ladysindbad

In the Realm of the Senses

Without a single doubt, the family holiday in Morocco was rightfully the journey of many discoveries, the journey of new experiences. Thus, when this extraordinary adventure is mentioned, understandably it is Nostalgia Time.Le Ziryab Restaurant, Rabat – 6 April 2016

First of all, throughout the whole visit, I felt a strong pull, an urge to go again, even to stay there…I was so infatuated by this true “Realm of the Senses” that I expressed my wish to retire in this vibrant, colourful, magical, sensual country…and that comment triggered the condescending hilarity of my two daughters: “mom you don’t work so what’s this retirement statement you just came up with ?!” Yes, I admit I don’t have a day job but we live in a country where expats consist of around 80% of the population: retirement and relocating are two popular subjects of discussion.

Old Rabat – 6 April 2016

Secondly, the warmth of its people… “Once upon a time” in Marrakech we went to a cafe and there was no empty table to accommodate our crew of 7. While the hubby, daughters and son-in-law were crammed – children on laps – on the only available one, I invited myself on the vacant chair on the neighbours’ table. Super friendly, they welcomed me and skipped a crucial detail : “my” seat overlooking the Jemaa el-Fna Square belonged to someone … “Someone” made her way back from the ladies’ room while the waiter was ushering us to our now ready table on the other side of my new friends’. Despite the astonishment of my family, the “neighbours” refused to let me go, an extra chair was quickly added for “Someone ” and I was happy to oblige the 2 hospitable Moroccan couples: the older one live in Marrakech and by chance, met today the younger couple visiting from France. Yes, we exchanged phone numbers because they too wanted the photo souvenir of this lovely interlude where we cannot fail to notice hubby, daughters and son-in-law succeeding in their efforts to be in the picture despite their initial reluctance to let me overstay with the neighbours du jour.Le Grand Balcon du Café Glacier – 10 April 2016

Lastly: we were introduced to a few Moroccan specials, all starting with the letter H… While I loved the Harira soup and the Hamam, I found one H quite overrated..I mean the Harissa of course.Well, I shouldn’t be writing about the “other” ..

I can finally explain my infatuation with the place : DNA! lately it came to my knowledge that according to a recent research – which corroborated previous psychologists’ theories, most famously Carl Jung – genetic memories may be passed down through generations via DNA and that may be the underlying cause of irrational phobia : mice passed on learned information about stressful experiences to subsequent generations as related to an ancestor’s.

Eureka! In my humble opinion, the result of the study should also apply for happy experiences. I’ve always known my family lineage traced back to Morocco (but that never occurred to me during the whole stay ). Thus this study clearly justifies the spell I fell under throughout the entire sojourn.

Old Rabat – 6 April 2016

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Fès medina – 7 April 2016

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Fès Medina – 7 April 2016

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Fès Medina – 7 April 2016

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La Mamounia Hotel, Marrakesh – 11 April 2016

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Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca – 14 April 2016

From Place to Place

Applying black lacquer on the teeth of young coming-of-age women was a very popular rite of passage Hoi an,Vietnam – 18 March 2001
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Gold teeth are a traditional status symbol. Uzbekistan – 3 May 2007
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Tanakha paste is used as a sunblock Bagan,Myanmar –8 *February* *2005*

Tea plucker in Newara Eliya, *Sri Lanka* –26 February *2004*

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*Vientiane, Laos – 24 November 2007*
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Xangkhong, Chiang Dao, Thailand – 17 November 2007
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Carmine or brown red teeth colour are a side effect of chewing betel nut, a very common practice in SE Asia Paro, Bhutan– 7 October 2016

Florence Syndrome in Venice

Grand Canal – 9 July 2016

It was late afternoon when we reached Venice. Despite my son’s fervent advice, we got around the “Gritti or Danieli “ dilemma by choosing the latter,closer to Piazza San Marco.

With the check-in routine done, it was time for “Mission: Discovery “. The moment I set my eyes on the piazza, I was so moved I was petrified. Gripped by a powerful emotion, I grasped my husband’s arm, unable to speak, unable to walk… I was mesmerized!! I was suddenly like one of the multiple columns that frame the piazza.

No city has ever had such an impact on me. There was something special in the air, the esthetics of the piazza? Its history? A combination of both?…I felt it strongly and I’m certain I embarrassed the hubby, clinging on to him in the center of the quasi-empty piazza for a good couple of minutes.

I only realized the next day, once I saw it swarming with legions of tourists – mostly disembarking from the cruise ships – how fortunate I was to discover it the day before…

Hidden under layers of visitors, it was a different Piazza, there was a different energy… no “special moment” material… Truly how lucky was I yesterday for being in the right place at the right time!!

I recently read an article which explained the emotions I felt in the Piazza that day … it is common between tourists, and has a name: Stendhal syndrome!“Stendhal’s syndrome, hyperkulturemia, or Florence syndrome is a psychosomatic disorder that causes rapid heartbeat, dizziness, fainting, confusion and even hallucinations when an individual is exposed to an experience of great personal significance, particularly viewing art. It is not listed as a recognised condition in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.The illness is associated with the French author Stendhal who described his experience with the phenomenon during his 1817 visit to Florence. It was only named in 1979, when the Italian psychiatrist Graziella Magherini observed more than 100 similar cases among tourists and visitors in Florence”

Although psychiatrists have long debated whether it really exists, its effects on some sufferers are serious enough for them to require treatment in hospital. The staff at Florence’s Santa Maria Nuova Hospital are accustomed to dealing with tourists suffering from dizzy spells and disorientation after admiring the statue of David, the masterpieces of the Uffizi Gallery and other treasures of the Tuscan city.

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Outside Peggy Guggenheim Collection – 10 July 2016

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From the Castello – 9 July 2016

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San Marco – 9 July 2016

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From the Castello – 9 July 2016

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San Polo – 9 July 2016

Weren’t Meant To Be, Definitely..

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// Part 7 of 7 //

There are three cities I wish I had visited earlier. The multiple missed opportunities might be my only source of regret…

-Cold War Berlin. Summer 88, Samih suggested it but I had to suggest London and Amsterdam …and of course the wifey won. Honestly, how could I have predicted that two years later Berlin would be a different Berlin, a Berlin where Checkpoint Charlie was a tourist attraction.

-Hong Kong under the British flag. This time I wasn’t taken back by surprise.

Since the Handover agreement was signed in 1984, I have known that the British rule over its last colony in China will end in 1997, and chose it as the Eid getaway for winter 96.

However, the required two weeks visa-processing period made it impossible to get our visas on time before Eid so we ended up going to Bangkok instead! Still, we could have gone during the summer holiday, but for some reason, while up strolling on the terrace of a stupa in Bangkok, I felt alienated in these exotic surroundings and longed to be in Europe. Six months later, we toured Germany- clock road & romantic road – and I missed my last chance to witness this chapter of the British history…

-Palmyra…I think my dear parents and my dear husband should bear the guilt trip: despite many childhood visits to Syria and a later one 17 years ago, Palmyra’s proximity to our homeland was the “opponents’ ” trump card in the recurring battle of wills linked to each trip.. Their “we’ll go another time” turned my objections to mute mode, always…

Again, I could have joined my friends when they explored Syria but I thought I would rather take the kids, which we did, 5 years later. Damascus, Aleppo but not Palmyra…sacro-saint “we’ll do it another time”.

These trips weren’t meant to be, definitely!

Checkpoint Charlie – 5 June 2016 Berlin Wall – 3 June 2016

Tattoos and Macademias

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// Part 6 of 7 //

Last year, I had such a great time in Hawaï that I considered getting a tattoo; not exactly, a Hawaiian design (too macho), just a tiny one on my inner arm to commemorate this extraordinary trip on my skin…

My wish astonished my husband:

-I have a needle phobia… I dread the medical test I undergo every other year before the renewal of my UAE residency.

– I was against my son getting one when he was a teenager (his wife is happy about that now)

I didn’t leave Hawaï with a body imprint, but I left Mexico with one : it seems the famished mosquitoes broke their fast on my poor body and had a feast on my skin….The significant amount of bites in a certain area made it look like cellulite…. red, painful and itching cellulite

PS: I left Hawaï with an ephemeral “ piece of Hawaï”: I brought as many macadamia nuts as the expiry dates on the packaging allowed, and whenever I felt nostalgic I helped myself to some… their distinctive flavor – the way they’re roasted – was enough to make me feel I was back there…eventually they ran out after a few months… I knew I had a temporary souvenir and enjoyed it while it lasted.

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Swimming with Danger

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// Part 5 of 7 //

As opposed to my previous swimming with sharks’ experience, the newest adventure was less adrenaline charged.

The first encounter 8 years ago was absolutely unplanned, and definitely wasn’t included in the Great Barrier Reef diving package ‼️

We were told that we might spot turtles, but never warned about the possibility of getting cozy with the dreaded white tip shark!

“You were lucky!” smiled the guy on the boat once he learned about the incident… And I’ll always wonder what he meant by that…Is it because sharks were uncommon in this area or because we made it back unharmed?

I genuinely regret that I didn’t dwell on his “lucky” back then and inquired further about its real meaning. In fact, I was breathless which is quite normal given the circumstances… the adrenaline rush had helped me rush back to the boat and achieve a speed record. My only concern at that moment was to regulate my heartbeat, which had gone wild, my heart suddenly a war drum beating a mad rhythm. Xcaret Park, Playa del Carmen Mexico – 10 May 2018

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It’s a Wild Wild World

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// Part 4 of 7 //

On the Riviera Maya, while snorkeling the Great Mayan Reef, the world’s second largest coral reef, between the “butterflies of the oceans” – stingrays – I felt overwhelmed by a feeling of sadness triggered by the following thought… I realised I love all creatures except the Homo Sapiens found in my birth country: the rulers and those electing them…the greedy and corrupt as well as the ignorants and bigots who put them in power…

The maligned animals of prey hunt out of hunger, ONLY…if they were to duplicate those Homo Sapiens’ greedy and auto-destructive behaviour, many species would have been extinct by now…

After reflection, I realised I didn’t feel that way during the previous encounters with the animals in their natural habitat…

South Africa – 12 April 2009

On the contrary, I had some of the most exhilarating experiences while scuba diving in the beautiful Great Barrier Reef ( crossed paths with a white tip shark )

The Maldives – 12 July 2012

The Maldives – 10 July 2012

And in Sharm El Sheikh – 24 November 2015

Ditto on terra firma during our safari in South Africa – 11 April 2009

As well in Madagascar’s tropical rainforest – 3 May 2009

And again in the Andes mountains in Peru’s Alto Plano – 24 October 2011

And lately in the cloud forest in Carara National Park Costa Rica – 20 March 2018.

My moodiness must have been induced by the elections taking place at the time in my birth country…this charade did affect me despite the distance!

Wonders of the World

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// Part 3 of 7 //

As of May 2018:

63 countries

6 New Wonders of the World out of 7

I hope it’s not a pattern; Brazil has been on top of my bucket list for so long! I don’t want to visit 7 more countries before I get to see the 7th.

The Roman Colosseum, Italy – 24 July 1993

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Taj Mahal, India – 10 February 1998

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Petra, Jordan – 3 September 2001

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Great Wall of China –2 September 2011

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Machu Picchu, Peru – 26 October 2011

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Chichen Itza, Mexico – 7 May 2018

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The Great Pyramid of Giza Egypt – 7 December 2016 Why?

Somehow I feel it belongs… I just couldn’t rule out of my “Wonders’ List” the oldest and only vestige – remarkably quasi intact – from the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World !

You Have a Memory on That Day

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// Part 2 of 7 //

During our “US, Caribbean cruise & Mexico” trip, every time I checked my Facebook account, I was taken back to our last US trip due to the frequent “on that day” notifications. Here we are again, a year later, pulled to the other side of the world as if by a magnet.

However, nothing is the same… different destinations to discover and no Facebook posts: last year some of my friends requested to follow my trip on Facebook so I was keen to oblige and actually relished my established routine.. I usually wake up early, much earlier than the hubby, so I’d have my coffee, check my WhatsApp and Facebook messages and dutifully send the mandatory replies. It was a slow and peaceful way to start the day…My friends felt they were with us and were happy about it, the hubby felt my friends were with us and he wasn’t happy about it !! He jokingly complained “throughout the whole trip I’ve been feeling that it was me, you and your friends”.

Did I miss this whole routine? Not really…I thought I’d miss the excitement felt with each post and comments but strangely though I’m not.. however I’ll definitely miss having Facebook chronicled memories of our latest adventure!!!

*US, Caribbean Cruise & Mexico 26 April – 14 May 2018*

b240aa4f-558b-435e-9fb0-c39258fe0530 — *Saint Kitts – 1^stMay 2018*

f354a2b2-32f1-4f96-8d72-9449185a033c — *Saint Kitts – 1^stMay 2018*

18fd7ace-5b56-4f6d-aabd-05dac7b65b22 — *Saint Kitts – 1^stMay 2018*

9F95BD06-7C61-4A1F-8936-F78C75467860 — *Saint Kitts – 1^stMay 2018*

4b43504f-0ff1-468b-a4f8-03e5507baa3c — *Sint Maarten* – 2 May 2018

02b384d9-d202-46cb-9d67-fc6a52cd96c8 — *Saint Martin – 2 May 2018*

4ccf9c72-e4ab-488b-86b7-ee1942911ebd — *Saint Martin – 2 May 2018*

0a17a678-597d-44dd-acc8-d9c480c9a602 — *San Juan Purto Rico – 3 May 2018*

44ca0e25-f2df-4402-8b04-c9d3f7a4e56e — *San Juan Purto Rico – 3 May 2018*

0af90b23-f309-45e6-b496-a9f940e700be — *Labadee Haiti – 4 May 2018*

Definitely, This Trip Was Meant To Be

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// Part 1 of 7//

Part of being grandparents is that you can’t pick the dates of your holidays anymore: you have to choose them according to your children’s holidays as there might be some babysitting involved. Once you receive the seal of approval you can go ahead and proceed with your bookings.

We followed the protocol and once we had the green light, we got the US flight tickets early on in order to secure our “dates” with the kids and to prevent any change of mind from their part. However, due to some circumstances WE had a change of mind and decided early in March to reschedule our trip and plan it for September instead of May.

However a laid back attitude from the hubby’s part led to the following situation: with only three days before we were due to start our journey as per our initial plan, he called me with the News :

”Either we stick to the original dates or we go for one week only in September!”

For me it’s a no-brainer…My inner Speedy Gonzales showed up and showed off her skills apologized for all the RSVPed invitations and managed a marathon suitcase packing while the male version, Speedy Sam, matched the rhythm and in the blink of an eye booked us the internal flights, the hotels and a cruise in the Caribbean.

So throughout this journey, we had a daily ritual: a recurrent topic of conversation..We were stuck in a state of disbelief and happy about the way everything worked out despite our initial reluctance : if Samih thought of changing the dates earlier, if he succeeded when he tried it later, if he didn’t secure our accommodation of choice on the cruise ship (the last one available),we wouldn’t have been there !!

Definitely, this trip was meant to be…