Some Riddles For You

No 1
 A boy is brought into the hospital needing urgent surgery and the doctor takes one look at him and says, I can't operate on him. Why?


No 2
If a plane crashes on the border between Canada and the US, where do they bury the survivors?

No3
Romeo comes home drunk one night and the next day they find Juliet dead in a pool of water, how did she die?

No 4 You're in a dark room with only one match. There's a candle and a lantern. What do you light first?


Can you guess the answers? Put your answers in the comments and give reasons for your answers! The person with all the right answers today will win a small prize!

Yemen traditional houses by Mahmoud

Yemen is in the Middle East. I hope the people in Yemen will keep their traditions.

Let's go to see some of the buildings. Most of their buildings  were built 1000 years ago.

The people like these kinds of decorations. You can see examples of these decorations in the capital city and village .

The buildings are made of  mud with clay and stones . They  are built on a strong foundation.

Many of the buildings have more then TEN floors.

Many tourists who like historical  places come to Yemen.

I recommend to anyone who wants to see historical places or history museum: Forget about other places, just come to Yemen!

Masouleh, an Iranian village

Masouleh is approximately 60 km southwest of Rasht and 32 km west of Fuman. The village is 1 050 meters above sea level in the Alborz (or Elburz) mountain range, near the southern coast of the Caspian Sea.

The village itself has a difference in elevation of 100 meters.

The first village of Masouleh was established around 1006 AD, 6 km northwest of the current village, and it is called Old-Masouleh (Kohneh Masouleh in Persian).

People moved from Old-Masouleh to the current village because of pestilence and attacks from neighbouring villages. Some old families  have written records of their family trees which are as old as one hundred years.

Traditional Turkmen house by Anita

traditional "Gara oy",

The traditional structure is a felt tent called a "black house" ( gara oÿ ). A thick felt covering is draped over a wooden frame, leaving an entrance and a round opening at the top to allow smoke to escape. The frame is collapsible so that the tent can be dismantled quickly for travel. Today most Türkmen live in modern housing, and gara oÿs are used only for summer recreation and holidays.

                                                 nowadays Turkmens live in modern apartments

In Turkmen the term is both ak öý and gara öý , literally "white house" and "black house", depending on its luxury and elegance. Almost every available space in a home is covered with carpets. Floors are covered with multiple carpets, chairs are draped with a medium-sized rug or a square seat covering, and the walls display large and often valuable carpets.

                                                     turkmen traditional costumes

TRADITIONAL HOUSE IN THE PHILIPPINES

This is our traditional house in the Philippines. It can be found in the provinces in Visayas and Mindanao.


This is one of the traditional houses in the Philippines. It is made of bamboo, wood, board and straw. These are the main materials to build a simple house. They build this because of it's cool and well ventilated.

This is like a balcony for us Filipinos. It is made also of  bamboo, long straw and wood. The roof is high like a pyramid. It is good to relax here and to feel the fresh air.

This is the kitchen of one of the traditional houses. It is made of bamboo. It has many windows so that the air can  inside the house. It is very cool.

Village Homes in Somalia

*This is an example of a countryside hut in Somalia. It's  made from grass. It’s easy to move any time .

Anousha On Cave Houses

In the north east of Iran at the foot of Mount SAHAND in Kandovan, the villagers lived in cave homes carved out from the volcanic rock.

Some houses are more than 700 years old but now they're empty and just tourists go there for a visit. Very impressive.

Take a Day Trip to Melaka!

Malacca ( English spelling) or Melaka ( Malay spelling) lies on the west coast of West Malaysia. It's south of the capital, Kuala Lumpur. The journey by bus or car is usually around two hours.

 

The town is built on the banks of the river. In the old days, people made a living by fishing. But soon Melaka became an important trading post.

You can take a cruise on a river boat to see the old and new houses built along the banks of the river.

This is built following the traditional palace ( istana ) of the Malay royal family. The head is called the Sultan.

The first Europeans to reach Malacca were the Portuguese. They wanted to control the spice trade. Spices from the Indonesian islands were very important and VERY expensive in the 15th and 16th centuries because they helped to preserve meat. No spices were found in Europe; they were only available in the East.

To control the Straits of Malacca, the Portuguese built a fort - The picture above shows A Famosa.

The red buildings here were built by the Dutch when they took control of Melaka in the 17th century. The Dutch fought the Portuguese for Melaka because they wanted to control the Straits of Malacca ( the sea between Sumatera, Indonesia and West Malaysia).

You should try taking a ride on these decorated trishaws ( the seat is attached to the bicycle).It's a good way to explore the narrow streets of Melaka.

You could also try a ride on the bullock cart. In the past, bullocks were used to plow the rice fields.

 

Here's a copy of the traditional ships used by the Portuguese to sail to Asia in the 15th and 16th centuries.

Bring money for shopping! Here you have a variety of wooden clogs - they're usually not so colourful ( only painted plain red) and they're very noisy when you walk on them.

The lady is a Nyonya ( children of Chinese married to Malays). She's wearing kebaya and a sarong. They're expensive if they're made by hand.

You may be able to see these beautiful antique doors on the older streets of Melaka.

If you're very lucky, you may spot a traditional wedding.

The picture on the top right shows rice rolled into balls - they're eaten with roast chicken. Delicious!

Peranakan ( Malay-Chinese) cuisine can be spicy but also very tasty! There are also restaurants selling Portuguese food which has been adapted to suit local tastes.

Anousha Introduces Herself

I'm Anousha Nikrou. My date of birth is 12/6/87 in Teheran, Iran. I love swimming. horse riding and driving. I am a calm peron, affectionate, sometimes I can be quick-tempered. I am not inquisitive and also thrifty. I always spend all my money. I want to study tourism  managment. I live with my family in Malaysia and I am single.I always spend my weekends with my family.

Malaysian Houses - The Peranakan Homes

The Peranakans refer to the Chinese who married local Malays. From the mixture of their cultures, a new culture was born - the Peranakan culture. Here's a pic of the traditional Peranakan 'kebaya' worn on top and the sarong ( worn as a skirt) - the fashion follows the Malay style. The clothes are usually embroidered with floral designs. The women also wear beaded slippers. The clothes and shoes are usually hand-made so they can be very expensive.

If you go to Malacca, Penang or Singapore, you can still see examples of typical Peranakan houses. The front part of the house ( the facades) are usually decorated with colourful tiles such as the ones below.

Those who can read Chinese, can you share with us what the Chinese characters on the top mean? See the photo below.

The furniture in the living -room can be expensive. The influence is more Chinese than Malay. There are also some European- style objects such as the  mirrors  as the glass is often imported from Venice, Italy.

Here are two pictures of the bedroom. Can you spot the traditional urinal or potty under the bed?

Here's the kitchen in a Peranakan house. In the old days before gas or electric cookers or micro-wave ovens were used, charcoal or wood provided the fuel for the stoves. Many houses had wells inside the houses near the kitchens. Many Malaysians still enjoy colourful Peranakan dishes and cakes which are as colourful as their houses!

Please share with me the traditional houses in your countries!