Up above to Kawkaban, a mountain town of Yemen
Perched atop a rugged pinkish red plateau, Kawkaban literally means “two stars”. It is also called “the eagle nest” and […]
Middle East, Outside India, Yemen
Middle East, Outside India, Yemen
Green water of Hababa and glimpses of Yemeni Jewish past
The most essential commodity in a semi arid region is water and that was what made Hababa so special. It […]
Middle East, Outside India, Yemen
The unconquered fortified citadel of Thula
At the time of my Yemen visit, special permits were required to visit any place in and it the country […]
Middle East, Outside India, Yemen
My Sanaa impressions of powercuts, caravanserais, and old souqs
At the time of my visits, power cuts were a part and parcel of Yemeni life. In fact one of […]
Middle East, Outside India, Yemen
Sanaa travel: the quirks, the beauty, and the shocks
The post landing formalities at Sanaa airport were very smooth. The single immigration window for non Yemeni passport holders was […]
Middle East, Outside India, Yemen
Welcome to Sanaa
At the time of my visit in 2016, Yemen was in the news for all the wrong reasons. The situation […]
Middle East, Outside India, Yemen
Excerpt from my Socotra travel diary during the Yemen war
20.1.16 Hadibo 1800 Hrs I am back in Hadibo and my body has given up. I had never thought that […]
Middle East, Outside India, Yemen
Socotra Yemen: travel dreams go from awesome to horrible.
My last few days in Socotra Yemen were spent holed up in my Taj Socotra Hotel room. I alternated between […]
Middle East, Outside India, Yemen
A completely empty Moumi Plateau: the desert rose forest,
I left Qalanciya with a heavy heart. Our destination was the Moumi Plateau. Qalanciya was such a perfect place. We […]
Middle East, Outside India, Yemen
Abdullah, the amber hunter of Detwa Lagoon
The amber hunter of Detwa Lagoon! My Qalanciya days can be broadly divided into two parts: the unbelievable beauty of […]