Living the fast life in Yemen
One thing I love about living in Yemen is that everything is QUICK.
I mean there are (virtually) no queues in supermarkets, clinics, petrol stations, restaurants and beauty salons. The shopping arcades are never crowded and most shops I've been into, I'm the only customer. So if you need anything, it's always a quick in-and-out.
And most big things you buy will be delivered the SAME day whether it's a fridge, an exercise bike or carpets...which you'll be lucky to get in the developed world. Even custom-made stuff, like our sofa, took only 2 weeks to make. In the UK, you'd have to wait six weeks. The water tanks will be at your home within a couple of hours of a phonecall. Same with the cable guy and plumber.
To do errands around town, unless you're in the Thursday morning pre-qat traffic, it takes less than 10 minutes to get from A to B almost anywhere in Sana'a. So all these things combined make things go fast, fast, fast.
At restaurants where they serve local food, the service is quick, especially if you go during Shaibani's set lunch. The food is fresh but they serve it almost all at once: starter soup, main course, fruit, dessert and tea all on one table for 2. And Yemenis eat quickly because they're usually rushing to start the afternoon qat session.
Last weekend, we went shopping around the Old City and then went for lunch at Shaibani. I couldn't believe it when I looked at my watch and realised we were picked up by the driver at 12:50pm and by 1:10pm he had taken us to Shaibani and we were already being served.
I mean there are (virtually) no queues in supermarkets, clinics, petrol stations, restaurants and beauty salons. The shopping arcades are never crowded and most shops I've been into, I'm the only customer. So if you need anything, it's always a quick in-and-out.
And most big things you buy will be delivered the SAME day whether it's a fridge, an exercise bike or carpets...which you'll be lucky to get in the developed world. Even custom-made stuff, like our sofa, took only 2 weeks to make. In the UK, you'd have to wait six weeks. The water tanks will be at your home within a couple of hours of a phonecall. Same with the cable guy and plumber.
To do errands around town, unless you're in the Thursday morning pre-qat traffic, it takes less than 10 minutes to get from A to B almost anywhere in Sana'a. So all these things combined make things go fast, fast, fast.
At restaurants where they serve local food, the service is quick, especially if you go during Shaibani's set lunch. The food is fresh but they serve it almost all at once: starter soup, main course, fruit, dessert and tea all on one table for 2. And Yemenis eat quickly because they're usually rushing to start the afternoon qat session.
Last weekend, we went shopping around the Old City and then went for lunch at Shaibani. I couldn't believe it when I looked at my watch and realised we were picked up by the driver at 12:50pm and by 1:10pm he had taken us to Shaibani and we were already being served.
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