Yemen: "Welcome to the Third World"

“Welcome to the third world,” was the greeting I received as I stepped off the van into Al Mukulla, a port city in Yemen. Before me was a street corner with hills and multi-storied buildings all around. Men sat relaxed in groups sitting tea. Women, children, and men hustled along the sidewalks.

I still don’t know what is the third world is in my repertoire of travel in West Africa and Southeast Asia. Maybe I’m a bit too idealistic in my view of people are people the world around. Ghanaian ‘brothers’ related to me that the blood runs red in each of our vessels; I’m pretty sure that I would never be in Yemen (or Pakistian) if I didn’t have at least a little of this idealism in my veins.

I have met up with three Americans so far: two met me at the airport in Abu Dhabi and one in Riyan (about 30 min. from Al Mukalla). They’ve already made my mental transition to the Middle East much easier; small kindnesses like a greeting, a taxi ride, and some food go a long way in introducing one to another region of the world.

Initial impressions: Too often, first observations of a country seem like judgments, and I hope the following does not come off thusly – but reflection is a worthy reason to set down some initial thoughts.

Beyond my North American friends, I’ve interacted with a small cadre of people (i.e. guards at airport for my visa, Yemeni friends of my friend, and people along the evening streets of Al Mukulla. They are friendly but not in an overwhelming sense. They speak a minimum of Arabic and English, but I don’t think the latter will continue for too long. The men dress in a loose tube dress, the women dress in full covering (i.e. black dress, hijab, gloves, and socks) minus their eye slit, and children dress however they want be it western or otherwise [puberty marks the woman’s donning of the above clothing]. All people seem to be treated with respect, or at least I heard no raised voices and saw no scuffles.

Thursday and Friday are the relative weekend days. For me, arrival on Thursday afternoon with the intention to get a visa at the airport seems to mean that I need to spend two days in Al Mukalla before my passport can be given back on Saturday [yes, I have a copy of my passport which apparently is legitimate because it got me a hotel room]. I can’t compare weekend to weekday activities yet.

I feel comfortable with reminiscent feelings of the friendly, low-key atmosphere back in parts of West Africa. The market area with loaded carts and cramped stores lining the streets reminds me fondly of back streets in Southeast Asia. This is not a tourist highlight but the grassroots feel of genuine living without the disturbance of my visitation is good.

8:24am (+03:00 GMT) 23-Dec-05.
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Extra links:
Yemen will put you on its head