Open Doors

And just another picture of downtown San'a.  I was wandering through the streets snapping pictures of doors.  I'm sure that there are deep psychological reasons why doors, and for that matter bridges, fascinate me, and eventually I'll include a post devoted to them (the doors, not the roots of my own subconscious hell).  Beyond the psychoanalytical door that it will open into my tortured psyche, I can also tell you that I just really loved the very distinctive knockers.  I looked for one to buy at the various markets in the souq, but, not surprisingly, they were all attached to doors, as they doubtless had been for centuries.  Anyway, as I was snapping away this gentleman came up and asked if I wanted to take his picture next to the door.  Well, he didn't really know that much English, so the conversation was carried out mainly through sign language.  Often overseas, most notably in India or Egypt, when I've been in similar situations it was the precursor to a request from some tout for me to pay a fee for the right to have taken their picture (even if they initiated the exchange).  This just felt different, and it was.  I've made the point before that I thought the Yemenis were the nicest people I had ever met overseas, and this was just another example.  Apparently he just saw that I was taking pictures and thought that I needed some help.  After I took the picture, and showed it to him, he just smiled, waved and went on his merry way.  A silly story, but just another example to show how often the doors are open, even for Americans in the Middle East.