... Expat William

My Collection of Bahkoor/Bakhoor/Bukhoor In the above photo, you can see various boxes of bahkoor I purchased in Abu Dhabi, some charcoal and a couple of traditional incense burners, all resting on the rug we bought from the local rug merchant (Corniche Towers across from La Brioche cafe - recommended). Also Called Incense Bahkoor/bakhoor/bukhoor, also called incense, is widely used in the Arab world – with scorching desert temperatures and sweating bodies covered by layers of clothing, bahkoor/bakhoor/bukhoor is as much luxury as social necessity. Incense plays an important role in Arab life, one I've grown to appreciate. While living in Abu Dhabi, I found my sense of smell constantly stimulated by aromas of bahkoor, Arab perfumes and shisha. My head was often turned by a group of Emirati women, walking past wrapped in the exotic aroma of Bahkoor (always careful not to stare at them). Composition Typically composed of woodchips (Oudh the Arabic name for Agarwood/

Coming to My Senses

Outside the temperature has dropped below freezing. The frigid wind from the north is an unnecessary, unwanted, redundant reminder that we no longer live in the Middle East. While I don’t miss the sweltering oven called summer in United Arab Emirates, there are things I continue to miss. It has taken me months to post again to this blog. Of course I don’t have any new Abu Dhabi adventures to share with you. But, I do have some personal feelings and comments I feel I must address. My senses were stretched living in the United Arab Emirates; my common sense, my sense of smell, my sense of taste, my sense of style, my sense of standards, my religious sense, my sense of class and my sense of propriety. Of these senses, my inclination today is to reflect on my sense of smell. The sense of smell is a basic, primal sense, it’s key to survival, attraction and socialization. My broad generalization of today is, “every culture has its own distinct smell”. Aside from the call to prayer, natio

Awakened Ajmal Appreciation

“Classic fragrance with contemporary ingredients captures the heart of the wearer craving for the perfect balance in life. Natural materials like fragrant sandalwood, amber and cedar wood are creatively merged with spicy hints of ginger, cardamom and clove, creating a sophisticated perfume reflecting effortless elegance and modern versatility.” Richly Scented The above quote is the description of my new eau de parfum (EDP) I recently purchased. Ever since arriving in Abu Dhabi, I’ve noticed that men and women wear a lot of perfume – to my Western sensibilities, the smell is exotic. I find these 'new to me', aromas of perfume, oil and incense intoxicating and exhilarating. Once I finally ‘tuned’ into the heady aromas worn by the locals, I wanted to learn what they were wearing and where to buy some. Unfortunately, I’ve heard some unkind expressions implying Emirati use a lot of richly scented perfumes. Whether unkind or ignorant words come my way, you can add me to that richly s

Labels

2009
A.C.
abu dhabi
abu dhabi mall
adach
Africa
airport
Ajmal Eternal
al cornice
Al Corniche

apartment
Arab
Arabian Bazaar
arabic
arabic bread
asian
august
australia
bahkoor
bakhoor
barefoot
blog
bompani
book
building
bukhoor
buttered chicken
cafe
calendar
carpet
cell phone
change
charcoal
Chicken Curry
classes
coconut prawns
coffee
communication
computer
cooking
corniche
cornish
crush it
cultur shift
Culture
currency
curry
Curry House
dinner
dirham
Doha
domestic duties
driving
dry cleaning
dryer
Dubai
dune bashing
dust
eau de parfum
edp
eggs
Electra
emirati
etran finatawa
exchange rate
Fake Plastic Souks
fava beans
fog
food
foul
free
furniture
gary vaynerchuk
Ghala
Gifts
greeting
grocery
Guardian
Gunpowder Tea
haircut
Hamdan
heat
heritage village
Holiday
honey
hookah
humidity
Idioms
Iftar
incense
India Palace
Indian Restaurant
indigo
information
Iran
Islam
juice
Khalidiay Mall
khalidiya
language
life
live
lulu
Madinat Zayed Shopping Center
mall
mandolin
Margaret Nydell
Marina Mall
Medjool dates
melhem zein
miyazaki
morning
muhammad
muhammad ali
music
Muslim
nabeel
nepal
news
Niger
nuts
oil
Opera
oriental
parks
patchi chocolate
perfect
perfume
persian
peter gabriel
pike place market
pool
post time
posting
prayer
Qatar
Raja Mall
Ramadan
Rasasi
red wine
reflections
restaurant
restaurants
rotana
rules
sauna
scalp massage
scented oil
school
seatles best coffee
seattle
sheraton
sheraton corniche
shisha
shopping
skewers
slow
smell
spinney's
stream
streaming
sunday
sunny
swimming pool
Take Away Menu
taxi
Tche Tche
theme
TimeOut Abu Dhabi
toyota landcruiser
traffic
u.s.
uae
UK
Understanding Arabs
United Arab Emirates
vga cable
video
Vimto
walk
wall hanging
washer
wind
WOMAD
YAS

Show more Show less

UAE Resources

Abu Dhabi Woman
Dirham/Dollar Calculator
ExpatExchange - UAE
Internations: Abu Dhabi Expat Community
Sheikh Mohammed
Sheikh Zayed
TEN Guide - UAE Guide
TimeOut Abu Dhabi
UAE Government
Visit Abu Dhabi

Blog List

Wild 4 Washington Wine

Col Solare Cabernet Sauvignon. The style has changed.
1 month ago
UAE Community Blog

Gulf in Justice Podcast with Radha Stirling: Israelis sold “Dubai dream...
3 years ago
Fake Plastic Souks

The Triumph of the Call Centre
4 years ago
Abu-Dhabian-American-Pakistani Larki

Dear Beta
6 years ago
grapeshisha

Oman Travel Guide
9 years ago
Abu Dhabi Daily Photograph - Get the BIGGER picture

The beauty of the camel
10 years ago
Abu Dhabi Dispatches

Sex and the City
11 years ago
The Atomic Headhunter

10 Things That Will Update Your Mid-Career Image
12 years ago
UAE Kitten

The boy who cried wolf!
12 years ago
From My Eye To Yours

Nautical Details
12 years ago
Muller Abu Dhabi Adventure

Ngorongoro Crater
12 years ago
Leyla
Ya Salam Cooking

Powered by Blogger