A Life Far Removed from Durian Trees

Big news: we are moving to Paris in the autumn! S had to fight hard to move this year; each international posting is usually three years but we've only been in Yemen for two. It's not that we don't like Yemen (I found it easier than Angola) - S wants to start a new job (he feels he won't achieve much more in his current role if he stays on another year) and I'm ready to live in a big city again especially after a lonely five years of working from home. We've just come back from a pre-assignment visit to Paris. In one week, we managed to: find an apartment (which involved a LOT of walking and scouting the area we're going to live in), open a bank account, submit documents for work permit/visa, talk to a tax consultant and meet up with a couple of friends. On top of that, I tried to take as little leave as possible and worked in the hotel room every spare second I had. It doesn't sound tiring, but I AM KNACKERED... and possibly coming down with a cold ...

Having been in Sanaa during the past two Ramadans, I know the streets will be jam-packed at night and prices will go up. And I'll be too knackered to do anything in the evenings. So last weekend, I went shopping for Eid outfits in the famous shopping area, Jamal Street. (Going home for Eid/Hari Raya, yay!) I bought 2 Egyptian dresses for YER 1,900 (MYR 27 / USD 8.50) each. I didn't try very hard to get the "Yemeni" price (YER 1,500?) because I couldn't even buy a Malaysian dress in Malaysia for that! And based on the "arbitrariness" of prices in Egypt, I'm sure I'd pay more for these in Egypt!! Sorted!

Great place for for pashminas and Yemeni sarongs/caps/scarves. Nice and helpful shopkeeper who speaks Bahasa! Reasonable prices. We often see other Malaysians and Indonesians here.

Sanaa is warmer now, in the high 20s or even touching 30...It will get warmer over the next couple of months. The house gets a little hot (sometimes hotter than outside) because there are no ceiling fans. The bedrooms have airconditioners but otherwise, there's one fan and a noisy "air-cooler" that we move around the house to wherever we are. Lots of short power cuts during the day, some days are better than others. World Cup fever hasn't reached us because we haven't been proactive enough to get the extra channels. (I thought it was on normal FREE tv in the UK and Malaysia??? ) But it's a big deal with the Yemenis - men and women - they love it. We discovered a new Indonesian restaurant just a few blocks from our house. Limited menu but not expensive. We tried the beef satay (quite authentic but the satay sauce was a little watery and they threw in some uncooked keropok, which was strange); chicken soto and bakso. The nasi goreng looked good - for next time. ...

I am SO happy we managed to visit Hadramaut during our stay in Yemen. It's still off-limits (company rules) but there was a special trip a couple of weekends ago for a small group of people. We flew to Seiyun, about an hour's flight on Arabia Felix. Upon arrival, we were greeted by a convoy of nine cars plus two security cars. Because our schedule was tight, this meant walking around in 40C heat under the midday sun. But it was worth it. Our itinerary: - Seiyun Museum - Shibam-Hadramaut - Lunch at a sheikh's house in Tariba - Tarim city: (i) Qasr al-Kaf (ii) Al-Mehdar Mosque (iii) Al-Ahgaf Manuscript Library - Al-Hawta Palace Hotel Seiyun Museum Shibam A meal fit for a king Qasr Al-Kaf Al-Mehdar Mosque Al-Ahgaf Manuscript Library Al-Hawta Palace Hotel - the best in Yemen

I'm mango-ed out. Finally finished a crateful from Taiz. Then hubby bought some more before he left (to make up for the fact that he's left me alone in Sanaa). These mangoes were much better. They're from a newly discovered fruit & veg stall close to his new office - better quality stuff and no crowds, but a little pricier. Photo: a typical "cafeteria" with fruity decorations outside

Our tour guide from Socotra, Mahdi, in the papers...