Christmas Greetings from Yemen!

Dear friends,

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I am now in the coastal city of Al Mukalla, southeast Yemen in the Middle East.  Have been having a good time in this amazingly beautiful and hospitable country.  This afternoon, I had good tea and Yemeni dessert in a nice cafe in a remote, ittle known town in the legendary valley of Wadi Hadramawt, with friendly locals chatting with and entertaining us.  Nearby - less than 3km away - is the village of Ar Ribat, which is the ancestral hometown of the notorious Osama bin Laden.

Tomorrow, we will proceed to Aden, the strategic port located at where the Red Sea meets Indian Ocean.  This was the old capital of the former Marxist People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, or South Yemen, which merged with North Yemen in 1990 to form the Republic of Yemen of today.  I heard that this renowned seedy (by Yemeni and Arabic standards) port has beer in what is officially a dry country.  Let's see... that's where we will do the Xmas countdown (perhaps in our heart?) in what is one of the most conservative Islamic countries in the world.

Ok, that's all today.  Will write more about Yemen, and yes, I have posted LOTS and LOTS of photos on Yemen - see them at http://twcnomad. blogspot. com

Have a good time and Merry Christmas!


Wee Cheng

Comments

. said…
wee cheng!!!! you are VERY VERY VERY thin now! so scary!!!!!

pls eat more. EAT EAT EAT!!!! so much kebabs there, pls go eat!