A trip to Harrods and London Xmas decoration

Merry Xmas everybody.
the following link offers photos of my trip to Harrods and some photos from Xmas in London

http://photos.yahoo.com/husseinmm 

huelga del taxi

Well Spain is a nice country, even though some time you wonder if you are really in Europe. Spain is the only country I have been so far that gave me hope that Egypt one day can make to be out of developing country and heading to semi developed county.
First time I came here, I took a taxi from the airport. Of course no order no line up, it is a chaos. Two taxi drivers were fighting to drive me. I didn’t know what to do, just stood there until one of them showed sings of victory on his face.

I got in the car, and surprise surprise, he spoke a little bit of English. He explained that there is a taxi drivers strike and I am lucky that I am not going to downtown otherwise I had to use the underground.
He was listening to the radio and he was trying to explain that they are talking about the strike on air. Given my rich vocabulary of Spanish, I was nodding happily that I am lucky to find a taxi, even though I am sure I heard Madonna name on the radio when he said it was strike coverage (May be Madonna cancelled her concert because of the strike, so naïve)
He said 43.5 Euro, and because he saved me from being homeless in streets of Madrid, I gave him 45 Euro and said “Danke”, not sure why I said it in German but I didn’t want to speak in English to show that I speak more than one Language.
Second time I was in Spain, I paid for the same trip 12 Euro and the live coverage on the radio from my last visit was about Madonna concert that night.Alta Vista baby. 

Oh NO, another ANNOUNCEMENT!#@!#!@#!

Ladies and Gentlemen, This how my trip went today.First, I couldn’t change my seat, not sure why but the check-in guy said the system didn’t allow him to do so!!! Okay no problem (First time in 8 months)

Going through the security check, I was told I am not allowed to carry a compass with me, the reason is, it has magnet and it can interfere with the navigation system on board (I didn’t buy this, as pretty much every thing carry has a magnet, cell phones, music players even our body) I guess the guy had been beaten by his wife earlier this morning.

I am used to the airport as I travel every week, so I know where is my gate and how long it will take me to get there. My boarding time was 9:25 am which means they will start boarding around 9:30 am or even later, so, I went for browsing the latest MP3 players, check some magazines and trying to flirt with sales women around in hope of finding my future wife (it is just once charming smile from Ouna the greatest Touta and I get free goodies, I got once Hermès perfume samples)

I am still looking at the screen to know which is my gate. Number Fourteen, yes that is a close one, so I will go quickly to the toilet and check more stores. Well it was 9:20 am and I saw a notice for closing gate 14 in red. Oh, God, that means last call, I got to run.
Arrived at my gate and found that I was pretty much the last one.
Now, I am going down the stairs to catch the bus, but they kept us in open chilly air, as there was a problem with the bus.
By the time ice started to build up on top of my head, the bus showed up. We got into the bus as if we found a bargain on Boxing Day.
I got a good seat. Sat there, happy relaxed and ready for the take off.
Wait a minute, there is an announcement that we are waiting for more passengers, I thought I am the last one. Apparently, a lot of people did notice the early closing gate notice and kept wondering around and didn’t realize that they closed the gate at he boarding time.
More people are arriving, another announcement, there is a family split up and they have to wait for them (I didn’t understand what they meant but I guess the new born baby just boarded and his/her (I couldn’t tell from the eyes) parents are still in another bus!!!!

Then another announcement, a passenger couldn’t make it and they had to unload all the luggage to find out his.

Another announcement, due to freezing weather, hot water had to be applied on the airplane body to melt the ice, so don’t worry if you smell something odd. I was thinking, may be tear gas or something to put us into sleep.
Good news every body, we are ready to take off, by that time I looked at my watch; it was already 1 hour late.
Every body on board was pissed off and thinking that was too much, they didn’t’ know what was waiting for them next.
I didn’t really care, I am used to that, so I tried to put my self into sleep. Just gave a quick look at the lady sitting next to me and I was shocked by the amount of hair on her arms, I guess she had more hair than I had on my head (for those who met me in Person don’t take it as a joke, I don’t mean the top of my head, I mean the side ones.

Of course lots of turbulence and everything that you could imagine on board, the beginning of the day can tell how the rest will go.
Recepción a España, I guess it meat welcome, I fastened my seat belt and we were ready to land.
We did it, we landed, yeeeeeeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaaa.
Another announcement, we didn’t reach our final destination (oh, did we land in a wrong city, this is possible by observing the events though out the day), I see, we didn’t get our spot to park yet, stupid me.
Another announcement, “We have a problem with the stairs to reach the airplane and we are trying to fix it, will let you know as soon as it is fixed”. By then, all passengers wished they stayed in London or missed the flight.
“Good news, we fixed the problem but now we are waiting for buses to arrive as no bus arrived yet” another announcement.
I chose to stand up in the bus to avoid using my butt any more.
Believe or not, I was the first to arrive to the immigration officer; this is my personal best so far.
Five minutes later, I am still filling in the immigration document, as cabinet crew forgot to distribute this document on board and I had to go back and fill it in.
Half an hour later, every body is still waiting for their luggage, the funny thing is, while we are waiting, our flight info disappeared from the screen, we were not sure what does that mean, this is it, no luggage (No soup for you today).
One of a sudden, the convey belt started to move and one bag appeared in the horizon, every body was looking to see who is the lucky person, I almost heard applause.
Again, convey belt stopped and we are still waiting.
I saw mine; I picked it up and left the airport. That was 40 minutes since we landed.
Sorry everybody but that was a long way to say I arrived in Spain and I will stay here for couple of weeks. 

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To grow Mike Tyson's neck in UK

I was surprised when my dentist told me during my regular check up that my neck muscles are really relaxed and strong, I didn’t know why but I gave a second thought and here is why.

Since I arrived in London I am totally confused about traffic and direction. Looking out from my eggy shaped window at Heathrow, I see cars without drivers, Okay, Ouna is jetlagged no problem.
Out of the airport to catch the bus, I am going to get in the bus from the driver side, so I am going to walk over the driver, oh, no driver. Where the hell does the driver sit??

“Watch out, a car will have head on collision with the bus”, that is what I wanted to shout to the driver, but apparently everything worked fine.
I decided to go on stand by mode till my final destination.

Next day, Ouna is fresh and ready to hit the road Jack.
Okay let me get this straight, I am sure that the person who is in charge of streets in UK has a paint factory, there are writing on every inch of the asphalt {look right, left up, down and behind, I guess they missed chin up, straighten up little soldier).

Now I got it, they drive on the other side of the street here, of course I knew that before I came here but seriously you won’t get it until you are in the middle of the action, the writing on the asphalt to alert pedestrians to watch for cars as by default people visiting UK will look the opposite side (I mean the other side, left is right, right is left oh well, just look), not really sure if British read these signs.

Since then I decided to look both sides, I am not gonna bother by reading the look thingy written there, especially since I was a little I have hard time to know which is right and which is left (the hand I use for writing is right hand).
Did any one get it, yes, for the last 8 months, every time I am in London I have to keep looking right and left every traffic light and every pedestrian crossing forced my neck muscles to work out, real work out, I guess I will grow Mike Tyson's neck soon.
By the way, Sweden had changed driving direction over one night.

P.S I am not sure if the other side of the street rule applies on pedestrians as well!!!

Last week I was chatting with a colleague of mine who is British and based in Dubai who said, it took him sometime to learn how to drive on the other side of the street, not like we do in UK.
I was sort of surprised when I heard the two words “other side” it is really interesting to hear how people look at things we took for granted all our life.

The British answer to driving directions

This is the British answer to driving on the other side of the street, took off their clothes and biked in Nude (taken Jun 2005, ParkLane street, London)

Okay, I am in this photo but you have to work hard to find me, and you thought life is easy.
You are looking for Ouna Touta anyway.
This one taken in Amsterdam (Sep 2005)

Donkey flu en Paris

Okay, I tried many times to write my own blog since I started traveling early this year. As usual lazy, blame it on lack of time or who do you think would care about my blogs.
So I decided to start today and it is mainly for my self and to keep track of my crazy traveling schedule and in the mean time if anyone is interested.

The reason that got me started is a nasty cold that I managed to survive over three different countries. It started in Nurmberg, Germany, and over a week of struggling in London, UK and finally couldn’t take it any more and I decided to see a doctor in Paris, France (as if there is another Paris in Afghanistan.

Let me tell you, that was fun, I asked a French colleague I am visiting that I would like to see a doctor. He suggested to see the nurse on duty at the company I am visiting. Man, that was a really French nurse.
It turned out that a lot of employees on site just try to come up with stupid reasons (my car didn’t start this morning) just to drop by and say “Bon Jour”.

Any way, you got the picture, of course I had to go and see a doctor to be able to get anti-biotic.
We drove down to a tiny French town close to Paris, so nice and neat. We went into a very old building sort of two centuries ago one. I didn’t find Louis the 60th welcoming me there, at least.
Doctor came out seeing off another patient and he said “Bon après Midi”
You didn’t ask why I had a French colleague with me, as I should have gone by my self. The reason is the doctor hardly speaks English and that when all the fun begun.
I am serious, it was fun, I had to explain my self in broken French, wait a second, I mean in no French, and in the mean time my French colleague was doing his best to translate.
I tried to explain where is the pain, “Ici” that what I said pointing at my neck, but looks like that means many different things, may be skin, muscles, throat, etc. Spine as well included.

I had the fun of my life, I totally forgot about the pain and just tried to recall the French I learnt many years ago..
I was saying something in French and looks like it was wrong and my French colleague translated what I said in English, I am sure the doctor absolutely went crazy. He didn’t know whom to believe.
At the end, I guess he got it, I had inflammation in my throat and my ear.
Now it was the minute I am waiting for, I am waiting for the word Anti-biotic in any language of the spoken, live or dead ones. Will it be antie baiotique, will it be anty-bio-toqu,
Bingo, I heard it, “ANTI-BIO-Tic” yesssssssssssssss. Ouiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, I told you, I am bi lingual.

The fun part was to write down how to take the drugs “2 Comprimes 2 fois par jour at the begening of the meals pendant 8 jours” that is correct, this one line of the prescription, I know there typo, you don’t have to say it as Microshot word is underlining the whole line but I just copied what the doctor wrote down.

At the end I was happy and was really relieved that it didn’t end up to be one of those new media flu we hear about every year in the news that drug companies pay for the campaign to sell their flu shot.
For me I thought it was the donkey flu au Paris.

P.S, that happened two weeks ago in my trip to Paris, since then I have been to Stockholm and now in London and I still have the cold, well I guess the donkey spirit is still around.
I will try to you posted about my travel plans and some funny things happened to me during the last 8 months.