Egypt beats Italy in World Cup frenzy
You know Egyptians, like so many other countries, adore their football. I didn’t think it could get any more frantic, but with the World Cup looming in South Africa, the […]
NOTEBOOK
Canter past Patagonian icefields. Sail the tranquil waters of Lake Como in Italy. Sip coffee in a Palestinian village. Listen to the ancient voices of Australia’s Arnhem Land. Climb the mountain paths of northern Albania. Let’s go!
Swine fever grips Egypt
Despite the fact that Egypt killed most of its pigs in a bizarre species-cleansing exercise that had pig owner (Christians) disraught, the country is not immune to swine fever. There […]
Riots in Iran
It is so disappointing to see the riots and subsequent deaths in Iran over the outcome of the presidential elections, which saw the incumbent conservative president, Ahmadinejad, re-elected with two-thirds […]
A realeo, trulio boutique hotel in Cairo
I recently reviewed a gem of a boutique hotel, Le Riad, in Gamilaya, the medieval Islamic Cairo. It sits on the main street of El Muizz, which stretches from the […]
Curious and curiouser II
Curious facts about Iran Mark II: Petrol costs 10c/litre (and that’s Australian cents). Traffic is so bad, motorbikes regularly drive on the footpaths. Iran holds the second largest number of […]
Pulling the pin on Iran
It’s not really fair to Iran for this to be the last picture I post before I fly back to Cairo – not fair on a country whose people have […]
A dressing down on Islamic dressing up
Today I got yelled at for my hair. It wasn’t that it was squashed and unkempt, but that a lock of hair had escaped my scarf. The woman who yelled […]
Iranian democracy
“Stay away from politics and religion unless your Iranian host broaches the subject first,” warms the Lonely Planet. Politics is all we’ve talked about. That’s all anyone’s talking about. And […]
Curious and curiouser
Curious facts about Iran: The Sydney Morning Herald website is filtered, but New York Times loads fine. Chris de Burgh is the only Western artist to have performed in post-Revolution […]
Carpet burns
Deep excitement, people! I bought a carpet. Of course. Could you imagine going to Persia and NOT buying a carpet? The total excitement about it is that I am in […]