Getting tongue around shisha, TB and mishmish
I was in a shisha café the other night up the back of Sheraton Helipolis, in the north of the city. It was very chic and urbane, serving espresso and […]
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!
Wild-eyed in the Cairo night
So it’s the weekend, you’ve been out, had dinner, a maybe few drinks and then… not in the mood for a club? Why not ride a camel around the back […]
Windswept and interesting
Everyone loves a good windswept look – think Kate Winslet in Titanic. But on Saturday, it all got a bit ridiculous, with a fierce wind, the khamaseen, whipping across the […]
Giving Cairo the horn
God love the Bangles for giving lazy journalists the phrase ‘walk like an Egyptian’. I’ve written about Cairo traffic before (http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/africa/curse-of-toot–and-karma/2008/09/04/1220121408026.html) and I thought that while I am now quite […]
Language a labour of love
“The best way to learn a language is in bed,” said Khaled. “But then you’ll just learn words you can’t use in public,” I argued. “Get a polite boyfriend,” he […]
Cairo on the run
You know there are days when you’re SO lazy, you just want to bunker down and order out for everything. Happily you can do just that in Cairo, from razors […]
Currying favour
Body of Lies seems to have become the textbook movie for the Middle East. Starring Leonardo di Caprio and Russell Crowe, it moves between Jordan, Iraq and other countries in […]
bombing in khan al-khalili market
Yesterday’s bombing in the world’s greatest tat market is such a shock – what possible motives could the bombers have? I was up at Khan al-Khalili a couple of days […]
From here to Infiniti in the desert
Just spent two days in the desert on …. of all things… a 4wd rally. Cold (but sunny), I went along to the rally as a volunteer photographer, snapping blokes […]
Victorian bushfire appeal
Hi all, take a look at this fundraiser by the Victorian wine industry to help with the bushfire appeal. It’s being put together by www.winestar.com.au and the prizes are amazing, […]