Milestone 13 –Distance: 2,501.5 km (51.3%) – 3 April 2021
Woah, we’re half way there, woah…
We’ve recently passed the 2,440km mark, the half way point – well done Goal Diggers, we’re doing a sterling job!
Perhaps this would be a good time to take stock and think about what changes you’ve made to get this far.
We hope you enjoyed the diversion to Socotra. Now we’re back on our route across the Arabian Gulf and headed inland arriving at Shibam.
Located in Wadi Hadhramaut (eastern Yemen), Shibam is a walled city dating back some 1,700 years, known as the Manhattan of Arabia.
This city is famous for its skyscrapers made of mudbrick, some of which rise up to 11 stories high. In order to protect the buildings from wind, rain and erosion, the walls must be routinely maintained by applying fresh layers of mud.
As well as damage from natural phenomena including a tropical cyclone in 2008, the city has also been affected by human conflict – a terrorist attack in 2009 and damage from civil war.
I thought the people here seemed quite chilled out and then I discovered why…they chew qat leaves (popular in the Yemen and Somalia), a mild narcotic. Maybe we could spend a few days here? No, oh ok.
Onwards and upwards!
