Thank you, Seth. It is all so very interesting. I love hearing things that the ordinary tourist would never see or do.

My cousin also works a lot in other countries. I just got back an incredible email from him describing a 36 hours visit to Pakistan to look at their cotton gins, as he is going to building a new one, soon, in Abu Daubi for the same company which has some in Pakistan. Here is one of the more surreal things he mentioned:

"On the one day we went sand grouse hunting; two vehicles of us. The Suzuki had a driver and passenger in the front and four guards armed with AK-47s in the back plus two rockets launchers. Saleem drove a four-door Toyota pickup also with four armed guards in the back. The man I was traveling with and I sat in the back seat and were outfitted with USSR 12 gauge single shot shotguns. With all the gun power, I asked how big are these grouse? He said that all the security was just a precaution, it was simply stated that it is better to be safe than sorry. Feuding with the neighbor tribe can occur at any time."

Thanks, again, Seth, for sharing with us.

kat