Forum Overview :: Earthbound :: Oman & Bahrain

[quote name="Quétinbec"]In the south of Oman, mountain women wear burkas like this: <a href="http://s219.photobucket.com/albums/cc71/SarahPlunket/?action=view¤t=P1010253.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc71/SarahPlunket/P1010253.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> They're more practical than the more common ninja suit masks because you can eat and drink without having to remove them, but they have the ridiculous effect of making the most powerless people in the country look like superheroes. We asked a family about some dunes to drive on. The Father was very friendly and told us to follow him and his family to some dunes near his house. So, he gets in his ute, his son hops in the passanger seat, and his wife rides in the back. <a href="http://s219.photobucket.com/albums/cc71/SarahPlunket/?action=view¤t=P1010257-1200.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc71/SarahPlunket/P1010257-1200.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> <a href="http://s219.photobucket.com/albums/cc71/SarahPlunket/?action=view¤t=P1010239-1200.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc71/SarahPlunket/P1010239-1200.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> <a href="http://s219.photobucket.com/albums/cc71/SarahPlunket/?action=view¤t=P1010004-1200.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc71/SarahPlunket/P1010004-1200.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> The arabic number for 6 is 7 and the arabic number for 5 is 0, and 4 is a backwards 3. It can cause you some problems. This is a typical Arabic 'lounge', which they call a council: <a href="http://s219.photobucket.com/albums/cc71/SarahPlunket/?action=view¤t=P1000669-1200.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc71/SarahPlunket/P1000669-1200.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> Only men can come to the council. The women pass messages to you through their cousins or brothers. You never get to see them. A guy would come in and say, "My sister wants to know what you thought of the tea." and you'd say, "I thought it was great." and he would leave to pass your response back. There are often pictures like this in councils: <a href="http://s219.photobucket.com/albums/cc71/SarahPlunket/?action=view¤t=P1000673-1200.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc71/SarahPlunket/P1000673-1200.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> QB: Who is this? Arab: It's [some famous cleric]. QB: Why is he holding a gun? A: It's for the Jew, Mr Quentin. Do you know the jew? QB: Yes. A: It's for the Jew. <a href="http://s219.photobucket.com/albums/cc71/SarahPlunket/?action=view¤t=P1000784-1200.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc71/SarahPlunket/P1000784-1200.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> Islamic banks are worse than you can imagine. I like to whine, but like a rape victim, I now prefer to stay silent about what they are doing to me. Massive amounts of cash are kept around the house out of necessity and as a way of tempting and impressing Filipinos. <a href="http://s219.photobucket.com/albums/cc71/SarahPlunket/?action=view¤t=P1000838-1200.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc71/SarahPlunket/P1000838-1200.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> This is a Filipino nurse who has been impressed, but has not yet been fucked because of her belief in the importance of her viginity. We're still together but I have sex with prostitutes instead. It's a win, win, win situation. <a href="http://s219.photobucket.com/albums/cc71/SarahPlunket/?action=view¤t=P1000932-1200.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc71/SarahPlunket/P1000932-1200.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> If you're bored, you can race around the dunes: <a href="http://s219.photobucket.com/albums/cc71/SarahPlunket/?action=view¤t=P1010180-1200.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc71/SarahPlunket/P1010180-1200.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> <a href="http://s219.photobucket.com/albums/cc71/SarahPlunket/?action=view¤t=P1010139-1200.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc71/SarahPlunket/P1010139-1200.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> It's too much for some... <a href="http://s219.photobucket.com/albums/cc71/SarahPlunket/?action=view¤t=P1010255-1200.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc71/SarahPlunket/P1010255-1200.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> And just enough for others... <a href="http://s219.photobucket.com/albums/cc71/SarahPlunket/?action=view¤t=P1010220-1200.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc71/SarahPlunket/P1010220-1200.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> <a href="http://s219.photobucket.com/albums/cc71/SarahPlunket/?action=view¤t=P1000823-1200.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc71/SarahPlunket/P1000823-1200.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> I love Arabic policewomen! They're only allowed to patrol with other women, and they're always given the shittiest of guard duties, but I love them still. <a href="http://s219.photobucket.com/albums/cc71/SarahPlunket/?action=view¤t=P1010260-1200.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc71/SarahPlunket/P1010260-1200.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> If the King hasn't given you a house yet (there's a waiting list of 30,000) you live in a mud house and wait. You don't work hard and pay for one yourself. You're not a chump. Arabs are the laziest people I've ever met. There are quotas that require a certain number of Arabs to work in any company, though, so they don't have to improve themselves - they just have to protest whenever unemployment gets above 5% and then the King will increase the Arab quota. Their laziness and incompetence is recognized even by Arabic upper management (who'll usually have studied, lived, and worked overseas at some point), so they'll create harmless bullshit jobs for them to satisfy the qouta. There'll be the guy who looks after toner cartriges for floors 3-7 and a different guy for floors 8-12, etc... There are 7 Arabs in the "health and safety" department <i>of my building</i>. None of them are health professionals. They're fire extinguisher mantainince, etc... To make the H&S Arabs feel important (they have NOTHING else to do), someone greenlighted compulsary weekly H&S meetings, which are full of shit like this: H&S guy: [points at a lightswitch] Is this is a harz-hard? Crowd: Yes. H&S: Yes. It is a harz-hard. [points again at the lightswitch] Is this is a chance? Crowd: A what? H&S: IS THIS IS A CHANCE?! Crowd: No, it's a lightswitch. H&S: NO! NEVER! IT'S A CHANCE! IT'S A CHANCE ALWAYS! <a href="http://s219.photobucket.com/albums/cc71/SarahPlunket/?action=view¤t=P1000866-1200.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc71/SarahPlunket/P1000866-1200.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> <a href="http://s219.photobucket.com/albums/cc71/SarahPlunket/?action=view¤t=P1010122-1200.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc71/SarahPlunket/P1010122-1200.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> [/quote]