Yes, I'm still in Aden. I was set to leave today, hitching on a cargo ship to the port in Djibouti but I decided to stay for a few extra days. There is no tourist or traveler way to get to Africa you have to hitch on a container ship. I met an american named Alex. He is first mate on a Catamaran (Sail Boat) making it's way up the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea into the Med. I decided to postpone my travel into Africa for a few days cause he invited me to stay on the Catamaran for awhile. I can't really pass that opportunity up. Wish they were going to Africa and I'd hitch with them. I guess I've been in Aden about a week now. The bus ride up here wasn't to pleasant but the city, people, and weather are great. I rode on a bus from Al-Makulla to Aden. About an 8 hour bus ride. However, before leaving I needed to get a travel permit from the police to go on that road as it's supposed to be unsafe. Apparently, I underestimated it's "unsafeness." When I departed I was informed that I also had to have two armed soldiers on the bus with me to protect me from the tribal folks in some of the areas who like to kidnap foreigners. So, I sat in the back of the bus with broken A/C, for about 8 hours sweating blood. The soldiers charged me(more like robbed)for their services of course. Aden has made up for it. Perfect beach weather. Cool water and a warm breeze. These are the friendliest people I think I've encountered so far. Anywhere. I walk down the street and people honk and wave. People wave and say hello to me as I pass by shops or groups of people. A couple people have sat down with me at cafes and bought me tea. One or two have bought me lunch. Alex and I made a couple Yemeni friends the other day that took us to a cultural center the other night where they played traditional music and had a couple skits. Last night we sat out on the water and smoked sheesha and chewed Qat. It actually worked this time. The last two times I chewed Qat it didn't do much. Last night it worked. It's kind of like taking a weak Percocet. It relaxs you but dosen't dull the senses. Makes sense why everyone is addicted to it here. So in summary my update is: I'm living on a sailboat, I'll go to Africa eventually. Ok. I'll upload pics when I can find a place with a decent internet connection.
