[travel] Un(ac)countable

I learned the Arabic numbering system on my first day in Jordan by looking at the hotel room numbers on my floor. It's come in handy many times. For example. in a supermarket in Luxor, Egypt:

Me: How much does this cost? (70 in Arabic is written on the basket of nuts, but it's unclear 70 per what)
Salesguy: 400 Egyptian pounds per kilo.
Me: No way.
Salesguy: It says right there. 400 pounds per kilo.
Me. No, it says 70. Can't you read Arabic?

[travel] Bargaining and poker

After a couple of months in third-world countries, I now am good at bargaining under certain situations. Basically, when I have some idea of the real value of a good, I can bargain quite well. I can learn the good's value from a guidebook, watching what the locals pay, or by testing people's limits when multiple people are selling the same item. However, if there's only one person selling a unique item (eg some rather nice sunglasses), it's hard to figure out if I'm getting a good deal or not. Unfortunately, the majority of my future bargaining situations back in the US will likely be in this category. These people make a living out of feigning emotions, and I have trouble telling if their shock as my offered price is artificial or real. Perhaps you people out there who play poker have found it to be useful for this sort of thing.

[travel Man-pig love in Ancient Egypt

I saw some of the oldest tombs in Anciient Egypt on my last day there. The carvings on the walls were a bit wackier than usual. Here's one that caught my eye -- it appeared to be a man and a pig getting some hot tongue-on-tongue action.

Upon inspection of other carvings, it appeared that the tongue-out look was their way of portraying an animal as dead. So it's more likely a priest kissing a *dead* pig (with another priest washing the pig) before offering it as a sacrifice.

[travel] Leaving Egypt

( Long entry where I talk about the stunning glory of Ancient Egypt's literacy, art, and atchitecture, speculate on its decline and why modern Egypt can't get anywhere, socially or economically speaking, and briefly rant about the sorry state of its tourist industry one last time. )

[travel] Psychedelic Islam

One sect of Islam, the Sufis, is much more mystical than the other prevailing sects of Islam.  They emphasize music and dance as a way of gaining a greater emotional connection with Allah.  One particular group of Sufis (aka the "Whirling Dervishes") uses repetitive spinning to achieve a trance state for an even stronger connection.  This spinning is usually done to music involving a group of drummers and a reed flute. 

While I'm guessing the costumes and the spinning were glammed up for tourists, the look is quite good and at times rather kitschy.

So, let's review:
- Drum circles
- Crazy colorful costumes
- Spinning something as a performance
- Inducing trance states through ecstatic dance

Sounds like Burning Man to me.

I think a psychedelic revival of Sufi dancing should be the next big thing to hit Burning Man.  I'm thinking blacklight-sensitive op-art robes... or perhaps a kevlar robe with a flame wick sewn to the bottom so that you can be a flaming whiling dervish.