reversal of seasons

Things work a little bit differently here in the Middle East,
and that goes even for the seasons.

For instance, everywhere else across the Northern Hemisphere,
people are rejoicing because summer has finally come. They
go to the park or beach during the weekend and pretty much
try to spend every waking moment outside, just soaking up the
summer sun.

Over here, the modus operandi is as follows:
You do not, under any circumstances go outside in the summer
time. If you have to leave the air-conditioned house, office or
shopping mall you do so entirely at your own peril. With the
mercury pushing the early 50's and the humidity at at least
60 or 70%, you can understand why people seem to 'hibernate'
here during the summer months.

The sensation of going outside is very similar to repeatedly
opening the door of a very hot walk-in oven.

The added bonus of course, of spending all of the summer
months indoors, is that you end up sniffling and wheezing
through a bout of flu. And the mere idea of 'wrapping up
warmly' and snuggling down is suddenly not so appealing.

As for me, I'll just be staying at home for now, nursing my flu.
I'll tell you one thing though, I can't wait for winter to arrive,
so I can go to the beach!

improve your vocabulary & end world hunger

I came across this great site today. You play a game where
you test your vocabulary and for each correct word,
you donate 20 grains of rice through the UN World Food
Program to help end hunger.

What a fantastic idea! Which just goes to show once again
that it pays to improve your word power.

anything but lonely in istanbul

I arrived in Istanbul very early on Thursday morning. Driving
into the city, the day's first call to prayer rang out into the crisp air
from various mosques on the way to my hotel.

It was certainly a jam-packed four days, and I found that it is virtually
impossible to try and get some 'alone-time' in this ancient city. If it's
not the waiter offering to 'show' you around the city after his shift ends
(at 1 am, I might add!), it's an old man trying his luck by giving you a
free tour of the Hagia Sofia, of which he had been the manager for
some 28 years odd. That little incident ended with me jumping into
a taxi with my luggage, a-la-movie-scene-getaway-style, and telling
the taxi driver to 'Go! Go! Go!' Turns out the old man's daughter just
happened to own the travel agency right next door to the hotel I was
staying at for 1 out of the 4 days of my trip.

By day three, I even had a guy who wanted to give me a carpet as
a gift, which I politely, but firmly refused. I'm guessing that In Africa,
that would be the equivalent of the groom's family negotiating
'lobola' or dowry, which is measured in cattle.

If you'd ever like to experience having so many men approach you
that you feel like you're swatting away flies, then I invite you to visit
Istanbul. After a few days, one does grow weary though of hearing
'Where are you from?' or 'Come inside, I'd like to show you something'.

That aside, the history and culture is truly astounding. Just about
everybody who was somebody has passed through this city, always
trying to conquer it.

I was overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of all the sights and sounds.
I even ended up dancing in a local neighbourhood street to some great
traditional music and managed to spend some time with my dear friend,
Rowena from London.

Those that know me, will tell you that I am indeed trigger-happy,
and I took over a thousand pictures in these four days.
That's a new record, even by my standards!

I arrived back in Dubai this morning and it's always a bit of a rude
awakening as to how quickly one is thrust back into the same
old routine. The weekend already feels like a dream, fleeting and
hard to imagine that I was really in another country just a few hours ago.