Three veiled women at Mahktan Dam

Three veiled women
Originally uploaded by Kate B Dixon

The Mahktan Dams are northwest of Sanaa, not far from the US embassy. There are two small check points on the way, but Paul was able to talk his way through them. The second dam is at the end of a wadi, which after walking for about 10 minutes forks into two wadis. It's been raining a lot recently and there was a small flowing stream in the wadi on the right side. It was filled with frog eggs and small tadpoles. We also saw two enormous frogs. We followed the rocky stream almost to the end, then climbed up and over the steep ridge and down to the second wadi. An excellent hike. The area is very popular with locals, especially in the rainy season when grass and flowers and small thorny plants the goats don't eat erupt from the dry soil and rock. As we walked back to the car, we passed many groups of people, including these veiled women and small child.