Great to have this opportunity hopping countries in Asia and Middle East, where I can meet different people, observe different culture and tradition. I've been in Singapore and Hong Kong, there I knew greetings "Xìng huì! Wanshàng hao, and Zàijiàn.In the Middle East is an area which carries many stereotypes and myths. The traditional Islamic greeting you will hear is ‘Asalamu alaykum' (peace be with you). As a non-Muslim you would not be expected to use it, but if you did you would receive the reply ‘wa alaykum salam' (and peace be with you). One cannot talk about the Middle East in a cultural sense without mentioning Islam.

Islam permeates all levels of society. It provides guidance, values and rules for personal life, community relations and ways of doing business. Muslims are obliged to pray five times a day. Prayer times are announced by the mosques using the call to prayer (azan). Not all Muslims go to the mosque. Some pray at home or in the office.

Daily routines, appointments and meetings must be fitted in appropriately around prayer times. Friday is the day for congregational prayers and it is obligatory for all males to attend.Avoid trying to do business in the Middle East during the month of Ramadan. Muslims fast from dawn till dusk which involves refraining from eating, drinking or smoking. During business hours general activity is reduced depending on the nature of the company or organization. There are two major festivals of note. Eid al-Fitr follows Ramadan and Eid al-Adha follows the annual pilgrimage. These holidays last approximately three days although it is not uncommon for the government to extend these. It is best to avoid doing business on or near the two Eids.

When I first visited in the Middle East, I noticed that handshakes are always used and can last a long time. Islamic etiquette recommends that one waits for the other to withdraw their hand first before doing the same. Always use the right hand. Do not be surprised if your hand is held while you are led somewhere. Holding hands among men is common and does not carry the same connotations as it does in the West.This makes me smile when I hear Arabs call anybody like this; "Filipino, this is the way to Bahrain", or Sudani, come over here," Please fall in line, Turki or Please come back again at noontime, Yemeni. Arabs are fairly informal with names when generally address people by their first names. Louie Cabandez, will be addressed as Mr. Louie. Arab titles of note are: Sheikh (an old man, scholar, leader), Sayyid (descendant of the Prophet Muhammad) and Hajji (one who has performed the pilgrimage).

Anywhere one may go in the Arab countries, whether business meeting, gathering or visiting any even small family-owned store, one will be greeted with hospitality, typically offer a "HOT TEA" is the preferred beverage "kahit sa tanghaling tapat

And in case you were wondering, one of the most popular brands of tea in the Arab countries is Lipton!