The air was redolent of foreign spices and the Gulf winds fluffed my hair.

My skin tanned to a dark bronze complexion and after a couple of weeks I looked more a native than an European.

The tranquility of the country and the smooth languish way of life took me by surprise, for I came from a busy and hectic Western European big city.

In the course of time, I adopted their lifestyle, too, having a nap in the afternoon among others.

In retrospect, I can say it was a windfall for my future life. I changed many a long-nourished attitude and got rid of certain prejudices that everybody holds more or less.

The kindness of the population and their readiness to share their possessions with others, even if they themselves were short of them would probably turn many a xenophobic into a more open-minded human being.

On my departure, I only regretted not having had more time to explore the mysteries of the orient.