I found myself wondering about how the first cats were domesticated.
How do you think the first cavemen that unwittingly became cat owners felt? Imagine them huddled in their cave, thinking how lucky they were not to be eaten by one of the savage wild animals in the area that day. And then a miniature version of one of the most dangerous ones walks in and sits by the fire and starts purring.
Wonder what their reaction was.
(In case you were wondering, the domestic cat diverged from its ancestors as they increasingly relied on hunting vermin around human settlements. Similar to wolves evolving into dogs.)
If you:
- Loved the original Boom-de-yadda video from the Discovery channel
- Like xkcd
- Are a geek, nerd, or a nerd-sympathizer
then read on, you might like this.
The world and the universe truly is an extremely beautiful place, and the more I understand it the more beautiful it appears.
xkcd came up with with cool geeky lyrics for the song: Here.
Here is an animated xkcd version of the song, based on the xkcd comic:
Now, a bunch of well known geeks, bloggers and nerds got together to make a tribute video, using xkcd’s lyrics. The video stars, in no particular order: Neil Gaiman, Wil Wheaton, Cory Doctorow, Lawrence Lessig, Bruce Schneier, Jason Kottke, Google Zurich, Hank Green, MC Frontalot, Patrick & Teresa Nielsen Hayden, Mr. Toast, Miss Cellania, Team Genius, Phil Plait, Allan Amato, Maddy Gaiman, Charissa Gilreath, Belinda Casas, Chuck Martinez, Jeremy James, Joanna Gaunder, Lee Israel & Octavio Coleman Esq. of The Jejune Institute.
February 1, 2010 at 8:32 pm · Filed under Travel Tips
This is the third in a series about travel packing. In this post, I cover electronic stuff I took with me, and what might be helpful to take with you.
Laptop
HP Mini (really a netbook). Weighs about two pounds. Provided me with hours of entertainment, the ability to keep in touch, manage my affairs and keep writing while on the road. Most netbooks run for between $300 and $400, and depending on the kind of traveler you are, can be a worthwhile thing to have. A lot of places now have free or cheap wifi, where you might have to pay to use a computer. So it saves you money, over time. Plus you don’t have to worry about viruses.
My laptop had a slot in which SD memory cards could go, so it was easier to copy over pictures from my camera. No extra cables or convertors were necessary.
USB Memory stick
I bought a cheap 16gb one. Was good. Useful for backing up photos. And for swapping music and movies with other travelers.
Camera
Almost any decent point-and-shoot will do for me. In my opinion most people don’t use the features on their advanced, expensive cameras anyway. The criteria I had when looking for a camera were:
- Under $100
- Uses SD Cards
- Uses AA batteries, as opposed to a proprietary battery, so I don’t have to worry about recharging it, carrying a charger etc.
- Has decent reviews (preferably more than a four star rating on Amazon)
- Has Image Stabilization. I don’t like to carry tripods, and I often take pictures while walking or from buses. This feature saves me the bother of blurry pictures.
I ended up buying the Canon Powershot 1000IS. I’ve been happy with it. I didn’t have too much time to shop around, my other camera broke the day before I was leaving. I bought this on the way to the airport. I ran into the shop, picked up the only camera they had that fit my criteria, paid, and ran out. I’ve been very happy with it, even though I paid about $140 for it, a little more than I would’ve liked to.
Lithium-ion AA batteries
These last for at least three weeks of daily use in most new cameras. They cost more than regular alkaline batteries, but you have to use fewer of them. I went an entire three weeks in New Zealand without having to change them out. When I was in southeast Asia, I found myself having to change out regular Alkaline batteries almost every other day, when I used them. These paid for themselves many times over, and were one of the smartest purchases I made. Take a bunch of them. I used them in my flashlight, hair trimmer and other stuff too.
Ipod + charger
Portable ipod charger
Runs off a couple of AA batteries, is good for long bus rides or places without electricity.
Mobile Phone
I got myself a basic, unlocked GSM phone. Depending on how long I was in a country, I would get myself a cheap, pre-paid SIM card for a few dollars. It can be a useful thing to have, you can call ahead to hostels to see if they have a bed, make bus reservations sometimes, and coordinate meetups in other cities with other travelers you may have run into along the way.
To be sure your phone will work with most GSM networks, you want at least a GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900 network compatible phone.
Torch / Flashlight
I like the Maglite Mini LED. Its a really good torch, the LED bulb is at the perfect level of brightness, and batteries in it last a really long time. Its also simple to use. I had to change the batteries on this thing with one hand, in the dark, in the rain once, and it worked out well.
All-in-one Travel Plug
Can plug almost anything into almost anything. Won’t convert voltages, but everything I carried had that ability anyway (laptop, iPod etc)
Audio splitter
I didn’t take one of these, I didn’t need one. But if you’re traveling as a couple it can be useful, I saw a lot of couples using this. You can watch movies together, share music etc.
February 1, 2010 at 2:20 pm · Filed under Travel Tips
This is the second in a series about travel packing. In this post, I cover medicine and hygiene kits, and what might be helpful to take with you.
Imodium.
Will be your friend on long bus journeys.
Traveler’s Diahrrea medication.
Read about traveler’s diahrrea here. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traveler’s_diarrhea )
I took Levaquin (Levofloxacin) with me, but fortunately never had to use it.
It has other uses too. If bitten by an animal, the same pills will usually help prevent the spread of rabies from the wound, until you can get to a hospital or place to get vaccinated.
Paracetamol / Ibuprofen
Cure-all. Fevers, aches etc.
Malaria prophylaxis medication. I started out carrying this with me, pills I had to take four times a week. However, the side effects were too much for me, and I stopped taking them and focused on not being bitten by mosquitos. The side effects can sometimes be dangerous. In my case I suffered from sun sensitivity, which resulted in dehydration.
Hydration salts. Mixed with water, these hydrate you well. Started carrying these after my run-in with dehydration. They’re good for long hikes, days spent in the sun, walking around etc.
Band-aids
Lip balm / Chapstick
Moleskin (to prevent blisters)
Lozenges
Sun block
Insect repellent (with at least 30% DEET)
Try and take water-based repellent. Alcohol based repellent is more flammable, and is prohibited on flights.
After-bite bite reliever. This helped occasionally. It helped relieve the pain from a scorpion sting as well.
I took a few Vitamin C tablets with me, and would stock up as necessary. Vitamin C has a reputation for being useful for fighting off colds and things. It isn’t so. Most of the benefits are from the placebo effect. Vitamin C is only useful if you have a diagnosed vitamin deficiency, which most people eating a balanced meals don’t have to worry about, they get everything they need. I didn’t always have a chance to eat balanced meals, so took vitamins, sometimes. In retrospect, a multi-vitamin would have worked better. Most people that take vitamin supplements are overdosing, and this isn’t good for them. For a good explanation of the science behind this, please read this.
Duct tape. Just a few feet, not the entire roll. I made my own small roll of duct tape with a stubby pencil and a few feet from a bigger roll. This is useful for many things, like putting on blisters, rips in clothing and tents, etc.
Toothpaste
Toothbrush + toothbrush case
Roll-on deodorant
Bar of soap (can use for washing myself as well as clothes)
I would buy cheap (and really good) bars of Dettol brand soap as I went along. (Irish Spring works as well.) They’re available everywhere, don’t flake easily, as the ‘fancier’ soaps tend to do (important when washing clothes, otherwise you end up brushing soap flakes from your clothes for the rest of your trip)
Box for soap
I like the ones without holes in them to drain out water. Those are messy. I like to zip-loc my soap box as well.
Nail clippers
Tiny pair of blunt ended scissors, useful for trimming nose hair, nails, and a variety of other uses.
I started out with a disposable razor, but threw it away. I went eight months without shaving. I did get myself a cheap ($8) and light battery powered hair trimmer, for my face, underarms and other areas. It’s a hygiene thing, it helps to keep your underarms and body hair trimmed when in warm and humid places.
I put it all in a mesh pouch, like this one.
This is a fairly comprehensive medical / hygiene kit. A few other travelers I met had similar kits, though some of them were also carrying a couple of wrapped disposable syringes and needles. In case they needed shots, and they were in a country whose health system and standards they didn’t trust. As you may be able to tell, this post doesn’t cover women’s travel medical issues; I don’t feel qualified to discuss them, but there are other resources on the internet, I’m sure.
I also made sure I was up to date on the following vaccinations:
- Yellow fever
- Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B
- Polio
- Tetanus / Diptheria
- MMR
- Typhoid
If you’re planning a trip, get medical advice from your doctor or a travel nurse. A random blog on the internet or anecdotes from friends can be helpful but are no substitute for advice from a professional.
Don’t stress about your medical kit too much. Remember, you won’t end up using most of it. If you need something, you can find it, or a substitute almost anywhere in the world. Keep in mind that developing countries are a good place to buy medication, it’s cheaper. Quality is not an issue usually.
February 1, 2010 at 1:12 pm · Filed under Travel Tips
or, On traveling round the world with less than ten kilos in luggage.
I did an extended trip across several climate types, and learned a lot about packing.
The guiding goal while packing was weight. I did all I could to keep the weight in my backpack down. Ultimately, excluding a couple of heavy things, such as hiking boots, which I was actually wearing a lot of the time and books (usually two, my guidebook, and a book I was reading. This weight would fluctuate, as I switched books out) my backpack weighed just about eight kilos. It was around 13 kilos with everything in it, such as books, boots etc. That may not seem like much, but I weigh about 60 kilos, so thats almost a quarter of my body weight that I have to carry around with me. It’s a lot. My goal is to eventually get it down to 10% of my body weight, though I’m not sure thats possible (unless I put on weight).
This is the first in a five part series about travel packing, and the strategy I use.
Each post in the series will explore one of these aspects of packing and traveling:
- Backpack
- Clothes
- Electronics
- Medical kit
- Miscellaneous
So, to start with:
Backpack
Obviously one of the most important things. I have the Eagle Creek Voyage. This is the most amazing backpack in the history of backpacks. It is very comfortable to carry, is exactly the right size, comes with a handy day-pack attached that you can zip off. For some reason Eagle Creek stopped making these; had I known, I would’ve bought another, for when this one wears out.
Things that were important in a backpack, for me:
- Dimensions. It was important that the backpack be carry-on compatible. I tend not to check in luggage. Currently, most airlines require carry-on bags to be within 9 x 14 x 22 inches. Also, I would have to stash my pack under or on top of a bus a lot of the time. The smaller size lets you sometimes take it with you on the bus, and have it under a seat.
- Front panel loading. Many packs tend to be top loading, which makes getting your stuff at the bottom hard. This one zips open all the way around the front, which makes getting things in and out from any part of the pack easy.
- Lockable zippers. So I can use a travel lock to lock my bag.
- Capacity. I didn’t want a pack that was too large or small. You pick backpacks based on the volume of stuff they can carry (in liters) rather than the weight they can carry. I thought 45 (backpack) + 20 (daypack) liters was the perfect size. Know that if you have a larger capacity pack, you will fill it up. And then you have to carry it around. Most people don’t use or need a lot of things they carry, so having a medium capacity pack forces you to think through your packing list, and pack smart.
This pack had a lot of cool features I haven’t seen in too many other packs, such as the ability to zipper away all the straps when you’re not carrying it on your back. This is useful for when you need to check in your bag, it turns into a compact little bundle with no straps hanging out.
Pack covers can be useful to keep your stuff dry, but in a pinch, a garbage bag will do. Don’t stress over it too much. I didn’t get a pack cover, I did use a lot of bags, sometimes over the entire pack, sometimes, just my stuff inside the pack was in bags. No significant problems, most packs are fairly water resistant anyway.
You obviously also want a pack you’re comfortable with, thats the correct size for your back (an incorrectly sized pack can cause back trouble and be uncomfortable) and that you like looking at. You’re going to own it for a while. Best way to get one is to go into your backpack emporium of choice and try some on. Have a knowledgeable person fit you for a pack. Try it with some weight in it, with the hip belt and sternum strap on. And enjoy your new traveling companion, it’s going to last you a while.
Locks Two TSA (United States Travel Security Administration) travel compatible combination locks.
One for my main backpack, one for my daypack. The kind that airport security in the United States can open without breaking open, if they want to. It only needs to be compatible with the United States, fortunately. Other countries haven’t reached that level of paranoia yet. They’re useful when you leave your backpack in a hostel, storage, or almost anywhere. They’re flimsy, a thief can just yank them off if motivated enough. Most thieves in hostels are of the kind that just pick up stuff lying around or off the tops of backpacks. It greatly reduces the odds of being stolen from, because it increases the amount of effort a would-be thief has to take. I prefer the combination to the key kind, it saves me having to keep track of keys. Cable Lock: Allows me to lock my backpack to my bed, a luggage rack on a train, bus etc. I don’t have to worry about my bag being picked up and run off with when I’m not in my room or if I step away to go to the bathroom.
I like comedy. I like music. I’m a full-time skeptic and humanist. I have an unconditional love of reality. All of these things come together really well in Tim Minchin’s work. Here are three of my favorite ones so far.
White Wine in the Sun, a Humanist christmas anthem. Slow and a little sappy. But good.
If I didn’t have you. A song about statistics. Funny.
December 31, 2009 at 9:14 pm · Filed under Philanthrophy
Happy New Year everyone.
We’ve all probably recovered from our New Year’s eve celebrations by now, and are looking forward to 2010. A lot of people pick this time of year to make resolutions, decide to make changes in their lives and send wishes for a prosperous New Year.
I am advocating that we all change in a certain way, and this time of the year is a good time for me to get an audience, people seem to listen. Or at least skim through. So, for what its worth, here’s my New Year’s message.
I’ve spent the last several months traveling across the world, and met many interesting people. People sometimes ask me if the travel has changed me. I don’t know. Traveling changes you in small ways. It’s not one big mind altering event but a polishing of the edges of your personality. So I’ve probably changed. I’ve noticed some changes. But many these will be incremental changes I probably haven’t noticed, and might not.
The differences between people with affluent lifestyles, and the ones struggling to get by have really been driven home to me. Everyday, about twenty seven thousand children died from poverty, malnutrition and its related causes (UNICEF). About Nine 9-11s per day. And thats just the children.
I think its unconscionable that in this day and age, those of us in the affluent world could allow this to happen. I think that if we could easily save the life of a child, we would. For example, if we saw a child in danger of drowning in a shallow pond, and all we had to do to save the child was wade into the pond, and pull him out, we would do so. The fact that we would get wet, or ruin a mobile phone we have in our pocket, doesn’t really count when it comes to saving a child’s life. However, if I were to ask you, when you were shopping, to buy a six month old model mobile phone instead of the latest one, and use the $80 you save to save a child’s life, you would balk. Why? I think that in moral terms, it is the same thing. A child’s life gets saved, at some material and comfort cost to you.
While people are dying from preventable causes, almost a billion of us live very comfortable lives, with money to spare for things that aren’t really necessary. (You are not sure if you are in that category? When did you last spend money on something to drink, when drinkable water was available for nothing? If the answer is “within the past week” then you are spending money on luxuries while people die from malnutrition or diseases that we know how to prevent or cure.) In the end, what is the ethical distinction between someone who stands by and watches a child drown in a pond and an American who already has a TV and upgrades to a better one — knowing that the money could be donated to an organization that would use it to save the lives of kids in need?
I’m advocating that we change the way we think about charitable giving. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t enjoy our luxuries. That would be a futile exercise. I’m not going to give up most of my luxuries, such as they are. And I know most of you wouldn’t. However, I think we need to make charitable giving a regular part of our lives. Not by handing out spare change or dropping a few coins in a churchbox or donating a few cans of food. But by regular systematic giving, budgeting for it as part of the expenses in your life, and using methods such as a regular monthly withdrawal from your bank account to enforce this.
If we all gave our fair share, evenly spread out across the affluent world, the burden on each of us would be negligible. But that is not going to happen, so its up to the people who do give to give as much as they can. Theres always an excuse not to give. A valid reason. Mortgage payments. New baby. Saving for a car. But if we don’t do it, noone will. To revisit the drowning child example, imagine it is not one small child who has fallen in, but 50 children. We are among 50 adults, unrelated to the children, picnicking on the lawn around the pond. We can easily wade into the pond and rescue the children, and the fact that we would find it cold and unpleasant sloshing around in the knee-deep muddy water is no justification for failing to do so. The “fair share” theory would say that if we each rescue one child, all the children will be saved, and so none of us have an obligation to save more than one. But what if half the picnickers prefer staying clean and dry to rescuing any children at all? Is it acceptable if the rest of us stop after we have rescued just one child, knowing that we have done our fair share, but that half the children will drown? We might justifiably be furious with those who are not doing their fair share, but our anger with them is not a reason for letting the children die. In terms of praise and blame, we are clearly right to condemn, in the strongest terms, those who do nothing. In contrast, we may withhold such condemnation from those who stop when they have done their fair share. Even so, they have let children drown when they could easily have saved them, and that is wrong.
It is not simply the absence of charity, let alone of moral saintliness: It is wrong, and one cannot claim to be a morally decent person unless one is doing far more than the typical comfortably-off person does.
I’m going to change tack at this point and talk about my actual methodology of giving, and how I decide on which charities are more effective than others.
I do not give any money to religious charities, or charities run by religious organizations. Most of the time their charitable activities usually come with strings attached, such as focusing on people who share their particular belief system, or providing incentives to people to convert to their belief system as part of the charitable giving. Sometimes their ideologies actually do more harm than good (such as spreading misinformation about condoms). I think if you want to help someone, it should be free of such strings. Charity should be done because its the right thing to do, not because of fear, or expectation of reward in the afterlife.
I do think religious charities do do one thing well. They’re great at making giving to charities, as well as volunteering for charitable activities a regular thing. Multiple solid surveys by philanthropic research organizations show that churchgoers give a much greater percentage of their income to charitable causes than non-churchgoers like me. However, if churchgoers are asked to pass a plate full of the generous donations of their friends and neighbors and either add to it or not, 52 times a year, while non-churchgoers have no such regular and public nudge — I’d say something other than virtue is in play. I think the difference has much more to do with whether or not you have systematic opportunities for giving than some “gap in virtue.”
I don’t agree with those who insist religious people give primarily out of fear or guilt. That may be in the mix, but most I know give because they are challenged and encouraged to do so, because generosity feels wonderful, and because the habit of giving turns giving into a habit.
Also, when religious folks give through religious charities and churches, it registers as an expression of their worldview. I want that too. I want my contributions to “count” as a visible expression of my secular humanism.
Did you know: Three of the four philanthrophists who gave the most to charity in the last hundred years were atheists or agnostics. (Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and Andrew Carnegie. The exception is John Rockefeller. Source: New York Times)
So, one of the charities I most actively support is a relatively new one, that I encourage you to check out. It provides a method for secularists, humanists, atheists and the non-religious to give collectively, as a group. Its called “Foundation beyond Belief” (http://foundationbeyondbelief.org/). It’s mission is: To demonstrate humanism at its best by supporting efforts to improve this world and this life; to challenge humanists to embody the highest principles of humanism, including mutual care and responsibility; and to help and encourage humanist parents to raise confident children with open minds and compassionate hearts.
Being a humanist means trying to behave decently without expectation of rewards or punishment after you are dead. — Kurt Vonnegut
I do also want to talk about how I decide which charities to give money to. Those of you that know me know I’m not interested in vacuous awareness raising attempts, commemorative days that mean nothing and fundraisers that seem to spend most of their intake on the event itself. I’m interested in real results and solutions that work. Even if its not an ideal solution.
Some questions I ask of charities:
- How much of the money is actually spent on providing services to the recipients? What are the administrative costs?
My personal benchmark is that less than 25% of funds raised spent on administrative costs and fundraising efforts is acceptable. I accept that NGOs need effective management, and to get that, the managers should be compensated well.
- Are the goals of the organization long-term development or short-term relief?
This is important to me personally. I do think that we need to provide short-term relief efforts in many cases, however, long-term projects and development are going to ultimately be most effective. I believe organizations that promote literacy, skills training and women’s rights are going to have the most impact on poverty in the long run.
I try not to be swayed by emotional appeals. For me, charitable giving isn’t about one-time donations, I usually don’t make those. I try and find organizations whose goals appeal to me, and that I can work with for a very long time. And then I stick with them.
It is important to do your research before giving. The internet is filled with great resources. Organizations like the Better Business bureau and GiveWell are good at evaluating the efficacy of charities. Think of GiveWell as an auditor for charities. They’re a great place to start. From the GiveWell site:
GiveWell is an independent, nonprofit charity evaluator. We perform in-depth research on charities to help people accomplish as much good as possible with their donations.
Unlike existing evaluators, which focus solely on financials, assessing administrative or fundraising costs, we focus on how well programs actually work – i.e., their effects on the people they serve.
I’m not going to pretend that the world’s problems that can be solved by throwing money at them. They’re much more complicated than that, with many more factors. But the money helps. I think its unconscionable that we allow people to starve to death and children to fall victim to ignorance in this day and age. Its now 2010, but for hundreds of millions of people, it may as well be the year 1600, in terms of quality of life, and life expectancy. What is a human life worth? You may not want to put a price tag on a it. But if we really had to, most of us would agree that the value of a human life would be in the millions. We would also agree that all humans are created equal, at least to the extent of denying that differences of sex, ethnicity, nationality and place of residence change the value of a human life. Perhaps as we celebrate our new year, we can take a minute, and a few dollars to spare for the bottom billion. How much is a human life worth to you?
_______
I would like to note that I have adapted and plagiarized parts of this post from the writings of the philosopher Peter Singer, who has been a strong influence on my thought processes.
I have also taken information about the Foundation beyond Belief from their website, as well as the blog of their founder, Dale McGowan.
Jim Kakalios was a science advisor for the Watchmen movie, and wrote a book called The Physics of Superheroes. He gave this very entertaining and edifying 2009 convocation address at the University of Minnesota, and talks about geeks and nerds. And how we run the world.
November 9, 2009 at 1:42 pm · Filed under Politics, Videos
I think the United Nations spends way too much time, effort and money on having meetings, feel-good days of awareness that accomplish nothing, and obstructionism.
On the bus ride from Esfahan to Kashan, I made a point of not taking any pictures. The road passes close to Natanz, which is where Iran’s uranium enrichment plant is. I heard stories of a couple of French travelers that had their cameras confiscated for taking pictures in the area, so I didn’t want to take that risk.
After checking into one of Esfahan’s more popular backpacker hostels, I deposited my passport and most of my money in the hostel safe. Because of the large number of visitors, Esfahan has a large number (for Iran) of pickpockets, so I decided to play it safe. Then I set off for Atashkadeh. Atashkadeh is a small hill outside Esfahan, on which there are the ruins of an ancient Zoroastrian fire temple. I caught a local bus, and had to get used to the peculiar way in which bus services run in Esfahan. Every bus stop has a little hut with an old man sitting in it, who will sell you tickets and give you change. You wait for your bus, get on, and when you get off, you put the ticket in a rusty old can, next to the gear levers, in the front of the bus. The buses were segregated though. There were two doors, one in the front and one in the middle. Women use the middle door, and sit in the back half of the bus. There are bars on the inside of the bus, physically separating the two sections. When women get off the bus, they have to walk to the front door and put their tickets into the can.
I asked the bus driver to tell me when the stop for Atashkadeh was. About twenty minutes later he pulled over on the side of the highway, between stops, point up at the mountain looming over us, and say “Atashkadeh”. That was good of him, it saved me a fifteen minute walk. I scrambled up the side of the mountain, and looked around the ruins. The ruins themselves were nothing special, the view however was great. There’s something special about the sky in Iran. I don’t know what it is… it’s as if a child painted it with water colours. Looks great.
When I go hiking or climbing, when I get to the summit or the point in the hike where I sit and look at the view, I usually reward myself with some chocolate. To this end, I had a bar of very familiar looking Irani chocolate. It was pretty good.
On the bus ride back, I had an interesting conversation with one of the local Esfahanis. I blogged about that in my post titled “A Pilgrimage to Iraq”.
I was kind of hungry when I got back, and I found a place selling… samosas! These were especially welcome. Not because I particularly wanted indian food, but because after nearly four days of Irani food, I needed something spicy. Irani food, while good, can be a little… bland. My experience with Irani food is that it’s generally either on the bland side, or sweet. Iranis consume sweet stuff like nobody’s business. Iran is a nation of diabetics waiting to happen. If someone were to set up insulin production facilities and other necessities for diabetics in Iran, they’d make a lot of money. Iranis consume ridiculous amounts of sugar, candies, pastries, even bread, all with excess sugar, all in large quantities. The worst offender is tea. More on that later.
There’s a popular half-rhyme from the 16th century that goes “Esfahan nesf-e jahan” or “Esfahan is half the world”. As I made my way to Naqsh-e Jahan Square I could see why people would be writing poetry praising this city. Officially known as Imam Square, it contains what are probably the most amazing, awesome and majestic set of buildings in the islamic world. Naqsh-e Jahan means “Pattern of the world”, and is ringed with some fine mosques and a marketplace. More details about the Square to follow in Part Four of this trip report.
When I got to the Square it was evening, the lights were on and it looked spectacular. I can’t think of enough words to describe the magnificence and scale of the area. It is the second largest square in the world, second only to Tiananmen. Though for sheer attractiveness, it beats the more severe Tiananmen hands down.
One of the better known secrets of Esfahan is the tea shop on the bazaar roof, at one end of the Square. It’s a great place to sit, drink tea, smoke qalyun (hookah) and watch the square.
A brief digression on tea: I grew up hating tea. I used to have a pathological loathing for it, tea was my kryptonite. Drinking it made me throw up, and just the prospect of it being served to me gave me cold shivers. I decided to get over it. In Iran, I drank it almost every day, and while I didn’t really enjoy it, I managed to endure it, and get over some of the issues I had with it.
Iranis have a unique method of drinking tea. The tea is usually served in a pot, without milk. A bowl of lumps of rock sugar or sugar cubes accompanies it. You hold a lump of sugar between your front teeth and filter the tea through it as you drink it, and the sugar dissolves away with the tea. It’s common to use five or six lumps of sugar per cup of tea.
There are many interesting stories about why Iranis drink tea the way they do. Most of them sound like complete fabrications, but like most tall tales, they’re entertaining, with perhaps a grain of truth. My favorite one is the one of the British Merchants and the Imams. It goes like this: Back in the 1800s, most of Persia’s sugar was supplied by British Merchants, under charter from the Shah. Persia’s imams felt they weren’t getting their due from the sugar trade. Their requests to the British were rejected. So, they issued a fatwa against using sugar in tea. Mixing sugar with tea was now haram. Overnight, the demand for sugar dropped to nothing. The British merchants capitulated and came to some kind of arrangement with the imams. However, the imams couldn’t just rescind their original fatwa, it would look like they were being opportunistic. If sugar was haram yesterday, how come it is halal now? So, they issued a new fatwa that said it’s still not alright to mix sugar with tea. However, if you put the sugar in your mouth and drink the tea through it, it is completely acceptable. Sugar sales went back up, the imams made out like bandits, and the Iranis got screwed over by their clergy, yet again. A precursor of things to come perhaps? It’s a funny story.
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