BasimMousilli.com » Travels

Summer 2009 in Amman, Jordan

Basim Mousilli — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 08:34:11 +0000

Not even 2 days here, July 31, 2009. We arrived yesterday at 8pm to Amman, Jordan. Now more than a day later, I’m on a bus back to Syria hunched over my brighly lit electronic leash in the black of the night capturing my encounters on digital paper.

Zaatar w Zeit was our first stop to eat. With its childish cartoon-like menus, it made for a great place to snack and dine with beautiful pastries stuffed and grilled in various flavors including zaatar oo jibneh.

We went to downtown Amman to visit the Roman ampitheatre ruins and that was simply amazing. I paused to think about the greatness of God having preserved the makings of man since 700AD. It is remarkable to see pillars some erect and some overturned,
shaping a piece of history where people used to convene to enjoy a show of entertainment – probably the height of stimulation in their days. To see the carvings on the pillars still noticable and to think that a man’s hand left an impression that would last a century and a half was utterly inspiring.

We dashed out of there and headed to Habiba’s to chow down on some knafeh. Not as good as Syria’s but still it’s been forever since I’ve went to a knafeh shop living in Brunei. Inside the shop it was packed like it was going out of business. A bit too sweet but hit the
spot in a crispy sweet savory package for my famished tongue.

A couple of things I noticed. Compared to its neighboring country Syria, Jordan seems more mountainous and a bit colder than Syria all the time. The hills provide for nice shade and breezes in pockets of the town. The residential buildings all seem to have nice
exterior stone work and the streets have names unlike Syria. The Western influence on business is widespread and branding is taken a lot more seriously than it is in Syria. An issue apparently is water sourcing as it is rare and water gets cut off frequently.

Everybody seems to smoke argeela all the time. And lastly, the coffee shops and chill spots are more abundant. I would say however as we all agreed, Syria has more personality and above all is more original and peaceful and friendly altogether.

Our last stop was at Mayjanee for a highly reccomended lunch and quiet talk under olive trees.

Amman would make for a nice place to work in the Middle East and hope to come back some day, especially to visit.

Back in Asia

Basim Mousilli — Sat, 08 May 2010 02:48:46 +0000

Hey guys, I’m back in Asia. We made a stop in KL and then we are heading back to Brunei next week. I won another contract with Shell so I will be outstation for another year.

Laid back like a criminal in Laos

Basim Mousilli — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 22:35:48 +0000

Day 2: Vang Vieng, Laos. This is the most chill place on Earth, I tell ya. Where else can you can lay down sprawled out like a dead man at a crime scene, decked out at a coffee shop slash restaurant (“video bar”) in shorts and a tank top, get served by beautiful people, and watch dozens of reruns of Friends like it’s nobody’s business? We’re live from Laos!

So you might ask why the hell are you doing all these Western things in the middle of the Orient?

I must admit – day 2 of the trip and I’m at a coffee shop watching TV and having greasy pizza. Yes, even backpackers miss home sometimes. Around travel days, your full day is shot being lazy and coping with being human. You have to rest to be energized for the rest of your travels.

Travel mix up. The reason for this rush is I told the lady at Air Asia to book me to Vietnam and she booked me to Vientiane, Laos! We changed our whole travel plans but I think our plan B is going to work; just a lot of rushing through the first sites because I’m on a visa pinch.

Ok, enough depressing news – here’s an unrelated picture riding around in the city. There are tons of motorbikes here!

Thai-French vibes: Vientiane, Laos

Basim Mousilli — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 18:46:17 +0000

On Day 1 here in Vientiane, Laos. Now this place is the most laid-back capital on earth. Picture this: narrow French pastry shops dotting the dimly-lit streets serving baguettes, cheese, and coffee. It’s quite an interesting spectacle seeing a society whose a mix between Thai and French influences. It’s also interesting see the new (modern buildings) and the old (monks begging for food) all in the same day and in the same suburbs.

People are very peaceful and surrendering, warm and welcoming, and speak in voices quieter than pin-drops. We had some good spring roles here, curries, and noodle soup. We’re taking a bus tomorrow to visit some interesting sites.

Highlights of the day:

Witnessing animists worshiping ancestors
Getting served by 6-year old waitresses
Finding 75% of people on motorbikes women
Seeing French influence on a Thai-like country
Meeting the most peaceful kind of people on Earth!

Climbing up Bukit Karamunting

Basim Mousilli — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 11:56:51 +0000

My boxing trainer Omar Rajab and his wife & kids had us over to their lovely house in Bandar this past weekend. We slept over at their place and enjoyed a wonderfully marinated barbecue of generous hamburgers and savory grilled chicken thighs. Besides the lovely sleepover we had an inspiring hike up Bukit Karamunting, a small climbing site in Omar’s backyard! The hike was arduous but the view of the city from the top of the mountain was worth every bead of sweat.

We jammin’ in Jamaica mon!

Basim Mousilli — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 05:25:14 +0000

Kick it back treee years mon, we be in Jamaica mon with de family. Dis was de year 2005. Nah guh believe dis, we had a great time! De pictures iz fresh see da gallery now.

One love! This trip to Jamaica was one of the funnest events as a family that we have ever had. It was nice to eat and drink (pina colada virgin shakes!) at an all-inclusive resort. Even the sports facilities were amazing and very social indeeed.

Nativity in Singapore’s Arab District

Basim Mousilli — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 08:35:35 +0000

I say nothing feels better than finding the wind has scattered a small seed of your civilization in a distant land. It’s the evil feeling of manifest destiny that strikes a chord of joy in your heart when you walk through Singapore’s Arab District as a Syrian-American tourist.

Long before the Europeans arrived, Arab traders plied the coastlines of the Malay Peninsula and Indonesia, bringing with them the teachings of Islam.

The Arab District remains a Malay enclave held firmly together by strict observance of the tenets of Islam. At the heart of the community is the Sultan Mosque, a beautiful site.

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 08:35:13 -0700

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