28 Jan 2011 - Like Pakistan (see below: Great Picture (29)), we hear very little positive news from Yemen. So great was my surprise to find the country on top of the list of "
secret islands". Ripped from the coast of Gondwanaland (never heard of - sounds from Lord of the Rings) by plate tectonics, the four desert islands that form the Socotra group are a treasure-house of biodiversity, with thousands of plant and animal species found nowhere else on earth. Topping the weird list are the barrel-trunked cucumber tree and the dragon's blood tree, which oozes blood-red sap. Despite being closer to Africa than the Arabian Peninsula, Socotra is administered by Yemen, which keeps the islands off the tourist radar. The islands are being described as "the most alien-looking place on earth.". Looking at the attached poicture I am not sure if that is true, or just possibly just a clever trick from Yemeni marketeers, but the place seems a definite must on the "to do" list for adventurous travelers.
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