Sunday, March 19, 2006

Exotic spices for sale in Dubai


Exotic spices for sale in Dubai:

Friday, March 17, 2006

Henna/Mehndi in Dubai


Wikipedia post linked above on henna/mehndi. Excerpts follow. Of interest, the henna service these photos were taken from is a woman-owned business in Dubai and she is apparently trying to go global with franchises of henna.

On the skin decoration:

"Mehndi is the application of henna as a temporary form of skin decoration. This usage is popular in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia as well as expatriate communities from these areas. It is usually drawn on the hands and feet, where the designs will last the longest."

On the plant:

"Henna (Lawsonia inermis, syn. L. alba) is a flowering plant, the sole species in the genus Lawsonia in the family Lythraceae. It is native to tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, southern Asia and northern Australasia with an arid or at least seasonally dry climate."

Saturday, March 11, 2006

Sisha

Smoking shisha or hookah is quite popular in Dubai. Photos of colleagues enjoying it:






Saturday, March 4, 2006

Musky detergent

I do not know about you, but I want my freshly washed clothes to smell like musk! As seen in a grocery store: