Product Description

In 1978 Eric Hansen found himself shipwrecked on a desert island in the Red Sea. When goat smugglers offered him safe passage to Yemen, he buried seven years' worth of travel journals deep in the sand and took his place alongside the animals on a leaky boat bound for a country that he'd never planned to visit.

As he tells of the turbulent seas that stranded him on the island and of his efforts to retrieve his buried journals when he returned to Yemen ten years later, Hansen enthralls us with a portrait -- uncannily sympathetic and wildly offbeat -- of this forgotten corner of the Middle East. With a host of extraordinary characters from his guide, Mohammed, ever on the lookout for one more sheep to squeeze into the back seat of his car, to madcap expatriates and Eritrean gun runners- and with landscapes that include cities of dreamlike architectural splendor, endless sand dunes, and terrifying mountain passes, Hansen reveals the indelible allure of a land steeped in custom, conflicts old and new, and uncommon beauty.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #312424 in Books
• Published on: 1992-02-04
• Released on: 1992-02-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

From the Inside Flap
In 1978 Eric Hansen found himself shipwrecked on a desert island in the Red Sea. When goat smugglers offered him safe passage to Yemen, he buried seven years' worth of travel journals deep in the sand and took his place alongside the animals on a leaky boat bound for a country that he'd never planned to visit.

As he tells of the turbulent seas that stranded him on the island and of his efforts to retrieve his buried journals when he returned to Yemen ten years later, Hansen enthralls us with a portrait -- uncannily sympathetic and wildly offbeat -- of this forgotten corner of the Middle East. With a host of extraordinary characters from his guide, Mohammed, ever on the lookout for one more sheep to squeeze into the back seat of his car, to madcap expatriates and Eritrean gun runners- and with landscapes that include cities of dreamlike architectural splendor, endless sand dunes, and terrifying mountain passes, Hansen reveals the indelible allure of a land steeped in custom, conflicts old and new, and uncommon beauty.

Customer Reviews

Fun and engaging
I read this book 6 years ago. It made me laugh and really appreciate the author and his adventures.
I shall read it again. It's one I saved just for that purpose.
I really recommend this book for anyone interested in the Yemeni culture or just for the appreciation of this author's wit and writing skills.

Interesting, informational & entertaining
Great book and a good insight into the culture in Yemen and surrounding areas. Really shows the differences between life and bureacracy there and here in the US. Loved the ending, don't want to spoil it for anybody, but it wasn't what I expected. Highly recommended read.

A story in a story
This is a very interesting book that proves life is more interesting than fiction. The improbablity of searching for those notebooks....
I like the calm approach that Mr. Hansen took to the most unpredictable of circumstances he was in.
If you need a prod to get up and go on that trip you have been dreaming about for years, let this book fuel the fire.