This is a part of the world that globalisation hasn't reached. Most Yemeni men still wear with pride traditional curved daggers, which are held at their waist by richly-decorated belts. Indeed, there are said to be three or four times as many guns in Yemen as there are people. Besides, in many cases, they can't get hold of ammunition. There was a certain inconsistency between that remark and his observation earlier that unfortunately some of the local historic monuments are pockmarked with bullet holes, as weekend picnickers tend to do a bit of shooting practice.
Weddings provoke a barrage of explosive joy.
The people couldn't be nicer, more hospitable, and more trustworthy - unless you get on the wrong side of them. Or unless they kidnap you. Until the tragic events of 29 December, kidnapping had been something of a national sport, at least among disaffected villagers who felt the government wasn't giving them a fair share of the cake. And until recently, the kidnappers usually treated their hostages well. The hostage controversy But not the group that was seized just after Christmas - this time by Islamic militants, who had more than schools and roads on their minds.