While I’m in Persian Gulf I thougt I might as well mention the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) taking place December 10-17, 2006. According to their news ticker the red carpet promises some of Hollywood, Bollywood, and the Arab worlds (Arab-wood?) hottest stars from the silver screen right in the flesh. If your interest rests only in the films, trust me when I say the selection is also rather sizzling. Spanning from Africa, Asia, Europe and the local talents there isn’t a corner on the planet missed. If stroke of luck can get you to Dubai in such short notice, a trip to the festival might not be such a bad idea. Volver, Fast Food Nation and Babel are only a sampling of the 115 films from 47 countries on the lineup. Check out Gridskipper or the official site for additional details.
Christmas in Dubai
When the Christmas holiday season rolls around I do my part to spread the holiday cheer by putting cards in the mail to all my loved ones and co-workers from past and present. Since I can’t supply the world with gifts I find cards usually suffice for most, but there was one Christmas I remember feeling crushed. A girlfriend of mine who I’d known from high school called me after receiving the card only to say, “Sorry, I don’t celebrate Christmas.” I was stunned. What did she mean she didn’t celebrate Christmas? She had when we were classmates, but times had changed and with her marriage she converted to Islam. Christmas no longer existed in her world. Fine, I thought! I’d never send her another Christmas card or anyone else again. Bah-humbug! Instead I would send Seasons Greetings cards and if anyone made so much as a yelp then they’d get a lump of coal! Simple enough, I think. Can’t we all live harmoniously during such a harmonious time?
The answer is ‘yes’ in Dubai. In this Go World Travel piece on Christmas in Dubai the author takes us through the Wafi City Mall where she finds a 50-foot tall Christmas tree in the lobby and Santa’s Village upstairs. Every kind of Christmas design and decoration you could find or imagine from the Western world was in Santa’s Village. Elves, gingerbread houses, penguins and polar bears all hung out. Dubai is said to be full of surprises, but this was one the writer and even I was blown away by reading. Dubai’s majority are Sunni Muslim, however it is the only emirate to accommodate foreign minorities. Go figure. I never would have thought something like this, but the story makes it real and is an awesome read should you find yourself wondering how Christmas is celebrated in other parts of the world.
Perhaps I should even forward it to my girlfriend.
Qatar Adventures in GoNomad
Qatar entices me because of its name. That is all. I’ve read a little something-something here and there about the place and even chit-chatted with some of the country’s natives in the past, but they didn’t sway me so much to want to go. If I ever venture out it will be because of the name, but what’s in a name anyway? Robert Davis details his desert adventure in Qatar in a recent issue of GoNomad and with his tale I’m opening my eyes to what Qatar really is – at least through the eyes of Robert Davis. In his story he goes across the Arabian Desert to the Inland Sea on a day excursion with Gulf Adventure Tours. Along the way he encounters the uneasy feeling of driving down desert terrain, camels at high-speed and the blue of the sea over the ledge. Additionally he discusses snake chases and eating freshly cooked lamb meat off the spit fire for their desert dinner. Very nice read and summary of a day-trip spent in Qatar if you too are looking into exploring for more reasons than the name.
GADLING’S TAKE FIVE: Week of October 29
The moment you have all been waiting for has arrived at last. An unforgettable week… The most amazing things in blogging history, right here, now… It’s Gadling’s Take Five!!! A little too dramatic? I agree. Let’s just get to what you missed.
5. Star Locator:
Here’s a gear piece for all camp-loving individuals who like to stare off into starry nights, but have trouble finding popular constellations like Orion’s Belt. Maybe you just want to take a glimpse at Mars… Now you can do so with this handy dandy gadget, but you’ll have to visit this one yourself. It’s really rather cool!
4. On Stebastopol:
I’ve never heard of Stebastopol and if someone had asked me prior to reading this piece I would have told them it was in Estonia somewhere. Who says travel bloggers know it all? Stebastopol is mentioned here by Erik who passed through not too long ago and also mentioned by Outside Magazine. They say it’s one of the great towns to live in… Hmm…
3. Get Paid to Travel to Iran:
Someone please sign me up for this promotion! How bad I want to travel to the country of Iran I cannot say, but it looks as though they are making more efforts to bring tourists from the West on in to show them they aren’t as dangerous as the media makes them seem. Travel agents – encourage people to travel to Iran and you could be making some extra cash.
2. Bad English:
This is a book all of us might want to pick up, because in my mind bad English is everywhere, including in English speaking countries. Get your quick laughs about goof-ups found across the globe, but I urge you to spell check yourself and make sure your grammar is on point. You’ll probably find that some foreigners are better at grammar usage than you. I have from time to time.
1. Most Dangerous U.S. Cities:
Pack a glock if you find yourself headed to St. Louie, Flint, or Detroit anytime soon. These three just ranked tops in most dangerous U.S. cities. Okay, don’t pack a glock or any kind of weapon, but do look at the list to see why all the violence. You may be surprised where your own city ranks.
Word for the Travel Wise (09/19/06)
How I’ve managed to forget this wonderful travel site often loaded with photography from some lesser explored places – I do not know. TravelAdventures.org has an amazing photo set of Yemeni people, the Haraz Mountains, qat, and other Yemeni things. I’m going to bookmark this one for future reference and so I don’t forget it again.
Today’s word is an Arabic word used in Yemen:
khwaga – foreigner
My Language Exchange is an excellent site in making friends across the globe while zoning in on the areas that give you the most trouble in your language of choice. While most services are free, contacting other members does cost a very small fee. Other learning tools for free standard Arabic online include this Learn Arabic site which has some remarkable lessons. The audio sounds a bit off for me, but they’ve got both the Naskh script (easy to read when learning the alphabet) and the Latin spelling of the letter. Babel Arabic is another good source. Planet Edu has an online listing of Arabic schools all over the Middle East, Africa and the U.S. Lastly, for purchase and a quick pocket guide there’s the Lonely Planet Egyptian Arabic Phrasebook.
Past Arabic words: wafin, akhdar, taeadol, shwiya, la bas, filoos