bookley

A friend posted this essay on the balance between protecting a population's health and fostering a cosmopolitan culture.              

Wow TizaNabi. What a thoughtful response. (I sent you a personal email with a couple more questions.) Thanks so much.

Great suggestions. I've got El-Fishawy on my itinerary. And also Naguib Mahfouz. Will be interesting, at night, during Ramadan.

Thanks Tikhman. I'm not as concerned with variety of flavors as I am authentic experiences in interesting places. Any particular streets or neighborhoods in Cairo? And will definitely spend a couple days in Luxor.

I'm going to spend the next six weeks traveling through Egypt, Jordan, then Israel. Was hoping members of the forum might share some of their travel experiences to these regions with me. What do I HAVE TO check out? What's overrated? And most importantly, where do I find interesting shisha experiences? (From cafes to tobacco growers/mixers to rad pipes.) Am grateful for any contacts and tips on etiquette too. Thanks!

Howdy Akkbar. I'm in the Cowopolis as well. Hell of a day to be here too. On the balcony, smoking Al Waha Jasmine.

QUOTE (vijay101 @ Mar 2 2007, 04:42 PM) QUOTE (bookley @ Mar 2 2007, 08:19 AM) I live in Canada, and have found good shipping rates with hookah-shisha.com. Plus the guy throws in lots of extras when you buy a pipe. ok thanks ill check them out, did u get charged customs Customs is a crap shoot. No retailer can guarantee that your package won't be subject to it. They can, however, load the dice in your favour by sending the package as "gift," valuing the contents at less than $60 and not listing tobbaco in those contents. Hookah-shisha has done well by me in this respect. I've also heard from people on this board that mnhookah has a good system with great shipping rates.

I live in Canada, and have found good shipping rates with hookah-shisha.com. Plus the guy throws in lots of extras when you buy a pipe.

I hope it's not too presumptuous posting this here. A smoking ban has recently been imposed on bars/cafes/restaurants in Calgary (where I live). Shisha cafes are not exempt from this ban. Because I'm a shisa smoker, I was asked to write a column for the local newspaper about why such cafes should be exempt. It appears that other cities with similar bans have made exceptions for shisha cafes. I'd like to *specifically* explain how and why these places have been able to continue operation. (I've found some other threads, which talk more vaguely about how shisha bars get around bans, but I'd like to be certain the examples I use are current and factually correct.) I'd be especially grateful if any cafe owners could offer some perspective. (Also don't hesitate to PM me if you'd rather talk by phone.) Of course, the larger argument I want to make is that a city needs these places for the simple matter of wonder and color -- the sheer urbanity they add to a supposedly cosmopolitan city with a million inhabitants. IE: Their role in the community is positive. The smoking bylaw is very much still a work in progress and such public pressure along these lines has moved city council in the past. Thanks for any help.

I've gone one for two with hookah-shisha.com. A couple months ago, I had to pay about sixteen bucks on 100g. On the next order, I kind of lost my mind and went an even kg. It took three agonizing weeks to arrive, but no customs charges. (A very nice moment of realization as the Canada Post dude walked away.) Hookah-shisha sent as a gift, making vague reference to hookah equipment but not tobacco. Which may or may not have helped. My thinking was that the package would have a better chance of getting through unchecked in the Christmas rush. Maybe that's just wishful thinking. H-S's shipping was reasonable -- better than socialsmoke, who I tried a mock order with. Mnhookah seems to have the cheapest rates to Canada, and I really like the idea of their variety packs. At this point, I still want to taste as many flavours and brands as possible. When all's said and done, though, I guess I'll happily pay the outrageous customs bills on tobacco I don't *really* need, if it means living in a place with some semblance of sane media and government.

Thanks for the advice, all ye.

Anybody have experience with either Sphinx Cafe or the Sultan hookahs they sell? www.sphinx-cafe.com/hookah.htm Am new to this, and heard from a friend that the price includes shipping to Canada, which is appealing, but I have no idea about the quality of these things. (Not too many details beyond the photos.) Thanks for any help.