good talk

The 5 Gulf States that I was in I had never been to before and I'm always glad to add extra countries to my collection but Jordan I had been to just 4 years before. I didn't cat around Amman this time but got on a van going to Wadi Musa, the town next to Petra. Lots of hotels just pick the one you want. In the morning I hopped a van for the 2 miles to Petra, the "Lost City," the city of Sele in the Bible. Settled by the Nabataeans in ancient times and rediscovered by the Swiss adventurer, Johannes Burkhardt in 1822, Petra was kept secret to the West for a thousand years (ha, ha, actually I don't know why), a city largely carved from Red Stone. And the redness of Petra had largely faded in the 4 years since I had last been there, I have no idea why, I asked and didn't get any good answers. The most famous building is "the Treasury" which is the first you come to and it's about a mile and a half to the furthest point, "the Monastery," which I reached this time. There's a lot of climbing involved and 4 years before a silly Arab was acting up and kept me awake at the hotel I stayed at, I didn't have the energy to get to "the Monastery." There's lots of other tourists and they're riding camels, horses, donkeys but I made it a point to just walk, to me that's part of it. The area around Petra is strange, I've seen cumulus clouds that were barely above the ground. The Moabites were originally here and denied the Jews passage through their land, the Jews eventually returned and threw the Moabites from the cliffs. I ate at the huge buffet in the middle of Petra, $12, it was just basic grub but you could have all you wanted, calories you need to explore the place. I didn't miss anything this time, I was exhausted by the end of the day but I enjoyed it. The next morning I got on a van going to Aqaba, on the Red Sea. Little to see there, this was my 3rd time to Jordan, I had been in Aqaba 15 years before. Took a taxi to Wadi Rum, it's like a national park, it's just a lot of desert and mountains. I stayed at this friendly place which has a restaurant and a bunch of tents out back which cost $4 a night. I walked out into the desert and read for a few hours, it was pretty nice. I ate at the restaurant, wrote postcards and eventually retired to my tent for the night. No light, just darkness after the sun went down and it was cold as heck but plenty of blankets in the tent. And the wind howled that night like you wouldn't believe and swayed that tent back and forth like somebody waving their hand. All in all it was a pretty good experience and I slept well. The next morning I took a taxi back to Aqaba and then took another taxi to the border and crossed over into Eilat, Israel.

good talk

Gobble, gobble. I wish that I had kept the receipt from the pharmacy of that Coptic family in Kuwait City so that I could send them a Thank You card or postcard. It's not like me not to have it, I'm German, I keep records when I don't want to keep records. Maybe it was because I was so sick that it got lost in the shuffle. I was coughing up a lot of blood, I was really sick. I think that maybe I got something from the illegal aliens at the gym I go to and the bad air of Cairo enhanced it. When you're in a plane even 2 miles up the air is brown, only time I've even seen that. They say that antibiotics are the biggest medical breakthrough of the past century. In the mid-20's President Coolidge's teen-age son died from an infected tennis blister, the President's son would have the best of medical care but the advent of antibiotics was in the 30's. From Dubai I took the bus to Muscat, Oman, got in late, found a hotel behind the bus depot and flopped. Ha, ha, I did bargain there and got 20% off, basically all you have to do is ask, they had a room to sell and a buyer standing in front of them. I didn't even know where Oman was until just before I went there. Muscat is pretty good, I don't think they have the oil wealth of the 4 northern Gulf States. I liked their History and Cultural Museum and they give you a nice memento of your visit. Their Military Museum is real big and interesting and you have a military escort showing you around, I had a picture taken of me with this Warrant Officer, this was quite nice. Oman's National Mosque is fabulous! And boys and girls, that's the biggest carpet in the world, it took 600 women three years to weave (bet they were tired) it. I went to some town 60 miles away where they had a fort and catted around out there. Back in Muscat I had a taxi driver drive me some places and then to the airport and we got into a disagreement about the bill. I was being generous and I thought that he was trying to take advantage of me, to decide this the head officer in charge of Security at the Muscat Airport sort of had a mini-civil trial. This officer sat behind a desk with me sitting in front of him and the taxi driver sitting a distance to his side and a bunch of Security Personnel sitting in chairs in a semi-circle behind me. The officer asked to hear my side first and then he heard the taxi driver's side and then he rendered his decision in favor of the taxi driver. It was actually a trifle blown out of proportion, I just thought that the guy was trying to take advantage of me after I was being nice to him. I pulled myself together and hopped on a plane to Amman, Jordan. Yemen is the only Gulf State that I haven't been to, I was thinking about going there but they've had a lot of bad incidents and kidnappings and I was thinking about going there overland by bus. Also I didn't think that I could get out of there to Amman very easily. Royal Jordanian is a nice airline, I like to fly different airlines and I've flown a lot of them. One of Man's basic instincts is to explore, that is go places, and I find travel to be very exciting, it's good clean fun that hurts no one.

good talk

I watched the 1986 Kentucky Derby on TV, a really dramatic race with Willie Shoemaker aboard Ferdinand in a masterful "trip" through the "Invisible Hole." When I learned 2 years ago that Ferdinand had died in a Japanese Slaughterhouse it went all the way through me. I couldn't believe that such Evil had befallen this Equine Champion. A groom said of Ferdinand, "He was so sweet. He'd come over to me and press his head up against me." I saw the 1991 Kentucky Derby, I was basically dropping down from Ohio to Florida and ran into it. All it cost to get into the Infield was $20, they didn't even give you a ticket and there was no limit to the number they'd shove into the Infield. It was a real good time, I was out there 5 hours and everybody would be walking around talking to each other. The Derby itself was the 8th race, I had thought that they just ran the Derby and then everybody went home. I had bought the local newspaper and it seemed like Strike the Gold was undervalued at 6-l so I put $20 on him. I didn't really feel like betting at all but I would have felt stupid being there and not betting on the Kentucky Derby. In the Infield all you see is the beginning and end and you watch the race on Big Screens (although I was right there on the Rail at the Start-Finish at the Preakness 5 years ago, a really good "Seat"). Strike the Gold won and I won 116 dollars on the son of Alydar and Majestic Gold. I had never been on the Internet before 3 months ago but once I was I Googled Strike the Gold. Apparently he's in Turkey and they're talking about eating him! Some people are more civilized than others. There's a retirement home for thoroughbreds in Kentucky called "Old Friends," and its at www.old friends equine. com. Since Ferdinand's fate in 2002 became well known a couple years ago "Old Friends" has received a lot more support and maybe we can all pitch in and save Strike the Gold and other Equine Champions from a dreadful fate and give them the retirement that they deserve. Half the Country was watching the Stakes Race between Ruffian and Foolish Pleasure in 1975 and a lot of people thought that Ruffian, a filly, would win. When Ruffian broke her leg so badly and had to be destroyed right there at the track that for me was one of the all-time Tearjerkers. Apparently due to the demands of a Stakes Race this was the last one ever run in this country. In 1917 Man O' War lost his only race at the Sanford Downs at Saratoga, the horse that beat him giving his name forever to unexpected victory, "Upset."

good talk

I pumped some gas today and they had a TV screen on the pump, I went to the supermarket and at the check-out stand they also had a TV screen, in the locker-room of the gym I go to they have 2 TV's and I posed the question, "Why do we have TV's in the locker-room?" Hearing this an old man said, "It's to traumatize the Masses to make them subservient." Hmmm. I can put my thoughts into people's minds in old movies or old newsreels. I was watching the "History Channel" and I did this with Hitler once. It was a scene where Hitler was viewing a military parade passing beneath him, I said, "Adolf," and 2 seconds later I said,"Heil." Hitler exploded with laughter and had a hard time containing himself. Eh, that was funny. Of course I wasn't pledging allegiance to Hitler, how many people do you think addressed Hitler by his first name? He knew that I was an entity equal or superior to himself and reacted accordingly. It was just a joke between 2 guys. Hitler was often seen smiling and laughing unlike the rest of the Nazis who always had an air of gravity about them. If you didn't know better you'd think, a happy-go-lucky Bavarian. That Adolf had a malevolent side is well-known, his father used to beat him all the time and I think once put him in a coma, he made young Adolf address him as "Herr Fater," Mr. Father. We can all agree that Hitler had a mean side to him and this is why. Adolf had great ability and it's a pity that it couldn't have been utilized for Good. Hey, I'm so different from everybody that Hitler might have gotten me in the Holocaust had I been around in those days, we wouldn't want that. But I can't change History and it's not a wise idea to try. I did try it with whatshisname who played Superman, I'd see him in movies and think "Don't Ride Horses!" I would think that somebody would heed this warning, it didn't work. That was the only time that I ever communicated with Hitler, there's nothing to be said. I don't know why the Nazis did what they did, you have intrinsic knowledge, you're born knowing that it's wrong to rob and murder people. And look at the zeal they put into it. I don't think they did regard the Jews as being inferior, they had better jobs and more money than most, I think they regarded them as a competitor to be gotten out of the way. The Nazis also killed 400,000 Gypsies and they despised them. It's good that those days are behind us but is the World actually better today than it was then?

good talk

California State Employees receive a paid holiday for "Cesar Chavez Day," there's Washington, Lincoln and ..... As small as Kuwait is it possesses 10% of the world's oil reserves. I flew to Manama, Bahrain. Bahrain is an island and has good things to see but not nearly as many as Kuwait. The National Museum is real good, both Kuwait's and Manama's National Mosque are real good. Generally speaking I prefer a great Mosque to a Cathedral, there's nothing in it to speak of and you can admire its grand simplicity. The Arabs love to dicker, you can bargain about anything, hotel rooms, taxi rides, you name it. From my hotel I wanted to go to the National Museum and I expressed this desire to a taxi driver and he said 7 Dinar (a Dinar is 2.50). I raised 2 fingers and said, 2 Dinar. Onlookers smile as they like the interaction. After awhile we settled on 4 Dinar, it was worth about the 2 but I'm not a very good bargainer. Due to the oil riches throughout the Gulf States you can see beautiful big buildings and more of them being built. Any place is worth 3 days, even Qatar. I flew to Doha, Qatar and there's close to nothing to see there. Even a hotel concierge would tell you this. I liked their Mall, I ate there every day. I took a boat ride into the harbor, big thrill. But just to be in a place where there's all these beautiful skyscrapers and just as many being built is very interesting. An English guy recommended a Souk (market) where they had all these falcons. The best of these would cost several thousand dollars and they are very beautiful birds, I really enjoyed seeing them. I flew to Abu Dhabi, which has 9% of the worlds's oil reserves and is one of the 7 United Arab Emirates, a country which has existed since 1958. Abu Dhabi is better than Dubai, not nearly as congested, decent air. Good things to see, the best of which is the Emirates Palace Hotel, a 3 billion dollar hotel and much better than anything in Las Vegas. And very friendly personnel who act as though they enjoy your walking around gawking at everything, that's our kind of place. I took a bus to Dubai, 2 hours, and I should have gotten a hotel around the Gold Souk (a zillion shops selling gold jewelry) instead of a hotel out a ways, due to the bad traffic it was hard to get to. Eh, got to look around. Went to the Jumeirah and Burj al Arab Hotels to look around, they're shaped like boats. Went to this mall where they had a long indoor ski-slope and a lot of people were using it. The Gold Souk and its vicinity are real interesting and I enjoyed their History Museum. I was getting bad misdirections on where to take the bus to Muscat, Oman and I commented, "These people don't seem to be too bright." Hearing me say this a guy from India said, "You've got that right," and he showed me where to go.

good talk

Previously I've been all over Egypt, to Aswan, Alexandria, the Suez Canal but Cairo and Luxor are the best at least for a layman, I'm certainly no archeologist. I flew to Kuwait and had to wait an hour to get a visa at the airport, usually you get it instantly. They made a guy who worked at the American Embassy wait 2 hours. Kuwait's real good, I went up their tower in Kuwait City (which is most of Kuwait for practical purposes, the rest is just oil fields), there's a lot of neat stuff to see. I made a friend at the airport, the manager of one of those exchange booths, the one that has all that foreign currency layed out. I talked to this guy coming and leaving 3 days later. In the Gulf States there's a sevant underclass to do most of the work. They're not citizens, not paid too much, have few rights and can never share in the oil largess that the Arab citizens do. This guy's family had come from Iran 50 years before but can never be citizens of Kuwait, in fact his brother was jailed the year before for a few months, the Gulf State Citizens roust these people every so often to keep them in line. A lot of the servant class are Filipinos of either sex and guys from India and they make more in the Gulf States than they could in their own country. This manager, wouldn't know how to spell his name, was "27" and really a sharp guy, he manually counted a big stack of bills a lot faster than I've ever seen in Vegas. He gave me a bill from the Iraqui Occupation of Kuwait with Saddam's picture on it, which they normally sell, and an Iranian bill with the Ayatollah Khomeini's picture on it, it was very nice. Later when I was in Qatar a young fellow, "24," from Nepal told me that he made $320 a month working 60 hours a week as a plumber, a lot of that heavy labor, say lifting a toilet, and this was better than he could do in Nepal. My last day in Kuwait I was still sick as a dog and I decided that instead of going in a hospital that I should go to a pharmacy as I had read that in Cairo you could buy medication without a prescription and I hoped this was true of Kuwait. There was a lady pharmacist with her family in there and I told her that I'd been coughing incessantly and she reached behind her and pulled out a small box of antibiotics and then a box of anti-inflammatory, both Swiss pharmaceuticals and twice a day and a bottle of local cough syrup every 4 hours. She and her family were Coptics, the Coptics began when Saint Luke came to Egypt, a sect like Greek or Russian Orthodox, they don't give allegiance to Rome. The Coptic women stand out in a Moslem world by often or usually wearing a cross around their neck. This lady knew that my Easter was the next day and wished me "Happy Easter." All the Coptics that I've ever met are personable, smart, save you money and in this instance save your health, I think they're very good people. From the time that I entered the pharmacy until the time I left was 10 minutes, the medication costing 32 dollars total, I took it as the Coptic lady told me to and two and a half days later I was cured.

good talk

A lot of times things are as good or better when you return to them. To see the 4 Temples and the Valley of the Kings across the Nile I hired a taxi and driver for the day. Luxor tour buses are for sissies, a little bit of time here, a little bit there and back on the bus, a canned tour and poorly canned. Each time I've been in Luxor I've gone to around the Luxor Museum and hired a taxi and driver and it works out great. This time I paid Ali $40 for 10 hours, a different driver each time. We took the ferry across the river to where the taxi was and it was great as always, you can take as much time as you like, say see all the tombs that are open instead of 3 or 4 (except for Tut's, clogged with Russians). I also had Ali take me to a real good place he knew of where I bought 6 alabaster Scarabs for people back home. The Scarab (dung beetle) is the ancient Egyptian talisman for Good Luck, all of us need to catch some every so often otherwise we'd all be toast. The only athletic team that I've ever heard of that had the Scarab as their team nickname was Cleveland East Tech High School (the Scarabs). Cleveland East Tech produced Harrison Dillard who won the 100-meter dash at the 1952 Helsinki Olympic and Jesse Owens and their Luck was Good. The first time I was in the Valley of the Kings I rode in on a donkey, well, I'm a humble guy. The next day I do as I always do the last day I'm in Luxor, I crossed the Nile and rented a bicycle. I rode it about 15 miles in 6 hours, you ride through villages, you ride past the archeological sites and a lot of the people you pass wave to you, it's a whole lot of fun. That night I took the train back to Cairo. I was sitting in 1st Class and the conductor asked me if I wanted a sleeping berth for no extra money, I said I was happy where I was at, but it was quite nice, I've always had a good opinion of the Egyptian people. The train pulled into Rameses Station in the morning and I took the subway (only the strong survive the Cairo Subway in the late afternoon) to around the Egyptian Museum where you can buy airline tickets at many places and bought a ticket to fly to Kuwait, where I had never been, that night. Except for a ticket to a general area and back, I always buy my air tickets on the fly, no pun, to use that day or the next, they're reasonably priced and there's always space, not like in this country. And you don't have to take your shoes off at the airport, why would it be necessary for people to take their shoes off? Reminds me, on November 17, 1997, 62 tourists, mostly Swissies, were gunned down by Moslem Extremists at the Temple of Hatshepsut in Luxor. I was there several years later and I asked at the ticket booth where exactly did this occur? I was told, "Under your shoes."