Motoring with Mohammed: Journeys to Yemen and the Red SeaIn 1978 Eric Hansen found himself shipwrecked on a desert island in the Red Sea. When goat smugglers offered him safe passage to Yemen, he buried seven years' worth of travel journals deep in the sand and took his place alongside the animals on a leaky boat bound for a country that he'd never planned to visit. As he tells of the turbulent seas that stranded him on the island and of his efforts to retrieve his buried journals when he returned to Yemen ten years later, Hansen enthralls us with a portrait -- uncannily sympathetic and wildly offbeat -- of this forgotten corner of the Middle East. With a host of extraordinary characters from his guide, Mohammed, ever on the lookout for one more sheep to squeeze into the back seat of his car, to madcap expatriates and Eritrean gun runners- and with landscapes that include cities of dreamlike architectural splendor, endless sand dunes, and terrifying mountain passes, Hansen reveals the indelible allure of a land steeped in custom, conflicts old and new, and uncommon beauty. |
Contents
The Joys of Yachting | 1 |
Le Grand Piquenique | 17 |
A Palace for Mr Buona Notte | 36 |
Copyright | |
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afternoon Ahmed Al-Luhayyah Arabic arrived asked beach began beneath boat bottle camp chew Clea climbed clouds coast deck dhows Ellen Eritreans eyes Father Philippe feel feet felt fingers fish floor Frager Gazem Georgik goats Hajjah Hammam hand Hodeida hundred Idrise Imam journey Kamaran Island Kevin knew Land Cruiser later leave light lighthouse looked Marib Martin Mohammed morning mountain moved Najiba night Norman North Yemen passed plastic prison Rashid realized Red Sea replied riyals road Rub'al-Khali Safia sail sailboat saltah San'a sand Saudi Arabia seat seemed sheep sheik shipwreck sight smell soon sound stone stood story Suzanne Ta'izz Ted Conover thought Tihama Tim Cahill tion toilets told took Toyota Land Cruiser trail Uqban Island village voices waited walked wall wanted watched waves wind woman women wondered yacht Zabid