Surrounded by desert, Ur’s main attraction, the Ziggurat, stood out on approach.

We had a special guest join us for lunch and the boat ride. Sylvie introduced us to Jassim Al-Asadi, author of “The Ghosts of Iraq’s Marshes”.

We were told there are about 150 shenashils but funding can only restore a small portion of them. It must have been a beautiful area in its day.

The first stop was the Basra Museum which was housed in a former palace of Saddam Hussein (it is rumored he had 100 palaces around the country).

My Husband were on a 12-day tour of Iraq. Along with 8 other travelers and 2 guides, we would be visiting Basra, the Marshlands, ancient cities like Ur and Babylon, Najaf, Karbala, Ctesiphon, Baghdad, and Samara with their mosques and shrines.

My husband, Fred, and I had a 24-hour layover in Dubai between our trips to India and Iraq. Having arrived in Dubai about noon on Sunday, November 30th, we checked into our hotel and then decided to explore the Dubai Mall and surrounding area. We had pre-booked a couple of tours offered by Emirates Airlines – a city tour and a desert adventure. Our tours were scheduled for the next day,

The story behind the story...

As I prepare for this incredible opportunity, it struck me what an amazing journey I have been blessed to experience. What started 48 years

This week I learned of the passing of Egyptian Raqs Sharqi dancer Mona El Said, a star performer in London and Cairo nightclubs, and, for period, on Egyptian TV. I loved watching her along with Soheir Zaki, Azza Serif - to name a few - and how they moved and expressed the music. Each had her own style. If I loved this dance before, I loved it more now. If that was “Belly Dance” in Egypt, what was I doing/learning? Those recordings were videos we could buy/rent and thus became

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You can buy spices and sweets, have your shoes fixed or purchase new ones, buy fabrics or ready made clothing, parts for you stove, ...

...the weather also provided a show as it slowly changed from clear and sunny to a dust storm!

Our day would be filled with visits to several sites surrounding Biskra: Sidi Okba, Tolga, and El Kantara…

The green of the Atlas Mountains gave way to a high plateau... then through the more arid Aurès Mountains bordering the Sahara.

Good times, good food, good friends, good music...a great day & night!