Mussin' about Mukalla

While it may come as a shock to some, travelling isn'talways the adventure a minute thrill ride chock-full of delightfully exotic experiences that utterly change your perception of the world and it's workings. Actually, even the most far-flung locations can be downright boring. In eastern Yemen, the isolated capital city of Hadramaut governate, al-Mukalla, sees very few tourists. And frankly, i'm not surprised.

Occupying a not to unattractive stretch of shoreline along Yemen's southern coast, the city of al-Mukalla dates back to the 8th century. But this is not an historic city in relation to other places in Yemen. Al-Mukalla lacks any of the significant players to make much of a ripple in the chronicles of a regions with an overabundance of magnificent ancient sites. Instead, al-Mukalla was looking to the future. Being one of Yemen's most important ports, and fastest growing cities, the place was seen as an excellent opportunity to base ventures in the business savvy area. And when compared to nearby cities, al-Mukalla is a very liberal place (relative term). This made it all the more attractive to merchants. But recent troubles in Yemen have all but cut of al-Mukalla from any land routes. To the west, neighbouring governates of Shabwa and Abyan see extremely heavy, daily fighting between southern separatists and government forces. To the east, tribal warfare and border disputes rage in al-Mahrah governate. Development hasn't completely stopped, but it continues at an elderly snail's pace.

There isn't much for tourists to do here. However, the town's seaside cornish and riverside promenade do offer some mild entertainment. That is once the brutally hot sun finally sets. The city's old town doesn't really offer much. And in a country without significant museums, al-Mukalla's museums can certainly be skipped.

For the average traveller, getting here simply is not worth the effort. Permits will not be given for overland travel to the west. And getting permits to travel north to Seiyun or Shibam can be a struggle to secure. If you do manage to get a permit, shared taxis go for about 1,500 YR/seat (buses were unwilling to take me) The airport is 40 kms out of town (taxi 2,000 YR) There are no direct flights to Seiyun, with only 1 weekly FelixAirways flight to Aden. The only real use of the airport is either to the country's capital, San'a, or the tourist capital of the island of Socotra.

I usually say "only boring people get bored". But sometimes places are just boring. Al-Mukalla is not a bad place. On the contrary, the cornish is kind of nice, the scenery is pretty-ish and the feeling is rather laid-back. However, the place simply does not reward the effort required to get here.