Singapore 9 February, 2009
Posted by nousha in Travel.Tags: Singapore, Travelogue
add a comment
What it is like:
Singapore is one of the few sovereign city-states (along with Monaco, San Marino and Vatican city ), i.e. the whole island is one city run by one government. With an area of 707.1 km2 , and a population of 4.84 million (in a 2008 report) , Singapore is the second-most densely populated independent country in the world after Monaco. I can not describe how it was like during major celebrations like Christmas and New Year’s Eve, it was almost suffocating! Yet, amidst this unbelievable density and humidity, you will not face the horrific experience of body odors in the metro.
Etymology:
Singapore means in Malay means “Lion-city”, that’s why you’ll find the lion figures everywhere and very popular in the souvenirs shopping. But I heard that lions never lived there.
History:
Before the early 19th century, Singapore was just a fishing village, that’s why you will not find much remains of this period. In 1819, Sir Stamford Raffles (from the British East India Company) thought it was an appropriate place to establish a port along the spice route, which was a good decision because it gained a lot of importance (commercially and military) for the British empire. You’ll easily find “Raffles” everywhere, on street names, metro station names, statues,,,, Seems like they appreciate him a lot.
For more history (source: wikipedia):
The city was occupied by the Japanese during World War II, which Winston Churchill called “Britain’s greatest defeat”. Singapore reverted to British rule immediately after the war, in 1945. Eighteen years later the city, having achieved independence from Britain, merged with Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak to form Malaysia. However, less than two years later it seceded from the federation and became an independent republic on 9 August 1965. Singapore joined the United Nations on 21 September that same year. It is also a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations.
Airport
Changi Airport is the main airport in Singapore, it has 3 terminals. The first one was opened in 1981, the second in 1990 and the third was opened last year. The people are very proud of their airport, it is a common theme for souvenirs shopping (key chains, fridge magnet, coaster,,). My flight was from the second airport, and if that’s the old one, I really can’t wait to see the new one.
Needless to say it is very clean, very organized, very diverse. I liked also the services it provided, from luxurious spa, rooms, cinema, comics stand, even Play Station 3 and Xbox stands! And the general atmosphere is very relaxing, with running water, trees, warm colours and nice music, relatively unlike other airport experiences in Europe that I faced.
Food
All the travel guides will tell you how diverse food is in Singapore, mainly because of the diverse ethnicities living there. There are all sorts of Indonesian, Chinese, Japanese food, even Burger King, Starbucks, and other main burger and pizza and coffee outlets are available. If you decided to go for a bit adventurous experience, you can go for the Asian cuisine, and if you are like me, not knowing much about it, I advise you to look at the items in the featured pictures of the menus, because this is not like Peking restaurant that we know here in Cairo. And if you were tired from the trial and error, I suggest you head for the restaurant in Marriott hotel in Orchard road (it’s the main shopping area), it blends eastern and western cuisine in a beautiful maneuver. And while you are there, you can go for an ice cream right across from the hotel, this ice cream offers 16 flavors of chocolate, 12 flavors of sorbet among others! Check out the chili chocolate, it’s pretty interesting.
Weather
As a tropical climate, there is only one season in Singapore, hot and humid. So forget about the extra jacket, and bring extra T shirts and an umbrella. The temperature ranges from 22 °C to 34 °C, and the average humidity in the morning is 90% and in the afternoon 60% , and it is said that it sometimes reaches 100% !!
Shopping
In general, shopping in Singapore is not cheap, but you can find anything you want. Orchard road is the main shopping hub with all the international brands you can imagine. You can easily find the same brand outlet repeated every couple of streets. And if you are looking for cheaper souvenirs shopping, then head for China Town, it is interesting. There are also districts for Arabs and Indians, but I didn’t have the chance to visit them.
For books lovers, check out Borders at Wheelock Place and Kinokuniya at Ngee Ann City, both on Orchard road.
Security
Security is a serious business in Singapore. I heard that spiting on the street and chewing gum are punished by law, but I didn’t notice that except in comic fridge magnets. What was evident though is the very strict drug law, in the entrance card, there is notice in large bold font saying “drug trafficking carries a mandatory death penalty”!
I also heard that overstaying your visa is punished by caning!
For more info:
http://wikitravel.org/en/Singapore
A Place I want to visit: Nalchik 22 January, 2009
Posted by nousha in Cherkess, Travel.2 comments
Few years ago I discovered in my grandfather’s papers an old letter sent to him by one of his cousins, he was depicting his trip to Moscow and the little visit he paid to the city where he was born… Nalchik. This was my first time to hear about Nalchik, I ‘ve always thought that the city from where my great grandfather came from was Cherkessk. But now as I found out that my grandfather’s cousin was born in Nalchik, and that he actually met in the 1960’s some of his family members who recognized him, perhaps it was Nalchik after all.
Another fact that might make me a Nalchik descendant is that my family is one of the Kabardine (القبارطاي), and Nalchik is the capital of Kabardino-Balkar Republic, one of the republics in the Russian Federation that has a major Adyghe population, along with Karachay-Cherkess Republic and The Republic of Adygea).
Nalchik seems to be a quiet city, even though it is close to the troubled border line between Russia and Georgia. Yet it faced a crisis in 13 October 2005 when a group of armed men tried to take over the city and attacked policemen and army headquarters. The Russian special forces intervened, and life returned to normal after only a couple of days.
I was happy to discover on Tripadvisor.com some interesting info and tips about the city. I also found in the forum of TripAdvisor.com the message of an English guy (Chris) who travelled to Nalchik last year, and created a website talking about his trip.
Nalchik airport can be reached either from Moscow Vnukovo airport (daily flights, taking around 2 h), or from Istanbul (many weekly charter). Or as an alternative, there is Mineralnye Vody Airport, which is more important and has direct flights with West Europe, and it’s only 1 h and half from Nalchik.
Tripadvisor.com also posted reviews of 2 hotels there: Grand Caucasus and Sindica Intour hotel (not exactly reviews, but at least pictures and essential info).
Nalchik lies in the middle of the Greater Caucasus mountain chain, one of these is Mount Elbrus, (a dormant volcano for the past 2,000 years ), it is the highest mountain in the Caucasus, its west summit “Mt. Elbrus” stands at 5,642 metres and it is the highest mountain in Europe. Obviously mountaineering and skiing are popular activities especially in CHEGET and ELBRUS. Chris described how it was, he mentioned that “it was very mild in the sunshine at base level but up towards the peak the temperature dipped to minus double figures with gusts unleashing the powdery snow like a sand storm.”
A final advice from Tripadvisor.com: “Nalchik city in itself does not have that much to offer. It is a nice and friendly town and a convenient base to explore the region. Safe, green and restful, Nalchik is certainly the town of choice for a stopover if you happen to be in the North Caucasus. In other words, It is worth a detour but, by itself, does not justify a trip from West Europe or from Moscow.”
P.S. you can find more interesting photos of Nalchik in the tourism official website.
Places: Three Camel Lodge – The Gobi, Mongolia 4 December, 2008
Posted by nousha in Travel.2 comments
Washington: The Spy Museum 17 November, 2008
Posted by nousha in Travel.1 comment so far
In Washington, you will definitely have an over dose of museums. The National Mall alone has 17 different museums!! This one is a bit different. It’s not about art, it’s not about history or culture. It’s about a field that attracts the attention, because it always aim for secrecy…
Spy Museum
The spy museum is dedicated solely to espionage, spy-related artifacts, tricks,,, etc. Their collection is huge! Most of them are of course replicas, and relates more to the first half of the 20th century (still it attracts lots of attention from kids and grown-ups) or stories about the history of espionage. There are also some practical tricks about cyphering that were very engaging.
What interested me the most in the museum, is a simulation of an operation. It is repeated every hour or something like that. You are in a group, and all of you are living the adventure of a case officer. You have a guide who gives you guidance and instructions (their acting was very funny!). The atmosphere of each room was skillfully managed to deliver the atmosphere of actually being on a mission.
Absolutely worth a visit.
For more info: www.spymuseum.org
The Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies 9 November, 2008
Posted by nousha in Islam, Knowledge, Travel.add a comment
Few months ago, I travelled to London in a business trip, and we were lucky to have a small tour in The Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies.
The Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies provides a meeting point between the Islamic and Western worlds of learning. Through good scholarship it promotes a more informed understanding of Islam – its culture and civilisation.
This is the center’s message on its homepage: http://www.oxcis.ac.uk/
It was established in 1985 to encourage the scholarly study of Islam and the Islamic world. Worth noting that The Prince of Wales is the Patron of the Centre…
You can browse its programs and you’ll see a large number of publications, lectures, seminars,,, etc
What interested me the most during my visit is the new building. It was designed to merge the traditional Islamic architecture and the modern utilities in a fine mixture that shows beauty and simplicity. It also aimed at revoking the old styles of teaching in Islamic universities which emphasizes the relationship between the professor and the student, that is the most critical part of the learning process.
I remember that the architect was an Egyptian engineer, but unfortunately I don’t recall his name. I hope that Egyptian universities would learn from this example that studied the Islamic heritage and brought it forward with all that the new tech offered.
US trip Intro 29 October, 2008
Posted by nousha in Diary, Travel, Uncategorized.add a comment
Start spreading the news, I’m leaving today
I want to be a part of it – New York, New York
These vagabond shoes, are longing to stray
Right through the very heart of it – New York, New York
Frank Sinatra
I’ve just returned from a trip to the US. This was my first time to cross the Atlantic, so you can imagine how excited I was with the trip. I had a long long list of things to do, places to go, things to buy,,,, Elhamdlelah I did 99.9% of my list 
I heard that when you go to NY, do not expect it to be just like the movies, and that many people were disappointed with what they saw. For me I loved it. It was pretty hectic, crowded, noisy, fast-paced. Kind of similar to Cairo in some aspects. If you want good food, there are tons of restaurants. Wants culture? Tens of exhibitions and museums. Nature? you have parks. Partying? I won’t go through that, but I heard that it was niiice.
It’s really nice to walk in the streets of Manhattan, only my feet hurt that I used the cabs. And without noticing it I discovered that I imitated the fast walking method of the New Yorkers. On average I used to walk something like 3 hours a day! Just thinking about it, makes my muscles ach.
On the other hand, cabs were also fun. There is a screen featuring some news, and a GPS map showing the way. But when you ride more than a cab during the same day, the video seems annoying. Cabs in NY are way better that the ones in Washington. Only few months ago, cabs in Washington used to calculate the trip by zones, it was very complicated and expensive. Elhamdlelah, they changed the system to the normal metering.
—
The day before I go there, MBC2 was showing “The Day After Tomorrow”. It was kind of funny to watch the streets I’ll be walking in in an icy atmosphere.
I couldn’t help but remember all the movies that were shot in the streets of New York. Friends, Seinfeld, You’ve Got Mail, When Harry met Sally, Maid in Manhattan,,, It was something like a déjà-vu 
ليون الأفريقي 30 September, 2008
Posted by nousha in People, Travel.add a comment
“كثير من الرجال يستكشفون العالم بأسره سعياً لتكوين ثرواتهم. أما أنت يا بني, فستجد الثروة أثناء سعيك لاكتشاف العالم”. أمين معلوف – رواية (ليون الأفريقي)
قليل منا يعرفون من هو ليون الأفريقي Leo Africanus بالرغم من اهتمام الدوائر العلمية الغربية به, خاصة تلك المتخصصة في التاريخ و الجغرافيا, إذ يعتبرونه من الرواد في البحث الجغرافي في أفريقيا , فقد قدم خدمات جليلة للثقافة و البحث ساهمت في إثراء الثقافة الغربية خلال عصر النهضة.
يوحنا ليون الأفريقي هو الحسن بن محمد الوزان الزياتي, ولد في غرناطة في عام 894هـ, أي قبيل دخول الملكة إيزابيل و زوجها الملك فرديناند. و عندما طرد العرب من آخر مدينة لهم في الأندلس بعد حكم قارب السبعة قرون, هاجرت أسرته للمغرب للعيش بمدينة فاس. في هذه الفترة كانت فاس تتزعم العواصم المتمدينة حضارة و علماً, و عليه ليس من الغريب أن ينمو في الوزان الشغف بالثقافة و العلم. و قد درس في جامعة القرويين التي كانت تعد من أهم المنابر العلمية آنذاك (جدير بالذكر أن تلك الجامعة تم تسجيلها في موسوعة جينيس للأرقام القياسية Guinness World Records كأقدم مؤسسة للتعليم العالي تعمل حتى الآن, يأتي بعدها مباشرة جامعة الأزهر بالقاهرة ثم جامعة المستنصرية ببغداد, و قد درس فيها شخصيات مهمة مثل الشريف الإدريسي, ابن خلدون, موسى بن ميمون الطبيب و الفيلسوف اليهودي, سيلفستر الثاني الذي شغل منصب البابا في آواخر القرن العاشر). أهلّته دراسته لأن يكون فقيهاً, ثم رافق أحد أعمامه في بعثة دبلوماسية إلى جنوب غرب أفريقيا, وصل خلالها إلى تمبكتو و ممالك أفريقية أخرى. في وقت لاحق زار مصر و القسطنطينية في مهام تجارية و دبلوماسية, كما حج أثناء إقامته في المشرق, و كان لتلك الزيارات أعمق الأثر في إثراء معلوماته, الأمر الذي ساعده على إتمام كتابه المعروف “وصف أفريقيا”.
أثناء رحلة العودة من القاهرة في عام 1518, سقط في الأسر على يد قرصان خلال توقف سفينته بالقرب من جزيرة, في الأغلب هي جزيرة جربة Djerba بالقرب من سواحل تونس, و في مقولة أخرى أنه أُسر بالقرب من جزيرة كريت. و تم إقتياده إلى جزيرة رودس Rhodes حيث يقطن جماعة فرسان القديس يوحنا Knights of St. John, ثم اقتيد بعد ذلك إلى روما كهدية للبابا ليون العاشر Pope Leo X الذي أكرمه و أعطاه مميزات عديدة في بلاطه. و قد كان البابا (لحسن حظ الوزان) من محبي العلم و العلماء, فأعجب بخبرات حسن الوزان و دقة معلوماته, مما مكنه أن يحظى بمكانة رفيعة في وسط أوروبي غير مألوف لديه.
تخبرنا المصادر بأن البابا دعاه إلى إعتناق المسيحية, في سنة 1520، و البقاء لتدريس اللغة العربية في روما. فسماه “ليون الأفريقي”, و هو الاسم الذي اشتهر به في الوسط الأوروبي, و لهذا الاسم عدة تصاريف حسب اللغة أو اللهجة المستخدمة: Johannes Leo / Giovanni Leone de Medicis / Leo Africanus. و في 1521 ، فقد معلمه البابا ليو العاشر الذي توفي في ذلك العام. ثم انتقل إلى بولونيا, و عاد في وقت لاحق إلى روما ، بعد زيارة نابولي وفلورنسا. لا يعرف الكثير عن ليون الأفريقي بعد ذلك, و يقال أنه غادر روما في عام 1527 متوجهاً إلى تونس, في حين يقول البعض الآخر أنه شق طريقه من تونس إلى المغرب وتوفي هناك. في كلتا الحالتين يرجح الباحثون أنه قد رجع إلى الإسلام قبل وفاته.
كتب حسن الوزان خلال إقامته بروما مجموعة كتب في اللغة و الأدب و الجغرافيا أشهرها كتاب “وصف أفريقيا”, بالإضافة إلى قاموس عربي-لاتيني-عبري (الجزء العربي منه محفوظ في Escorial Library بأسبانيا). كما درّس اللغة العربية لبعض الطلاب في البلاط البابوي, أشهرهم الكاردينال (الشاعر) Egidio Antonini of Viterbo (1465-1532) الذي بدوره علّم المستشرق الألماني الشهير Johann Albrecht von Widmanstetter (1506- 1557).
نشر كتاب “وصف أفريقيا / Descrittione dell’ Africa” باللغة الإيطالية في سنة 1550 ضمن مجموعة كتب عن الرحلات Delle navigationi e viaggi التي نشرها Giovanni Battista Ramusio. لقي الكتاب نجاحاً هائلاً في أوروبا, و تمت ترجمته للعديد من اللغات. و لحسن الحظ في القرن العشرين تم العثور على النسخة العربية الأصلية للكتاب, و أكتُشف أن Ramusio غيَّر بعض ألفاظ الوزان لجعلها أكثر قبولاً للقارئ الأوروبي, مما أعطى للكتاب بعض الإنطباعات الغير حيادية, خاصة في وصف المجتمعات الأفريقية.
للأسف لا يوجد اهتمام عربي كافي بسيرة حسن الوزان, في حين نجد اهتمام غربي شديد بهذه الشخصية الفذة. إذا جربت أي وسيلة بحث بسيطة على الانترنت باللغة العربية ثم باللغة الانجليزية, لوجدت أن المصادر و الدراسات التي كتبت عنه باللغة الانجليزية أضعاف ما كتب عنه باللغة العربية. بل أن بعض المؤسسات قامت بتمويل أبحاث متخصصة في سيرة هذا الرحال, و أقيمت مؤتمرات دولية جمعت متخصصين من مجالات مختلفة (تاريخ, علم الإنسان, الجغرافيا, علم اللغة, الفلسفة) تبحث في دلالة استكشافاته, مثل المؤتمر الذي نظمته l’École des Hautes Études en Sciences Socials بباريس في مايو 2003. من جهة أخرى يعد أشهر الاهتمام العربي به هو رواية “ليون الافريقي” التي كتبها الكاتب اللبناني أمين معلوف بالفرنسية في 1986, و التي لاقت صدى كبير في الأوساط الأدبية العربية و الغربية.
ما أحوجنا اليوم إلى دراسة مثل تلك النماذج التاريخية للتفاعل الحضاري و الثقافي بين الشرق و الغرب, دراسة تبني هناك قاعدة صلبة لمتطلبات الحوار بين الحضارات و ال.
مصادر مقترحة لمزيد من المعلومات عن حسن الوزان:
• “حياة الوزان الفاسي و آثاره” محمد المهدي الحجوي , المطبعة الاقتصادية, الرباط, 1935 .
• “Trickster Travels: A Sixteenth-Century Muslim between Worlds”, Natalie Zemon Davis, New York: Hill and Wang, 2003, ISBN: 0–8090–9434–7.
Books by Ambassador Dr. Ihab El Sherif 19 September, 2008
Posted by nousha in Books, Egypt, History, People, Photography, Travel.add a comment
I’ve heard so much about the late Ambassador Dr. Ihab El Sherif, who was kidnapped and murdered in Iraq in July 2005, about him personally and professionally with those who have known him and worked with him. Very recently I got to know that he was also a writer, and a very good one I must say, and that he was interested in travel literature, taking advantage of the opportunites the long stay that his career demanded.
Few days ago, I was lucky enough to skim through one of his books: India, Secrets and Keys. I was astounished with the richness of the book. This is not an ordinary travel book with some photos and tips. It is a complete work of art, FULL of pictures (on every page there was on average from 3 to 7 photos, multiplied by around 250 pages, equals more than 1000 photo!), poetry, quotes, maps, descriptions, impressions,,,,
I also found out that he wrote other books about his travels in arabic. So these days I’m on the hunt for these books: الهند , أسرار و مفاتيح (نشره المجلس الهندي للعلاقات الثقافية) – بلاد الجن و الملائكة( نشره دار المستقبل العربي) – أوروبا , الحلم و الحقيقة ( نشرته المفوضية الأوروبية) – ألمانيا اليوم (نشرته دائرة الصحافة و الإعلام التابعة لحكومة جمهورية ألمانيا الاتحادية).ء
This is what I found with some googling:
كُتُب السفير -وهو بالمناسبة حفيد الأديب محمد المويلحي- التي يمكن تصنيفها ضمن أدب الرحلات، عكست رؤيته المؤمنة بالحوار مع الثقافات وأنه لم يكن يكتفي فيها بالسطح وإنما كان يبحث بحثا عميقا فيما خلف الصور اللامعة، ويجمع التاريخ بالحاضر، ويراقب عادات الناس ويحلل أفكارهم ليصل إلى روح البلد.
وقد قال الأديب “جمال الغيطاني” عن كتابات “الشريف”: “يمكن للإنسان في أسفاره أن يرى أماكن جميلة، وعمارة رائعة، لكن الأمر سيكون أجمل لو أن المرء عرف البعد الزمني للمكان، ماذا جرى فيه، ومن أقام به؟ ومن حل ومن عبر؟ وهذا بالتحديد ما وجدته في كتب إيهاب الشريف..”
وعن كتابه “بلاد الجن والملائكة” الذي كتبه عن فرنسا أضاف الغيطاني: “إن هذا الكتاب يمكن اعتباره نوعا فريدا في أدب الرحلات، فهو لا يعتمد فقط على النص المكتوب شأن كل أدب الرحلات العربي، لكنه يضع الصورة على مستوى النص، والصورة هنا ليست لقطة كارت سياحية، لكنها صورة فنية من خلال رؤية ونظرة فنان مرهف، حساس، يجيد التقاط اللحظة الفريدة بما تحويه من موقف وضوء وحضور إنساني”.
وولد الشريف في عام 1954، ودرس الأدب الفرنسي في مصر، قبل أن يحصل على دكتوراه في العلوم السياسية من جامعة السوربون في باريس حول الإسلام السياسي، وله عدة مؤلفات في أدب الرحلات حول الهند وفرنسا وألمانيا.
Links:
Edelweiss, Edelweiss 3 August, 2008
Posted by nousha in Lyrics, Travel.1 comment so far
Every morning you greet me
Small and white, clean and bright
You look happy to meet me
Blossom of snow may you bloom and grow
Bloom and grow forever
Edelweiss, Edelweiss
Bless my homeland forever
From the Sound of Music
I remembered this song when I was in Geneva, we were on the hunt for a restaurant that serves chocolat fondue, and after wandering around for a while, we found this very swiss restaurant, in Edelweiss Hotel. It is the equivalent of Felfela in Egypt, combining all the stereotypes that tourists imagine of Switzerland. (Food is good, prices are reasonable, recommended)
The entertainer played this song, and I instantly remembered that scene in The Sound of Music. I kept humming it all night, and ultimately remembered the last verse!
It’s such a lovely song. It’s such a lovely flower.
It’s London 17 July, 2008
Posted by nousha in Diary, Travel.7 comments
A long time ago, I used to write a post every day, and sometimes a couple of posts as well. Then things changed and the frequency of writing changed a bit,,,, or a lot. Anyway,,, here is a post to break the ice that the long absence has caused
I had the chance to go to London for a week. It was AMAZING! I couldn’t imagine before that I will fall in love with this city. Even though I didn’t have the chance to see much of what it offers, I can tell you about bits and pieces of what I saw.
So, what would be the first and most important thing that an Egyptian would notice first when he goes to London?
CROSSING THE STREETS
For other nationalities, crossing the streets in London might be a concern because of the different direction of the car, but for me -as an Egyptian- this point in particular did not concern me as I am used to see in the streets of Cairo cars coming from all directions (as in el etegah el mo3akes), and parking everywhere (doesn’t matter whether it was the right or the left lane). But what astonished me is the idea of waiting for the lights and then passing nonchalant Some of my friends tried to do it Egyptian-style, and they were almost run over because the Londoners wouldn’t imagine someone doing that, while here in Egypt if I were driving I wouldn’t look only at the cars, but I will also at the pedestrians walking in the street and those who are in the middle of the high way trying to cross.
The second thing that caught my attention is the transportation system and the number of cameras installed for supervision! It’s unbelievable! In some buses there are like 6 cameras installed everywhere, and there are also screens so you would notify the driver in case you saw anything suspicious!
Once we took the bus and we were a large group, so we were separated, but we started sending each other messages through the TV screens it was hilarious! 10 minutes later the other passengers joined in and started playing too
The sale season in London is unbelievable! I thought that I will go to Oxford st once or twice bel keteerto get my shopping list and then feel free to tour London, but I was wrong, we spent hours and hours and hours going up and down this street, I think I went there every other day and there were still stuff I wanted to get but didn’t have the time to go… In London I discovered that my anti-shopping claims faded in front of the shopping bug.
Now let’s talk about books…. What can I say? It’s a books heaven. The stores are immense. But they are expensive. I liked that they have bookstores chains all over the city. This was in London. In Oxford this is a totally different story. I visited Oxford for a couple of hours only, but I hardly was able to drag myself in front of the superb bookstores in order to be on time with the rest of the group. Oxford,,,, it’s like a dream city for students. Even though I spent only a couple of hours but I noticed that the whole city was just the different academies, the dorms of the students, restaurants and cafes, and BOOKSTORES. That’s it! I would have loved comparing it to medinet el talababut I don’t feel like burning my nerves now.
That’s it for now, more to come soon insha allah
