Arabian Tales - I've got Geckos!

I’ve got geckos. I say ‘I’ because, since my wife left Abu Dhabi for the summer, I’ve caught 3 in the house and seen at least 3 more there. Our house was lizard-less with Carol in residence, but now they seem to think they can just move in. Maybe they sense that I need the company, and frankly, it’s a hot and lonely existence (I know; ‘cold and lonely’ reads better, but our air conditioning’s not that good).

Caught! But already lost tail

And they are small things – so small, at 2 or 3 inches long, they can come in under the front door or in through the sliding rail at the base of the patio doors. They are cute though and apparently they eat insects, so I’m told I should consider them as friends. Although, they don’t seem to be eating the ants off the kitchen countertop… …damn; those tiny hoards drive me nuts: I have to keep my sugar in the fridge!

Just like insects, geckos can walk, even run, up the walls, so they are hellishly difficult to catch.

Other than the birds, their main adversary seems to be cats, and there are lots of them. Skinny, rangy creatures, they appear to be stray. And they never miss an opportunity to speak to you with their thin, meek cries and half closed eyes, as if they’d already given up the thought that you’d feed them; or maybe it’s the effort it takes to speak through the heat.

I got a haircut yesterday. I go to a barbershop in the mall. My barber is a young Pakistani man and it seems like he cuts every hair individually, before using a razor to clean up, and talcum powder to finish. It takes about 45 minutes even though I tend to think there’s not much to cut… But, it’s probably the best, and cheapest cut I’ve ever had. I go back there regularly – whenever I can find the time. ‘Attractive’ Salon, Al Raha Mall

In Canada, I usually go to unisex salons like Mastercuts or Great Clips but they’re not available here, or I go to women’s salons. Of course, unlike the West, women’s hairdressing salons are windowless and hidden away at the edge of malls, a ‘Ladies Only’ sign on the door. Since most women do not show their fully styled hair in public, they certainly wouldn’t be seen in prep.

So, men go to barbers.

Dhow at Sunset - Gulf of Oman