Felt safe in Yemen

I had wanted to visit Yemen for some time. Barbara Wagner of Lost Frontiers (Fairfax, CA; 888/508-2454 or www.lostfrontiers.com) assured me the trip was safe, and I signed up for a December ’04 tour ($3,650 for 21 days).

I found Yemen to be a very exotic and friendly destination. We had a wonderful time traveling from Sana’a to the desert around Wadi Hadhramawt and the Empty Quarter, then to the Red Sea coast and the city of Taizz. We finished with trekking and village/family visits in the mountains west of Sana’a.

The desert area is near the border with Saudi Arabia, so on the way we traveled with an armed guard. We returned without the guard, as the situation was deemed safe. We did not identify ourselves as Americans around the frequent military and police roadblocks; our driver just handed over a paper from a stack of copies of our permit.

In other areas, in both cities and countryside, we had positive reactions when we told people our nationality. When one lady in a remote market heard I was an American, she grabbed me and kissed both cheeks.

DORIS NEILSON
Avoca, MI