Iran: Tasting the local brew!

BEER! One of my favourite beverages! I really make it a point in what ever country I travel to that I taste the local brew of that country. Of course I have some favourite choices from around the world, but this time I travelled to Iran. The traditional beer which has alcohol is not legally available and since I don't know the proper contacts, this kind of beer could not be easily found in Iran, and there were no pubs to do any pub crawling anywhere, so I opted out and tasted the non alcoholic version which I found satisfying and, surprising that Iran produces so many with unique flavours! When I was living in the Persian/Arab "Khaleej" countries, I would drink the non alcoholic variety so I was already acquainted with it's palate.

Pomegranate flavoured beer- it was quite good really!

This reminded me of a shandy which would even be permissible for children but was good with the ubiquitous kabob.

 This same brand somehow tasted much better drinking from a glass bottle.

 Coffee flavoured beer (!!) A definitely acquired taste. Never again

 This was really one of the best beers (Delster) which I have come across in Iran and was especially good with an oily and fried dish. I've never seen it sold elsewhere in the country except in this one Tehran restaurant.

This is a famous German beer "Holstein" with lemon. It had a more "German flavour" to it as it had hops .   ( next to it is Zam Zam, I didn't taste that)

This was a nice beer too, and was similar to the "lemon" beers we had above, without the lemon of course!

When I was in Tehran, there is a small provisional shop which was near the Russian Embassy. There I managed to acquire a cold "BALTYKA" in an aluminium can. - non alcoholic of course :(
The can was written in Russian and also Farsi, but also read "Brewed in Russia".  Young guys, when looking at my clear plastic bag, had big eyes and pointed at it when they spied it out among the other tantalizing items I bought! Maybe they had the right idea about good tasting beer like I have and were also searching for the "right connection" as I was??

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Persepolis: Spending a day at one of the World's Greatest Historical Treasures

Persepolis:  Experiencing a day at one of the world's greatest historical treasures

There are remains of many sites of a  grandeur past in places around the world, and many which I have seen. I will admit that Persepolis was one which has impressed me the most. With a little imagination used, I was able to sense a brief window on how life was of days gone by. I didn't make too many photos of Persepolis as one could easily find expert quality photographs on the internet, far better than what I was able to make, but I am offering here some which were memorable to my experience there.

Persepolis was the ancient capital of the Archaemenid empire and was founded by Darius the Great over 500 BC. This place was the seat of government and the centre for ceremonies and receptions. It was the wealthiest city on the planet at that time with every kind of riches available in the different rooms in the palace. Unfortunately, party poopers like Alexander the Great along with the likes of others looted and destroyed their fabulous palaces due to jealousy, revenge ( for past invasions and destruction of Greek sanctuaries), and greed. Doesn't that sound  all too familiar today?

Whilst walking through I could imagine all the festivals, all the pomp and circumstance, the amazing costumes, imagining the palace hunky guys with their exotic attire posing and parading around, all the luxuriously decorated rooms, and the equally mystifying harem. I wondered what kind of secret activities happened in those places?

The photo below is one which portrays a story of delegates in their native clothing bringing gifts of gold, silver, food, animals cloth, etc. When I see this wall and I imagine the opening procession ceremony in the current Olympics games with all the people from each country arriving in their costume parading past, I imagine it is how it was in those golden years.

In this photo there are portrayals of different royal visitors, and I jokingly pose among the royalty as if I were also an invited important guest.

With the weather being hot and the strong sun relentlessly shining rays upon us wherever we went, we got a suntan as a souvenir from Persepolis. 
There were several handsome Persian guys walking around in their small groups which added to the fun as quick flirtatious smiles from fleeting guy groups happened as I pass them by with the group of guys I came with. That made my Persepolis experience even more memorable!

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SHIRAZ: Wandering through Shiraz Bazaar

Wandering through Shiraz's Rouhollah Bazaar

Bazaars in Iran and "Souqs" in the Arab world are always fun to wander through. They've existed throughout the ages and tell a story about the history and culture in their particular city or region. They are like a mirror of the local society they are in as local society patronises them every day. 

As times and needs change so do many of the items being sold change, but some items being traded are timeless and still are traded the same way, making one feel like they had stepped back into time.

The colours and scents are incredible! 

I felt this bazaar to have a more laid back feel to it and not as crowded. I enjoy that feel. While others with me were scouting out that perfect Persian carpet, I wandered through the spice area and brought back a fragrant spice mix for fish which I will enjoy back home. A taste and scent of Shiraz spice area will be in my kitchen each time I use the package I got!  
I also got some of the purple flower tea which is in the photo above.
If I had the opportunity to stay longer here in Shiraz I would definitely try to be a regular patron, not always to buy but to watch people as there were many handsome guys who either worked or also patronised this bazaar. It was fun to exchange flirty smiles, as well as shake hands with the bazaar merchants while visiting their area. Relationships are very important when making any kind of deal in this part of the world.

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Tehran: Visiting the two extremes: Ayatollah Khomeini Shrine and (Former) US Embassy "Spy Den".

Tehran: Visiting the Two Extremes- Ayatollah Khomeini Shrine and US Spy Den.

Travelling on the metro, we visited a huge complex just outside the metro station which is the shrine to the founder of the Islamic Revolution in Iran the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, now formally know as Imam Khomeini in Iran. Ayatollah Khomeini died in 1989 and a huge complex which contains a very large mosque and his memorial grave as well as the grave of his late wife are housed in this mosque.
When entering the mosque our shoes must be checked in, separated by gender, at a big booth which no check-in tag given upon deposit of our shoes. ( no one would want to steal my old "Crock" shoes! )
The whole mosque has large oriental carpets in every imaginable area where people walk. Inside the mosque is a party like atmosphere where a large crowd gathers as if it were a day at a family picnic. People camped out everywhere. 
In the middle of the area is a huge gated area where inside the area lies the tomb of the late Ayatollah Khomeini, covered with a green cloth and a large photograph. The bright lights and green colour give off an eerie and almost blinding effect on one's eyes. 
Banknotes of Iranian rials are scattered along inside the gate. Outside the gate are crowds in various forms of a queue waiting to pay their respects. When reaching the gate to peer inside, others were tapping on the gate, saying prayers and even kissing the gate while throwing banknotes among the other ones which littered the inside of the gate. No one seemed to mind that I was taking photographs inside. Perhaps it was seen as a compliment? I wonder what people there would have thought when they would come to know that I was an American?
Upon leaving the crowded area, heading toward the shoes deposit place, as I approached the man I gave my shoes to, I already spotted my shoes waiting for me as I was leaving. He certainly has a good memory!
Outside the complex are different kinds of eating establishments as well as little intimate picnic tables where I saw a few attractive guys sitting together, showing off their muscles, and proving their strength with an arm wrestling competition. The winner grabbing his own biceps proudly while all the others were smiling. It is fun to watch the cute and fashionable guys in Iran, knowing full well that only recently their clothing choices would have caused unwanted attention by the authorities. It is a breath of fresh air which I hopes will continue and not be squashed anytime soon.

On the other extreme, our driver announced that we would be passing by the former Embassy of the USA, also known as the US Spy den. Due to the traffic as well as the security forces in the area, we didn't want any attention given to us and therefore, we had to take photos from the inside of the vehicle as we drove by. 
The building and complex is closed, and along the wall are murals and various graffiti shaming the USA. One mural announced "Down with America" and another mural depicted Statue of Liberty with a deadly skull as the face. There were many more slogans written but we drove by too quickly to see them all as well as the endless traffic on the road.
It became a museum of shame for America and as a foreign policy blunder which happened over three decades ago and which is still being paid for today with no real lesson learned by the Americans.
Thankfully there seems to be a small wind of change blowing which will bring a rapprochement between the two foes and with a prayer, start a new friendship. Hopefully taking an example from each of our country's citizens as we have showed our friendship to each other for a long time now. Since the first day of being in Iran down to the immigration agent, stamping my passport at the exit with a genuine smile. "How do you find Iran?" he asked me. I replied that love Iran and want friendship forever. He continued smiling and we both waved as I parted the immigration desk. 

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My First Book: Private Travel Diary

Private Travel Diary

Now Available for download and purchase

$1.99

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"I have finally decided to release my personal and nostalgic years of travel. This edition covers the special times in the Middle East, Africa, and Thailand. Meet Washington, my Kenyan friend as well as my group of guy friends from the Arab Gulf. I hope you like reading my private travel diary."

"My friends would come by my flat in their big flashy cars, asking me to go out with them. Usually a group of 2 or 3, sometimes more. Once leaving the city centre, away from the secret police and judging eyes, one is greeted by the desert. My arab friends would take me to the desert for an evening, sometimes an overnight tent camping party."

Vagaybond Private Travel Diary by JT

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FUNKIE FOODIE 3: Jim's Funkie Foodie cravings from the Middle East

FUNKIE FOODIE 3. JIM'S FOODIE CRAVINGS FROM THE MIDDLE EAST

I love the food in the Middle East! I travelled to most of the countries in that region, some of them multiple times, and after living there I made some of those foods my favourites. Now that I am away from the Middle East, I crave certain foods.  I love so many of the different foods and the traditions behind them, but I will show here only the foods that I crave from time to time.

Internet photo

Falafel; There are several varieties of these made with different ingredients. The best falafel I ever had was in a small local restaurant in Damascus, Syria. These could be bought in the USA and also you can make your own from a box, but in my opinion they don't compare in their taste.

Internet photo 

Hummus: This is wonderful. It brings back nostalgia as I would go out with my friends to a small place called "Beirut Restaurant" in Doha, Qatar. It was a noisy place full of guys. This place had wonderful hummus and warm "ayysh ( Arabic bread) and we would   enjoy frequently. I make my own hummus too when I have taheeni available to use. However, I never dress it with paprika or anything.

Internet photo

Baba ghanouj. grilled aubergine delight! I also make this on my own when I have taheeni available to use for this.

Internet photo

This popular dinner found in Jordan ( I think it is a national dish), and at times in Syria is called Mansaf. It is made with lamb and jameed (جميد) 
The first time I had Mansaf was with my Jordanian friends in Amman. I remember sitting together on the floor with them and using my fingers to eat. I wasn't very good at using my fingers when eating in those early years, but today it is second nature for me.

 Internet photo
Khalaja cookie:  This cookie is made with cardamon, the top favourite spice of mine. I used to buy these in Qatar. They were wrapped in a green package and  were made in Saudi Arabia. ( but they were "Khaleeji" style and not Saudi style which are a bit different)

my photo

I am far away from the Middle East, but I find Arabic and also Turkish coffee more satisfying than American coffee. I try to make my own, as you can see in my photo above. 

This is not a food but my favourite spice cardamon! If I were able to put this into everything I would definitely would!

This post is not exhaustive of my favourites of the Middle East. I would feel flattered if you introduced some of your favourites for me to try and I will welcome the idea!

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Arabian Peninsula: Arab Sweets الحلويات

There are many things I feel nostalgic for in the Arab world, and one of them are the sweets. Not only sweets like baklawa or muhallabia which are wonderful, especially with Arab coffee, but there are special sweets from Bahrain, Yemen, and Oman which are  particularly wonderful and I am craving for now. 

I first tried these sweets when I was studying in the UK, sharing a house with wonderful housemates from Yemen and Oman, as we lived together and had Arab food and shared cultures together. One of my housemates went home and when he came back to the UK he brought some sweets for each of us and it was wonderful!

They have at times a jelly like consistency, and are made from various ingredients, corn starch?  nuts, saffron, cardamon, and at times with milk. Some have colours like red, yellow, and some translucent like, etc.  These kinds of sweets are a form of the types which originally were from Turkish style sweets, as much of Arabia was under the Ottoman Empire, as sweets are a part of those cultures and various regions assimilated the sweets according to local taste and ingredients.  A very famous brand from Bahrain is called "Shuwaitor". Each time I am in Bahrain I buy these to bring back.

 They are also very good gifts, and are enjoyed alone or with tea or strong coffee, even the green Arab coffee is nice with them.

( photo from internet)

The golden yellow one ( internet photo above) was the style I was first introduced to by my house mates. It has saffron and maybe some cardamon - I love both of those spices in everything!

When I was in Sana'a, Yemen, I brought back a kind of long golden taffy like sweet which was cut from a long metal plate. This  cam eo from a local sweet shop  which was a few minutes walking distance from Shamiri Plaza Hotel in Sana'a.  If anyone visiting Sana'a goes near there, would they kindly bring some sweet like that back for me please?

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Amman Jordan: Guys being Guys Learning, Sharing and Enjoying together

Whilst I was in England doing my Bachelor's degree, I went to the University of Jordan in Amman for a summer study of Arabic 1. I had a false beginner's knowledge of Arabic already but wanted to study more and improve.

I stayed in a rented room in a private house in a rather upscale neighbourhood just behind the back gate of the University.

There were students from all over the world studying with me at the  summer language course at University of Jordan. I became better acquainted with two females who came from a very wealthy Kenyan family. Most of my friends though, during my stay in Jordan were Arab guys, who were either Palestinian or Jordanian.

I enjoyed my language lessons which were taught by two Arab women. One was younger and wore a hijab الحجاب, and the other was older  and was uncovered, showing her full head of coloured blonde hair. I felt I learned a lot from them over the summer.

Of course along with language classes, we had day trips to places of interest around Jordan which was fun because we got to practice our Arabic more as well as meet different students who were travelling together with us. I met an interesting Palestinian guy who grew up in Germany. He befriended me rather quickly and, after following me back to my flat, I found out that he had "naughty fingers" and was rather frisky behind closed doors. Need I say more?

Other Arab guys I befriended were Jordanian guys who were from villages in the South. We ate dinner and  went around together in a group and looked  like brothers. One of their friends was a reallyy cute Palestinian guy who lived still in the " mukhayyam filistini" مخيم فلسطيني or the Palestinian refugee camp. I was invited by him to come to the camp and meet his family and stay overnight with him.

I recall that it was an eyeopening and rather humbling experience for me as I never stayed in a camp before. His living quarters were clean and nice but cramped. I met his younger brother and his mother. We enjoyed a simple local dinner and when it became dark outside, and it being a very warm evening, we both slept on the small veranda outside sharing a few blankets to sleep on for the night. I found it rather novel and exciting as it was a fun thing for me to do when I was a small kid to sleep outside on porch in the back garden.

It was difficult finishing my wonderful stay and saying good bye to my friends whom I became so close to, but I had to start my other studies back in England. 

It would be interesting to see how much Jordan has changed over the years and I would be so happy to have an opportunity to explore more of that beautiful country and culture and all the interesting food and other goodies which are in offer! Do you want to join me?

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Damascus, Syria: Guys being guys together

My first trip to Syria was in 1988. I took a 30 hour bus trip from Istanbul, through Turkiye and crossed the border from Antakya (Antioch in Bible) into Haleb (Aleppo) and Damascus ( "Sham" in Turkish ). It was one of the more adventurous trips I made and  told my parents after I had returned from Syria back to England.

I met a nice Tunisian man in Istanbul who was also travelling. After he came to know I spoke (broken) Arabic we went around the city in the evening and shared a hotel room together. The man at the hotel desk didn't even raise an eyebrow as we requested one room to share. In the morning I went to the bus station and started my 30 hour journey.
There was a grandfatherly looking driver and a cute man who served as an assistant to the driver as well as on occasion went up and down the bus isle sprinkling lemon cologne into our hands to wipe our body as a refresher. The people on the bus either spoke Turkish or Arabic. They were very kind, as we exchanged food with each other on the bus. On occasion the bus would stop off at rest breaks where we could buy wonderful apricots, snacks like grilled cheese sandwiches ( just spending coins!) and we even had a time to go to a coffee shop to have Turkish coffee where I smiled at the other smiley, perhaps flirty men who were making coffee in the shop. Only smiles and a wave happened as it was time to re board the bus to go onward.

I met along the journey also two Jordanian guys who were travelling back home but stopping off in Damascus for a day before going back home. I decided to accompany them together for this first part of the trip, as I was visiting my good Syrian friend Abdul in Damascus. I would experience hospitality in a Syrian home as I would stay with him and his family.

Crossing the border from Turkiye was easy and uneventful but as we drove in the "no man's land", where barbed wire eerily lined the empty plain and towers were located in strategic locations, my stomach started to feel nervous, but Syrian immigration, apart from stares of the immigration officials, proved to be uneventful as well.

Arriving in Damascus at 3.00 AM, my two Jordanian friends and I alighted from the bus and we quickly jumped into a dump truck which many people were already standing in. At such an early hour in the morning I found it to be really an awakening!  We decided to rent a whole flat in Damascus, just for the day! I vividly remember all the posters of Ayatollah Khomeini pasted on the building and the walls. Graffiti such as "We will cut off the hand that feeds Israel" ( meaning the USA) was scribbled on the wall as well.
I remember having the very best falafel in Damascus with my two Jordanian friends, we wandered around the city until evening when it was time to return to the flat to sleep as in the morning they were taking a taxi back to Jordan and I was meeting my Syrian friend.

Staying in a very traditional Syrian house, which was built around a square central courtyard where one could walk around inside the four areas of the house and see different sides of the court yard!
My friend's father greeted me warmly and his

mother, wearing a hijab, made traditional Arabic coffee for us all.  Abdul showed me around his traditional and old neighbourhood which had narrow alleys and hiding places where his friends had small shops.
At night they came over to Abdul's house and all of us slept together in one bed! I remember it felt so comfortable and natural to have guys on each side of me in bed and I when I  fell asleep and had a good sleep.

Currently ( 2013) there is turmoil throughout Syria and Damascus is taking a huge amount of shelling and destruction. I watch on the news on television so many handsome guys in the streets in Syria in the crossfire of the militia, being wounded, killed or in general in trouble.  My heart aches for Syrian people and I often wonder what my friend's life is like now and if the area I stayed in and have so many good memories has been altered or not. I pray that the Syrian people will soon be free!

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Beirut, Lebanon: Bassell, Campy and Fierce

بيروت لبنان

Swimming in the waters of the Hezbollah!

Location: Beirut, Lebanon

Quick Facts:  A small nation in the Middle East bordering Israel in the South, Syria in the East and North, and the Mediterranean Sea in the West. Beirut is the capital and largest city in Lebanon.

The Food

I absolutely love the food in Lebanon- Lebanese people have a healthy Mediterranean diet. There is meat also such as the usual kibbehكبة, shwarmaشوارما, and many other fancier dishes. Some of my favourite vegetarian dishes include "baba ghanouzh"بابا غنوج which is made from roasted aubergine, and hummousالحمص with freshly made "aysh"العيش ( Arabic bread),  and a parsley salad  with tomatoes called Tabboulehالتبولة. There are a plethora of fun sandwiches which include meats and vegetables, including spicy peppers in them! wow!

The Sweets

The Arab world has a real sweet tooth! Many of the local sweets are to die for! Baklawa, Maamoul, as everything seems to have a strong sweet syrup or honey poured in it. Especially delicious when you drink " 'Ahwa al Arab "  Arabic coffee, which is thick, strong and handsome like the men here are!  Sometimes the coffee has " bi  Haal"الهيل , with cardamom- my favourite! Of course there is the usual sweet tea which is brought over by tea boys (الشاي صبي they are usually men) in small glasses - ready made with sugar.

The Drink:

Arabic Coffee- strong and thick and black served in "finjan"فنجان cups, either masbuta,مظبوطة which is a little sweet, or 'bedoon suker"بدون سكر  without sugar.
Lebanon is a nation with many faiths: Druze, Christians, and Moslems as well as a few others.
Beer is tasty and is found in Beirut (mostly in the Christian areas) and also strong alcoholic drinks like Aaraq,عراق which is wonderful when you drink it with a bunch of horny guys together!

Gay Life:

Homosexuality is still illegal in Lebanon, but in the more cosmopolitan areas like Beirut, one could find gay clubs, bars and lots of handsome guys - which are obviously gay, but it is not the same kind of scene like San Francisco, Amsterdam or London, in my opinion it is a bit more like Cape Town in a sense.


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Exploring Gay Life, Love, & Friendship


My very kind friend Bassell,(Druze by faith), whom I stayed with, was very "out" and open with his sexuality. His boyfriend (A Christian) and other friends were also open about their sexual preferences. My friend's mother was very progressive and welcoming when we visited his village in the mountains outside of Beirut.
People in Lebanon are very accessible, and friendly. I had a wonderful reception from everyone I came across with- even the immigration agent was kind to me!

They wish to show their country in a positive light and not focus on the long civil war, which my friends didn't focus on during my stay with them. There are obvious tensions between certain factions, as one would hear on the news, but a wonderful example which I had experienced during my trip to the beach near Soarصور ( Tyre) in South Lebanon.

My friend, Bassell, (Druze faith)  took me, his boyfriend (Christian), and two other guys who were Moslem , all in one car together to the beach in South Lebanon. There were a few road checks here and there, but when we reached the area in South Lebanon, with Hezbollah flags and Iranian flags, and huge posters of Nasrallah and other leaders prominent in the area, the road check soldier, two handsome looking soldiers, made us all get out of the car and show our identification. Imagine what the soldiers had in their mind when a bunch of guys started coming out of the car, two of them came out with their campy, "fierce" attitude as they sashayed past the soldiers, flashing their id nonchalantly, wearing pink socks and tank tops, and finally when they came across my Hawaii Id, (I knew the soldier couldn't read it) they were all baffled and just let us through without a hitch.

Swimming in the beach was fun- It was interesting to watch Shi'ite women all clad completely with their hijab and full length clothing whilst their male counterparts were in swimming shorts and bare chested! (wow! hairy chested with nice built arms and biceps!  Who said there is no Eye candy in Hezbollah land?)  My friends, were either shirtless, (also eye candy !!) or wearing a huge towel wrapped around his head like Miss Baboo, showing off his latest Clinique sprays and sun block bottles. The water was wonderfully warm and the waves were fun to body surf in. It was strange enough to swim out past the shore line to look out in the distance at Israel, which was a 15 km drive away- "enemy" territory.

Due to the character of Lebanon with all the precarious political, and social digressions which keep the region rather unstable, the people have a rather fatalistic attitude and try to enjoy their life to the fullest, no matter what happened in the past, what  unexpected situation would be happening at the moment or what may happen in the future. My friends didn't focus on their country's past but tried to show a happy and good face. I also embrace this attitude in life which makes me feel a bit Lebanese myself.

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Doha, Qatar: Ramadan Free Zone

Exploring Gay Life, Love, & Friendship

Ramadan is a very holy month and a time for fasting for Muslim people.In the Gulf and Saudi Arabia the tradition is very strict. No restaurants are open and NO ONE is to eat or drink anything. ( Our office had no Muslims so the head colleague declared our office "Ramadan Free Zone" so she could have an excuse to smoke when we closed the door of the office) It was difficult to maintain my strength at times, ( I have hypoglycemia) and would wear long sleeves to secretly sneak a bite of biscuits, and sweets, etc.) Once during Ramadan, I came out of a supermarket and was nonchalantly opening a Kit Kat bar and started to eat it and forgot it was Ramadan!
 My friends who are Qatari taught me how they survived the tradition. When I opened my door of my flat, they would usually do the traditional greeting "Salaam alaykum wa rahmatallah....) and kiss my cheeks 3 times. But during Ramadan, there was a time when they quickly pushed me aside, no greetings at all and ran up into my flat! I went up to my flat and saw them with chocolate cake, a crazy movie on my TV playing, boxes of chicken, and they even took off their thobes and sat with their underwear on! If I were lounging across my sofa alone, one guy would push me further into the sofa to share it with me affectionately - lounging together next to me. Other times a bunch of guys and I would drive into the desert with food and enjoy eating, driving on the sand dunes which was extremely fun! ( we even had some enjoyment smoking "green" in the sand dunes) and enjoying the comforts of an air-conditioned luxury car and the back seat space of the car (many times ON TOP of me!!- ha ha) until the sun begin to set and one could no longer tell the difference between a strand of a black thread from a white one, and when the cannon sound went off, which meant time to go home to their family's "Iftar"  and break the fast, again. I got to try a lot of different foods, and sweets during Ramadan celebration, and especially during the Eid holiday.

(I especially like QAMAR DEEN -  an apricot fruit roll which is fun to peel off and eat, or make into a drink which is drunk first to start Iftar, the" breaking of the fast" dinner) . Old traditions are difficult to keep at times, for some people, I suppose in ANY religion?

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Alexandria, Egypt: A faded but graceful elderly lady

الإسكندرية
An ancient city by the sea,Alexandria's first impressions for me where one of a very old lady who experienced much in her life, has many stories and although faded she still keeps her graceful character and beauty.

Cairo feels more Arabic and a "big city" feel, but Alexandria has a more Mediterranean feel like city which belongs in Greece or someplace like that.
Even many of the people look a mix from other places- even though they are Egyptian!

I found the people there more kind and smiled more than in the Eastern part of the city. I really enjoyed walking along the Corniche, seeing different people walking with me and holding conversations with guys who were curious who I was and after a while offered to have a sheesha, or tea and another instance an ice cream along with six teenage guys whose hormones were running on overload! I enjoy the sheesha shops where one could hear nostalgic music from Umm Khalthoum a famous iconic singer 

(I love to listen to her music especially at night!),

where I can also have a nice strong "ahwa" , with more jokes and conversations with men there following whatever else might happen."Welcome" could be heard everywhere I went! I walked through the souqs ( the spice market and vegetable markets were wonderful!) and narrow streets, where being called into a shop to chat heart to heart with other guys gave a special feeling! I feel I have made a real relationship with Egypt and I will want to maintain that relationship for always!

I didn't go to see the tourist places like ancient tombs or the famous big Library but preferred experiencing local people and try local ways- (there is a fun bar which made one feel one went back in time, has a big painted wall above the door of Umm Kalthoum and her music played the whole time I was there. Riding the local tram across the city for 25 Paistres is probably one of the more cheaper fares I ever paid for public transport (along with Addis Ababa) and it gives an interesting aspect of the city.

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