Trip to Yemen. Yemen and Socotra: a travel between nature and magic
Maybe because it is a part of Africa, it will be for his soul so wild and still unspoiled, it will be exciting times for its beauty .. could it be for love, the fact is that 9 months after the recall of Socotra became so strong that I put aside all the anxieties associated with economic problems, paid holidays, family, dog, cats and ... are allocated for my island! Carpe diem.
The cask of luck was finding a flight Turkish Milan Healthy at 445 euros which under the Christmas holidays seemed really impossible. There remained the problem of flight to Socotra but with the help of a local agency that I have booked e-ticket here is that the dream has become reality.
Compared to the trip made in April I saw another side of the island green after the rains the previous week, the wadis full of clear water, the contrast between the red rocks, granite and white all shades of green of the strange endemic plants.
Only the journey from the airport to Hadiboh fills the eyes and heart, from one side the sea blue, light blue, light blue, the other the mountain and its peaks were still covered by clouds along the way blacks and the strange shapes of bottle trees , figs socotrana, palm trees ..
Mohammed at the airport waiting for me, my guide of confidence with the car and driver would have pulled me to discover new beauties of the island.
Having a good guide on the island of Socotra is crucial. Often the tourists do it yourself to save 50/100 euros decide to just rent a car with driver, who usually speaks only Arabic and does nothing but the taxi driver ... .. A good guide will accompany you to discover the beauties of the island will tell you about the manners and customs of the population, cook the spaghetti best you've ever eaten, will prepare chai under a starry sky as you tell the legends of the island. If you decide to go to Socotra not miss the human contact with those who will live the island in a better way.
Also will give a hand to those who live only a few months a year on tourism to survive then during the monsoons when the island became very hostile with everyone. For information on tours, visit www.socotraguide.com which is the agency with which I have always traveled.
Just got to Hadiboh lunch at the Taj restaurant, fish, rice and vegetables and shopping in the market to get everything you need for camping and off to one of the most beautiful island Qualansia.
How exciting to celebrate the New Year with the only lights in the starry sky, the sound of waves on the beach and the music as a soundtrack of cicadas.
The journey continues on the beautiful beach where we camped Shoab in absolute solitude, enjoying an early light, the sea crystal colors seen only in the Maldives and the Caribbean.
Returned to Hadiboh to supply water and food we decided to return immediately to the protected area of Dihamri where you can snorkel on a beautiful coral reef. The last time I saw a big manta ray as a double bed .. and I played with a turtle, this time I had to settle for a school of dolphins in the distance jumped and twirled in a dance that every time he sends down the tears .
We leave for a short trek on Momi Plateau where you reach a cliff overlooking the sea. I sat with legs dangling to enjoy an aerial view of the coast below that took your breath away. I was reminded of the song of the mythical Lorenzo "the vertigo is not fear of falling, but want to fly .. "And here I have opened the cataracts in his eyes a bit 'puzzled by a shepherd who had accompanied us on the most panoramic point of the cliff.
We sleep in the midst of goats that had just finished our leftovers of spaghetti with vegetables and dismantle tents in the early morning to lights of a sunrise spectacular mountain plateau.
We head towards Wadi Mutief where after an hour of trekking we reach a village on the sea. We are immediately surrounded by a bunch of kids to whom I give the hand of Mohammed, who speaks the dialect of Socotra, small soft toys, pens and notebooks that I brought from Italy. These small villages are not accustomed to the visits of tourists that is why I wanted it to be a local person to give them gifts. I did not want them to learn, as in all tourist places of the world, to consider foreigners as stewards of pens, candy or money ...
Received an invitation to a fisherman who offers us 3 wonderful freshly caught lobster served with rice and vegetables. The warmth and generosity of these people, who shares every time the little that he can not but make us reflect on selfishness and individualism that characterizes most of human relationships in our Western society.
The next night camped among the white dunes of the desert Zhaeg where the lights of the sunset makes the atmosphere and the total silence almost unreal.
One of the hardships of free camping on the island is that we wash your little fresh water .. then when you dive in the clear waters of the pools of Wadi Aihaft the bliss is even greater.
Once again we give up the conveniences of the hotel in Hadiboh and prefer camping in the nearby beach for a walk on the dune delish and a bath in the waves. Shells and corals that are found in this beach are a beauty, fotografateli and leave them where they are. If you really want to pick something and be equipped with a nice sacchettone and fill plastic bottles, cans, canisters .. Unfortunately the beach is full of remnants left by the locals who meet here for a pretty chewed qat in the company. Take away the dirt, even that of others, is a sign of gratitude for auction that nature offers free and unconditionally.
During the day we share the forest of trees of incense homil that with its natural swimming pool that overlooks the coast below is one of the most beautiful panoramic views across the island.
By the protected homil I'll walk down to where our Said good waiting for us with the jeep and go on from there to the beach Ahrar that during my first stay on the island I had literally conquered.
Unfortunately, the new road being built in a few months has already changed the landscape of the coast. Residents said it was necessary to connect remote villages to Hadiboh, and I think they are right but the hope is that everything is done in full respect for the needs of local people, preserving the wild beauty of the island.
Because of cloudy weather we decide to go south where we spend the last days on the beach in Homag which was equipped for camping as a spartan Qualansya, and homil Dihamri.
The last walk on the beach gives me the goodbye of a pair of dolphins that I like to think they are always the same ones encountered during the trip.
The island of Socotra is to rediscover the senses, awakens the wildness that belonged to our ancestors, fully in touch with Mother Earth and Father Sky, demands respect for nature, teaches us not to waste water to settle for a little 'rice and a can of beans eaten with your hands in sharing with others. Socotra gives you the look of excited children with hands outstretched to receive a small stuffed doll, a strange animal that have never seen.
If you are looking for a different holiday, the one that really takes you into another dimension, where there is the super