Sunday, February 27, 2011

The aftermath of Yemen...

Isn't this pathetic? While I was away, Bennett got sick too...then Ridge! Our house was a hospital for a couple of weeks after my return. It feels like we're just now getting back to normal!
Isn't she a doll? That's me, wearing her daddy's coat, in the background 'posing' for our long-awaited picture together for her lifebook!


I scheduled my last day in Yemen as a personal day. I was looking forward to reading my book, shopping in the market, and having some down time to catch up on my e-mails. Instead, I spent the day at my tour agency's office vomiting. I got sick, really sick. Food poisoning we all assume.
The most disappointing part was I had scheduled a long layover in Oman to visit with my very first clients. I helped them with the adoption of their daughter. It was the first time I would get to meet her. We did try to visit, but I ended up spending my time in the bathroom...on the floor, while they ate. I was so disappointed. I went back to the airport hospital and stayed there until my flight left. I couldn't even walk. I was wheeled from point to point vomiting along the way. I seemed to get more and more sick as the day passed. Would you believe a random stranger, a Pilipino nun, took it upon herself to help me the entire wait? She brought me water, trashcans, watched my stuff, and delivered cool rags for my forehead. Amazing. Then, on flight from Oman to KL, I was traveling with loads of Hungarians! Qatar Airlines started a new route Bud-Oman-Phuket, so many Magyars were en-route to sunny skies. I was so sick I didn't even attempt to speak to them. Bummer!

Monday, February 21, 2011

More, more, more

Oh the cuteness!
Old door left from when this was a Jewish village


More Jibla


Color!
Adorable!
Inside the mosque
Mosque courtyard

Yemen...more and more!

Market
Jibla - originally a Jewish settlement with synagogues-turned-mosques and Hebrew script on many of the city gates and walls...beautiful and amazing!
Jibla
Because I love animals!
Isn't that a beautiful white donkey! I want me one!

Yemen...it never stops!


A typical check-point when entering a new village



Sunday, February 20, 2011

More Yemen...hang in there!

Interesting name for a town???

The food was incredible until it poisoned me :-)
Hot stuff!

Hope you're not tired of Yemen pics! More coming...


Police inspecting our documents as we leave one city and enter another



This castle, built by the Ottomans, has the identical layout as the castle in Visegrad, Hungary. Such a fun memory!

Traveling about

cute goats!
boys playing soccer
the escort in front of us

The eight hour drive...

My escort
On the drive south

A Yemeni pumpkin patch...for Tara and Duncan :-)
A typical looking village

Sanaa, Yemen

Breakfast: stone bread, yoghurt and honey
In my hotel dresser drawer...like home...sorta!

Fashion district :-)
The side of my hotel...beautiful!

A Chronological Blog isn't working for me...on to Yemen!

This is a picture of my room at the hotel in Sanna. The building is 1000 years old! The square windows are new, but the circle ones are original.
Not sure what these tiny little steps are for, but interesting!
Wish I had some way to give you perspective on these doors. They are tiny! I had to stoop to enter.
In Yemen you can't take photos of women/girls, but there were plenty of cute little boys to photograph. This one waited for me each morning. It was tough to get a good shot of him...he squirmed!
This is the street my hotel was on



After returning from Christmas, I was off to Yemen to do a home study for an American family living there. The trip was pretty intense. Of course I knew it wouldn't be like going to Laos or Vietnam, but I had no idea how crazy it would be. I arrived in Sanaa then drove around eight hours through the mountains to a city in the south. I'll go light on the details :-) I didn't know that the US and British Embassies had just ordered all American and British citizens to be followed around by police while traveling. As we weaved our way through the mountains, I had a police car in front of me, and a a truck with a machine gun behind me. If I stopped to see a site, two armed guards followed. My driver, Jamal, was amazing. He was safety, entertainment, and educational all wrapped up in one! There is too much to write about my five day trip...seriously it would take all day. I'll get as many pics as I can up...enjoy!