Amazing Race

[Karen]

I was a little annoyed that the baseball wives thought they should keep the location some of the dates secret, to the point that they were annoyed when the Afghanimals found it and were loud about it ... and so was okay with the fact that they still finished where they did!

I do like the team that came in first this week for the fact that they are going through the race with pretty much unabashed glee. Even when they bicker, it is over pretty quickly!

All the footage I have seen, people bring their own personal prayer rug and kneel in mosques. But we need Popcornbird to weigh in on this! What a gorgeous building, the stonework and ornamentation was just breathtaking!

[cassiesmom]

I thought it was very nice of one of the racers to help another who was struggling. The team that got eliminated was off to a strong start, but they were tripped up by the task.

[Karen]

Yes, I was happy they helped a little bit, and it didn't cost any position in the race or anything.

[cassiesmom]

Gaaaaah! I was hoping for a different finish this week.

[popcornbird]

Karen brought this thread to my attention. I can explain a bit about mosques.

Mosques don't have benches or pews. Muslims pray 5 times a day (before sunrise, noon, afternoon, sunset, and night), and prayers take place in congregation at every mosque around the world at all 5 times. It is our 'link' to our Creator, and a daily reminder to connect with, and thank God for all of His blessings. You do not 'have to' pray every prayer at the mosque (you can pray anywhere....at home, at work, in a parking lot, wherever.....the prayers are mandatory), but many people try their best to make it as much as possible. We don't have anything at the mosque other than a big hall and carpet. In the front of the hall is a podium for the imam to give sermons. That's about it. Most mosques keep stacks of chairs for the elderly/or those who need them, but generally, all we need at a mosque is a clean, empty hall. We go to the mosque to pray to God, the One who created us, and to do that, we do not need anything other than ourselves, and a pure heart. It really is, just a big empty room. This is how we pray.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kScrL8m1qMs

[Karen]

Thanks, glad you found the thread, and explained!

[cassiesmom]

Thank you, popcornbird! The mosque was very ornate and dignified. I didn't see a whole lot of it, but it looked like a beautiful place. I am glad I got to see it for a bit on TV, because I will probably never visit that part of the world.

I wonder where they will go next? They were in Indonesia so maybe they will go to Australia or New Zealand.