Yemen isn't exactly on everyone's bucket list these days, and for good reason. But when I was tired of reading all the negative media and hearing things from one-sided perspectives, I decided to take action. I booked a ticket to Salalah, Oman and I took my mom with me.
I had arranged for a fixer to help us cross the border, but we approached the border without any visa in hand. Somehow we were able to get our passports stamped and on the other side we immediately met our guide for the duration of our stay.
He handed us a bag of black clothes and told us to wear them to avoid getting kidnapped by terrorists and "to avoid the bad guys" as our guide liked to call them. We had no clue how to wear a burka and niqab but did our best. The men weren't much help because they had never helped their wives or daughters to wear them.
On our two day journey to Seiyun we were stopped by over 40 military checkpoints. We had a 3 second warning before each checkpoint to cover our eyes with a veil so as not to be discovered.
Wearing the traditional dress we were able to explore Yemen for 5 days undetected. We stayed in a home-stay and enjoyed a henna party with a house full of ladies. We drove around and explored the beautiful landscape (though we had to constantly be on the move and switch vehicles for safety measures.)
The food in Yemen was AMAZING. Although I've traveled and lived in many Middle Eastern countries, I had never experienced food as tasty as the Yemeni cuisine.
We met many wonderful and kind people in Yemen and after learning their devastating situations and living conditions since the war started in 2015, I couldn't believe no one was there to help. It seemed almost as if the world had forgotten about them and the people were very happy to share their stories with us.
Our guide turned out to be a new addition to our family and keeps in contact with us regularly. He is the proud father of three daughters and wishes them all to study and go to University unlike many of their schoolmates who get married at an early age.
Due to the circumstances in his country, our guide has been without work for the past 4 years and has not had a steady income. He was a tour guide but now, as there are no more tourists in the country, his family is suffering.
Lila, his eldest, wishes to be a Geologist and after 24 hours of fundraising I was able to come up with the funds to cover her first year's tuition fees at the University of Sanaa. She still has several more years of studying to do, however and is hopeful that the rest of the funds will be raised.
To follow along on Krystal or Lila's adventures please check out her website: https://www.kryskolumbustravel.com
More info: kryskolumbustravel.com
Me! Enjoying a moment alone to remove my niqab for a photo
Camels in Yemen
Beautiful Mud Houses
A typical road in Yemen
Gorgeous city built inside the rock from mud
My mother and I exploring a temple
My mother eating one of the delicious yemeni breakfast dishes while sipping hot tea
