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Cave escapades
My 1st night of sleeping in the open in Socotra had been most rejuvenating. Morning sun on my face had woken me up and I had found my bleating companion for the night missing. Anwar instead had stared...
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Restless dunes of Zahak
Zahak sand dunes had seemed like endless mounds of sugar. They had been located near Dogub cave and had stretched on an arid patch near the ocean. Soft, rippled and nearly glowing in the mellowing sun,...
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Pearl colours of Omak
By the time we had reached Omak, a very violet sky had deepened into luxuriant purple and gold. The sun had set most spectacularly and a massive perfect golden disc had disappeared behind the horizon...
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Qadama to Qalanciya
We had left Omak in a cloud of dust, bumped over the edgy road and rattled our bones till they had felt brittle. Nogid had been experiencing, yet one more blazing hot day and I had wanted to escape the...
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Abdullah and paradise
My Qalanciya days can be broadly divided into 2 parts, the unbelievable beauty of the place and the unimaginable warmth of the people of the little fishing town. Although, Qalanciya is officially...
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Detwa Lagoon tales
Abdullah’s cave had been something out of Arabian Nights and I had marveled at his incredible life. Remnants of big catches like the fateful whale, a few sharks and dolphins had decorated the cavernous...
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Moumi and Socotran emptiness
I had left Qalanciya with a heavy heart and had headed towards Hadibo again. Homhil, Di Hamri, Arhar etc had been yet unexplored and I had missed out on the spotlessly white Shoab Beach. Accessibly...
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A world going wrong
My last few days in the island had been spent holed up in my Taj Socotra Hotel room and I had alternated between feeling horribly sick and homesick. The fever, which had started because of a fast...
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Socotra Travel Diary I
20.1.16 Hadibo 1800 Hrs I am back in Hadibo and my body has given up. I had never thought that I will look forward to the littered town as much as I did and it sure is the biggest town in Socotra....
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Socotra Travel Diary II
25.1.16 Arhar Beach 1500 Hrs The drive along the coast has been breathtaking. It went deep inside the central highlands and Hagghar mountains scraggy jagged peaks had stood deep blue in the distance....
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Socotra photo series
“It is not down in any map, True places never are” – Herman Melville This is completely applicable to Socotra Island, one of the most fascinating destinations I have ever traveled to as a professional...
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Socotra photo series II
Today, when I look back and think about Socotra, the only word which comes to my mind is surreal. Socotra Island had been indeed surreal and my stay there had been one long road trip. Incidentally, the...
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Money Matters Socotra
The four islands group of Socotra are located around 217 nautical miles off the Yemeni coast and approximately 130 off the coast of Somalia. This well kept Yemeni secret is a treasure trove of...
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Socotra photo series
“It is not down in any map, True places never are” – Herman Melville This is completely applicable to Socotra Island, one of the most fascinating destinations I have ever traveled to as a professional...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Socotra photo series II
Today, when I look back and think about Socotra, the only word which comes to my mind is surreal. Socotra Island had been indeed surreal and my stay there had been one long road trip. Incidentally, the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Money Matters Socotra
The four islands group of Socotra are located around 217 nautical miles off the Yemeni coast and approximately 130 off the coast of Somalia. This well kept Yemeni secret is a treasure trove of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How I ended up on the Socotra island
I first came to know of the Socotra island when I was in school. A brilliant TV commercial featuring the magnificent blood dragon tree, which is found only in Socotra made my jaw drop and I wanted to...
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Hadibo and the ugly side of urbanization of remote tropical paradise
“You will be staying at the Taj of Socotra”, beamed my affable guide to me. We were out of the tiny airport and driving towards Hadibo, the main town of the island. “You must be knowing the Taj..you...
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Losing time in Wadi Dirhur: being all alone in a canyon
Wadi Dirhur was a strange-looking peaceful place. We reached there by driving along Socotra’s only road through the Diksam Plateau and it was wonderfully empty drive. Diksam Plateau looked out of this...
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The drive-in cave escapade at the massive cave in Socotra
Our next stop after the beautiful Wadi Dirhur canyon was the massive Dogub cave. It was a couple of hours’ drive away from the canyon and we started early before the day got too hot. Socotra as I...
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