Horrible Hadibo

Capital cities are often the basis by which people judge an entire region. More often than not, tourists will visit nothing more than just the capital. But on the exotic island of Socotra, off the southern coast of Yemen, nothing could be further from the truth. Hadibo, the islands capital, is completely unrepresentative of the island. And with any luck, the average traveller will spend as little time as humanly possible in this horrible little village.

One needs to understand that Yemen is the poorest country on the

Arabian peninsula. Development in the countries capital, San'a, has fallen far behind even regional brethren. So logic would dictate that a village on an island which only got an airport 8 years ago, would be struggling even more. That is certainly the case. Hadibo has one semi-paved road, inconsistent electricity, no internet connection (at least publicly) and is in a state of general disrepair. While the village is well located right on the seaside, the shores have become like a dumping ground for garbage and refuse. There are no sites to speak of, unless goats roaming the streets is your thing. Clearly one cannot expect the lap of luxury when visiting a place like Socotra. And relatively speaking, Hadibo is definitely the most developed place on the island. But it is certainly far from being my favourite place.

But my dislike for the place does not stem from the state of the village. I have travelled to (and lived in) places in far worse condition. Instead, my issue comes from the state of the people. Having lived some time now in Yemen, i have come to almost take for granted the warmth, generosity and friendliness of the Yemeni people. The smaller villages scattered around Socotra supported this experience. Except for Hadibo. The dual-pricing system imposed on tourists is one thing, but many restaurants and businesses try to cheat every possible Rial out of the ignorant tourist. Many locals seem to have no interest in helping, unless they will directly benefit from the interaction financially. But even the most simple thing, like saying "hello" will go unanswered. Perhaps it is unfair to compare Hadibo folk with those on the Yemeni mainland (or even on other parts of Socotra). And by no means do i wish to imply that every person in the capital is unfriendly. But my time in Hadibo left a very foul taste in my mouth.

Hadibo is the only place on the island with hotels. I counted 5 of them. 4 hotels are budget range where 4,000 YR will score you a simple room for the night. The best budget option is definitely the Taj Socotra Hotel. The more upscale Summer Land Hotel costs considerably more.

There are a couple simple restaurants/cafes spread around town. The restaurant at the Taj Socotra is horribly overpriced with incredibly slow service and often undercooked or cold food. Any other place would be better.