While in the Liwa Oasis I asked why they have the ground bare around the date palms I saw; minimising evaporation by putting mulch around them would surely be a good idea. I discovered there is a major pest to the date palms there. A giant grub as thick as your index finger just loves boring holes in palm trunks, so much so they will be cut down due to the appetite of these things. It has also developed resistance to many chemicals so treating them is problematic.
On the last night of my stay, I was very honoured to be invited to a local wedding. It was great, lots of music, dancing and food. The men are separated from the women, celebrating in totally different areas as is the custom. The bride and groom come together later in the course of the night. As the night drew to a close and I had my fill of camel meat (traditional served at wedding), it became obvious that there were people coming into the room not associated with the wedding. Wedding crashers is what they were, and food is what they were after. I stayed until a crowd had formed around us like vultures waiting for the lions to leave. When we did, a fight for the left overs ensued not unlike our fore mentioned feathered friends on a carcase in a scene from some wildlife documentary.
I was shocked until it was explained to me that it is tolerated so that the poor have something to eat and there is no waist of food after the wedding is over. It reminded me of some of the lessons I learnt in China, not everything is as it seems.
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