finally defeated in mid-1969.<\/p>\n The southern port of Aden, strategically located at the opening of the Red Sea, was colonized by Britain in 1839, and by 1937, with an expansion of its territory, it was known as the Aden Protectorate. In the 1960s the Nationalist Liberation Front (NLF) fought against British rule, which led to the establishment of the People’s Republic of Southern Yemen on Nov. 30, 1967. In 1979, under strong Soviet influence, the country became the only Marxist state in the Arab world.<\/p>\n The Republic of Yemen was established on May 22, 1990, when pro-Western Yemen and the Marxist Yemen Arab Republic merged after 300 years of separation to form the new nation. The poverty and decline in Soviet economic support in the south was an important incentive for the merger. The new president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, was elected by the parliaments of both countries.<\/p>\n Differences over power sharing and the pace of integration between the north and the south came to a head in 1994, resulting in a civil war. The north’s superior forces quickly overwhelmed the south in May and early June despite the south’s brief declaration of succession. The victorious north presented a reconciliation plan providing for a general amnesty and pledges to protect political democracy.<\/p>\n The president’s party, the General People’s Congress, won an enormous victory in the April 1997 parliamentary elections, the first since the civil war. In 1998\u20131999, a militant Islamic group, the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army, kidnapped several groups of Western tourists, which led to the deaths of several during a poorly orchestrated rescue attempt. The group’s leader, Zein al-Abidine al-Mihdar, threatened to continue attacks on tourists and government officials. The goal of the militants is to overthrow the government and turn Yemen into an Islamic state.<\/p>\n On Oct. 12, 2000, 17 Americans died and 37 were wounded when suicide bombers attacked the U.S. Navy destroyer Cole, which was refueling in Aden, Yemen. The U.S. had numerous clashes with Yemeni authorities during the investigation of the terrorist act. After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S., however, Yemen increased its cooperation with the U.S. and assisted in antiterrorism measures. In Oct. 2002, a French tanker, the Limburg, was also the victim of a terrorist attack off the coast of Yemen. Ten suspects of the Cole bombing escaped from prison in April 2003; seven, including the two suspected masterminds of the attack, were recaptured in 2004. Fifteen militants were convicted in Aug. 2004 on a variety of charges, including the attack on the Limburg. In September, two key al-Qaeda operatives involved in the Cole bombing were sentenced to death.<\/p>\n In presidential elections in Sept. 2006, incumbent Ali Abdullah Saleh was reelected with 77% of the vote. In March 2007, President Saleh appointed Ali Muhammad Mujawar prime minister and asked him to form a cabinet.<\/p>\n The government and a rebel group from northern Yemen, called the Houthi movement, signed a cease-fire in February 2008. Thousands have died since the two sides began fighting in 2004. The truce appeared to have fallen apart just a month later, as battles broke out between the parties broke out again. The government has accused the Houthi movement of receiving aid from Iran.<\/p>\n
\nAlthough cargo boats sometimes connect Yemen (the ports of Aden, Al-Mukalla and Al-Hudayda principally) to ports on the Peninsula, as well as to Egypt, Eritrea and Sudan, there are currently no regular services or timetables, and finding a vessel willing to take a foreigner can prove very difficult.<\/p>\n
\nThough the border with Saudi Arabia is open to anyone with a visa, it\u2019s presently not possible for foreigners to cross the border. This is because of major security problems north of Sa\u2019da leading to the whole area being closed to foreign tourists.<\/p>\n
\nFor Oman, buses travel direct from Sayun to Salalah or from Al-Ghayda direct to Salalah. Though it\u2019s possible to make the same journey in a series of shorter hops using shared taxis and buses, it will take much longer, cost more and, with very little to see en route, serve little purpose. Two buses a week leave Sayun (YR5000, 16 hours) and two a week leave from Al-Ghayda (YR4000, nine hours).
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\nCar & motorcycle
\nThe usual documentation is required for border crossings and must be valid for all countries you intend to visit. Crossing borders can be time-consuming (procedures can take between one and two hours). A \u2018road tax\u2019 of around US$55 is usually charged when crossing the Yemeni\u2013Oman border in your own vehicle. Petrol stations are plentiful around the borders, and spare parts can normally be found. Note that unleaded petrol is unavailable in Yemen.<\/p>\n
\nImmigration is an uncomplicated procedure, but slow. If arriving by land, you\u2019ll be required to do all paperwork at the border crossing. Proceedings can take hours, particularly if you\u2019re with your own vehicle.<\/p>\n
\nMost international traffic arrives and departs from San\u2019a airport. A few airlines, particularly from Middle Eastern countries, also use Aden. Work is currently under way on a new airport for San\u2019a, which is scheduled to be completed by 2009.<\/p>\n
\nHire
\nMost car-hire companies are based in San\u2019a. Drivers must be over 21 (sometimes 25 years old), and have a valid driving license from their own country. There\u2019s a US$200 deposit payable on all cars as a guarantee. Nowhere in Yemen rents motorbikes.<\/p>\n
\nThird-party insurance is mandatory and is usually included in car-hire prices \u2013 but always check. Rented vehicles cannot be taken out of the country.<\/p>\n
\nBuses travel to almost all the larger towns (sometimes several a day), and services are pretty punctual and safe.
\nThe longest-established bus company is Yemitco (Yemen International Transport Company; 01-275088; 5am-8pm, in the south 9am-1pm & 3-8pm Sat-Thu, 4-8pm Fri), which offers comfortable seats in air-conditioned buses. In the last couple of years it seems to be losing out to a multitude of newer companies and now generally only runs a reliable service in the most-populated central areas. The biggest of the rival companies is General Land Transport (01-281318), which also has smooth, comfortable buses that are often a little cheaper than Yemitco.<\/p>\n
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\nBus
\nMinibuses (which run from 6am to around midnight) ply the streets of all the major towns. They\u2019re cheap (YR10 to YR30 for a hop), but unless you know exactly where they\u2019re heading, taxis are an easier, faster and certainly more comfortable option.<\/p>\n
\nThe only airline offering domestic flights is the national carrier, Yemenia (01-232380; www.yemenia.com; usually 8am-1.30pm & 4-7pm Sat-Thu). It boasts a pretty extensive network.<\/p>\n
\nYemenia flights are prone to both delays and cancellations. Always reconfirm flights.<\/p>\n
\nAs longs as cyclists are reasonably fit (for mountainous terrain), self-sufficient (with lots of spare parts) and able to carry plenty of water, there\u2019s no reason not to bring a bike. Punctures are quite common, however, and you\u2019ll need to ride extremely defensively. Yemeni drivers aren\u2019t used to cyclists, and tend to \u2018bully\u2019 smaller traffic anyway. Make sure that your bike is registered in your passport upon arrival to avoid problems with customs on exiting the country.<\/p>\n
\nAlthough tipping is not expected in local restaurants, the up market tourist establishments often add a 10% to 15% service charge. Service charges and government taxes (totaling 22% or more) are often included at top-end hotels and restaurants, too. Porters and waiters in these establishments will also expect tips (YR100 to YR200). For drivers and guides, travel agencies recommend US$5 to US$10 per day per group. If there is only one or two of you, this can add substantially to the cost of your tour, and drivers can become difficult if they don\u2019t feel they have received a sufficient tip. For adults who play tour guides or offer other services, a tip of YR300 to YR500 (YR100 to YR150 for children) is fair.<\/p>\n
\nYemen is one of the Arab world\u2019s poorest countries, though the economy grew at a rate of 3.5% between 2000 and 2006. Oil is Yemen\u2019s economic mainstay and accounts for around 70% of government revenue. Nevertheless, compared to other peninsula countries, Yemen\u2019s oil wealth is modest, though revenues increased in 2006 in line with the worldwide rise in oil prices. Yemen struggles to control corruption and excessive spending and relies greatly on foreign aid.
\nIn November 2006 the country secured US$4.7 billion in development aid from Western and Arab donors.<\/p>\n
\nNumerous (and well-signposted) foreign-exchange offices are found in the cities and larger towns. They offer shorter queues than the banks, faster service, longer opening hours (usually 9am to 9pm, except Friday) and almost always offer a better rate of exchange (at least for cash). Check with a couple first, as rates can vary slightly between offices. Commission is seldom charged, but checks in advance.<\/p>\n
\nTraveler\u2019s checks can be difficult to change outside the largest towns. Also, changing them generally incurs a 3% to 5% commission or more. If you must use chouse, Credit Agricole Indosuez is the best bank to change with.
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\nDangers & annoyances<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nThe history of Yemen dates back to the Minaean (1200\u2013650 B.C.) and Sabaean (750\u2013115 B.C.) kingdoms. Ancient Yemen (centered on the port of Aden) engaged in the lucrative myrrh and frankincense trade. It was invaded by the Romans (1st century A.D.) as well as the Ethiopians and Persians (6th century A.D.). In A.D. 628 it converted to Islam and in the 10th century came under the control of the Rassite dynasty of the Zaidi sect, which remained involved in North Yemeni politics until 1962. The Ottoman Turks nominally occupied the area from 1538 to the decline of their empire in 1918.<\/p>\n