World's worst place to backpack # 15.
Flights are cheap, cargo seats on UPS courier flights are even cheaper. The Yemeni peninsula with its torquoise waters, coral reefs and empty white sandy beaches are only a flight away. Im sure there will be plenty of tickets going on www.lastminute.com in the coming days.
If that adventurous backpacker blood is boiling within you, that desire to go to far-flung places, exotic getaways, crazy passport stamps, a sense of unparalled adventure and authenticity...... then Yemen maybe calling your name.
Visit Sana'a, one of four UNESCO sites in the country and also one of the worlds oldest cities. 2500 years of life between its city walls.
Theres a sense of complete freedom lingering in the air. A country hanging in the balance of sharia law and no law. A place where poets settle tribal disputes.
For the intrepid, this could be interpreted as a country where anything goes, no rules, no boundaries....for the more wary travelers' it may also mean no return, no mercy....
Flashpackers forget the lattes and wifi. Partypackers beware, Yemen is what you would call a 'dry' country. You cannot drink in public. Fudgepackers forget it, your extra circulum activites are punishable by death.
Accommodation is not measured in star quality. If your flashpacking sleep-needs cant flucuate much lower than a 3 star, you had better re-route that last minute ticket.
Getting around is difficult. You are forbidden to ride on public transport moving from the east to the west. This basically means unless your escaping on the back of a camel under the cover of darkness and/or the cover of a burka; or your forking out lumps of US dollars for a 'private security' posse of government funded police to escort you along in a private taxi, you wont be venturing very far.
And coincidentally if you happen to be into all that Al Qaeda stuff, apparently its the place to be at the moment.
Only ranking 15th last on the formidable list of Worlds' failed states, your ride looks cushy. Theres 14 worse-off places to backpack in the world.
Flights are cheap, cargo seats on UPS courier flights are even cheaper. The Yemeni peninsula with its torquoise waters, coral reefs and empty white sandy beaches are only a flight away. Im sure there will be plenty of tickets going on www.lastminute.com in the coming days.
If that adventurous backpacker blood is boiling within you, that desire to go to far-flung places, exotic getaways, crazy passport stamps, a sense of unparalled adventure and authenticity...... then Yemen maybe calling your name.
Visit Sana'a, one of four UNESCO sites in the country and also one of the worlds oldest cities. 2500 years of life between its city walls.
Theres a sense of complete freedom lingering in the air. A country hanging in the balance of sharia law and no law. A place where poets settle tribal disputes.
For the intrepid, this could be interpreted as a country where anything goes, no rules, no boundaries....for the more wary travelers' it may also mean no return, no mercy....
Contrary to popular belief and occasional FOX News stories you may see, a backpacking experience in Yemen is no walk in the park.
Flashpackers forget the lattes and wifi. Partypackers beware, Yemen is what you would call a 'dry' country. You cannot drink in public. Fudgepackers forget it, your extra circulum activites are punishable by death.
Accommodation is not measured in star quality. If your flashpacking sleep-needs cant flucuate much lower than a 3 star, you had better re-route that last minute ticket.
Accomodation is ranked on a 'clean sheet' scale. Yup, those crisp white things that cover a sleeping surface. 2 sheets is top of the line, no guess what comes next and then bottom of the quality rating rung, no sheet.
Unless your from Jordan, Egypt, Hong Kong or Syria, you will need a visa. If you dont register yourself at a police station upon arrival, you will get in trouble.
Remember not to drink in public, kiss in public or take photos of public infrastructure, women or policemen/soliders.
Unless your from Jordan, Egypt, Hong Kong or Syria, you will need a visa. If you dont register yourself at a police station upon arrival, you will get in trouble.
Remember not to drink in public, kiss in public or take photos of public infrastructure, women or policemen/soliders.
Getting around is difficult. You are forbidden to ride on public transport moving from the east to the west. This basically means unless your escaping on the back of a camel under the cover of darkness and/or the cover of a burka; or your forking out lumps of US dollars for a 'private security' posse of government funded police to escort you along in a private taxi, you wont be venturing very far.
And coincidentally if you happen to be into all that Al Qaeda stuff, apparently its the place to be at the moment.
Only ranking 15th last on the formidable list of Worlds' failed states, your ride looks cushy. Theres 14 worse-off places to backpack in the world.
