As I was marveling at the bright colors of the watermelon, eggplant, and tomatoes against the typical Omani cream-colored backdrop of souq buildings – I felt that something was ‘off’ – but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I continued to walk around the Nizwa souq (market) with our guide Zahar but since I […]
The wall of thick, humid air hit me as I got out of the safety of the air-conditioned truck. I breathed it in – filling my lungs with the salty sea air that is so distinct in coastal regions. From this point on, I was going where no vehicles can go – I had to […]
I packed my down coat rather skeptically – but on day 3 of my Oman hiking trip, I found myself eagerly unpacking it and putting it on – in addition to my gloves! When you think of the Middle East – you probably don’t think of mountain ranges and freezing temperatures. However, it was the […]
I was surrounded by jagged canyon walls jutting up from the pools of water and shading me from the sun. I wondered if it could get any more beautiful than this – and my answer to that question came as I rounded the corner out of the canyon and stepped out into the sunlight. This […]
I stood staring upwards at the chandelier in the dome of the Saltan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat Oman admiring its soft glow. I was slightly surprised that it gets the dubious title of 2nd largest chandelier in the world. It didn’t seem that large to me, but as our guide Rob was pumping out […]
I laid out my new sleeping bag on the thick mat under the stars. It was muggy outside, but I still got into the down sleeping bag. Else I felt too exposed. I turned off my headlamp and said goodnight to my fellow travelers going through the same ritual nearby. As I lay there, I […]
The big billboard ad looming over the highway read “Expect the unexpected” as a man in camouflage held a shiny rifle and smiled at the cars passing by below. I thought to myself – I hope this is advertising hunting, but quite frankly in the Middle East I’m not quite sure – anything goes! My […]
With one month in Lebanon, you can cover a lot of ground. However I can’t say that I really traveled the country thoroughly and I certainly didn’t get to all of the traditional tourist sites. Instead I was too busy sinking into the culture of Lebanon. Thanks to my GeoVisions cultural exchange program who placed […]
I traveled south of Beirut to the old city of Saida along the Mediteranean. Luckily I had a personal tour guide in my friend Mark, a local friend I had made during my stay in Beirut. We drove through the flooded streets of Beirut and an hour later when we arrived in Saida the sun […]
After spending a month living in Lebanon with a local family, I had many opportunities to really get to know the food of Lebanon. Prior to traveling there, I didn’t really know much about Lebanese food. However by the time I left, I was in love with all of the Mediterranean flavors and such fresh […]
