Initial Impressions

Signs here call Socotra the most alien place on earth. This is only day one. Some unique sights, but not too alien just yet. Another sign refers to Socotra as the Galapagos of the Indian Ocean, probably due to so many unique species. We'll see!
Just after leaving the airport, we came upon this overlook with a lovely (and empty) beach and interesting rock formations in the 1st picture. The 2nd picture is a close up of the rock just right of center in the 1st, and the 3rd is the outcrop at the right edge of that photo.
I'm told there are nearly 1,000 species of plants here and that about 1/3 are endemic. The green tree growing horizontally from the cliff is frankincense. The light gray tree just left of center in the 3rd photo is a bottle tree.
The 4th picture is a group of bottle trees. These sorta bottle shaped trees store up lots of water. But the water is poisonous. Turns out that locals rub this liquid on their livestock as it repels predators. A natural predator defense system!
Pictures 5&6 were taken in the capital, Hadibu, the center of government for Socotra and its largest city. I may return here as this is where the airport is .
The rest of these photos were taken along the road to Arher Beach. Photos 7-9 are typical scenery. Pictures 10&11 are small villages along the way. The 12th picture is what most of this coast looks like: rocky. And the 13th picture is of interesting silhouetted trees along the ridgeline.
The last 3 pictures were taken where we stopped for lunch. There are several of these interesting rock formations along the way used for picnicking. The 15th picture is across the road. I think that central rock looks like a person's profile.
And the last is a group of Egyptian vultures helping with cleanup.Read more