In this Post I am going to share with you some advice that I read on many web sites a bout the trips, how to make it easier and safer. Some times a silly mistake can make our nice journey very bad, and we wouldn't do it again.

Here are some advice about what you should do Before you go, and I hope later I can collect more and post them here.

Safety begins when you pack. To help avoid becoming a target, do not dress in a way that could mark you as an affluent tourist. Expensive-looking jewelry, for instance, can draw the wrong attention.

Always try to travel light. You can move more quickly and will be more likely to have a free hand. You will also be less tired and less likely to set your luggage down, leaving it unattended.

Carry the minimum number of valuables, and plan places to conceal them. Your passport, cash and credit cards are most secure when locked in a hotel safe. When you have to carry them on your person, you may wish to put them each in a different place rather than all in one wallet or pouch. Avoid handbags, fanny packs and outside pockets that are easy targets for thieves. Inside pockets and a sturdy shoulder bag with the strap worn across your chest are somewhat safer. One of the safest places to carry valuables is in a pouch or money belt worn under your clothing.

If you wear glasses, pack an extra pair. Pack them and any medicines you need in your carry-on luggage.

To avoid problems when passing through customs, keep medicines in their original, labeled containers. Bring copies of your prescriptions and the generic names for the drugs. If a medication is unusual or contains narcotics, carry a letter from your doctor attesting to your need to take the drug. If you have any doubt about the legality of carrying a certain drug into a country, consult the embassy or consulate of that country before you travel.

Bring travelers’ checks and one or two major credit cards instead of cash.

Pack an extra set of passport photos along with a photocopy of your passport’s information page to make replacement of your passport easier in the event it is lost or stolen.

Put your name, address and telephone numbers inside and outside of each piece of luggage. Use covered luggage tags to avoid casual observation of your identity or nationality. If possible, lock your luggage.

For more advises :
http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/safety/safety_1747.html

A day In Birmingham

It was a Saturday morning, and we have to catch the train at 10:30 as we decided(me and my friends). actually, I went their to buy Iphone from Apple store but told me there is a long queue for the Iphone, and they advised me to go early.

The train 10:30 we lost it, and my friends still at home, the next train will be at 11:00 so no chance to lose it. Finally, we caught it.

When we arrived Birmingham I went to Apple store and the queue wasn't too long, 5 people

in front of me left the queue (I hope all of them leave the queue ) I said.

that day, I was very lucky, no long queue (my friends spent about 5 hours )and it was the first time to wait in the queue and you can take the mobile with you, so before that it was you to wait just to book your Iphone .

After I bought my lovely mobile we visited the Birmingham castle, there was a debate between Muslims and christians. Unfortunately, at the end of the debate, some guys didn't like what he said about Islam , so they started fighting with the audiences .

We are hungry, tired, pleas we need a food...... we said that.

some one told us about Yemeni restaurant near to us . let's go their ......

In the restaurant I felt like I'm in my country people , food, decoration, every thing.

That was our trip to Birmingham I hope you like what I wrote about it.

Into The Wild ...

In April 1992 a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. His name was Christopher Johnson McCandless. He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself. Four months later, his decomposed body was found by a moose hunter. How McCandless came to die is the unforgettable story of Into the Wild.

Immediately after graduating from college in 1991, McCandless had roamed through the West and Southwest on a vision quest like those made by his heroes Jack London and John Muir. In the Mojave Desert he abandoned his car, stripped it of its license plates, and burned all of his cash. He would give himself a new name, Alexander Supertramp, and , unencumbered by money and belongings, he would be free to wallow in the raw, unfiltered experiences that nature presented. Craving a blank spot on the map, McCandless simply threw the maps away. Leaving behind his desperate parents and sister, he vanished into the wild.

Jon Krakauer constructs a clarifying prism through which he reassembles the disquieting facts of McCandless's short life. Admitting an interest that borders on obsession, he searches for the clues to the dries and desires that propelled McCandless. Digging deeply, he takes an inherently compelling mystery and unravels the larger riddles it holds: the profound pull of the American wilderness on our imagination; the allure of high-risk activities to young men of a certain cast of mind; the complex, charged bond between fathers and sons.

When McCandless's innocent mistakes turn out to be irreversible and fatal, he becomes the stuff of tabloid headlines and is dismissed for his naiveté, pretensions, and hubris. He is said to have had a death wish but wanting to die is a very different thing from being compelled to look over the edge. Krakauer brings McCandless's uncompromising pilgrimage out of the shadows, and the peril, adversity , and renunciation sought by this enigmatic young man are illuminated with a rare understanding--and not an ounce of sentimentality. Mesmerizing, heartbreaking, Into the Wild is a tour de force. The power and luminosity of Jon Krakauer's storytelling blaze through every page.

Changes In Ramadan

In this post I am going to write about how people change their life style in Ramadan, particularly in Saudi Arabia. If any one live their he/she will notes that changes and how people were before Ramadan, and how are they in Ramadan.

There are many things now become such customs or traditions for example:

- Shopping malls open at 5pm -2am and in the last 10 days of Ramadan until 4am!

- The malls and shops, start to change their decoration, red, white, and green and other traditional colours.

- People start working and students also go to schools quite late with shorter days, usually 10am to 3pm

- Restaurants close during the whole day and start working after al Asr prayer (late afternoon).

- Mosques, make a free Iftar meal every night for 30 days, sponsored by volunteers and home-made food and drinks. People usually bring lots of food at Magrib prayer to have their breakfast (first meal after fasting) together.

- Mosques do Taraweeh prayer after Isha (the usual evening prayer)at 9 pm -10:30pm. In the last 10 days, there will be another prayer which is Tahajud usually starts at 12:30am until 3am.

- People prepare special food and drinks only for Ramadan, including Sambosa, Dates and Dairy, Cereal soup, Foul, and lots of desserts like Toromba, basboosa and mehallabiyya and sobia .

Foul.....

Sobia >>> I miss u

Toromba (Bla7 alsham)

For people they think about diet or losing their wight, I don't think Ramadan will be a good month to do that .

Ramadan Kareem

It is more than a book

in the outback of Australia, Robyn travels with four camels and a dog, she wants to experience the wilderness there and show us the beauty of the desert.

But it is a desert!!!!

I know you would say that, but if you read the book, you will see that Robyn describes the landscape there in a creative way.

Moreover, Robyn meets the aborigines there and some of them accompany her for short period of time. So you will see how they traveled together, coping with the harsh environment there

I have seen many comments on the internet saying that why would I read a book about a woman traveling alone in a desert?!

So, I wanted to show you it is not like that. There is something more than that, which I mentioned some of it above.

Road Trips

Last class, we had list of themes to research about them. I chose road trips theme for many reasons, for example you dont't have to worry about the time or when you must go like traveling by plain, also you can cry whatever you want don't care about how many luggage you should take with you. some times road trips can be more enjoyable especially for a long trip , because during your trip you will cross many villages, cities, and some times countries, so all of these considered like different cultures, for me this better than travelling by plains for example .

Here are some books about Raod Trips theme if you are intrested in this kind of traveling, these books will be very helpful for you :

1-Through Painted Deserts, by Donald Miller. This is one I actually found in the "Christian Non-Fiction" section, which can be unfair. There's no question Miller is a Christian, but he's a writer first and foremost, he's not preachy, and his questioning of his own faith, of reasons for existence, of who and what he is or is becoming is reminiscent of the fantastic soul searching that came from the travel writing of the Beat generation. Miller's account of his trip is great, going through the moments of beauty, the necessity of good road trip music, and admitting his moments of embarrassment and fear as freely as any other part of his journey.

2- A Walk Across America by Peter Jenkins. This is one of the all time modern classics in travel literature, as Peter Jenkins recalls the story of his 1973-1975 walk from New York to New Orleans. For many readers, this remains a rare travel book that grips you and keeps you. Known as a travel writer who will walk anywhere, including Alaska and China, Peter Jenkins says, "I started out searching for myself and my country and found both." That sums up what travel writing should be all about.

3-Wanderlust: Real-Life Tales of Adventures and Romance by Pico Iyer. Probably one of the best travel writing collections released in recent memory, this collection is under the name Pico Iyer, who helped to edit this collection. These stories come from the "Wanderlust" section of Salon.com and create a varied tapestry of travel writing that will keep the reader flipping from one writer to another.

4-The Lost Continent, by Bill Bryson. There are tons of fantastic Bill Bryson books out there, and any one of them could hold this spot here. "The Lost Continent" is Bryson's trip across America, visiting some common places (the grand canyon), but also exploring the back roads and looking for that familiarity that helps him remember home.

If you want more books about Road Trips you can visit this web site: http://www.squidoo.com/travel-writing-novels

Public Transport

I like the public transport system in the UK, and how it makes a life very easy, you can go where ever you want.. actually, we face very big problems with traffic jam, so if we apply this system in our country, every thing will be more than OK J.



Some times I say if I have my owen car I can go any time and I don't need to wait for a bus or train, but when I ask people here which they prefer? They told me using the public transport is better because the petrol here is very expensive and also taxes for roads, they can't use their private cars.





I have faced many problems with using buss e.g. when I was in GE1 and 2 I always came late the bus come after the time I have never seen how the the time can stop? just with bus 30 you can see that, to explain that, the screen in the bus stop show the bus is coming after 3 mins and I waited more than 7 mins, (3 mins still in the screen L ).







Now I will tell you some stories about me or my friends with buss.
When we came here for a first time and we wanted to go to the school in city center, then my friend asked the driver to stop in front of the CELE, he thought the bus can stop any where he wants, but the driver told him he can't stop here.



Have you tried to fall in the bus? I hope no, but this happened for many of us, especially when the wether is raining. I saw a lady crying many bags when she want to get off she fell and her stuff scattered, and passengers started to collect her things.

I am here.......!!

Jeddah at night

Before I got the scholarship from the university I was thinking of studying in the UK during the summer holiday but actually it's very expensive and the benefit that I would get would not be what I aspire for.

London

My father's friend living in London with his family and when my dad talked about him I was always amazed! how can he live their ? He must have a good language to be able to live in that country and many questions crossed my mind. I never thought I will be here and live one year.

King Abdul aziz university

When I saw the ad in the department about the scholarship to study in the UK I gave them the all documents they needed and I waited for the acceptance, I said I know I'm unlucky this is not for me, but actually it was my name.

After that, I started asking the students who are studying in the UK to get their experiences but they made me worried because many of them were pessimistic.

Last night before coming here.....

I felt bad and there was something wrong with me, my dad said don't worry that because you are thinking about your traveling, but in the morning I got worst and I went to the hospital they gave me the medicines that i needed, it was less than 2 hours before the departure .

Actually it was the most difficult moment that when i travelled and I didn't see my family because I went from the hospital to the airport directly.

Finally …….here I am ......