Middle East Travel ? Travel Tips

One of the world’s most fascinating and rewarding travel destinations is the Middle East. If you are planning a visit there, you have to overcome complications that might come your way. There is spellbinding landscape scenery from seas of sand dunes and palm fringed lakes and stunning mountains of the north and the underwater world of the Red Sea. This is a land full of ancient history, vibrant cultures and unfortunately sometimes conflicts.

When you plan the trip, there are so many travel tips you have to know.

WEATHER

Autumn and spring are the ideal months to visit the Middle East. I.e. Visit September to November and also March to May. If you are a sun worshipper and water sports freak, the months of June to August should be definitely avoided.

COSTS

Travel in the Middle East is cheap and travelling is comfortable.

TIPPING

This is always there in the Middle East. The term given to tipping is “baksheesh” This is more than just a reward for having rendered a service.

MONEY

The larger banks have ATM’s and they are linked up to one of the international networks like Master Card, Cirrus, Visa or Global Access Systems.

NIGHT LIFE

Night life is innocuous and there is a wrong intent that it is insecure. Except in the conflict zone, everything is peaceful.

FORBIDDEN PLACES

Mecca and Medina are only for Muslims. Tourists should not try to enter these unless they are Muslims. Mosques are out of bounds for tourists. Never try to take either illegal or offensive for Muslims like Alcohol, books and magazines of an explicit sexual nature.

GIRLS

Girls and women are beautiful and lovely. They are a blended race with a long history of the area. All women are really beautiful.

AFFECTION

You should not demonstrate affection for a spouse or friend of the opposite sex, when in public.  Saudi’s never do this and find such behavior unacceptable. Unmarried persons should not have sexual relations and it is against the law in Saudi Arabia. During Ramadan, do not eat, drink or smoke in public. A dog should not be petted in front of a Saudi. You should dress modestly in public. Men should wear long pants and a shirt and women should wear long, loose dresses with high necklines and long sleeves. A person’s photograph should not be taken without his permissions. No theft takes place in the Kingdom.

CONCLUSION

The people of Saudi feel they are better as all are Muslims and they look down on non Muslims. In Arabia they feel that they are more better to non Arab Muslims and as Saudis they feel are better to all other Arabs and this vicious circle never ends.

Tourists are not treated as they would treat a national and even the law enforcing agencies are like this.

A glimts of my bumpy Jeep ride crossways Dubai´s Desert january 2008. Soundtrack Timbaland/Scream
Video Rating: 5 / 5

Salad Recipes: Homemade Roquefort Salad Dressing, Middle East Pear Salad, Italian Tortellini Salad

If you love salads and homemade salad dressings, this article is for you.    Select from recipes for your own Homemade Roquefort Salad Dressing, which can be stored in the refrigerator in a covered jar, Middle East Pear Salad, using fruit and yogurt, or Tortellini Broccoli Salad.  Now how’s that for variety?

ROQUEFORT SALAD DRESSING

1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice
3-oz crumbled Roquefort cheese

Place all ingredients in blender container. Blend together for 1 minute. Stir mixture well. Store in the refrigerator in a covered container or jar.

MIDDLE EAST PEAR SALAD

1 can (29-ounce) pear halves, chilled & drained
1 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup sugar
Ground cinnamon for garnish
Lettuce leaves

Place lettuce leaves on serving plate and top with pear halves, cut side up. Combine the yogurt and sugar together in a small bowl; mix well. Spoon yogurt mixture into the pear cavities. Sprinkle cinnamon over the top.

ITALIAN TORTELLINI SALAD

1 pkg (7-oz) cheese filled spinach tortellini
8 oz provolone cheese, cubed
1 small tomato, coarsely chopped
1/2 small green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1/2 cup sliced pitted ripe olives, drained
4 green onions, sliced
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook tortellini according to package directions. Drain tortellini in a colander. Place colander in a massive bowl of cover cold water. Let stand for 5 minutes. Drain well. Transfer tortellini to a serving bowl. Add cubed provolone cheese, tomato, pepper strips, olives, and green onions. Pour dressing over the mixture. Toss gently to coat. Top with grated Parmesan and toss lightly.

Enjoy!

Salad Recipes: Homemade Roquefort Salad Dressing, Middle East Pear Salad, Italian Tortellini Salad

For more of my swift and simple recipes visit my blog at http://grandmasquickfixrecipes.blogspot.com

Holiday Inn In The Middle East And Africa

From the heart of the Emirate government at Riyadh, to the centre of Ancient Egypt at Cairo, we at Holiday Inn are a favourite choice for both business and recreational visitors. Quite often, we cover both areas – after all, where superior to hold Holiday Inn meetings on factors affecting Dead Sea tourism, than at a top Dead Sea leisure resort like Sweimeh?

Sweimeh is one of several Holiday Inn hotels catering for both business and recreational guests.  It is particularly well suited for hospitality events, and can help hold festivity dinners, beach-side team-training activities and more. Just 40 minutes from Queen Alia Airport, Sweimeh is also within simple reach of Amman, the capital city of Jordan and is another venue where we hold Holiday Inn meetings for clients.

A leading centre of politics, culture and commerce, Amman is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities on the globe. Since the ending of the Iraq war, it has found new prosperity, with numerous new businesses springing up. All of Jordan’s Iraq-bound business traffic goes via Amman in some way, so it’s hardly surprising that spacious conference suites are needed. Our Holiday Inn meetings are held conveniently close to the airfield and business centres, and the main hall can accommodate up to 1000 delegates in comfort.

Our facilities in the Middle East are strongly geared up for conferences – but then with cities like Riyadh, Kuwait and Dubai on our books, we have to be. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital, is also its largest city and a bustling, prosperous centre of finance and commerce. Saudi Arabia favours private enterprise highly, and numerous new conglomerates and private companies have their home here.

The facilities we wage for Holiday Inn meetings have to be flexible to reflect the diversity of trade. Riyadh is the financial centre of the Middle East, housing the headquarters of the National Bank. A centre of political power, it is home to numerous commercial enterprises. Among these are agricultural, educational, financial and cultural firms – all needing meeting areas. Not surprisingly, we at Holiday Inns have a strong foothold here, with no fewer than three hotels hosting meetings for business, recreational and charity purposes.

When people think of the United Arab Emirates, they think of rich oil reserves, and the sparkling magnificence of Dubai. Today, it has expanded to become one of the world’s leading financial hubs as well. Dubai delegates place a high degree of excellence upon everything – not least their conference facilities. At Holiday Inn, our meetings staff wage them with an exemplary service and the very latest business equipment, as they do in all our hotels.

Africa is an upcoming continent, businesswise. We host Holiday Inn meetings in several major African cities, among them Cairo, Johannesburg, Accra and Nairobi.

Located in a favourite suburb near Kenya’s bio-sciences centre, our Nairobi hotel is equally well suited for academics, tourists and delegates from the city’s thriving business centres. Meanwhile, our Johannesburg Holiday Inn meetings take place in the heart of Gauteng, the wealthiest domain in South Africa and a Mecca for corporate, finance and retail companies. Close to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and Deutsche Bank, we at Holiday Inn accommodate bookings of each kind.