Hi surrealist. Glad you liked my post. Man! I had forgotten about the cab rides lol! Indeed, taking a cab there can be a bit frightening. In the end, I ended up walking most of the time: that's why the heat wasn't so pleasant.

I think the macho culture didn't only spread locally there from the Roman Empire but pretty much from many sources and to the whole western world. Moreover, that good old Roman Empire set a large part of the tone of culture to the whole western world then and now!

Anyway, thanks for the encouragements.