The heat and rising temperature of Cairo is getting to the irritation of even the most hardened resident. The pollution, crowds, dust and noise is a constant reminder of the city we love; but the heat of early summer is starting to break our good (...)
The Bedouin have a collective attitude to just about everything. Work, money, family, feuds; you name it and the Bedouin will take a collective position. They have a highly developed sense of community and tribal loyalties and for them blood is (...)
The Bedouin are a very polite people. They do not want to say bad things to you or be the bearer of bad news. So they do not tell you anything that is bad. Ever.
This is a problem if you need to know bad news of if something is not quite right, (...)
I am trying to explain the principles of the Credit Crunch to the Bedouin. What sub-prime debt is and why the banks are in such trouble. The problem is explaining virtual money.
The Bedouin deal in cash, and cash only. All transactions are done (...)
I am trying to explain to the Bedouin that it would be a great idea to have a hiking experience that allows the customer to practice Bedouin culture; like bread making or how to make a fire or learning how to control a camel. Bedouin culture also (...)
The Bedouin have a simple attitude to driving speeds, there are only two: full speed or no speed. There is nothing in between.
They do not wander around or cruise the desert or roads in a carefree manner. They do not peruse the landscape with a (...)
As every westerner knows, one of the joys in coming to Egypt is the bartering. You know that the "genuine statue from the time of Ramses III that the shop owner is selling you was in fact made last month in a nearby shop. Plus the story that said (...)
Ah Ramadan. As everyone knows the work ethic during Ramadan is, how shall we put it, slightly lessened. The Bedouin take their Ramadan very seriously, especially the lessened work ethic bit, and correspondingly spend most of the day in various forms (...)
Ever tried to build a toilet on a mountain? You would think that with lots of tourists clambering around the mountains of South Sinai and the Bedouin wanting them to sleep in their gardens so as to earn some extra money; the decision would be (...)
Everyone is very excited. My daughters will be arriving in St. Catherine's in a few weeks for their first visit. Their father (me) is nervous because I have never before tried to control four teenage ladies (two aged 14 and two aged 15; two of whom (...)
The town of St. Catherine's is nestled among the surrounding mountains. It is a small town. A mosque; the usual post office and bank, a lonely bus station. A few desultory shops sell handicrafts to the occasional tourist, and groceries to the (...)
People sometimes ask me what it is like employing the Bedouin. I reply that anyone who thinks they employ a Bedouin clearly does not know the Bedouin. No one employs a Bedouin. You may think you do, but you don't. You may pay them a wage, give them (...)
If you own a Bedouin guesthouse (as we do), then you are faced with the need to update and improve it. Our kitchen needs upgrading so I chat with Saleh my Bedouin guesthouse manager about what to do. I say we need a new design, a check-list of what (...)
As everyone knows the desert is hot. Very hot. So hot in fact you can sleep in your new pajamas under the stars and dream warm dreams of riding camels and lush oases. This is true if you go during the summer. Go during the winter and you will sleep, (...)
Life for the Bedouin is not all fun and games. They have to watch over the camels, tend the fire, chat with their neighbors and gossip about the last wedding and how many kilograms of lamb and beef was consumed.
That's how you measure the quality (...)
The Bedouin really enjoy playing with their fires.
When bored during a rest break on a hike, they will gather a few twigs and dry bushes and happily burn them. The twigs are carefully laid out, the larger ones on top of the smaller ones, lighters (...)
Frankly, being a young Bedouin (especially if you are male) is a tiresome business. Before you are six months old you must endure several rituals, most of which - come to think of it - all of which are extremely discomforting and probably illegal in (...)