Stormin' the Castle

I had a plan. When i moved to Aden some 6 months ago, it seemed totally logical to spread out the "tourist attractions" over an extended period in order to avoid gauging out my gallbladder with a spork from what seemed like inevitable boredom. Let's face it, Aden is hardly party central. Nor is it an iconic historic city with a bewildering array of activities. The plan was going well. I did the military museum in late January and the Zoroastrian temple in the middle of that month. And the Tawila Tanks were way back in December. But with looming civil war and pending evacuation, i had to scramble to see all the other sites in town. Luckily, there was only one left, Sierra Castle.I guess the first thing to point out is the castle isn't a castle at all. It is instead an 11th century military fortress strategically perched on a monolithic island at the entrance to the Aden crater. But who am i to split hairs. Actually until remarkably recently, say 5 years or so, the army still occupied it (thus the antiquated Lonely Planet review saying it was off limits). These days, anyone can clamber all over, in and through the steady structure until their heart's content. And speaking of hearts, the castle has become a famous make-out point for young lovers. A tourist attraction in itself in a very conservative country.

Face-eating couples aside, the views from the fort are quite nice.

Of course, you pay for it in blood, sweat and tears minus the blood and the tears. Firstly, there is no public transport that goes near the castle. While you could take a taxi (maybe 200-300 YR from the crater) where's the fun in that? But the kicker is, you have to walk up the hill. There are no escalators or even a road. But only a well laid stone path that snakes it's way up the steep embankment. Luckily, there are several benches strategically placed on the path so you can pretend to take in the view while you're actually trying to avoid a significant coronary event. I did the hike in March, and even then my shoes were squishy from the sweat. I can't imagine what level of Dante's Hell doing the hike in summer must be.

On a more personal note, this was a fitting end to my time in Yemen. There was nobody up there, i had the whole place to myself. Sitting there in serenity, staring at the chaos below, i had a moment. Either that, or i was suffering a partial stroke from the climb. Either way, the castle is a must do if in Aden.