It’s been a busy few months of moving apartments (again) and traveling a lot. Things are settling down again, so it’s time to get back to my irregular & not-scheduled travel blogging! When I left off, we were in Seiyun, Yemen.
From Seiyun, we headed into the desert to Wadi Dawan! The landscapes were reminiscent of Arizona, but with incredible Yemeni architecture at every turn. We had a few stops for viewpoints and exploring the towns before we made it to our next hotel.
Our hotel was amazing. It was on the edge of a cliff that reminded me of the Grand Canyon, with small towns dotted below. We even had an infinity pool that overlooked the canyon. Sometimes, when I go to places that are really off the beaten path, I think about how well these establishments would do if they were in more touristy places. The views from the pool were so nice. It would definitely be a luxury option if it was at a canyon that got more people visiting.
After enjoying the pool and relaxing for the first evening, we headed out to tour some of the surrounding communities the next day. It was interesting how the landscape changed going down into the canyon – suddenly, there were palm trees and a river bed, giving the whole area a feeling like an oasis.
There weren’t many people out and about, given that it was Ramadan, but the locals who were out were friendly and excited to see us. It is one of the best things for me of going to places that aren’t typically tourist destinations – I feel like places that have a lot of tourism can get jaded, because they see more of the negatives of having constant visitors, but regions that don’t see a lot of tourists are excited to share their culture and tell you about the places where they live. That’s how it felt in Yemen. People were so happy to say hi, and asked how we were enjoying our time here.
Some of us also went for a hike into the canyon to one of the villages! To be honest, I would not recommend hiking in an abaya – it was hot, it was difficult to figure out where my feet were under the dress, and I was stressed about tripping over the hem of it and skinning my knees on the rocks. But despite the less-than-ideal outfit, I’m glad I went on the hike, because it was gorgeous. We got down to the village close to sunset.
I like hiking. Not as much as some of my friends in Utah, but it’s always nice to add a short hike into an itinerary and have the chance to be awed by nature.
The next day, we headed to our next destination! We were heading from Wadi Dawan to the coast, which meant another few hours in the car for a quick road trip.
This region was probably my favorite in Yemen. I loved the natural beauty that was all around us, and it was nice to get into the smaller towns, where it felt like we could get better interactions with the locals than in the bigger cities. I will never forget sitting on the edge of the canyon, drinking tea and watching the sunset!