Enchanting Syria..

I took a 5 day holiday to Syria last week with my mum and a friend. I did not really know what to expect, except that everyone i met who had visited the country said that the Syrians are one of the most welcoming and hospitable people they had ever met. I heard stories of how Syrians went out of their way to help foreigners, of how foreigners would be invited over to their house, to meet their families and shown their beautiful country.

And..Syria was all of that and so much more. It is a beautiful country, filled with historical sites, a place where one gets transported back to biblical times. Damascus and Aleppo are reputed to be the oldest inhabited city in the world, dating back to 2000 BC. It has all the elements that people associate with the Middle East - the old souks, the spices, scents, the chatter, shisha, tea, paintings, buildings. It's also so peaceful...while the souks are bustling with activity, nearby there is always a deserted cobbled alleyway, or an empty courtyard that one can escape to.

We made our way around Syria - from Damascus, Syria's capital, site of the Old City filled with souks and beautifully restored courtyard houses, to Palmyra, home to ancient Roman ruins. From Palmyra we made our way to Crac des Chevaliers, one of the oldest, best preserved castles in the world, and north to Aleppo, home to the oldest medieval souk in the world. Along the way we met amazing locals, who invited us to their houses, who struck up conversations with us in bus stations, or airports, or just along the street...always telling us "Welcome to our country" or "Wish you a good stay", or who went out of their way to help us (most Syrians do not speak English so taxis were a big problem!). We met a nice Syrian English teacher at a local coffee shop, where an ancient storyteller still tells a story every night. She came by herself to have her shisha and asked if she could sit with us, and told us so much about Syria and their lives and the education system. We also met a nice local lady who walked with us for 20 minutes trying to get us to the right entrance into a famous mosque in Damascus. We were also exempted from paying entry fee into the same mosque as we were "malaysians"..We were also so fortunate to meet 3 malaysian ladies travelling on their own staying in the same hotel we were (WHAT ARE THE ODDS!), who had a friend who was local, and he offered to bring us around. So, we got to see another layer of society that was so different to the typical tourist areas.

To round it all off - the food is AMAZING. I've travelled around the region quite abit, and most of the food appears similar but Syrians have found a way to make the same food extra special and tasty. The place is filled with wonderful cocktail stores selling fresh juices for 30US cents, with shops selling mountains of baklava and yummy sweets, and small hole in the walls dishing out hot toasty bread and snacks. Definitely the best food experience I've had in the Middle East!

I wish more people would head to Syria to see how beautiful the country and the people are, instead of believing the media and government hype about how dangerous it is there. Everyone I spoke to said there would be no protests in Syria as people were happy with the government, they were contented in their jobs and they were just getting along with their lives. Definitely a place I want to visit again, especially now that I have invites from such nice locals I met along the way!

My photos are up on http://www.flickr.com/photos/michelle_d/ - it tells the story much better than I can!

Trouble in Egypt..

I felt so sad watching the news on Egypt...it's such a beautiful country and lovely people. I spoke to a few Egyptians here, and they are happy that change is coming, though of course, all are worried about their family and loved ones back home. When I went to Egypt, everyone I met hated Mubarak, but I never expected something like this could happen. I guess what happened in Tunisia has ignited a belief that the masses can change things, and it's so inspiring to see it working. It's also spreading throughout the Middle East - Yemen, Jordan and apparently Syria tomorrow.

I'm booked to head to Syria on the 15th of Feb for 5 days with mum and friend in tow..let's see if that happens!

And i thought the locals here have it great..

Kuwait gives each citizen Dh13,000 and free food (that's close to USD3,500!)


KUWAIT CITY // Kuwaiti citizens will each receive a grant of 1,000 Kuwaiti dinars (Dh13,000) and free food staples for 13 months to mark three major anniversaries, a government statement said.

Roudhan al Roudhan, the minister of state for cabinet affairs, said after the cabinet's weekly meeting on Sunday that the grant reflected the desire of the emir, Sheikh Sabah al Ahmed al Jaber al Sabah, to help citizens improve their living conditions, the state news agency, Kuna, reported. The minister said all citizens will be entitled to the grant.

Foreign workers, who make up about two thirds of the country's population of 3.1 million, are excluded from the largesse.

As part of the gift, Kuwait's system of food rationing, where citizens can buy staples, such as rice, oil, chicken or milk, wholesale at cut prices in co-operative societies, will offer supplies free of charge from next month to March 31, 2013.

Kuwait sits on around nine per cent of the world's oil, and food rationing is just one way in which the state distributes its prodigious wealth. Kuwait was ranked as having the eighth-highest gross domestic product per citizen while taking the cost of living into account in 2010, according to the CIA's World Factbook.

The majority of employed Kuwaiti citizens have jobs in the public sector and are entitled to benefits such as low-cost land, interest-free housing loans, and free education and health care.

Another hammam..

Went for my 2nd hammam experience today, I'm really beginning to enjoy the pain that comes with scrubbing until there doesn't feel like there's any skin left on my arm..it was doubly nice because I've had a really rough week at work and have been very stressed.

The Philipino therapist started giving me a head massage and said "Oh! You are too much stress madam! Thinking too much, no proper sleep, toooo much stress!". I'm thinking how the hell can she feel like i'm stressed by pressing her fingers on my head??!

A degree in mothering??

From the National..

A new university in Ajman promises to make better mothers out of women by educating them about topics ranging from their rights to pedicures.

The University College for Mothering and Family Science, according to its founders, is the first university in the world to offer a bachelor's degree in the "mothering profession". Dr Nizar al Ani, the director of the university, said the four-year programme aims to prepare women to be good mothers through academic and vocational training.

"Motherhood is a profession which needs to be studied," he said. "This is specifically important in our society because of the high speed of change: nowadays, how to be a good mother is not merely passed from mother to daughter." The programme is important in the UAE because there are serious problems in society, he said, including householders' dependency on maids to run the family, and a high divorce rate.

According to studies cited by Dr al Ani, 80 per cent of parents' tasks and responsibilities for children in Gulf families are taken care of by maids. "On average, there is a minimum of two maids per household in the UAE. This dependency is dangerous, and we need to raise awareness among women on such matters by preparing and educating them," said Dr al Ani. "By preparing women with the right tools to create a healthy family, we will overcome such problems."

The course programme, which is accredited by the Ministry of Higher Education, is divided into three sections. The first deals with women's civic and legal rights, including her Islamic rights as a woman and mother. The second teaches her how to run a household with courses in cooking, home decoration, personal fitness and grooming. The third focuses on raising children. The university itself is a private venture launched by 11 investors. The Ajman government provided the building in which it is situated.

http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/education/university-offers-degree-in-mothering

Roti Canai in Abu Dhabi!

I love my roti canai..in fact, the only craving I ever get while I'm away from Malaysia is roti canai. It's one of the few foods that is difficult to find overseas, and the frozen varieties don't count.

So I was so excited when I perused the menu of Anjappar, a famous South Indian restaurant here, and I saw Parattha. Not only 1 variety, but 10 different varieties! I decided to give it a try and ordered the basic one, and lo and behold, it is my beloved roti canai! It looks and tastes just like the ones in Malaysia, only denser and heavier. Bliss! Now if only it would cost RM1.20 instead of AED5!

Care to live in the tallest building in the world?

So, an apartment in the Burj Khalifa costs AED40k a year LESS than the market rate of my flat now - that's equivalent to RM35k. A year ago, the situation in Abu Dhabi was even worse - my flat was renting out for AED160k per year. Thankfully prices have fallen and I will need to find a new place to live very soon...


Burj Khalifa rents tumble 40%

Apartments in the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building and arguably Dubai's most prestigious address, are now available for rent at prices 40 per cent less than when the building opened 10 months ago.

A studio apartment can be had for as little as Dh80,000, with a one-bedroom unit renting for Dh100,000 annually, said Laura Adams, sales and leasing manager for Better Homes, one of the property brokerages marketing the property.

A number of units were recently handed over by Burj Khalifa's developer, Emaar Properties, which put pressure on rental rates by increasing the supply of available apartments.

Only eight per cent of the building's 900 apartments are occupied, she said.

Also a factor is that Dubai's property slump has caused nearby buildings to slash rates dramatically, and some of them compare favourably to the Burj Khalifa in terms of amenities.

The Address, also owned by Emaar, charges rates similar to those at the Burj Khalifa, but the apartments are fully-serviced, with seven restaurants on the premises, and many of the units featuring balconies with views of the Burj Khalifa.

The service charges of Dh53 per square foot at the Burj Khalifa are also considered higher than nearby residential buildings. For an average sized one-bedroom, the service charges would be more than Dh5,000 per month.

During much of the Burj Khalifa's construction, Dubai was in the midst of an off-plan property boom and apartments sold for more than Dh10,000 per square foot at the market peak.

Most units now for sale are listed at around Dh3,000 per square foot, Ms Adams said...