|  | | Back in Yemen | | | | | My Six Day Trip into Yemen by Frank MacDonald
I thought it would be like every other trip that I made into Yemen. Oh Little Frankie with your country boy naivety
When we got into Dubai I was told that there was a storm passing through South Yemen and now had to go to Sana’a. Once we made it through customs it was 1:00am and now we had a 5:00 am pick up. We make it to Sana’a and then about 2 hours later I get a knock on my door and was asked it I was Bob MacDonald, half a sleep I said no and 30 minutes later another knock and now they want to know if I am Mr. MacDonald. Yes says the half asleep Mr. MacDonald and now there is made rush to get me back to the airport.
Now little Frankie drags 200 lbs of luggage down 4 flights of steps and we now make the drive through the gauntlet of Sana’s traffic and people. Dragging the aforementioned luggage across the airstrip I board the little plane that could (twin otter). Because of the poor weather we are being bounce around in the air with gut wrenching gusto but there appears to be no danger (grave or otherwise). We now run into a sand storm and cannot see 2 feet in front of us but of course the pilots are using radar and navigation systems (so I thought). After the sand storm we go right into a rain storm and now the otter is being bounced around like a toy. The pilot (the experienced Mohamed) announces that we cannot make it and we are going back to Sana’a. It is now dark and we are not supposed to fly at night. Upon a safe landing the pilot announces that he lost his radar and navigation systems. Yikes.
We are now told that we will try again tomorrow morning so now we arrange for a 4:30 am pick up. Back to Sana’a with luggage across airstrip and up 4 flights of stairs with stroke pending. I go to the dining room and notice the constant rat tat tat of machine gun fire on the streets. Not a major concern as we hear it all the time. It was Thursday which is wedding time and fire off your Kalashnikovs time.
Now the next morning we are on the Dash 8 and can see the flooding and damage that the freak storm has caused. So far there has been a 100 killed. We get to the city on the coast and realize that all of the roads and airstrips have been washed out so now we are stuck in a run down airport for 14 hours. A plane lands and about 30 Yemeni storm troopers rush out. We think that the president’s plane hand to make an emergency landing. They come to our area and see the white faces and conclude that we are no threat. Hunger sets in and I manage to secure a lettuce and jam sandwich. At this point it was an epicurean delight. With the phone lines and internet down we conclude that we will have to stay in the airport for the night. However a call gets through and we depart without a military escort to some basic camp in the middle of nowhere. The rooms are basic but clean with a/c. We spend 2 days there sleeping and reading with still no indication of where we are going next. Nexen was trying to get a helicopter but they were all being used for search and rescue. By late afternoon the airstrip is dry enough to land the Dash 8 and I arrive at the camp.
Not much of an adjustment to come back. It is though as I never left. My coveralls were still in the locker in trailer 212 and my to due list was still on the white board.
It is a short hitch and I am off to Japan in two weeks.
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