Mesfin and friend

Mesfin and friend, originally uploaded by CharlesFred.

The road from Najran to Abha and back follows the border with Yemen about 20 to 30 kilometers to the north. Information about the area is difficult to come by, as it has been an area of raids from Yemen and where people are not encouraged to go.We were looking for the area of Tihama, closer to the Yemeni border and made a few turns off to the right following the roads along the wadis to picturesque villages with the beautiful traditional houses but we could just not find Tihama. In one place, whioch seemd quite empty, we were hailed by Mesfin who asked us to stop and have a look around a take photos of him and his friends and his sheep. He finally gave us the info we needed about how to find Tihama. It was late ion the day and as it happened, we could not get all the way there but have a good idea how to gte there for the next time. It would have been useful to have found a local guide and we had tried, but that is easier said than done. There is a chance that we will be back next month and also that chance that we can find a local guide to intermediate with the local people of Tihama.

I spoke to my Dad this evening and he had never been in this exact area, having spent more time in Yemen itself or along the coastal region of Saudi Arabia, so was interested in my stories. Nice to continue the family tradition in the area,