A Nomad Among the Bedouins

atif, this was fun..

i belive a visit to a foreign land is not complete without eating its food, drinking its wine, and enjoying the company of its fine citizens. your initial passionate description of the goat market made me think you are describing something passionate, but alas, you had to use the poor kohl-gal metaphorically. come on spill the real beans ;-)

I congratulate chowk staff for having the literary acumen to pick this article for publishing. In doing so, chowk staff shines brighter than the author.

#1 / #2 - the word ``soft`` should be understood in its appropriate context. We may be rugged and hardened within the context of our surroundings. But a desert like Empty Quarter is an entirely different ball game where toughness takes on different meanings.

Good write up. Conclusion was what was `soft`.

``Married women put a beautiful colored mask on their faces that only covered their nose and lips.``

Perhaps this sentence needs a correction?

atif, thanks for a great ead. time well spent. I never realised you were a softie!!!!

these lines at the end had a rythm of their own

``a life of cushiony couches, comfortable shoes, soft bed, purified water and air conditioned existence. A life where the perfection of meal was more important than the saving of the fuel. A life where planning for life often overwhelmed living the life. ``

perhaps you could have used something else or some other word than ``soft`` to describe your lifestyle....``soft`` breaks the rythm and spoils the effect.....

and yaaah! the Bedu life style is like Safeena - yep ``to be admired and wished for, but from a distance``. But what about it the other way round? That would have been an interesting angle.