So, my parents arrived on Saturday evening, and yesterday we took them to the Arab Quarter. Pickle and I only discovered it properly last week, and it's just amazing, a real oasis.
Unlike Chinatown and Little India, it feels like a real enclave, as there aren't any tall buildings in the immediate vicinity, and it's not stuffed full of people (or it certainly wasn't when we were there). There are lots of palm trees, cafes spilling out onto the streets and plenty of people smoking shisha pipes (I think that's what they're called), which the girls found absolutely fascinating. The scent of the fruit tobacco wafts down the street as you walk past. One of my girlfriends reliably informs me that if you go there in the evening, the pavements are covered in rugs and everyone sits on them smoking shisha and eating, which I suspect is a sight to behold (and smell).
There are also some lovely shops to mooch in, selling the most beautiful rugs, bolts and bolts of fabric, from intricately beaded silks to georgette, beads galore, and perfume shops selling the most beautiful array of perfume bottles, in which you can design your own scent. My mother and the girls were in their element, and came home with some.
We also bought Congkak, which is a game we first saw in Borneo...
The rules are very complicated, although I suspect once you've got the hang of them it will be fine, and last night, Mr W and I spent about 2 hours playing just 2 games. The rules imply that the game finishes when either someone has won all the shells and is declared the winner, or the players get fed up, so in many senses it's a little like monopoly!! The girls are very keen to play, so tonight's task is to teach them what's what - wish me luck!
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