The Two Dudes

Back home a cat called Crackhead and I have been roommates for a solid ten years. We first met up when she was a disregarded kitten and needless to say we have hung out together ever since although to this day I am not sure who is the sidekick in the equation. She is a tiny and friendly-looking cat but that is just a charade. She has a habit of making grown pitbulls whimper softly in corners.
When I started my journey I couldn't take Crack with me and I sobbed my eyes out when I left her in the splendid care of sweet friends who love and spoil her rotten. These amazing folks are golden and Crackhead has wrapped them both around her miniature paw. Last year I went back home and got to spend ten blissful days with the little rug rat and her caretakers have told me that as soon as I come home I will get her back (I feel awful about this. They are absolutely smitten with her and it would be cruel to break their hearts. At the same time I am on my knees with weepy relief cause I want Crackhead at my side till the day she kicks the bucket).
Travelling between Mexico, Aruba, Jordan and the UAE I came across a lot of four-legged strays with high-rating cuteness factors and I resolutely kept myself from falling in love with them (although there were a few dogs that I really wanted to take home as a companion for Crackhead's terrorizing enjoyment)
Then something happened when I moved to Khorfakkan.

Enter two abandoned youngsters with vital body parts missing who were in desperate need of a home. These dudes were stuck at the vet's for months with no prospect of finding a home (Folks in the UAE are into physically intact, preferably purebred, pets). Little Cyclops kitten was a ginger Persian whose owner left him after finding out that his eye could not be saved. For a few months he was locked in his small cage and when I met him he was a fearless fluffball who ran into furniture a lot which is how he earned the name Khabil: Arabic for 'crazy'.
Jamal the Tripod was the one who originally caught my attention when I accompanied my colleague to the animal hospital for the first time. Awkwardly getting used to his three legs he was a withdrawn, sad-looking feline and after hearing his horrid story I made the decision right there on the spot: This dude deserved a second chance. It took months to win his trust and although Khabil is adored by everyone who meets him my heart beats big for Jamal: His sad eyes and sweet timid nature have surely swallowed my soul whole.

Scroll down for stereotypical cute cat pictures.  

Tripod Jamal

Cyclops Khabil

Crackhead the cat

En Masque

The first time I saw an elderly lady strolling around wearing a golden face mask I was immediately fascinated. I'd never seen one before and asked one of our Emirati divers what it was called, and what it was for.

The burqa (not to be confused with the burqa that women in Afghanistan wear) is this astonishing face adornment that comes in many styles and has a bit of a hazy origin - My local friend told me it was similar to jewelry, a beautification tool. After doing a little research online I came across a variety of opinions on its purpose. I don't often see women wearing the Emirati style burqa here in Khorfakkan and whenever I see it I am filled with wonder - Each one I've seen so far is different and all of them exude a certain beauty.
Here's a little article that goes more into depth when it comes down to these glittering masks that catch my eye.