An Old, Old Mosque

It’s Eid!!! Eid Mubarak! Selamat Hari Raya! 4 days off work! How nice? Now, let’s see what the wife has up her sleeves… Spring cleaning? Time for the annual curtains wash? Get the kids in shape for their exams? Some home maintenance maybe? But definitely more exercises and stretches to tax the poor ol’ bones of yours truly? Nah, just kidding, it’s good fitness fun, haha!


The Great Mosque of Kairouan (Mosque of Uqba), Kairouan, Tunisia

Anyway for Eid, here’re some photos of an old, old mosque, for your pleasure - the austere looking Great Mosque of Kairouan, aka the Mosque of Uqba in Tunisia. It was built in friggin AD 670, …let’s see, 1,350 years ago! It is one of the oldest places of worship in the Islamic world, and a model for the later mosques of the Maghreb (North West Africa – namely Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco). Here goes.


The mosque looks like a castle from the outside, with thick walls, buttresses and …cannons!








The streets around the great mosque are like something out of the Aladdin movie – Don’t believe me? Ask the kids. … HEY KIDS! BEHAVE!!!


The southern façade, Mosque of Uqba, Kairouan, Tunisia


Anu and the Minaret




Fooling around the walls of the Great Mosque, Kairouan

And here’re some photos of our journey between Sidi Bou Said to Kairouan…


The Zaghouan Aqueduct – from the car


I think this is Zaghouan Town


That, far off on the hill, should be Takrouna Village


Driving southwards past Takrouna, Tunisia

That’s all for now folks! Eid Al Fitr Mubarak! Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri! Happy Holidays!!!

Planet Tataouine

Slave quarters, Mos Espa, Planet Tatooine (Just kidding, read on to find out more)

It’s May the Fourth. May the Force be with you, my friend. It’s Star Wars Day. (Yes, there’s such a thing, due to the similarity of the sound of the date, May 4th with the Jedi’s main greeting phrase).

While Ramadan continues, and yours truly continue to be loaded with work, here’re some photos I’ve collected just for an occasion like this, hehe. What better way to commemorate Star Wars Day, than to post some pictures of the main planet in the Star Wars Saga, Planet Tatooine! Tatooine is actually named after an actual place in Tunisia, Tataouine! Tataouine is a city in southern Tunisia and the capital of the Tataouine Governorate. Locations around Tataouine were used as film settings for the Star Wars Planet Tatooine. Many of these locations are actual places and are still around, like the native Berber’s underground houses used as a setting for Luke Skywalker’s childhood home, Lars Homestead (which I’ve posted a year back). Here’re some fortified granaries (Ksar) used by the local Berber community which doubled up as the slave quarters of Mos Espa in Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. Enjoy!


Ksar Ouled Soltane, Tunisia


Where have all the aliens and droids gone?!?






Gary Siteworker and his family exploring the place hoping to find something of value - a light saber, perhaps??


It was bone-chilling cold that day, with a freezing wind constantly blowing across the place. Huddling up with others is the best way to keep warm. Hello, can I borrow your blanket? – Ksar Ouled Soltane, Tatouine, Tunisia


Is it really that cold Jayden? This is at another ksar near Ksar Ouled Soltane, Ksar Ez Zahra (but in Google Maps, it’s marked as Al Karashiwah??) These fortified granaries are usually located on hilltops (that explains the cold), to keep them off from invaders


‘Jedis’ braving out the cold… in front of a shop


Hey, are you Obi-Wan Kenobi? So, George Lucas actually borrowed the idea of Obi-Wan’s costume from local attire – Ksar Ezzahra, Tataouine, Tunisia


Let’s get out of here before we freeze to death. Looks like a storm’s gonna hit anytime – Ksar Ezzahra

Ksar Ezzahra was not in the Star Wars film. The main ksar used for the Star Wars film was I think Ksar Hadada (which we did not visit). That would’ve been a ksar too many, I think.


The actual Tataouine – Photo taken from the balcony of our sub-sub-standard rented room in Tataouine town. There’re not many hotels in Booking.com to choose from in Tataouine. The room we booked was cancelled by the guesthouse. We immediately booked another room at the only other guesthouse listed, but we didn’t really like the place. Then the people at the first guesthouse (who cancelled us) eventually helped us get another room… Long story. This place is on the P19 road near the edge of town, just before the Mémoire de la terre roundabout


The countryside around Tataouine – That hill is called Ksar Beni Barka and has the ruins of a ksar on its peak (no, we didn't go up)

OK, calling it a day. Tunisia was our last overseas trip (Dec-2019) before COVID struck. It’s nearly 1.5 years now since we went anywhere overseas. When will this pandemic be over?!?!???

The Land of Skyscrapers

Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE

Ramadan Kareem! It’s been 2 weeks since Ramadan started. Ramadan was supposed to be the nicest month of the year (for yours truly, of course). Shorter work hours, less pressure, everything moves at a more relaxed pace, and more family time! It’s a little troublesome if you wanna eat or drink, but for all the perks, that’s just a small price to pay hehe.

This Ramadan seems different though. Working my ass off. Only a day or two of early dismissal so far. Hope the remainder days of Ramadan could be nicer. Let’s see.

For now, (since I’ve not had time to sift thru photos), here’s more of Dubai, our home for the last …ummm 8 years (and a couple of years in the 2000s). Here’s a look at the main thoroughfare of Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, or what I call, the Avenue of Skyscrapers.


The E-11 Road, or Sheikh Zayed Road, named after the founding father of the UAE, is Dubai’s main thoroughfare. This picture was taken in 2017, things may have changed now as Dubai changes constantly. In its heydays (2008, when we first arrived), there were tower cranes for as far as the eye could see! It had the world’s highest concentration of tower cranes! One quarter of the world’s tower cranes were in Dubai!


Sheikh Zayed Road (SZR) at night, Aug 2020 – On the left are the Emirates Towers. The crescent moon shaped building in the middle is the Museum of the Future, which is near completion, and is about to open its doors in the near ‘future’ (whenever that is). On the road, you can see a Dynamic Message Sign (DMS) which is, ahem, erected through a Project led by yours truly, double ahem


This old picture from 2016 was one of the last photos taken from my trusty Blackberry Q10 before I switched phones. Alas, BB’s display became too small for my friggin eyes to read - how would I friggin know that my trusty eyes would give way by my mid-40s!?! This view is from Al A’amal Street, Business Bay, Dubai, in front of the Oberoi Hotel


View of SZR from our Company’s corporate office in JLT (Jumeirah Lake Towers) in 2020 – Far off, in the middle of the photo, is the Burj Al Arab, on an island in the sea


Towers reflected in the lakes, JLT, Dubai, 2018


A lone Arab lady peering over the lake in JLT (which kinda reminds me of Star Wars’ Emperor Palpatine… doesn't it?), 2018


Across the SZR from JLT is Dubai Marina and Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR) – Do you see that twisted building on the centre left of the photo? That’s the Cayan Tower. Sometimes, you can see hang-gliders amidst the towers! Cool huh?


Here's a view of Dubai from the sea - JBR and the Marina Beach at dusk, from Bluewaters Isle, Dubai, 2019


This is a somewhat unrelated photo, but what the heck, it still shows Dubai's city line far off in the distance. It’s not on the SZR but on Al Khail Road, another important road in Dubai. The open-book-like building is the Mohammed bin Rashid Public Library. This photo was taken in 2019, from the Intercontinental Hotel in Dubai Festival City


And how can we not have the mother of all skyscrapers in this post? This is Burj Khalifa, the tallest structure and building in the world. Standing at 829.8m, it's over half a mile tall! - Dubai, Christmas Eve, 2020


Before we end, here's us at Bluewaters Island, just after the clock struck 12, on New Year's Day 2021, against a backdrop of the towers of JBR. Say Cheese!

That’s it. Another quick post done! Wishing all who are fasting, a blessed Ramadan!

Rock, Flower, Creatures

Ramadan, the Islamic fasting month, is expected to start in 2 days’ time. And Songkran, Thailand’s New Year (which incidentally coincides with many new years in South Asia and South East Asia) will also happen at the same time. This year, the festivals will, I think, be like last year, low key, with social distancing and masks. COVID-19 unfortunately, is still around and thriving, sigh!

I’m going back to flower parks for my post (that’s what I posted two posts back – Dubai’s Miracle Garden). Here’s a park I called the Confused Park of Thailand. You’ll see why in a moment…


The Confused Park of Thailand

The official name of the park is, wait for it… the Million Years Stone Park and Pattaya Crocodile Farm. Nice long, descriptive name, what else do you want? So it’s a park of million-year-old stones (from who knows where? It’s either in Thai or not labelled. Besides, how do they even know that it's a million years old?) It has nice, manicured plants (it's a park, OK?) And of course, crocodiles, because it's a friggin Crocodile Farm, so sez its name. And no, that’s not all, there’re also giraffes (yeah, in friggin Thailand), giant catfish, and you name it. So it should be more appropriately named as the Million Years Stone Park and Pattaya Crocodile Farm, and Zoo, and Lake Gardens. See for yourself, here goes.


Oh, there IS A LABEL! It sez ‘Ancient wood changed into stone by nature’


No label on this humongous stone though


More stones for your enjoyment


Anu & Hazel, Million Years Stone Park, Pattaya, Thailand


Potted Plant Arch!


Jurassic World… Nah, just a waterfall pool


Yours truly, at Million Years Stone Park


CROCODILES!!! It’s a crocodile farm, didn’t I tell you? It comes complete with a crocodile stunt show where a performer sticks his head into the opened jaws of a crocodile and pulls it out seconds before the crocodile snaps it shut. I’d have probably done the same if I were that crocodile. Who’d want to taste the oily head of a man? Yecch…


And of all creatures. …Giraffes!?! How did they get here from Africa???


Giant catfish


The kids with their granddad feeding the carps (and here’s a link to another photo of the kids and granddad at Million Years Stone Park)


A shrine at the Million Years Stone Park & Crocodile Farm, Pattaya, Thailand

OK, see you. For those who’re fasting, Ramadan Kareem. For those who’re celebrating their new years, Happy New Year! Stay healthy, stay safe. May you have a blessed time wherever you are.