Sanaa - Tuesday 5 September, 1972
I have arrived in Sanaa! Unfortunately my luggage hasn't - it was checked through from Beirut to Hodeidah, but it seems it wasn't transferred at Cairo. The Aeroflot flight wasn't great but we had a pretty nice steak for breakfast on the flight, served by an air hostess who has probably only recently transferred from tree-felling or the construction industry. It was grey and cloudy as we landed, and the cabin filled with steam from the vents. When they opened the door of the plane I realised why - it was already incredibly warm and so humid it was like being in a warm bath.
Here is my entry stamp. I have to register somewhere in three days.
At the airport one of the other people was also going to Sanaa, and we went into "town" (it doesn't look like much) and then we got a service taxi from Hodeidah to Sanaa. That cost 12 riyals (£1, more or less). One of the people in the taxi was the head (I think) of the passport department in Sanaa who had come in on the same flight and also lost his luggage. The taxi ride took six hours because we kept on stopping for soup and meat every 40 minutes or so.
The road from Hodeidah to Sanaa is phenomenal. It must be one of the best drives in the world. The road is good - built by the Chinese. The first bit out of Hodeidah is a long straight stretch, but then you go through a couple of low hills which they call the "Door of the mountains" and then the road winds up and down pretty much all the way to Sanaa.
When we got to Sanaa, the passport-office man told the taxi to stop near the British Embassy which is in a side street near the main road. I was glad to see the British flag flying over it, so it was easy to find. Prof S had said to contact someone at the Embassy called Ernest Noble, who took me round to the home of Richard Jarvis of the British Council. He has arranged that I could stay at his house for a few days. He is away in Taizz, another town to the south, but his servant is looking after me very well. After dinner he took be round to see a Mr Bird, who gave me an idea of who the local British Council people are. He said that over the next few weeks there will be a course for VSO volunteers which might be be useful or interesting.
I have arrived in Sanaa! Unfortunately my luggage hasn't - it was checked through from Beirut to Hodeidah, but it seems it wasn't transferred at Cairo. The Aeroflot flight wasn't great but we had a pretty nice steak for breakfast on the flight, served by an air hostess who has probably only recently transferred from tree-felling or the construction industry. It was grey and cloudy as we landed, and the cabin filled with steam from the vents. When they opened the door of the plane I realised why - it was already incredibly warm and so humid it was like being in a warm bath.
At the airport one of the other people was also going to Sanaa, and we went into "town" (it doesn't look like much) and then we got a service taxi from Hodeidah to Sanaa. That cost 12 riyals (£1, more or less). One of the people in the taxi was the head (I think) of the passport department in Sanaa who had come in on the same flight and also lost his luggage. The taxi ride took six hours because we kept on stopping for soup and meat every 40 minutes or so.
The road from Hodeidah to Sanaa is phenomenal. It must be one of the best drives in the world. The road is good - built by the Chinese. The first bit out of Hodeidah is a long straight stretch, but then you go through a couple of low hills which they call the "Door of the mountains" and then the road winds up and down pretty much all the way to Sanaa.
When we got to Sanaa, the passport-office man told the taxi to stop near the British Embassy which is in a side street near the main road. I was glad to see the British flag flying over it, so it was easy to find. Prof S had said to contact someone at the Embassy called Ernest Noble, who took me round to the home of Richard Jarvis of the British Council. He has arranged that I could stay at his house for a few days. He is away in Taizz, another town to the south, but his servant is looking after me very well. After dinner he took be round to see a Mr Bird, who gave me an idea of who the local British Council people are. He said that over the next few weeks there will be a course for VSO volunteers which might be be useful or interesting.
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