I Should Log Off

Photo Tuesday: Whirling Dervishes

Jillian — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 11:40:49 +0000

We were shown around Khartoum by a wonderful group of couchsurfers who showed us incredible hospitality and amazing friendship. On Friday evening we went to the Sufi Dance (whirling dervishes) in nearby Omdurman. It was an incredibly intense experience, not only for the believers themselves, but also for us from a cultural point of view. As the chanting grew louder and louder believers began to move almost as though they were possessed. Completely withdrawn in deep meditation and prayer from the continuous chanting and drumming, a few took to spinning in circles while others began to repeat physical motions, like bobbing their head or throwing up their hands. The man in the picture whirled around the inner circle for several minutes ... Related posts:

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Mt Nemrut: Zeus, Hercules, & Big Heads

Danny — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 12:56:03 +0000

With an overnight bus to take us from our mountain bike tour of Cappadocia straight to Mt Nemrut, we never thought much about the idea of taking a rest before hiking up 3,000 feet of elevation. After our bike ride in Cappadocia we were able to fall asleep on our bus before we even pulled out of the station and didn’t wake up until we’d arrived at our destination….still it wasn’t enough and I was due to pay for it. The peak of Nemrut Dagi is over 2,100 meters in elevation marking the highest we’ve been in quite sometime. The peak though is something of a shame, it’s not real. The mountain was chosen by a pre-Roman king wanted to sit ... Related posts:

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Foodie Friday: Pide, our Turkish Favorite

Danny — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:08:05 +0000

If the word ‘pizza’ comes from the word ‘pita,’ then the ‘pide’ must be the missing link. Our first taste of the Turkish pizza was when we lived in Washington, DC. Our favorite neighborhood restaurant, once it opened, was the Turkish place on 8th street, about two blocks from our home. We took tons of people there, many of them couchsurfers, where we almost always ordered a pide, or two or three… If you can imagine a canoe shaped pizza, (New York style, not that nasty, greasy stuff from Chicago) then you can imagine a pide. (Editor’s Note: Ahem, what Danny?) The toppings are usually a bit different bit different than we’d have at home however. The most common pide is the ... Related posts:

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