Socotra - Days 2 & 3

Wait...you want me to poop where?

Day 2

If you’ve ever been camping you know that it’s almost impossible to sleep past

sunrise in a tent. Socotra camping was no different and thankfully. The view of the sunrise from our tent was spectacular, a great way to start the day.

We all slowly emerged from our tents, brushed our teeth with bottled water and “showered” with the large packs of flushable wipes we brought. There is zero plumbing on this island which means everything happens “naturally”. Brushing our teeth, taking a shower, washing dishes, going to the bathroom. While some of our campsites had makeshift outhouses with a hole in the ground and a wooden door to block out the world, most of the time you just found a tree or rock to hide behind and handled business. You got used to it and almost appreciated the primality of it. There was no room for embarrassment here. You brought your used wipes back to the campsite and threw them out in the garbage bag. Don’t be weird, grow up.

While we were in charge of packing up our sleeping bags and personal items we brought to the tents, the crew handled the rest. We sat down to our family table and ate breakfast. As always, a carafe of tea and coffee, cream and sugar were waiting. The cooks brought over scrambled eggs, flatbread and beans. Peanut butter and Nutella were also luxury items we gladly used.

The sun began to rise higher in the sky and we knew we had to get on the road. Our drive was going to take us to first see some of the native vegetation on the island. While Socotra is known for its Dragon Blood Trees, there are so many other plants and vegetation only found on the island to see. The bottleneck trees were interesting to say the least. Use your imagination and you can see any amount of imagery in their trunks. We all became children for a minute.

Their fragrant flowers were also worth the sniff. The world offers innumerable perfumes and scents at your fingertips but sometimes the natural smell of a native species trumps them all (especially when you’re starting to smell yourself without a shower).

Along the way, we ended up stopping by a farm with goats and a few locals. There are goats EVERYWHERE on this island. They’re almost sacred to the locals so no one messes with them. They’re funny little creatures and a welcome sight on long drives. They leave you alone if you leave them alone.

Next stop was a hike down into Kalysan Canyon to find a flowing river through the mountains. Sherif brought hit drone so we had the pleasure of getting overhead photos of all of us. The river was a nice reprieve from the heat and we swam for a while. The crew did the same farther down the river, as did some other travelers we were surprised to see.

We packed it up and headed back to the cars. We had drinks and fruit waiting for us as we departed to a spot for lunch. Driving under rows of palm trees, through a stream and up onto a small piece of land, we sat under some palm trees with a goat eyeing us. Can you see him in the third photo below?

The family table was setup for us to relax until lunch was ready. It’s a great feeling to take a moment and remember where you are, who you’re with, how you feel. I tried to take those moments as often as possible throughout this trip. Lunch was served.

Finally, we packed it up again and headed to our night 2 campsite. This one would most likely become my favorite. A lot of what we saw so far was clay, brown and rocky, save for the ocean. This next campsite…was a dream.

The drive into the location started to change from rocky cliffs to soft sand dunes that reached to the heavens. It’s impossible to describe the immensity of the Arher Beach and dunes and the way they seemed to have fallen from the mountain cliffs above.

The sand reached up out of the ocean, across the road and up to what can only be described as a mountain of sand. Majestic as fuck. But we weren’t camping on the sand dunes, just a little farther down on a cliff overlooking the water. We had a few choices of sites to choose from, most at the base of the biggest dune, but we decided on the one that let us listen to the waves crashing along the shore all night.

We already had our suits on, so we took the next few hours to relax from being in the car and hiking into a canyon. While the car rides were great entertainment, they could also be a bit rocky and bumpy so the calm of the ocean felt like being wrapped in silk. Abdullah grabbed a chair and his book, I found a rock to sit on and take in the views, the others found solace in their own alone time.

Then dinner time. We gathered at the table and listened to music and played some games. One thing we started to notice was that our crew were a bunch of jokesters and loved to dance. Unlike Adham, the others didn’t speak much English so I think they were a bit shy to open up. However, Sherif and Abdullah speak Arabic (Egyptians) and while the dialect is a bit different, the understanding is there and it opened up the ability to get the crew out of their shells. Sherif is an entertainer (naturally and by profession) and can talk to anyone. It was nothing but banter the rest of the trip.

After some more laughs, a few more games, plenty of music and full bellies, it was bed for night 2.

Day 3

You know those memories from childhood or high school that come to mind every once in a while, and make you laugh out loud? It’s usually something embarrassing but also hilarious, maybe only to you? Well…

I woke up at first light, checked out the sunrise as usual. It couldn’t have been better (seeing a theme?). Believe it or not I actually got great sleep on this trip since the days were so full, we had no choice but to immediately fall into a deep sleep.

so A bunch of crabs watched me poop...

As one does, I had to go to the bathroom. My digestive system finally caught up and I had to make a deposit (not sorry for the TMI…human). I needed to find a secluded spot where the others weren’t going to accidentally walk by me so I chose under the cliff, amongst the rocks, where the water was gracefully flowing from the tide. With my wipe tucked into the strap of my sports bra, I pulled down my bottoms, found a steady hold on the rock behind me and…began. Straight in front of me was the ocean which I could see bright and clear between two large boulders holding up the cliff above me. The sun was rising above the horizon creating a pink and orange haze in the sky as the marine layer began to burn off. It was stunning.

In my peripheral, I saw something move. I unfocused from the sky view and turned my attention to the jagged rock to my right. Keep in mind, I’m still in squat stance, so I’m focusing on a few things at once. To my surprise, I lock eyes with a crab who very likely had never encountered this sight before. While I wasn’t startled, I started to take in the movement of not one, but probably 10-20 other crabs peeking back out from the rock. My initial presence likely scared them into hiding, but observing me now it must have seemed safe to return.

I quickly “wrapped things up” and returned my bottoms to their safe position. I turned my attention back to the rocks, still feeling eyes on me. I laughed out loud, literally. I’m on a remote island off the coast of Yemen, taking a dump between two rocks overlooking one of the most beautiful views, while 20 crabs watch me do it. I’ll never forget that. Besides the reason I was down there, it was one of my favorite moments. Call me crazy but let me know the next time you’re able to replicate it and we’ll talk.

Today was a long, hot hike up to Hoq Cave. To preface this hike, I’m one of those people whose “beige flags” is that I tend to try things even though I know I’m going to likely struggle along the way. Call it a toxic trait, I call it optimistic stubbornness. Sagittarius behavior, if you will. Anyway, it’s hot as hell this day. Adham tells us it’s a moderate hike and to prepare to bring water and our headlamps. Great.

As soon as I get out of the car, I feel the steam of the day hit me in the face, I’m already feeling my ego suppressing my judgement. Cool cool cool cool. Adham points to the top of this mountain and says, “That’s where we’re going.” Excuse me? I didn’t bring my rock climbing shoes, rope and carabiners you psycho, how are we supposed to get all the way up there?! The answer was we walk. So off we went. It started simple, a path winding between plants and trees, a quick jump over a stream, flat. Then it wasn’t.

The rest of the hike was uphill on a rocky path, switchbacks and zero cover from the sun. I had my hiking shoes on and my water, but I already knew the struggle bus was about to pick me up. I gave the rest of the group a heads up not to wait on me. I HATE being the reason people change their path or slow down. I don’t want to be a burden, but I want to be included. It’s a tough paradox to live with but I haven’t figured out how to change it.

Luckily, I have an understanding husband who’s seen this old story happen before. He decided to walk behind me and at my pace. Karen walked in front of me, being my distraction from the lack of air getting into my lungs. This is my issue, exercise induced asthma, not the strength of my legs or will to keep going. It’s my damn inability to take a deep breath once they reach capacity. *sigh* We carry on…

We make it to the top. Me a little later than the others, but not by much. The view is amazing because of how high we are and the ocean spread out in front of us. The mouth of this cave is huge and a monstrous backdrop to some epic photos. Once we catch our breath and eat a little snack or two, it’s on to part 2 of this journey. We’re going deep INTO the mountain.

With our headlamps on and our cameras ready, we start our decent into the

actual cave. Immediately, stalagmites and stalactites surround us. The moisture is visible in the air, whisping across our headlamps as we walk. It’s pitch black without them, but what the light does touch is centuries and likely millennia-old structures of Earth untouched and mostly unseen by most people in the world. Cue unforgettable moment #289349328.

The locals have already created a designated path through the cave, for the most part. We could have wandered around but the feeling of preservation of terrain meant to be cared for, and our better judgement, kept us in line. The ground was a combination of rock and mud, softened by the moisture of a deep cave. The pressure continued to get thicker the deeper we went so there would obviously be a turnaround point we trusted Adham to make.

Once we arrived at that point, we were met with a few amazing things. One, was a large stalactite that, when tapped on, made an instrumental noise as if we were playing an organ. The other was a stagnant pool of water that we couldn’t see the end of. However, one last point of reference was a huge stalactite that resembled a wise old man.

Before we turned around and went back, Adham had us turn off all of our headlamps and flashlights and be overtaken by the thick silence of the cavern. Most of us are so used to constant noise and distraction that the silence we think we experience is nothing compared to the deafening silence we felt in that cave. It was almost unbearable, hearing absolutely nothing while seeing the blackest of black surround you. But how amazing to have known that feeling?

We turned our lamps back on and headed back out. The walk back was just as amazing. It was one of those places that reminds you how small you and your problems are. I love those.

We headed back down the mountain, a hell of a lot easier than up.

Lunch was chicken today, which we told the crew we loved. They made a point to try and add it into our meals as much as they could for the trip. We called it Socotra KFC.

A little farther down the road was a fresh water stream. Run off from the mountains created a perfect setting for a natural bath so we took the opportunity. We grabbed our soaps and found a spot farther up the stream away from the other travelers enjoying the same. After days of hiking, sweating, and swimming in the salt water, actually washing my hair and body was luxurious. We likely wouldn’t have the opportunity again.

Then, back to camp for down time. Naps, walks on the beach, hermit crab hunting (Karen), some fun with the drone. We let our muscles rest. This was one of the only campsites we stayed for two nights. We left our tents where they were on the cliff, but moved our table and “kitchen” to the bottom of the dunes.

We made one more stop for the day at one of those typical “sightseeing” spots if we were anywhere else. Whale bones, arranged in a teepee like fashion that were washed up on shore at some point in the past. It was neat to see. Even more curious, was the millions of puffer fish bones strewn across the ground. We learned that puffer fish are some of the dumbest fish there are because they swim too close to shore and get stuck when low tide hits. They die, dry up, and their “spikes” are left for everyone to step on. They were everywhere and I probably had about 8 puffy fish worth of bones in the bottom of my flip flops.

Adham called us over to the water. There was a big channel that formed between the shore we were on and the land across from us. He jumped down on the rocks and pulled out a scallop. Just pulled it out! And ate it. Raw. Badass.

Back to camp where the cooks made us some snacks. Puffed fish chips, popcorn, warm stuffed breads.

This also gave us the option to climb the dunes. I didn’t have it in me after the day, but Becky, Abdullah and Sherif made the climb with some of the crew. The crew made it look so easy, almost running to the top. Becky was the next toughest,

steady climbing like it was nothing. The boys struggled a bit more but they were able to say they made it to the top nonetheless. While they all chose to go straight up the side, another option was to take the “spine” of the dune from the side. Not sure if that was easier or not, but other travelers were doing it and made it seem a little less daunting.

Their photos were spectacular and I had FOMO, but such is life. From our vantage point at the bottom they looked like tiny ants. Sherif gave me his camera with the longest lens I’d ever seen and I tried to take some photos. It's deceiving just how high the dune is. It was fun to watch.

Dinner was served and dancing commenced. This was probably the most action we all had together and it made my heart sing. From the car speakers rang their

favorite Arabic tunes accompanied by the passionate dance moves of everyone involved. The cooks grabbed metal bowls as drums and our hands as percussion and we danced for hours. While we never met any of the other groups that camped in the area, we didn’t hear or see the same fun coming from their sites. In fact, we had other guides and crew come to our site to join in on the fun instead. We were THAT group.

Finally, time for bed. We were exhausted, but in such a good way. The music was turned off, food and family table put away, and tired feet trekked through the sand to the doors of our tents not to be seen again until the morning sun. End of Day 3.

The story continues on Days 4 & 5...