Bangkok, Thailand
4 October 2009
Dear Friends,
When I visited Egypt two years ago, I missed Aswan and Abu Simbel.
When I visited Turkey seven years ago, I missed the Aegean Coast, the Mediterranean Coast, and Southeastern Anatolia. Read more »
Middle East
Post to TwitterSinai, Cairo, Giza, Luxor: "What A Country!"
Cairo
Arab Republic of Egypt
June 10, 2007
Dear Family and Friends,
The ferry across the Gulf of Aqaba left three hours late ("we have to load the ferry"). But the ride is splendid. I have to pinch myself: To the port side are the hilly brown barren coastlines of Jordan and Saudi Arabia. To starboard is the hilly brown barren coastline of Egypt, North Africa! And, I check my map to learn that the Gulf of Aqaba is the northernmost section of The Red Sea. The Red Sea!!
Location
Cairo
Egypt
29° 59' 34.8072" N, 31° 15' 21.9744" E
Ajlun, Jerash, Aqaba: "Ali Hassan"
Ajlun
Ajlun Governate
The H.K. of Jordan
June 2, 2007
Dear Family and Friends,
I am standing on a terrace perched on a steep hillside in the north of Jordan. The view is historic.
Below and to the west and south is the fertile and green historic Jordan Valley.
Beyond the tomato farms, olive trees and apricot orchards lies the historic Jordan River. Across the river lie the Palestinian Territories, Israeli Settlements, military roads and "no-man's land."
Location
Ajlun
Jordan
32° 15' 58.4388" N, 35° 54' 51.5052" E
Wadi Rum: "Is Anybody Out There?"
The Jordanian Desert
May 31, 2007
Is Anybody Out There?
I am alone; yes, I am sitting alone, on a mat, in the shade of a high overhanging cliff. In the middle of this sun blasted desert valley.
A few minutes ago, while I was exploring the Nabatean engravings on the nearby hills, Salim, my driver drove off in the white Jeep. He just drove off. I waved at him but he just drove off across the dusty desert floor, through the red hills and out of sight. Out of sight. Gone.
Location
Wadi Rum
Jordan
29° 0' 0" N, 35° 0' 0" E
Petra: "Manal, Reyna, and One Hundred Camels"
Wadi Musa
Petra:
Candidate for "Wonder of the World"
H.K. of Jordan
May 31, 2007
Salaam Aleycum,
It's 9:00pm here in the dusty Bedouin Village in the dark hills outside Petra. We just finished tea together and I am saying a final goodbye to my friend Manal. We are shaking hands. She is so sweet I want to give her a hug, but that's completely inappropriate. Even a handshake is quite bold for a young Bedouin woman who covers her head and wears the full length clothing of a proper Bedouin woman. Woman? I should say, girl. Manal is seventeen, but "going on thirty-seven."
Location
Petra
Jordan
30° 0' 0" N, 35° 0' 0" E
