Cupping

Cupping

After class in the morning, I went to Shmaila Hari department store in Hadda with Marie, Eelco and Sami.

We went by dabab, the shared van service that operates along fixed routes.  Passengers pass the money up to the driver through other passengers.  Passengers seem to collect the money on behalf of the driver and ensure that everyone has paid and received the correct change.

Except for Marie, we ate at Al Hamra restaurant after our shopping.  I had a kebab and a “koktel” (mixed juice cocktail) comprising of guava, mango and strawberry juice in layers.

Sami had bought a cupping set.  Cupping as in suction cups for the skin/muscle in Traditional Chinese Medicine. In fact, Arabs do it too, often with a skin-prick to let blood out.  They call it Al-Hijamah.

Since I know about cupping, I was the obvious practitioner to help Sami with this.  I started with a massage and progressed to the cupping.  He did groan and moan a little as it would have hurt; but it’s kinda nice-ish pain and the relief one gets afterwards is good.  He went quite red and I was afraid of his skin feeling burnt the next day.

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Rainy season

As a note, this is the wet season in Sana’a.  It’s a relative term though.  It rains in the afternoon on some days.  Roads get quite yukky when the dust mixes with the rain.  When large downpours occur the Saila road is closed so that it functions as a canal.