Mythical magical Yemen

There is so much I could write about my recent 8-day holiday in Yemen. But I think the article below described it best!
Thank you Samad, Zaiton, Hisham, Humaid, Yahia, Omar, Sheikh Abdullah, Hamoud and Nasser (and the five omnipresent armed police/soldier escorts!) for making my visit to Yemen a most memorable and happy experience.

"There can’t be many places left in the world that could make God smile, but Yemen is one of them. Inhabited almost forever Yemen is, in many ways, the birthplace of all our lives. In days past, the sons of Noah knew it as the land of milk and honey, Gilgamesh came here to search for the secret of eternal life, wise men gathered frankincense and myrrh from its mountains and, most famously, a woman known simply as Sheba said Yemen was her home.

Yet since the book of mythology was closed, Yemen has remained largely locked away in a forgotten corner, oblivious to the world that was oblivious to it. Today, like a spring tortoise emerging from hibernation, Yemen is awaking from its slumber and slowly revealing its face. And what a face it is. Sitting at the crossroads of two continents, this country has a little of everything.

Its capital, San'a, is not only incredibly romantic and intriguing, but holds the distinction of being the world's oldest city. Meanwhile, the extraordinary island of Suqutra (off the coast of Eastern Yemen) is reputed to hold the secret of eternal life somewhere amongst its unique flora and fauna. The fortified mountain village of Shaharah is tough to get to (probably why it remained unconquered for centuries) but worth making the effort for; if you prefer your travel safer and easier - but equally rewarding - try the lush region of Southern Yemen. Then there's the Wadi Hadramawt oasis where you can't help but get caught up in the mythical magic of it all, and Zabid - Unesco World Heritage site andthe hottest city on earth. Need we go on?

With its shades of Afghanistan, reflections of Morocco, flavours of Africa and reminders of Arabia, Yemen is utterly unique and deeply romantic. To travel in this most traditional of Islamic countries, surrounded by a people whom the Prophet once described as ‘the most gentle-hearted of men’, is a privilege you will not quickly forget. But never mind what we have to say about it, let’s leave the last word to the man who made it.

Legend tells how one day God decided to check out how his creation was fairing: London, he decided, had changed a lot, Egypt was nothing like he remembered it, but Yemen, ‘Well’, he smiled, ‘that hasn’t changed since the day I created it’.

The Faces of Yemen

I just spent eight most interesting and fascinating days in Yemen. The country is mostly poor and besieged by security problems but its people are big-and-warm-hearted, friendly, generous and hospitable. It has the most spectacularly stunning landscape and scenery and unique villages and settlement, and of course a very long history. I was advised against going to some parts of the country but what I had covered will leave a lasting impression, especially the Wadi Do'an in Hadramawt. I took 500 photos but the most interesting ones were the faces of people I took (only men - women strictly a no-no and they were veiled in any case). Here are a few from the dozens I took of all the eager and willing subject!

Christmassy...

"Like the Moon and the Sun" - 10 Days in Spain

I spent ten pleasant days in Spain recently. It was my fourth visit to that country, the first in 1983 to Madrid and Barcelona, 2008 to Granada, Cordoba and Seville (Andalusia), February this year to Alicante, Torraviajo and Cartagena. This time around I covered quite a range within that ten days. Spain had developed by leaps and bounds since joining the EU and the prosperity was very apparent (though recently affected by the current economic downturn). Its diverse attractions drew some 60 million visitors in 2007.

On the second day, as I was walking the scenic streets of Toledo, I heard beautiful music from an instrument I could not make out. Walking on I came across the source, a beautiful lady playing an unfamiliar musical instrument. I stopped to listen to her and was enthralled enough to buy a CD of her music which she was also selling. The beautiful musician was Ana Alcaide and her music was Sephardic-inspired. And the instrument she was playing was the viola de techlas or ‘nyckelharpa’ which originated from Sweden.

My ten days in Spain is briefly complied in the video I have made below from photographs I took, and using Ana Alcaide’s lovely music which I feel had captured the mood of the places I visited! The title of this post 'Like the Moon and the Sun' is a translation of the name of her CD I bought -'Como la Luna y el Sol'.
See video : http://youtu.be/YnMySFpZRTQ

First snowfall

I came back from a very pleasant 10-day trip to Spain for the Hari Raya Haji break on Sunday to a dry, grey winter day. It was unlike last year when I returned from Lebanon after a week of similar break to a whole country covered with snow. But I woke up to snow yesterday morning and it persisted all day long interspersed with rain which melted most of the snow. I was up early this morning and lo, everything was white and snow-covered, and huge branches of two trees in my garden had fallen to the grown! Winter's definitely here.....

The unloved....

At my breakfast table this morning with my two guests, our conversation somehow meandered towards the subject of 'love'! And I flippantly quoted something I heard in some melodramatic Malay film that "the most difficult person to love is the person you love most!". Well, that had a sudden impact on one of my guests; did I hit a nail? Maaf la!

But worst than that must surely be to be trapped in love, to love someone and not be loved in return. Or to be in a loveless marriage. What can be more painful than to be in a marriage, to have children together, needy of your love, and yet not to love each other - or one is not in love with the other! I believe there are couples who go through this, worst still if the husband is the philandering sort and the wife just cannot get out of the marriage for the sake of the children or for fear of the stigma of being divorced etc. How sad and painful that must be!

A man is lucky if he is the first love of a woman,
A woman is lucky if she is the last love of a man…

Another quotation on love I like very much is:
"Give your heart to another person and he/she will break it.
Give your broken heart to God and He will heal it!"

Alhamdullilah, always grateful for all the love (whatever) surrounding me!

PS: To all men, I would say how mistaken they are when they think they stop falling in love when they grow old, without realising that they grow old when they stop falling in love...
Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Of wrist-slitting days and art auctions

After many days of what a friend described as 'wrist-slitting' weather (dark and grey, cold, wet and oh so depressive), the sun is finally out albeit it is so cold! It's mid November and there are still red and golden leaves in some trees in my garden. And my rose bush is still green, with many huge buds which will not open into full blooms as the weather is just too cold. Alain came yesterday and swept all the fallen leaves from the lawn. I actually like them on the ground though! He also put in hundred of tulip bulbs in the ground and they will come out in April. The boys are out - one for his 'bharata natyam' Indian classical dance class, and the other window-shopping or with his friends (I am never privy!). I will join Diana latter for an art auction - there are three paintings I want to bid for. Yesterday one of my paintings I put up for auction made 70% of the maximum price estimate! Not bad - I can now buy that gold Omega De Ville! I have had that painting for 21 years and there is no way I can hang it in my house when I am back in Malaysia due to its subject! Gunawan was with me at the auction and he could not get over that a small 14th century painting was sold at CH57,ooo (about RM175,000). I kept reminding him that it was from the 14th century and the maximum estimate price was actually CH90,000. So it was not such a good sale after all (not as good as my 70% at least)!

I invited four Malaysian officials attending a meeting here to dinner in my house last night and two did not show up and did not even have the courtesy to inform me! What is happening to manners among Malaysians? One of the guests who showed up, pleasant as he was, dressed so badly - in a short-sleeved collared t-shirt, wearing a 'kopiah' (white skull cap) on his head! And he was attending an international meeting! What signal/impression was he trying to make?

A friend from Holland arrives tomorrow for a short visit until I leave for Spain on Friday for a week's holiday to spend Hari Raya Haji with my friend there, and also to celebrate his birthday. He has lined up a good programme for me with visits to Salamanca, Toledo, Segovia and Valencia and I am looking forward to be away from future possible 'wrist-slitting' weather here!

My days in this wonderful country are numbered I guess. Soon it will be time to head home. So while I can I am going to travel as much as I can. December to Yemen with Fadzil, as I had promised him when he was badly recovering from his heart operation in February.

I hope I get those three paintings at the auction today!