A Day With The Boss

Husam, the CEO of the consulting firm I work for asked me if I would like to see Cocoban, a mountain village about 30 minutes drive from Sana’a. As you might imagine, I jumped at the chance. Besides loving mountains and wanting to see what life is like outside of Sana’a, I have also been feeling a bit cooped up in the city. I haven’t left since arriving in Yemen (I know, I know… It’s only been two weeks, but that’s how I am).

I met him at 7:47 am in front of the huge Bab Al Yemen, the stone gateway to the Old City which has stood for millennia. As I hopped into Husam’s 2009 Toyota Landcruiser, barefoot children jumped onto the footrails at our windows, peddling their tissues. 20 Riyals per package made them happy enough to step aside and allow us to pull onto the street and get on our way.

Husam had a Yemeni version of smooth jazz playing on his i-pod as we navigated our way to the western part of town and began climbing the steep mountain grades. The mountains are just as rugged up close as they are from the valley. Dark volcanic stones litter the hill side. Nothing is growing. At the top of the climb sits a walled-off military compound and a military/police checkpoint. Two jeeps with 50 caliber machine guns stood on both sides of the road with about a dozen uniformed and heavily armed men ensuring good behavior from all motorists.

A military officer checked me out through the window, asked Husam for my nationality. The answer, “Amerci,” earned us a finger point to the side of the road for more discussion. After a minute, another uniformed man approached us, asked who we were and where we were headed. Husam explained ourselves, saying we were just headed up to the mountains for a couple of hours, that we would be back in town before nightfall.

The guy told Husam that we needed to turn around and go into the city and get a “permission” from the tourist police. Yes, the tourist police. He could let us pass, but when we reached the next city we would be asked for the permission again. If we didn’t have it at that point, Husam would end up in prison by the end of the day; maybe me as well. We turned around.

According to the guard, we could find the tourist police at Bab Al Yemen, so we headed back through the city. Those at the Bab directed us to an office near the Silas, just around the corner from where my house is. Finally having found the tourist police, we were sure we were close to getting what we needed. The answer disappointed again. We have to bring an official letter from Apex Consulting outlining exactly what our plans are. The letter has to be brought at least 24 hours ahead of the time of our trip, and we cannot deviate in the least from what is on the letter. Wow.

We decided to just head to the lookout point where I had seen the Imam Palace two weeks earlier. I was ok with that considering the circumstances. Really, I very much enjoyed being with my boss for the morning. He is a very good man and very easy to talk to. Unpretentious and kind. So we were able to talk about family and life in general. We talked about social issues in Yemen, similarities and differences between our cultures, business, etc.

Just as two weeks ago, I was impressed by the rocks surrounding the Imam Palace. I couldn’t resist climbing around on the boulders and the cliffs for a half hour or so. This valley could be a very attractive climbing destination. The rock formations remind me of southern Utah and of some places east of Phoenix. One large pillar near the palace itself would make most climbers think of Zion National Park. Color in the rock ranges from dark reds and greys to light tan. A year wouldn’t give anyone enough time to discover all of the great climbing in just this one valley. Add to that an Imam Palace and homes that are hundreds of years old, amazing history, and people kinder than any other on the earth, and you have a world-class climbing playground. I've gotta find some rock shoes somewhere in this city... Despite the fact that our original plans were frustrated, the day came out ok. From here on out I’m going to stay on top of what I have to do to see this country.

While the idea of tourist police sounds a bit hokey, it appears that they have the best information on where to go and not go if I want to stay reasonably safe. Plus, being the only ones that can issuethe needed "permission," they hold the key to adventure outside the city. We should be friends.

Pics! http://picasaweb.google.com/tystandage/ADayWithTheBoss#