Bahrain...

...where you feel like you really are on an island, where you can see the water from almost anywhere, and where you can smell the ocean every time the breeze wooshes by.

Top 5 Moments in Kuwait

There were many, but these ones top the list, in no particular order:

- spending time with childhood friends I haven't seen in over 10 years
- attending my first Kuwaiti wedding
- dipping my toes in the beautiful Gulf
- having too much chai haleeb, Kuwaiti milky tea in the very old Souq Mubarkia
- going to a horse riding competition

Kuwait, I will be back.

Today I Learned...

That just because you haven't talked to someone (minus facebook) in over 10 years, doesn't mean your friendship had died.

Fun in Kuwait!

Alright, hello there Kuwait :)
So as I mentioned before, I was born and raised in Kuwait for the first 11 years of my life. Despite all of those years, I'm back in Kuwait after 10 years... and I don't remember a thing! I thought maybe my memory will be jogged by the things around me, but things just look so different and... smaller? I think I was just much smaller so things seemed so big when I was a kid.

The things I do remember: my school (Kuwait English School), the big (not-so-big) supermarket, the building where I used to live (but I have no idea how to get to).... okay so maybe I don't actually remember that much.

However, I'm meeting up with friends I haven't seen in 10 years. This is by far the best thing about re-visiting Kuwait.

I'll post about the best of Kuwait soon :) I'm too busy taking it all in for the moment.

Living vs Visiting

There are two tell-tale signs that you are now living in a country vs just being here for a visit:
1. You can go grocery shopping alone
2. You bake

So yesterday, I did both of those things! I was out and realized we're missing a few things and that I was close to the store where we usually buy our groceries, so I just popped in and bought a few things. Alone. It felt kind of weird and great :)

Naturally, I also bought some ingredients that I normally wouldn't buy if I was on the road: cinnamon, brown sugar, a big block of chocolate, walnuts... It just felt like a great day to bake something. One of the blogs I love is Joy the Baker's cooking/life blog. Makes my day that much sweeter. The reason you normally wouldn't bake while on the road is the simple fact that baking requires utensils and ingredients that aren't everyday, for example, whisks, flour, brown sugar, etc.

I made some delicious apple crisp last night. And I feel closer to living in Egypt than just being here for a visit.

Op.

The TSA 'gropefest' - Opinion - Al Jazeera English

The TSA 'gropefest' - Opinion - Al Jazeera English

I just wonder how far this ridiculousness will go.

JOA

http://joamuslimah.blogspot.com/

...because we are all on our own journeys, together :)

Dr Tariq Ramadan 1

One of the professors who make my brain tick and who's ideas I like to read up on.

I'm looking at some of his articles and came across this one that really spoke to me today. Enjoy!

Planning

Planning my next trip which should start verrrryyyyy soon :D
This should give you a good hint: http://www.google.com.eg/imgres?imgurl=http://thegulfregion.com/images/the_gulf_region.png&imgrefurl=http://thegulfregion.com/&h=599&w=623&sz=87&tbnid=k6kqNe6Afc0r0M:&tbnh=131&tbnw=136&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgulf%2Bregion&zoom=1&q=gulf+region&usg=__g5qPh45jOZ6kALwbUASa9QgKng0=&sa=X&ei=S2oDTZTcKIyWOv-nzaYB&ved=0CEAQ9QEwBQ

Definitely can't wait to get back on the road!

Today I Learned...

That Arabic is a very difficult language to learn in terms of grammar and composition. (And I'm a native speaker.)

Go Forth

I found a really great website the other day called Abraham's Path that I think is quite interesting. I first heard about it through a TED video by William Ury titled "The walk from No to Yes".
I think it's a great idea and it's definitely something I would love to go on one day.

It also reminds me of The Way of St James, a religious pilgrimage that takes place in Northern Spain, the route of which has been adopted by people of all sorts of religious and spiritual backgrounds.

There seems to be something about walking along a certain path that connects you with history and takes you on your very own quest for meaning.

Cover up

Henna. My beautiful Mauritanian henna. That no one in Egypt really thought was beautiful at all. I loved it. I loved the fact that it was new and interesting and different. It reminded me of a beautiful time spent in a country that was not like anything I've ever experienced. Then I went back to Egypt. Beauty is only defined in terms of what is familiar and known. Anything different is deemed bizarre and receives looks of wonder mixed with... disgust? I can't quite place it.


Four weeks later and all that remains is the nail henna. It only disappears as your nails grow, so this will be with me for a while. And yet the comments keep on rolling about how I really shouldn't have done "this". I loved my Mauritanian henna. But the pressure to cover up what remains of it is strong. Sigh.

Just another reassurance that the concept of "beauty" is a completely undefined and subjective one.

My hopes for you

(http://www.harwell-caledonian.org.uk/BC026~The-Last-Dance-Posters.jpg)

These are the gist of the lyrics to one of my favorite songs right now. It says so much about life. These are my hopes for you..

I Hope You Dance - Lee Ann Womack

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat
But always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small
When you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances
But they're worth taking
Lovin' might be a mistake
But it's worth making
Don't let some hell bent heart
Leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out
Reconsider
Give the heavens above
More than just a passing glance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance

Base Camp

You know you've been in Egypt for a while when:

- You don't actually remember how long you've been here for.
- You no longer take a picture a day.
- You no longer notice all the people who smoke indoors (especially where it's illegal).
- You can give a taxi driver directions and not get lost.
- The taxi driver can't tell right away that you're not from here (but he will figure it out eventually).
- You finally find a proper gym to join.

Exit

If I dont say this now, I will surely break
As I'm leaving the one I wanna take

Somehow, I've become very good at saying goodbye. It started out by telling everyone "I will only say see you laters, no goodbyes" but that quickly turned into "goodbyes". Sometimes I sit and wonder how I managed to pack my bags and leave everyone and everything I've held near and dear for the last ten years. July 2010 I said too many goodbyes to count. I told everyone see you later, but in essence, they were all goodbyes. Every time I'm in a country long enough, I long to keep moving, which means more goodbyes. If I get too comfortable somewhere, I say, keep going. Is a feeling of comfort such a terrible thing when traveling?

There now steady love, so few come and don't go
Will you won't you, be the one I always know
When I'm loosing my control, the city spins around
You're the only one who knows, you slow it down

Recently, many friends have been asking me when I'll be coming back to Canada, coming home. See, I have a small personal problem with the word "home". I was born in Kuwait, where you don't get the nationality if you're not originally a Kuwaiti, so your ID card always says Foreigner. I moved to Canada in middle school. Culture shock at 11 years old. Foreigner. I just moved to Egypt, what some people might consider my "home" (even though I've never lived here for more than a month or two during the summer break) because of my ethnicity, yet somehow, everything I do and everything I say seems to be Foreign. The taxi drivers can usually tell I'm not "from here" before I even open my mouth. In the countries I visit, whether for research or tourism, I am the Foreigner. Home connotes a base camp. A place of constant familiarity. Somewhere your heart longs to be. You can see why I have a small problem with "home". My heart longs to be everywhere on this Earth, exploring, discovering, unearthing.

She says most assuredly
Be my baby
I'll look after you

Maybe I've become good at saying goodbyes because I dislike being attached to a geographical location. I feel it limits your character, your ideas, your thoughts. So in a way, maybe I'm homeless (donations welcome). And yet, there is some sort of longing for something familiar that is starting to rise to the surface. If I could personally define what "home" means to me, this longing might be called.... homesickness.

(Look After You, The Fray)

Days 115 - 120: Mauritania

October 29 - Nov 3
I didn't stay for very long at all and I didn't visit the Sahara (unfortunately) but Nouakchott (the capital) was interesting enough. It was much more about the people I met and the Pular culture I experienced than it was about the actual city.





A Mauritanian wedding affair! Glitz, glamour, good music that's too loud, food that's actually pretty yummy, a singer, a comedian, and every cousin in the family!








Tea - the more bubbles the better. An aspect very similar to Moroccan tea.











Henna session. Very very detailed work.






How the henna lady makes sure you don't ruin her 1.5 hours of work: she wraps your hands in (pink) tissue paper then covers each hand with a (blue) plastic bag, then asks you to stay like that for 3 hours. Ya.




The infamous stray goats! The reason I took this terrible pic in the dark was because I felt so weird jumping out of the car and taking a picture of them in broad daylight. They were really cute though, I promise.

Days 102 - 114: Morocco

October 16 - 28
Click on the pics for a larger image!

Casablanca


At the Hassan II mosque - the third largest mosque in the world after the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet's mosque in Medina (both in Saudi Arabia). Postcard-much?







View from the inside.









The name of the road where my hotel/hostel was located. Gotta chose wisely ;)




Rabat (capital city)


View of the Atlantic Ocean from a terrace in the Old Medina.








At the Jardins Exotiques, a huge landscape of interesting looking flowers and gardens just outside of Sale (a city right next to Rabat).







Meknes


Zellig details inside a small mosque. Can't really remember the name...
(It says: Alizato Lelah - Glory be to God)



Fez


Inside one of the most peaceful places on Earth: Kairouan Mosque. Also reportedly the first university in the world. Close your eyes, feel the breeze, listen to the fountains, take in the sunshine, make a prayer.




At the infamous leather tanneries. Pretty smelly place to be honest.









Moroccan henna session!









At Clock Cafe, one of the best places I visited, just inside Bab Jeloum in Fez Medina.





Fassi Master calligrapher Mohammad Charkaoui writes my name in my favorite style during my one on one calligraphy class at Clock Cafe.






My first plate of Moroccan couscous with my friend Ab. Two adults couldn't finish this plate.




Marrakesh


It's not called Red Marrakesh for no reason! Another favorite door.







Fresh home made bread daily? Yes please! Perks of staying with a family and not in a hotel.







At the beautiful (but small) Jardin Majorelle, dedicated to Marakkech by Yves St Laurent.

Days 95 - 101: Tunisia

October 9 - 15, 2010

Please click on the pictures for a larger size.

Some pictures from my adventures in Tunisia.

Tunis

One of my first encounters with Tunisian doors. The beginning of an everlasting love affair.

The oh-so-very European downtown area.

Statue of Ibn Khaldoun, a famous Islamic scholar and philosopher.

My absolute favourite door in Tunisia. Found in the Old Medina (ancient city).

Is this a beach resort? Nope, just a clearing between the tight alleyways in the Old Medina.

Red hot peppers - a staple in every Tunisian meal. Used to make Harira, a spicy paste used to cook with.

My first Tunisian plate of couscous! Mmmmmm.

Carthage

Tombstones at an ancient Phoenician sacrificial site. At 8am. Place gave me the absolute creeps.

The Mediterranean as viewed from the ancient site of the Antonine Baths.

The beginning of my other love affair: with arches, shadows, and alleys.

Then I discovered a room full of ancient mosaics at the site of Roman villas.

More Mosaics.

Sidi Bou Said

Watching a henna session.

Blue doors and shutters - the defining features of Sidi Bou Said.

Kairouan

At the Companion's Mosque - the Mosque of Oqba Ibn Nafi. Over 300 Roman columns at this mosque, and no two are alike.

Traditional trade in the Old Medina; a lady working a wool loom.

Tunisia: where the sky is always picture perfect. On the way back to Tunis.

Note to self

In some countries, there are stray cats. In others, there are stray dogs.
In Mauritania, there are stray goats.
Note to self: resist all temptations to get out of the car and chase the cute baby goats.
Thank you.

Stuff

Things I have foudn essential to have with me when traveling, especially because Im staying at super cheapie hotels:

Toilet paper*: oh the joys of shared bathrooms. Enough said.
Mid sized towel: works well for everyday as well as shower usage, and doesnt take up as much room in you luggage.
Small soap bar*
Laundry powder*
Shampoo, shower gel*
Shoes that double as slippers or shower shoes (such as crocs).
COURAGE to not be weirded out be creepy front desk men.

* = can be bought from any local convenience store if you dont want to carry them around.

Fez: Je T'adore...

...plus en plus chaque jour :)

Fez, Morocco, is a city that makes me smile and puts my soul at ease. Such a wonderful mix of old, new, tradition, modernity, spirituality, open mindedness... things I believe work together and not against each other.
Of the cities I've visited in Morocco so far, Fez has a certain... je ne sais quoi... which makes me sure that this will not be my last time here.
I'm off to Marakkesh tomorrow morning, with hopes of finding a similarly capturing city.

Tunisia: Things I could get used to

Having gateau, or something sweet, first thing in the morning.

Lack of people (population of 12 million vs pop of 90 million in Egypt. Yah.).

How informative taxi drivers are.

The Tunisian-Arabic-mixed-with-French accent.

Tunisia

Updating from the city of Kairouan in Tunisia. I've been staying with a friend's family in the capital, Tunis, but decided to venture out and head south to Kairouan, a two hour louage (minibus) ride along some beautiful landscapes that turn from lush green and mountainous to desert wasteland in a matter of minutes. Known as the fourth most important Islamic site (after Makkah, Medina, and Jerusalem), there is a certain peace and simplicity here not found in Tunis. Even in the tightly wound central medina (old city) one can still find peace of mind and stillness.

The people in Tunisia are some of the kindest I've met. There are, just like in any other city, the creepers and the plain weirdos, but there is such a strong sincerity and helpfulness from everyone else that makes up for all of that.
And dont get me started on Tunisian food. Yum.

One thing I still cant get used to: the way the letters are all in different places on the keyboard at Internet (called: Publinet) cafes.

Travel sans laptop

So I'm leaving in a few hours to spend the next 26 days exploring Tunisia, Morocco, and Mauritania. I've decided not to take my laptop along on this adventure because it's dead weight and an expense. I will be trying my best to update the blog from Internet cafes but we'll see how that goes. However, I do promise an extensive report on North-West Africa upon my return.

Check back often!

BB :)

Day 94: Gold Digger

October 8
















Well, not a gold digger in that sense. Watched this gentleman make some highly intricate and detailed designs in gold plates today. Some people make me feel so un-artistically talented. And yet so inspired at the same time!