Blogs from Middle East - page 1169

Hello, We have arrived safely after 24 hrs on the plane with 2 stops along the way in Singapore, Dubai and finally arrived today at 07:00 Turkish Time which is 14:00 Australian Time We left for this trip of a lifetime at 14:45 Australian, Time. Today in Istanbul, Turkey we visited the Grand Bazaar and we had many sales men trying unsuccessfully to sell us their goods (knock offs of Dolce and Gabbana, Gucci, Von Dutch and other expensive brands) We have tried many Turkish foods today such as Donor Kebabs, Turkish Meatballs, Calamari, Fresh Fish and also some Savory Treats from the Turkish Bakery. The Savory treats were so good we went back twice. We went to the street markets and found many more knock off goods! We also bought some fruit from the local ... read more

Dubai and Muscat are like sisters. Dubai needs to be at the centre of attention at all times; she wears revealing clothing, lots of makeup, and chances are she'll be pregnant by the time she's 16. Muscat is the cooler, older, hippy sister; she is more modest, laid back and wears her beauty effortlessly... I could feel the pace of life slow to a leisurely halt as the plane touched down in Muscat. Everything about travelling in a foreign land that was challenging and difficult washed away when I saw the familiar faces of Dave and Jana on the other side of the extremely lax airport security. I was immediately welcomed and embraced as a temporary resident of the expat ghetto of MQ; a place where live in maids and gardeners are the norm for school ... read more

Today, we went to swim with a beluga whale! His name is Senja (not sure about the spelling, and it is short for Simone, I think, but it is the equivalent of Simon in Russian). So, he is a Russian whale. The place was a big indoor area used for dolphin shows, but only the trainer and a few other people were on hand. Shawn was the first to go and hopped down into the chilly water. Senja was waiting beside the edge. Thin instructor, Alexander, spoke very little English. Shawn put his hands on Senja’s front fins, leaned back a bit, and then Senja began to swim around the pool with Alexander guiding him around with a training pole (not sure what else to call it) and throwing in a fish or two along the ... read more

Today… I wore jeans. :) To start out the tour of the Grand Mosque, Augusta had to change into an abaya and we had to take off our shoes. They also gave us some juice while we waited for our tour guide. Ezra was our tour guide. She was very friendly (as was everyone there that we met or came across). The Grand Mosque (as all mosques in Bahrain) was built and continues to be funded by the Bahrain government. The mosque was built with materials all over the world… Italy, Canada (I think), and other countries. Its capacity is 7,000 worshippers, but often overflows into the parking lot on special occasions. The mosque itself is not too old… I think she said 16 or 17 years. Minarets, a courtyard, and domes are part of traditional ... read more

Shalom everybody, My trip to Israel has been great. Full of amazing history, cultures, new people, and surprises. However, it's been a bit of a mess from the beginning. My last night in Cape Town my friend Aaron and I painted the town whatever color the alcohol we were drinking was. I was out until 3:30 in the morning and managed to wake up just 2 minutes before my ride to the airport left. So I tossed all my stuff into my backpack and left. I spent the next 24 hours on planes and in airports without having had a shower and being extremely hungover. When I finally got to Jerusalem I couldn't check into my hostel for another 6 hours. So I left my backpack there and went for walk. After walking a block I ... read more