hmm hey, i agree with alot of what you've said in this article. (i am lebanes by the way) But i must say that you are very harsh with your criticism of lebanese identity, and them speaking french etc.. etc... It's not about regecting our culture or so. Speaking french is as much lebanese as speaking arabic or drinking turkish coffee. We've been a country in constant change and every other civilization has past by lebanon and being lebanese is somehow the combination and mixture of all these things. Refusing to speak french for the sole fact that i consider myself arabic is somehow denoucing part of my history. Of course it is seen as a sign of bourgoisy and people think its quite fancy to speak french but that's besides the point. it's those people that should be criticised and not the fact of speaking french.
Request for reporoduction rights Dear Kar Po and Rob,
I am currently writing a book for Cambridge University Press on the Great Seljuq Dynasty, and I should very much like to use your photos of Sultan Sanjar's mausoleum for the front cover. Could you please get in touch with me off-list and let me know if this would be possible? You will of course be acknowledged.
Many thanks.
Before the Noah's Ark The city of petra is of anti devillian period which cant be understood by the scholars.look at the shaft grounded with metriologically accurate to tenth places of decimal, which can only be made by monsters not by humans. The techniques are not available in the remote past.
If you go through my Book "Tufaan -E- Naoh say Pehaly" available at Ferozesons The Mall Lahore Pakistan priec $5, you may come across some evidence about this civilization.
javaid Toosy
0923004375714
Lebanese Militias All of the Lebanese and Palestinian factions/militias have blood on their hands. The fact of the matter is that the Palestinians/PLO came into Lebanon armed after being thrown out of Jordan (where they tried to overthrow King Hussein). The massacres at Sabra and Shatilla, which were horrible, cannot be viewed in isolation. They resulted from earlier massacres against Christains (e.g., Damour) by the Palestinians and their Lebanese Muslim allies.
Keep em coming Mr Simpson Fancy free beer in January?
How far behind are the blogs from present day China, actually looks like an interesting place to travel, but does bribing an official make you a fugitive from justice??
Autocrat Theme Park Impressive visit! I really want to go to Ashgabat now! apparently though, Kazakhstan's new capital Astana has similar statues of Nazarbayev etc, although probably less incredibly crass! And the gas crater! its a giant BBQ!
Turkoman carpets - very nice. We have three of them at home. They are certainly hard to find outside of Central Asia!
Looks like you had a great experience in Turkmenistan. Isn't the scrubland you referred to the 'steppe'?! People sometimes wonder why the Central Asian countries are so sparsely populated - cos most of their land area if steppe and desert really!
The silk route ruins etc looked impressive in terms of being undeveloped etc.
Finally caught up! Look like you fullas are having a top time, nice shot of you in the bed sheet KP! Rob doesn't look too overfed yet so the romping round the ruins must be burning off those exotic fatboy feasts....have been catching up the last couple of lunch breaks at my computer at work....makes a welcome highlight to the drudgery of making sure software works!See you in NZ in Jan..
tits out!
Dave
Informative. I haven't been to Iran before. Your blog provides an insight of 'relatively unexplore' Iran. Its a pity most travellers shun Iran because of negative media reports. With its rich history, culture and beautiful landscape, Iran should have more tourists visiting it.
I do agree with you on this statement "...we'd also heard how dangerous the place was, mainly from people who hadn't actually been there ..."
Re: Katie Hi Katie
Booking a desert safari in the Sinai is very easy, in fact they'll find you before you find them. Booking a good one however is more problematic. I can't recommend our guide - a good cook, but basically lazy in terms of walking and useless in terms of providing info on local flora and fauna. We booked thru the Jasmine Hotel in Dahab - our advice, go somewhere else. Make sure the guy doing the hard sell to you (who'll tell you he's a very experienced guide blah blah blah) is the guy who actually guides you. Also make sure you fully understand the route they propose to take you on (get them to show you on a map) and make sure they stick to it, especially if there are particular things on that route you want to see.
Questions Hi
I am planning a trip to Egypt in a few months. I would love to go on a simmilar desert safari. How did you book yours? Through a tourist office or did you just find the guide on your own?
You are right You are correct and right - I have been to Lebanon, and observed those Arabs who pretend to be French, I believe they have inferiority complex.
You are also right - about those war criminals - pretending to be upright citizens - I do not know why the War Tribunal at Hague does not go after them?
Great theme for a blog, making me hungry! I really do miss my bread and tea in the sand. I still have some saffron sugar left which I cannot convince myself to finish off for good. I think you will be in a culinary seventh heaven when you enter China; have fun!
After 4 years and 6 months in London we finally decided to return to NZ - the long way. We will be travelling from Egypt to China overland taking in 12 countries. This is where the journey begins...... full info
Ed
non-member comment
hmm
hey, i agree with alot of what you've said in this article. (i am lebanes by the way) But i must say that you are very harsh with your criticism of lebanese identity, and them speaking french etc.. etc... It's not about regecting our culture or so. Speaking french is as much lebanese as speaking arabic or drinking turkish coffee. We've been a country in constant change and every other civilization has past by lebanon and being lebanese is somehow the combination and mixture of all these things. Refusing to speak french for the sole fact that i consider myself arabic is somehow denoucing part of my history. Of course it is seen as a sign of bourgoisy and people think its quite fancy to speak french but that's besides the point. it's those people that should be criticised and not the fact of speaking french.