Aden! Aden! Aden! Part 1

What could this post be about? Curious.

Ok, it is not JUST about Aden. But we spent the majority of our week-long fiesta in Aden, with stops in Taiz, Ibb, Little Aden and Dhamar. While the entire trip was breathtaking, Aden truly stood out as a place apart from the traditional impression of Yemen. For that reason, the majority of this photo journal post will be of Aden. A shot or two of little Aden will pop up. Sorry for that. The second part of the Aden series will deal with other aspects of Aden as well as Taiz, Ibb and Dhamar.

It would be ultimate pleasure to wax on and on about the pictures, with back stories and helpful hints. However, I feel that most people have enough trouble getting through the opening paragraph of my posts, and therefore do not need additional reflections slowing them down.

And off we go.

We (Samir, Ahmed and Elias) left Sana’a at 11 o’clock in the evening for our outing to the south, for three practical reasons; checkpoints would be less crowded, most drivers would have pulled off to the side for the night, and who wants to drive in the heat. Thus, with bags packed, we headed off for Aden, arriving at seven in the morning. While the rest promptly went to bed, I had slept the whole way down, including through the seven different armed checkpoints we had to drive through. I was later told that my scarf wrapped around my head and my nappy beard made me look like a Yemeni in the dark, and thus no need for lengthy interrogations about our destination.

I recognized three things while I undertook that first walk through Aden. It was hot. Not, “oh jezz its warm” hot, but hot hot. The temperature was roughly the same as what I have felt in the Summer in Las Vegas, but with the addition of major humidity.And we are not anywhere near summer yet. Second, the city was clean, organized and Green. We can thank the British for that one.

And finally, there were traces of recent conflict across the outer-poorer fringes of the city.

Such as fresh bullet holes.

We spent literally days exploring the beauty of Aden, but nothing could compare with the beaches of this extraordinary place.

Aden itself is a rich city, with historical (i.e., colonial) points of interest, sprawling beaches, fantastic fish markets and unparalleled hospitality.

Between the hours on the beach, the hiking and the delicious food, each day folded into the next, leaving us constantly breathless and happy.

As always, I like to leave the post with the song that made me happiest during the period of time that post covers. It may be a little bit of a silly tradition, but on it goes.

I was listening to a wonderful Canadian artist as I walked around Aden on my own, and found that her music enabled me to love every footstep in the hot dust, every bead of sweat that came as a result of the temperatures and every familiar Yemeni sight that I came across just as much as those experiences that were new.

So for that reason, Basia Bulat receives not one, but TWO songs on today’s blog. Enjoy!

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~ by maffersalmon on March 27, 2010.