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September 3, 2018 Adventure, Travel

5 most common car hire scams for Travel & how to avoid them

“If you’re a frequent car hire person and try on different services each time, it’s obvious to encounter some sort of scam or a rip-off.”

Have you ever paid the headline cost which is vested once you select the vehicle? We’ll guess and say that you haven’t yet because it’s hardly ever the full rental cost after adding other essential and extra options. Here’re some of the biggest scams you should know of to help save hard-earned cash without compromising your passion to try different car hire services.

License & registration

In many advanced countries, a paper counterpart to the driver’s license has become nearly obsolete. This was previously used to record driving authorizations and essential for car hire companies to check before issuing a vehicle besides only the license.

Ever since their production and updating has been ceased, the license information’s now stored electronically which lets you generate a code to be shared and checked at Bahrain car hire company. There’ve been cases when companies tried charging their customer’s additional fees for missing the paper counterparts or perhaps invalidation of the insured which isn’t true

Driving with parents

Drivers License -Teen driver | by State Farm, car hire — Drivers License -Teen driver | by State Farm

Is there a thing such as ‘ageism’? It sure does in the car hire industry which associates with the age factor and eligibility. In many countries, the age between 25 and 65-years qualifies an individual to rent a vehicle and if you wish some else to book a car in their name for you, minimum age must be 21-years at least but either of the parents is requested to be in the car at all times. That said, car hire and age limit standards are different between countries so it’s always better to query beforehand to avoid any trouble or perhaps unwanted surcharge.

The ‘essential’ extras

If you’re heading out with the family, it’s obvious to book a car with child seat; that is if yours are young enough. However, it’ll definitely cost some extra so why not take your own seat just as airlines allow carrying two-pieces of children equipment that can be car seats, travel cots or pushchairs absolutely free of charge. This way, you can easily move on with the journey after taking an informed decision on whether to pay or not for an in-car child seat.

Vehicle upgrades

vehicle upgrades, car hire — vehicle upgrades

Just imagine arriving at the rental desk only to be told that your booked vehicle is unavailable! Sometimes, it can happen but only with the car model but not the brand which probably means you’ll get an upgraded vehicle, right? That’s absolutely wrong and the company would surely try to convince you on essential vehicle upgrades that haven’t been done at all or totally unwanted per the type of car you’ve hired. You’ve two choices here; either to accept the upgrades and pay extra or simply refund you the amount to avoid any inconvenience

Urge to spend extra

Finding just the right service at times can be a real drag which would eventually end you booking at a cost far greater than it should be. This is quite obvious if yours and the company’s location are far from each other so always try searching for the service nearest to your place. With Bahrain car hire, you get the best price and service thus promising a peaceful cruise.

August 31, 2018 Food

What is your favourite street food? Part 6

Street food LEBANON

Food in Lebanon is the essence of each gathering. Most of the Lebanese food is done with olive oil, garlic, onions, mint. Lebanese dishes are known to be very healthy and don’t contain many fatty ingredients. Nowadays, it is very popular in Lebanon to do the Food markets. This is how important food is in the country.

I’ve heard many times as well many Lebanese friends nagging about how they hardly they find food places opened when they are in a foreign country. In Lebanon, there are 24/7 opened restos, and mainly they are close to the pubs and nightclubs. And most of these places are Lebanese food and not the junk and fast food type.

The most popular street food is as follows, the majority is done with Lebanese bread:

Shawarma sandwich chicken and meat.

shawarma sandwich, street food Lebanon — shawarma sandwich-Taste of Beirut

Mankoushe or Sajj (a thinner type of mankoushe) with Thyme, Cheese, Labneh, Meat, etc… with vegetables are the most wanted breakfast street food.

Labneh with vegetables.

Cheese

Lahm Baajine can be eaten with pepper and lemon and with laban aside.

Zaatar, with vegetables

Saj mankoushe

Falafel can be eaten with or without bread. It is made from crushed chickpeas that are deep fried and served in Lebanese bread with vegetables and tahini sauce.

falafel middle eastern food chickpeas health food, street food Lebanon — falafel middle eastern food chickpeas health food

Knefeh mostly eaten in the morning but before it used to be only in the early mornings or after midnight, but nowadays can be found in a few places all day long. We can serve it as a dessert as well.

Knafah, Knafeh | by watashiwani, street food Lebanon — Knafah, Knafeh | by watashiwani

Shish taouk & Kafta.

chicken shish taouk, beef kabobs and Kafta, street food Lebanon — chicken shish taouk, beef kebabs and Kafta
Image credit- Pinterest

Ice cream, the standard flavours or the Ashta ice-cream.

The Lebanese Bakery: Daily baked "kaak", street food Lebanon — The Lebanese Bakery: Daily baked “kaak”
Image credit- TripAdvisor

Kaak, filled with Picon, Cheese, Thyme.

And many other delicious creations. Lebanese are known for mixing food together to get something extremely delicious at the end.

You may also like to read What is your favourite street food? Part 5

Street food Syria

There is not much to say about falafel, it has its own fame. Chickpeas dough, fried in hot oil, it can be eaten alone or in a sandwich with tomatoes, pickles and tartar sauce. It is cheap and tasty, can be found everywhere in Syrian cities.

Shawarma is a very, very popular meal in the middle east. It’s usually chicken meat, but you can find also beef or lamb meat. It is Very delicious, an average price for an amazing meal.

Aljetaily Meat Fatayer | by Samiha.Aljetaily, street food Syria — Meat Fatayer | by Samiha.Aljetaily

Manakish/Fatayer. A dough cooked on round pan and topped with thyme(Zaatar), halloumi cheese or red pepper sauce. Originally from Damascus, it spread all around Syria and Lebanon. Perfect for a park promenade!

Pinterest Mshabak with honey, street food Syria — Pinterest
Mshabak with honey.

Last but not least for the dessert, we have Mshabak/Loqmat al-Qadi. They are pretty much the same but the shape is different. A fried wheat dough, dipped fast while hot in sugar syrup, with a pinch of cinnamon and it’s ready to be served! This sweet is perfect for the cold days of winter.

Arabic Ice cream/Bekdash Ice cream.

This is a very special kind of sweet, it’s originally from Al Hamidiah Souk, Damascus. It’s made from cold sweet cream, rolled in a plenty of pistachios. Many tourists visit Al Hamidiah to eat this delicious ice cream

Saha w Hanaa, Bon appétit!

So, what is your favourite #streetfood”?

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August 29, 2018 Food

What is your favourite street food? Part 5

Street food Italy

In Italy, the type of street food depends mostly on which region you are in.
I’ll post just a few examples of savoury food (the most popular example of sweet street food is ice cream obviously) but there are literally hundreds of different things.

Pizza

Pizza al taglio, street food Italy — Pizza al taglio at Trastevere in Rome
Image credit- Shoebill2

I don’t think you need an explanation for what is that!
But there is one type of pizza made to take away, called “pizza al taglio” (sliced pizza), which is prepared differently than normal round pizzas in restaurants. The dough is thicker and there are more toppings

Focaccia

Garlic and Cheese Focaccia - Michaelangelo, Aspendale Gardens, street food Italy — Garlic and Cheese Focaccia – Michaelangelo, Aspendale Gardens | by spits

This soft and oily bread is delicious even plain, but it’s often filled with various stuff (ham, mozzarella, tomatoes, salad, etc)

Porchetta sandwich

A sandwich filled with pork which has been stuffed with herbs and spices and then spits roasted

Lampredotto sandwich

Found mostly in Florence, Siena and nearby areas of Tuscany.
It’s a sandwich made with tripes/stomach from the cow, cooked in broth and herbs and topped with green or spicy sauces.

Farinata/cecina

Cecina, street food Italy — Cecina | by fugzu

Popular in Liguria and Tuscany regions. It’s a pancake made of chickpea flour. It can be eaten like this or be the filling for focaccia as well

Deep fried stuff
Many different options could be fried: seafood, polenta (corn porridge), mozzarella sticks, potato sticks, etc.

Piadina

Originally from Emilia-Romagna region. Can be filled with everything. “Stracchino” cream cheese is a popular filling

Arancini & Supplì

arancini, street food Italy — arancini | by stu_spivack

Deep fried rice balls with various fillings (tomato sauce, meat sauce, veggies, cheese, etc). different shapes and sizes, depending on the area. Arancini are from Sicily and Supplì are from Rome.

Panzerotti

Deep fried dough with fillings. Most common is just tomato sauce and mozzarella (similar to “calzone”). Originally from Puglia region

Obviously around the world pizza is the most famous Italian food but if you visit Italy, you will be surprised about how many different things you can easily find at every corner, most of them you probably never heard of.

So, what is your favourite “#streetfood”?

You may also like What is your favourite street food? Part 4

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August 27, 2018 Food

What is your favourite street food? -Part 4

Continuing my series on What is your favourite street food? – Part 3

Street food in the USA

Sonic Premium Beef Hot Dogs Chicago Dog and New York Dog, street food USA — Sonic Premium Beef Hot Dogs Chicago Dog and New York Dog

Hot dogs. There are differences in Chicago dogs and New York Dogs. But hot dogs can be found in most places. Read more about the difference here. Review: Sonic Premium Beef Hot Dog (Chicago Dog & New York Dog)

Tacos– Most Americans love tacos and there are tons of taco trucks in every major city in America. Some taco trucks do cool fusions with Asian cuisines too. I had some awesome katsu tacos one time.

Photo of L&L Hawaiian Barbecue - San Diego, CA, United States. Mini chicken, street food USA — Photo of L&L Hawaiian Barbecue – San Diego, CA, United States. Mini chicken Image credit- Yelp

NY style pizza – I prefer Chicago style, but there are tons of NY style pizza joints that stay open late into the night. They’re perfect when you’re trashed and need something to soak up the alcohol. Fold it in half and just go to town. Never at the risk of your life eat this with a knife and fork.

Slices of New York-style pizza to-go, street food USA — Slices of New York-style pizza to-go
Image credit- Lizard10979 -Flickr

Gyros and shwarma. There are a fair amount of these joints that stay open late at night.

Gyros, street food USA — Gyros
Image credit-Rita E, Pixabay

Walking Tacos. These are when you take a bag of Fritos, mash them up, and fill the bag with all the ingredients of a taco. Then you eat it and walk around the fair or whatever.

Street food Puerto Rico

Bacalaito– It’s pronounced, “bacalao” and is thinly sliced codfish. It’s mixed with salt, pepper, and garlic; then it’s fried to a crisp.

A tray of en:alcapurrias, street food Puerto Rico — A tray of alcapurrias
Image credit-Dave Cook / Flickr user: Eating In Translation

Alcapurria– It’s a street food made with a doughy mixture and then stuffed with meat and fried. The dough is called “masa” and is either made with yucca or green plantains. It’s not spicy but definitely has a unique flavour. Puerto Rican food generally isn’t hot (from chiles.)

Las empanadillas | by juantiagues, street food Puerto Rico — Las empanadillas | by juantiagues

Empanadillas– They’re called empanadas in other countries, but in Puerto Rico they’re empanadillas. Don’t ask why. It’s been like that long before I was born. If you know what an empanada is, then there’s no further need to explain what it is.

Sorullitos (hushpuppies) from Ponce, Puerto Rico street food — Sorullitos (hushpuppies) from Ponce, Puerto Rico

Sorullos- They look like mozzarella sticks, but they’re not. They’re fried cornmeal sticks. Most are served with a side of mayo-ketchup. All that is ketchup and mayonnaise mixed together sometimes with garlic added in.

Helados Chinos– This is ice cream shop was started in Puerto Rico by Chinese immigrants. It became a chain and is found in a lot of major cities in Puerto Rico. Its official name is “Kings Cream,” but everybody in Puerto Rico knows it as Helados Chinos. I hardly ever eat ice cream in America but will go to this place every day when I visit PR. Don’t pass up these ice cream shops that look like holes in the wall. It’s the best ice cream hands down. These ice cream joints are always open too, even at Christmas. I bet they make a killing. They’ve been around for more than a half a century. They have flavours such as passion fruit, pineapple, guanabana, tamarind, and acerola.

So, what is your favourite “#streetfood”?

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Planning a Staycation in NYC? Here’s How to Enjoy the City like a Tourist

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