Middle East Summary
Number of Countries Visited: 5 - Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Israel and Egypt, all without flying starting from Greece!
Favorite Country: Jordan - A lot to see in a small country
Favorite City: Cairo days 1 to 4
Least Favorite City: Cairo days 5 to 8 - You too will get this facial expression after 8 days in Cairo:
Best: Middle Eastern hospitality and sense of humor
*
Worst: Touts and bargaining (though I must say it's fun to sit in a shop, have tea, chat, then walk out of there having paid way more than originally intended but still happy with the purchase)
*
Number of non-alcoholic beers Bill bought by mistake: 2 (in Petra, Jordan)
*
Number of bad words Bill used upon realizing that he was duped into buying non-alcoholic beers: 4
*
Number of times we were asked whether we had a baby, why don't we have a baby, when are we going to have a baby: too many to count
*
Number of times Bill mistakenly stepped on a prayer carpet in the hotel hallway: 2 (It was at the beginning part of the trip in this region; now we know better not to step on the green carpet!)
*
Number of cockroaches we saw in our first Lonely Planet recommended hotel room in Cairo: 8
*
Number of non-smoking malls we saw in Cairo: 1
*
Number of men we saw smoking in that mall in one hour: 15
*
Best Arabic Phrase: "Inshallah", meaning 'God willing' can be a reply to almost anything. For example -
Q: See you tomorrow!
A: Inshallah
*
Q: Will the bus be here at 8pm?
A: Inshallah
*
We used the phrase to respond to the when-are-you-having-a-baby questions and also to people trying to sell us a tour:
Q: Are you going to Petra?
A: Inshallah
*
Fortunately (or unfortunately?), the barbers in the Middle East are really good so Bill hasn't gotten a crazy haircut. The preferred style here seem to be this hedgehog/Zoolander cut:
*
We are now in Nairobi, Kenya, looking for a safari...
15 comments:
Bill, you need to add a 'stache to that look. Something like Matt Dillon's "Pat Healy" in There's Something About Mary.
http://www.ohrensessel-filme.de/archiv/pods/50_matt_dillon/screen2.jpg
There could be a separate blog based solely on the haircuts Bill has gotten.
Annie
Rolling in my 5.0 with my ragtop down so my hair can blow . . . Ice Ice Baby, Too Cold, Too Cold
Thanks for the breakdown Jeeheon!Will Bill be luckier with the next haircut?
Inshallah.....
Jeanette
Donnie - it will be a very sexy look for Bill.
Annie - that blog could actually work! Bill gets his hair cut at Super Cuts in the US, so it's always interesting when he comes back from a haircut there too.
Ben - I know this is you because you are the only one that would know the words to the Vanilla Ice song.
Jeanette - that is the perfect use of the phrase! Though I think Bill was genuinely happy with this haircut...
- Jeeheon
bill's haircut makes him look a bit middle-eastern! :)
are you guys giving primetime safari a go?
how is kenya so far?
The Middle East Summary blog entry somehow became all about Bill's hair.
Safari! That is supposed to be an amazing thing to do.
I hear you have to wake up at 4am though. Jeeheon, don't oversleep....
-Naveen
I am really excited to see your safari photos! Have fun!
Kathy
I suggest a poll for the "best" haircut Bill has gotten so far, or accept suggestions for the next haircut (e.g. a fade with a Seahawks logo).
I agree with the mustache suggestion. Maybe a gold chain too. Might as well bring back the speedo while your at it.
Have fun on safari. Looking forward to seeing what's next.
I've shown Pete, Colby and Lance the blog. I don't know if they're technologically inclined to comment here, but they enjoyed the pictures and send their regards.
Jeeheon-have you had any haircuts yet?
Kathy
Jeeheon! Love ur pics. Seems like u and Bill are having a good time ^^ When r u coming to Seoul?? Hope to c u very soon~! BTW, really like Bill's haircut.
-Joo-Yon
Can't wait to see the safari pics -- Jeeheon, will they have a life preserver for you to wear in case you encounter any animals?
Heather
Nana - Primetime quoted too high of a price, so we are going with a company called Gametrackers...we are also doing only Kenya and not Tanzania. Re Bill - one guy thought he was Egyptian and a lot of people in Israel thought he was from Israel. He also gets mistaken for being a Spanish tourist quite often!
Brooklyn - I know! Not sure what's up with this unhealthy amount of obsession with Bill's hair from our friends...
Naveen - I am mostly worried about the bathroom situation...I heard some of them can be really scary!
Kathy - thanks! I've been cutting my own hair, so it's really uneven in the back...
Jikja - I don't think Bill trusts you guys enough to leave the fate of his hair in your hands...
Dan - "technologically inclined"..hehe
JooYon-A - we will be in Korea in Feb, I think! (Or maybe I will go to Seoul first and Bill travel more - it depends on how tired we are by then ^^) Looking forward to seeing you! How is Jiwon?
Heather - we are going to couple lakes on the safari so perhaps I will really be wearing life preservers...Anyway, you should see some of these luxury tents safaris - they are really nice, with private bathrooms! Perhaps your next vacation...
Post a Comment