Today (13th September 2007) is the first of Ramadan in Congo. According to the Moon Sighting website, it is Ramadan in most of the world expect Pakistan, India and Australia.This is not the first time I am spending a Ramadan in a non-Muslim country. Some of the things you miss are:
- Reduced office timings - yes we only have 0ff 30 minutes earlier than regular time and have to work through the whole lunch hour
- Roadside food stalls - temptations of all the Pakoras & Samosas
- Ramadan Rush hour traffic - note to westerns: you have never seen a rush hours like the ones in Ramadan
- All-you-can-eat Iftar Buffets - The KFCs, BBQ Tonight and others all you can eat deals which take up at least an hour of discussion time during the work day - everyday
- Tarawih - For some reason Ramadan does not feel right without proper tarawih
Firstly, my apologies for not being able to update my blog for the past 2 weeks. When I took up the PMO (Project Management Office) position, I never thought it was going to be so hectic. But as they say... no pain no gain!
I know most serious bloggers think its sinful to ignore your blog for this long and would not think twice about casting stones at me. But in my defence I just want to say that I am going to take time out of my non-work activities (eating, sleeping etc) and make sure I blog at least once a week. If I have an easy day (leave office by 9pm) I will try to take this frequency up to two.
As for the ordinary mortals who do not blog and hardly find time to visit something truly useful like Africa Calling; PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE use the subscribe box on the right and give me access to your mail boxes. The pearls of wisdom and the jewels of experience I share with you here are better than the whole survivor series put together.
In the mean time, I am changing the blog header to a picture of the Congo River; hope you like it. Congo river is the natural border between Republic of Congo (that's our Congo) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (formally known as Zaire). As you can see from the facts listed below, No. 2 seems to be lucky number of Congo river.
Although the centerville (that's down town in French) of Brazzaville is a very quite place, but the corniche road which runs by the river is totally tranquil. It is an ideal spot to stroll/walk/jog and the view of the river and its silence is very relaxing. For a city which offers very limited (and I am being generous when I say very limited) a walk by the river with its light breeze is a truly natural experience.
I know most serious bloggers think its sinful to ignore your blog for this long and would not think twice about casting stones at me. But in my defence I just want to say that I am going to take time out of my non-work activities (eating, sleeping etc) and make sure I blog at least once a week. If I have an easy day (leave office by 9pm) I will try to take this frequency up to two.
As for the ordinary mortals who do not blog and hardly find time to visit something truly useful like Africa Calling; PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE use the subscribe box on the right and give me access to your mail boxes. The pearls of wisdom and the jewels of experience I share with you here are better than the whole survivor series put together.
In the mean time, I am changing the blog header to a picture of the Congo River; hope you like it. Congo river is the natural border between Republic of Congo (that's our Congo) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (formally known as Zaire). As you can see from the facts listed below, No. 2 seems to be lucky number of Congo river.
- Congo River is the 2nd largest river in Africa (4,700 Km; Nile is the largest)
- Congo River flows through the 2nd largest rain forest in the world (Amazon Rainforest is the largest)
- Congo River has the 2nd largest flow in the world (Amazon river is the first)
- Congo River has the 2nd largest watershed (Amazon river is the first)
- Congo River is the only river in the world to cross the Equator twice
- Congo River runs between two countries
Although the centerville (that's down town in French) of Brazzaville is a very quite place, but the corniche road which runs by the river is totally tranquil. It is an ideal spot to stroll/walk/jog and the view of the river and its silence is very relaxing. For a city which offers very limited (and I am being generous when I say very limited) a walk by the river with its light breeze is a truly natural experience.
Labels: brazzaville, congo, congo river
