Kuala lumpur - Egypt

My 20-year old daughter is so excited to revisit the countries she had gone to 17 years ago. We were there with my parents. At that time, we had also visited amman and baitulmaqdis.

Via Egypt Air, the flight was delayed from 9.30pm to 10.30pm with transit in Bangkok for 1 hour. We were served food 3 times!

Going through the immigration was a breeze. Had to fill in a form. We were so used to travelling that we were 30 mins  outside waiting for the other members of the group.

We were taken for breakfast, then to see the Giza Pyramids.
The pyramids were impressive. Going into one of them would costs about rm100. You need to stoop along the tunnel. There is nothing inside and so our tourist guide told us it is not worth going. He recommended going to another place tahrir meseum which would cost usd35 or so. At the perfume shop, we were given some kind of drinks that tasted like ... and was presented with various scents. Of course, we were invited to buy the perfume costing Rm75 (150L.E). We bought 5 and given 1 free.

Next stop was to the sphinx. We can use the same ticket bought at the Giza Pyramid to enter.

The papyrus shop was not exciting. The t-shirts costs the same as what we would get in KL.

The buffet lunch was delicious.

Reunion

The thing about reunions is...

Have you ever been guilty of looking at others your own age and thinking, "surely I can't look that old.". Well . . . you'll love this one.

My name is Meena. I was sitting in the waiting room for my first appointment with a new dentist.
I noticed his BDS degree on the wall, which bore his full name.

Suddenly, I remembered a tall , handsome, dark-haired boy with the same name had been in my high school class some 30-odd years ago.

Could he be the same guy that I had a secret crush on, way back then?

Upon seeing him, however, I quickly discarded any such thought. This balding, gray-haired man with the deeply lined face was way too old to have been my classmate.

After he examined my teeth, I asked him if he had attended St Mary's high school.

"Yes. yes, I did.' he gleamed with pride.

"When did you graduate?" I asked.

He answered, "In 1984. Why do you ask?"

"You were in my class!!!!", I exclaimed.

He looked at me closely.

Then,
that
ugly,

old,
bald,
wrinkled faced,
gray-haired,
decrepit,
asked,

"What did you teach" ?

time standstill...

time, please standstill...

remember those moments when you were in high school and wishing you would be all  grown up and leave school, and then you go to college and couldn't wait to stop studying so that you could spend more time reading novels. And then the children came one by one and then life becomes a blur.

and you reflect back if  the life you imagined years ago is the one you have now.

You are lucky if you were given that opportunity to do so because that would mean you have had a long life; and if you are not, then you'd better pray you would get the opportunity in another life.

So would we not wonder why when life is so fleeting that people would take it so lightly?

When the present life is all we have, then it is easier to decide what we want but it gets complicated when our life touches the lives of others, and you live through your descendents.

waves...

if i could have this, why would i need brick and mortars?




A Licensed Counsellor in the making...

So, why God?

As i was driving home just now, i kept asking God "God, why do you do the things that you do? I needed to know the wisdom behind the things that you allowed to happen. Some things are so unfair. So why do you? " ... and then i change my mind and said "sorry". You don't ask God things like this when you are driving because if you get into an accident, and that would of course freak you out cos, you'd thought that's God kicking your butt for being too nosy. Anyway, driving in KL while most people are still on holiday is such a pleasurable experience that you can afford to daydream and ask profound questions...which nobody can answer. Only KL-ites can relate to that.

Maybe i am impatient to know the consequences of every action although i have seen or experienced the good that came out of that which I had perceived as terrible at that moment.

Reminded me of the story of Moses and the man in the desert...each time he got upset with the action of the man-in-the-desert, he would be reprimanded for his impatience.

He said "you will not be able to bear with me patiently. How can you bear patiently with that you have no knowledge? So don't ask until i tell you!"

...and then he made a hole in the ship they were on ...and then he killed a boy...and then he repaired a wall where the city dwellers refused to feed him... (Quran 18:67-82)

and after being bugged by Moses incessantly, the guy probably felt annoyed and said "This is the parting between us. Now I will tell you the interpretation of that you could not bear patiently.  As for the ship, it belonged to certain poor men, who toiled upon the sea; and I desired to damage it, for behind them there was a king who was seizing every ship by brutal force.  As for the lad, his parents were believers; and we were afraid he would impose on them insolence and unbelief;  so we desired that their Lord should give to them in exchange one better than he in purity, and nearer in tenderness. As for the wall, it belonged to two orphan lads in the city, and under it was a treasure belonging to them. Their father was a righteous man; and your Lord desired that they should come of age and then bring forth their treasure as a mercy from your Lord. I did it not of my own bidding. This is the interpretation of that you could not bear patiently.’

"So, Lina don't ask until I tell you!" sez God. 

I guess i will just have to wait until He unfolds it to me one day and i will go like "OoooOo ... barulah aku tak tahu..."

Good Night, God. xxxoooxx

A Licensed Counsellor in the making...

House hunting : the so-many-i-have and the have-nots...

We went house hunting yesterday..infact, we went house hunting since  last year.
The four years since the shelter was set-up, we have moved to three houses and by June, it will be our fourth house. House hunting is exhausting; especially when you have limited budget and you need  to consider 7 person's input. The first house was in a nice condominium; it felt more like a place of retreat with adult and children's swimming pool. Our heart missed two beats when two of the resident's children went missing. We went frantic but finally realised their father had planted the daughter to lure his other children away from their mother.

To minimise expenses, we had to move. anyway, the landlord was surprised that her house had been occupied by "that type of people"...when asked "what do you mean by that?" her answer was "you know..." My heart was saying "why can't they? they are human, too". But you don't argue with your landlord, not when house hunting can be so annoying.

"wow. spacious. this will be  good for them. but what about the two men?"
"oh.  they are renting  the small unit at the back. They'll use the back entrance."
" ..errr...okayyy..but that would kinda go against our house rules of no men allowed in the house."
"don't worry. we will lock the connecting door so you won't notice their presence."
"...err... okayy...sounds like a plan...."
"...and i am hardly  at home and maybe sometimes i may bring back clients..."
ooppssss..
"clients? no no no...we will have children here..."

as i said..house hunting  is tiring and time consuming.  The sooner you get the house, the better will be your state of mind.

"it's cheap. almost the same as the one we saw. although a little bit dirty, we can spruce it up."
"ok...we will come over to check out the vibes..."

when they said "vibes", they meant the spiritual kind that goes bump in the night.  One of a friend's sister had lived with a ghost; a pretty naughty one that locks her up in the toilet but would relent when cajoled.

....but they forgot to check for vibes of  the wet type.....

we were located on the 2nd floor yet our stuffs were floating when it poured dogs and cats.... water was coming in from the ceiling and the walls.... this is what i call "instant swimming pool"..

...and so we had to move again within 4 months.  The ceiling was practically falling on us especially when it rained.

3rd house.

The neighbour downstairs kept running up; even when we had guests.
"too noisy! too noisy! i can't sleep. I can hear everything you all say downstairs!"
"my ceiling is leaking!"
"somebody threw their hair into my house!"
"your plumbing is too noisy! it's making noise!

wow. how do we make our children play quietly?  how did those rubbish come into your balcony when there wasn't anybody in our unit?

It is kind of difficult living with a paranoid neighbour. And so we started hunting again.

"yes! we love your house! we would like to sign up."
"no. people will come in and out of the house. the neighbours will say. malu!"
argue back and forth but you can't argue much because it is their prerogative who they want...

Next day, i ask another estate agent.
"kak, i think it is the same house...errr..maybe not....thank God...oh no! it is the same owner!"

and when asked by the agent why he refused us the house, he said he didn't want a dead body...

i wouldn't want a dead body in my house either but i can't control who wants to die in my house.

so we have people with so many houses and yet there are those who can't even afford a basic house. What is sad is that the ones with so many houses are so prejudiced towards those who couldn't afford them.



A Licensed Counsellor in the making...

Iran Trip : From Esfahan to Yadz 4 & 5th May 2014

At 2.15pm the journey to Yazd begun. Luckily i managed to empty my large colon as something in my persian diet is giving me wind. Half an hour later we were at the Sofeh Passenger Terminal picking up new passengers. The bus constantly stopped to pick up other passengers along the way. The maim scenery being dessert. We saw  several sandstorms nearer to the hills.

The scenery along the bus journey from Esfahan to Yazd

I though i saw several sandstorms ...

We finally reached Yazd at 7.15pm. Our driver was waiting for us at the bus station.

A woman driver hit our car from the side; wasn't much damage to our car but her light was damaged. Well, i have to give it to the two women: they were definitely not submissive women; arguing animatedly with our young driver.

Yazd is a relatively beautiful town with tree-lined pavements. Population is about 750000. Traffic seems more civilized compared to Tehran.

We stayed in Hotel Dad; very nice hotel.

Reached Yazd half dead and hungry. walked over to a grocery shop and a pharmacy. 

My legs itched like crazy because of the dry skin. However, putting the lotion made it worse. i should have remembered to put vaseline on my skin; cheaper than lotion.

Hotel Dad as seen during day time, taken from our room. It's beautiful. I love it.

Breakfast included.

It's lovely sitting outside in the cool spring air.

Our gorgeous guide, Feteshe. Very young lady. She was one of the best guide i have ever known; very knowledgable. I asked her about the iranian custom on marriages. Most couples would have their parents approaching the intended bride and normally an engagement period of one year is allowed before the marriage. Being in Yazd, where "everybody knows everybody else", dating is not encouraged but they can get to know each other. Iran has not stoned anybody for adultery for the last ten years, for which her ex-judge father-in-law would not do t. That's why i don't understand why Malaysia is so anxious to implement the Hudud. Ok..this will be one of my topics i would write ion later.

Yazd Towers of Silence

1st place we went to was the Zoroastrian Towers of Silence. The bodies of their dead were left on top of the flat towers to be exposed to the elements and eaten by the vultures; for purposes of purification in accordance to their beliefs. This ritual was carried out by a specialised group of workers who were not permitted to go into the city. 

The families of the deceased could stay in these buildings during the funeral and each building is designated for specific neighbourhoods/tribes. Take note of the windtowers.

Stairs leading down to a canat; a water source.

The shelters for the families of the deceased

Zoroaster; the prophet of the Zoroastrian religion; a monotheistic religion that existed 3,700 years ago was once the official religion of Persia before the arabs came. Their concept is very simple : Good Words, Good Thoughts and Good Deeds.  

Inside one of the shelters. I have no idea why he is hiding behind the column. :)

Climbing one of the Tower;a slightly less steep one.

The view from the Tower

After 2 weeks, the workers would collect the bones and leave it in the hole. Then acid would be poured on the bones to dissolve them. Since the 1970s, due to the encroaching city limits, the Zoroastrians were forced into burying their dead in the nearby cemetery. 

the other silent tower in the far right, is too steep to climb but few people were seen trudging the hill. Good exercise.

The Fire Temple

the Prophet's depiction at the Fire Temple

Fire is considered a form of purification. This fire of Yazd has been burining for the last 1,500 years. Anyway,this building is one that provides unisex lavatories; much to my pleasant surprise.

Their Holy Book is the Avesta : oldest and core part of the scriptures, which contains the Gathas. The Gathas are seventeen hymns thought to be composed by Zoroaster himself.

They pray several times a day by reciting from the Holy Book.

w

A celebration when a boy reaches puberty

Some of the contents of their Holy Book.

Their traditional dress.

Every part of the person signifies something Check this link for further information Zoroastrianism.

Shopping!

We went shopping for table clothes and prayer mats. A beautiful table clothe i bought costs RM 175 while the above prayer mat costs around RM112. It comes in 3 parts; the smaller one is where the mohr is placed.

Note the domed-shaped building. I am not sure if this is the building the guide said that the mosque was completed by the wife of someone who died before he managed to complete it. It has no minaret because it was completed by a woman. Sigh... 

The Nakhl, a contraption used by the shiahs to commemorate the matyrdom of Imam Hossein during Asshura. About 400-500 men would be carrying the contraption around the Square. 

Iranian local delicacies.

If you have a sweet tooth...

The Water Museum

Iran is experiencing drought, most of the canals are dry.

The workers wore white as their uniform because a collapsed ceiling may cause them to be buried alive in the shaft. It takes a generation to build the canats.

timing for qanat water shares (traditional water clocks)

The uniform that may be their shrouds. The ceiling may collapse at any time.

Where they used to collect water...

Yazd's Mausoleum (can't remember what's the venerated man's name)

Take note of the money left by the visitors; possibly as donation in maintaining the mausoleum and not for bribing the dead fellow to grant  wishes. 

His tomb is inside

the mimbar. Part of the building is now under repair.

Wind Towers

You can know the status of the owners by the size and complexity of their wind-towers; the bigger and beautiful it is, the richer the owners.

You have to go through a shop selling carpets to get to the roof-top. The shop owner would offer you tea and if you can afford it, buy their carpets. We didn't because we are too poor.

Note the walls;  their made up of straws and clay.

The old city made of clay. If you are willing to build an arch between two houses,  you are allowed to build a room ontop of that arch.

One quaint restaurent.

Time to eat! Eggplant dish. Yummmy!!

Dowlat Abad Garden

promegranates

the divans for resting

at the right time,  you can see colours on the floor

Chak Chak Pir-e Sabz Zoroastrian fire temple

The story goes that this is where Nikbanau, second daughter of the last pre-Islamic Persian ruler, Yazdegerd III of the Sassanid Empire hid and was never found thereafter. The name Chak chak was derived from  the sound of water dripping from the cave's ceiling. It became the holiest shrines of the Zoroasterians; flocking here annually between 14th to 18th June.

Be prepared to climb 

Parts of the temple is under repair so i guess that's why the donkey is being used to carry the materials.

A huge tree is situated infront of the entrance. It is claimed that this is Nikbana's cane that grew into a tree.

Candles lit here

Maybod's ancient fortress in Yazd province predates the Sassanians (224-637 AD)

There are 3 levels of the fortress: 1st level dated 2,000 years and the topmost about 700 years old

View taken from the fortress.

Lunch time! 

kebab, kebab and more kebab...Iranian food is rather dry and sourish compared to Malaysian food

note the weaving gadget...

Ice Pit (Yakhchal)

Ice stored here.

Just a tiny hole in the ceiling to allow the cold air to enter.

To make ice, the pool would be filled with water. Once frozen, the ice would be stored in the Ice Pit (Yakhchal)

Meybod Pigeon Tower 

The Meybod Pigeon Tower is 3 stories tall. Note the white ringed; this is to prevent snakes from climbing into the tower.

About three levels condominium  for the pigeons; used for meat and as courier. It stank but no longer as there are no more pigeons.

Inside the Pigeon Tower