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“Get inside!” shouted one of the bodyguards, Adnan, to us and Tanya and Benjamin got into the armoured jeep, but I took a chance and jumped up on the back of it together with more bodyguards and the sheiks security.

The jeep shot off full speed down the road, followed by at least 50 other cars, packed with regional sheiks belonging to the biggest tribe inYemen, the Bakil. And of course our host, one of the leaders of the Bakil tribe, Sheikh Mohammed Naji Abdul-Aziz Al-Shayef. We were all heading for a place outside the capital, where the leaders of the second biggest tribe in Yemen, the Hashed, were waiting. What I was experiencing was a tradition older than the prophet Muhammed, namely tribal law and a tribal court. It is said that possibly as much as 90 percent of all conflicts in tribal areas are resolved by using this ancient system. A conflict resolution based on tolerance and forgiveness, dialogue and negotiation and which is much more flexible and responsible than the fixed wr ...

“Two Yemeni friends of mine travelled back to Sanaa from Al Hudaydah the other day. One of them was really ill. He had serious liver pains” , Tarim told me immediately when we met upon the third day of my arrival to the capital, whilst we were sitting outside the Great Mosque and had a very sweet cup of milky tea; “About halfway, in the middle of the night, the car broke down right in a tribal area. It didn´t take long until a bunch of very aggressive tribal men showed up, pointed their Kalashnikovs at them in the dark, yelled and asked them what they were doing there!”

Everyone at the café was listening to Tarim´s story, whether they understood English or not. Tarim is only 17 years of age, but wise like a man double his age. He was supposed to be my partner on this second phase, but basically due to demanding final studies and some worries about the possible obstacles along the road for the Expedition, he pulled out a month back. He continued his tale:

“My friend pointed at his fri ...

I just arrived to Sanna. And I feel happy with no limits!!!! It was such a breeze and I got all necessary equipment thru and I have holed up with great friends in the Old City.

An angel in the shape of a Lebanese business friend and a good mate of my great friend here, Tanya, helped me thru like you couldn´t believe it. After that he brought us to his small mansion and we had a great lunch!

This is Yemen!

You never, ever know what to except. I worried, like all my friends, that I would get problems getting in. No sweat, 3 month visa and I feel such a relief!

After sleeping sound and safe in a room with a great view I woke up to the muezzin at 6, walked downtown to change money, 1 dollar buys you only 215 rial this time. prices are the same, so everything will be far more expensive. I bought a phone card, sent some text messages and walked over Tahir Square.

It is in many ways such a different Sanaa too the last time. No aggression in the air. All is calm and nice and people seem r ...

It felt like I was part of a fairy tale. Imagine yourself, zooming through a beautiful pine forest, heavy with deep snow, shining and glittering snowy mountains on both sides, a thick cloud surrounding us, made up from the breath from 25 reindeer’s running at full speed pulling our food, tents, all sorts of gear and us, 2 Even reindeer herders, Misja and Kesja, Jegor, Bolot, Timmon, Jury and me. All of us in different levels of freezing. Temperatures were below 50, but the sun was out and every time one was hit by a ray, one felt instantly a bit warmer, but at the same time, one realized how incredibly cold and frozen almost solid one felt.

After a few days my feet just felt like two big, numb limbs of ice. But it didn´t worry me, because I knew at worst it would be a bit of pain, whenever we got inside somewhere and somehow and get some Siberian warmth. Every time we took a break, mainly for Misja and Kesja to have a smoke or a cup of tea, I ran up and down to wake my feet up. I had, ...

“Why do you have your little backpack on?” Misja, one of the two brothers who we traveled with through the taiga, ask me and I answered: “I am a little bit cold. It warms my back.”

Misja smiled and said:

“Siberia is very cold, ey?”

I nodded. It is very cold. I was jumping up and down, trying to feel my feet, which were frozen up and I didn´t feel them. Misja and his brother Kesja were getting all of the 25 reindeer’s ready, a job they did amazingly well, Bolot and my were kind of standing around waiting to leave, but we two hadn´t really assimilated into the taiga life of the coldest inhabited place on earth – Oymyakon. We wanted to get going, but for the two Even brothers, it wasn´t any rush. One has to do one thing at a time in the taiga, when temperatures are below -50, do it slowly and than have a break in some kind of warmer environment. It was just that Bolot and me where plagued by the modern stresses of life. It takes time to wire down. Timmon helped out, Juri continuously ...