Blogs from Middle East - page 1039

By coincedence, Japanese and Persian have identical phrases which are completely different in meaning. Hence, a little Japanese dialogue with a fellow JP tourist could result to disaster. Two Japanese women ran up to me, freaking out when a bunch of curious Iranian locals pointed at them shouting 'Shinei! Shinei!' - they were merely saying 'Chinese?' but in Japanese, this is an imperative command meaning 'Die!'. In the marketplace, some Japanese tourists and I noticed the bizarre form of watermelons on display. to this, we said the phrase 'Hendawane~' (meaning 'how odd!'). Hearing our conversation, the fruit vendor smiled and gave us three watermelons for free. we were puzzled, but accepted them anyway. Other fruit vendors nearby did the same, and some of them decided to just throw them at us like bloody hotcakes. One barely ... read more

Untitled Hello everyone! Earlier this morning, İ admit that İ was missing Vancouver a bit and that I wanted to come home, believe it or don't, as Samir says. Mom of course told me otherwise, not to wish away our trip, and "no more negativity", but İ seriously think 5 months is long enough, and we were thinking to go for a year! Anyway, that was just a small whatchyamacallit: Dad and mom have told us to express ourselves on paper (actually they only told Samir that when he got mad about his math page and wouldn't tell anyone what the problem was), so, anyway agaın, let me start writing about Turkey a new country and the last leg of our trıp. We flew first from Srinagar to Delhi and then made a stop in London ... read more

Go to www.lajee.org and visit the website of this wonderful organisation that helps the kids in the refugee camp of Bethlehem express themselves in a peaceful way by trying to make them forget about their situation, i.e.being a child in a Palestinian refugee camp under Israelis occupation. See there the project they try to put up, whether it is the Debka troup performances, or the International summer camp allowing the kids but also the families to meet some volunteers coming from all over the globe. I arrived when their first children summer camp was ending and participated in the celebration organised by Lajee center to thank all children in what they have achieved together. Lots of laughter, and lots of hope especially when they see a foreigner witnessing it. I attended an aerobic class for ... read more

A moment after I'd finished the sweet cups of tea that a local street vendor gave me, I suddenly realized they were definitely stashed with something. Panic struck me, although the corners of my lips couldn't get out of this ridiculously cheesy grin. Despite my horror, everything began to look like a joke. I laughed at the watermelons, the hysterically funny minarets (???), even the cops in front of me...COPS? I'd heard that the police occasionally do their rounds and give trouble to both locals and tourists for inappropriate behavior/dress etc. Even recently, a fellow female traveller told me that she had been dragged into a police station for harsh questioning regarding her risque clothes - the loose tunic over her baggy pants had been an inch too short, revealing an inkling of curves of ... read more

I have found some more photos of what the project that I am working on is going to look like. The entire development is driven around the focal point of the Desert Pearl ship hotel. This ship hotel is in fact a cruise ship, currently moored in the desert that was built at the start of the golden age of travel by a man named Rakaan. Rakaan was a young Bedouin boy who dreamt of a life on the high seas. Though he was born and raised at his family’s oasis in the desert of Dubai, the sea tugged at his soul until he could resist no longer and one day he stowed away on a departing schooner. Rakaan was soon discovered on board the schooner, but instead of being punished was allowed to remain onboard, ... read more