A special report on the Arab world | The Economist

The world of the Arabs

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Taiz

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Just got back from the historical city of Taiz - only a 30-minute flight from Sana'a on the new domestic airline, Felix Airways. We flew out on Thursday morning and back on Saturday morning... so we had almost two full days over the weekend. To drive down, it takes around 4.5 hours - but due to company-imposed security restrictions, we're only allowed to fly there. The roads are good apparently, except for one dangerous stretch called the Sumarra Pass. Our driver made his way to Taiz by car the day before our flight, and met us at Taiz airport. In case of a breakdown, he was accompanied by a second car (ironically it was the 'security' car that ended up with a flat tyre). Taiz is beautiful. Our first reaction was that it's very green ("very" being relative to Sana'a, not Southeast Asia!) and very hot (again, compared to Sana'a). Used to the cool highlands, the two drivers spent three hours driving around, looking for a hotel with air-conditioned r...
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Sushi Night at the Sheraton

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Hmm...a little disappointing. First of all, the sushi "spread" was tucked away in a little corner on the eighth floor of the Sheraton Hotel and you had to eat it in the smoke-infested Hollywood Club, which is what you would call a nightclub in Malaysia. Secondly, there were only about 10 sushi items available, six of them containing crab sticks, which S hates. But otherwise, the fish was fresh. Then, at about 8 p.m. a Filipino band with two very sexy (and talented) singers comes on stage so if you're hoping for a quiet, romantic meal, this ain't it! On top of all that, the clientele at the pub are horny blokey guys who are openly ogling the Filipina singers. Between songs, the ladies would walk the floor, flirt with them and rub their bald heads. After dinner, not keen to go back to a TV-less house, I watched S play pool...by himself. Are we lame??? S said if there was one thing he learned at university, it was how to play pool. And I think he's good. The Sheraton...
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How to pack for overseas assignments

Taking a break from the packing. Thought I'd share some tips on how to prepare and pack for moves to difficult countries, based on my personal experiences of going to Angola and Yemen. Since I don't have children, I couldn't give you good advice on kid-related issues. A few months before the move, try to find out from friends/employees in the destination country: What is and isn't available, and what they recommend bringing. If the plugs/voltages mean that you can't bring your electronics (different voltages) or if you need to buy plug adaptors (just different plugs). If the voltages are different from your base country, I wouldn't advise getting voltage adaptors because apparently these "die" after a period of use and you may still risk damaging your equipment. If there are daily/regular power cuts, in which case it is recommended that you get a UPS (uninterrupted power supply) for your computer equipment and high-end electronics (TV, stereo system, e...
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