Salmiya

The noble people of Yazd had been described already by Marco Polo who passed the city in 1272 CE on his way to China. Yazd is a typical desert city in Iran, located at the eastern fringes of the Dasht-e Lut , the frightening salt desert, one of the hottest and most hostile areas on Earth. So, end of November was the right season to go to Yazd (and other cities in Iran as well). Temperatures were generally mild and sun was shining. The old city of Yazd is a labyrinth with narrow lanes bordered by high mud walls. Even the locals admit that they are getting lost every now and then and have to ask their neighbors. A nice taroof , of course. You might see the tall minarets of the famous Timurid Friday Mosque as a landmark, but you’ll never really approach it. The center of the old city is represented by a small square with trees and benches. A very peaceful place. You may rest here and read in your travel guide about near-by Alexander’s prison, who passed the city after he had ransacked and...

Before I moved to Kuwait 7 years ago, I was told that it is the hottest place in the world. It turned out, it isn’t. Anyway, it might indeed be the hottest place where 2.5 million people live in air-conditioned environments! During the 6 years temperatures never soared beyond 50 degrees Celsius. In fact, in several years they not even reached that magic figure. I was constantly told by expats that officials manipulated the temperatures since, by Kuwaiti law, workers were not supposed to work outside if 50 degrees had been reached. As if it would make a difference if it was 45 or 50! I never believed that. Metereologists are honest, everywhere. The highest (unofficial) temperature ever measured in Kuwait was 51.9 °C, on the 27th of July 2007, when I just had left ! Most Kuwaitis and of course all the Westerners flee the heat already in early June. They won’t return before September. I loved the heat (provided AC was working). During several summers I spent my holidays in Kuwait, relaxe...