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Remember the Stars of Sinai

USA | Thursday, 3 Jul 2008 | Views [501]

In a coffee-shop in Wisconsin, I feel a sort of strange disassociation from the English speakers around me.  In a way, I miss the unintelligible Arabic tongue I had grown accustomed to, miss the concentration it afforded me while writing.  Eavesdropping was ... Read more >


Alexandria the Great

EGYPT | Thursday, 3 Jul 2008 | Views [840]

Arriving in Alexandria was an initially morose and depressing experience for me.  After all, this was the intellectual center of the Hellenistic world, home to the legendary Cleopatra.  Founded by Alexander the Great in 332 BC, Alexandria boasted of monuments ... Read more >


True Wonders

EGYPT | Thursday, 3 Jul 2008 | Views [534]

Michael Jackson was cranky.  I know this because when I pulled left, he turned right.  When I snapped the reins, he slowed down, and when I shot a photo of him, he grumbled and moaned.  The camel is an amazing animal though, and one that I'm not sure ... Read more >


Dante's Tenth Circle

EGYPT | Thursday, 3 Jul 2008 | Views [490]

I'm not sure why, but for some reason, a dinner cruise along the Nile sounded like fun last night.  So I threw down my 120 pounds, put on a nice shirt, and almost immediately regretted my decision.  It seems I was the only one at my hotel who signed ... Read more >


Chaos and Cheops

EGYPT | Thursday, 3 Jul 2008 | Views [509]

As I have heard from numerous travelers heading north from there, Cairo is not for the faint of heart.  The traffic, the dust, the noise and the smog, plus the inumerable touts, make this a mind-blowing (or numbing) metropolis.  I am still amazed that ... Read more >


Cool Water, Scorched Earth

EGYPT | Thursday, 3 Jul 2008 | Views [532]

One word describes Dahab: Paradisal.  And to no surprise, my first intention of only two days here has turned into six, as I have been practically hypnotized by its idyllic, tranquil vibe, and have spent many an hour on pillows by the water side, smoking ... Read more >


The Quiet Majesty of Petra

JORDAN | Thursday, 3 Jul 2008 | Views [521] | Comments [1]

"Would you like some tea?" she asked, as her doe-eyed children sold postcards and scampered among the promontories near Al-Deir.  To the west lay the eastern border of Israel, dotted with crumbling, weathered mountain tops.  Behind us, spread ... Read more >


City of God

ISRAEL | Thursday, 3 Jul 2008 | Views [402]

The one place that has left the greatest impression upon me so far has been Jerusalem.  There is such a sense of ease there, no feelings of tension, or danger, just a beautiful city steeped in the history of significance.  What also was impressed upon ... Read more >


Tourism and Spirituality

ISRAEL | Thursday, 3 Jul 2008 | Views [458]

On a roof-top cafe, Old Jerusalem is gloriously sread out before me. To the north is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, traditionally believed to be the site of Christ's cruxificion, burial, and resurrection.  To theeast, the Temple Mount, where the first ... Read more >


Massive Temples in Baalbek

LEBANON | Thursday, 3 Jul 2008 | Views [454]

After one week in Lebanon, I have come full circle, and am now sitting at the Syrian border, waiting for my visa.  Unfortunately the southern border was unreachable, as the route through the mountains suffered from a blizzard last night, and is now impassable.... Read more >


Gallery: Cairo and Alexandria

EGYPT | Thursday, 3 Jul 2008 | Photo Gallery


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Gallery: Sinai and Luxor

EGYPT | Thursday, 3 Jul 2008 | Photo Gallery


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Gallery: Jordan

JORDAN | Thursday, 3 Jul 2008 | Photo Gallery


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Gallery: Israel

ISRAEL | Thursday, 3 Jul 2008 | Photo Gallery


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Gallery: Lebanon

LEBANON | Thursday, 3 Jul 2008 | Photo Gallery


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The Cedars of Lebanon are on Fire.

LEBANON | Thursday, 3 Jul 2008 | Views [684]

I'm in Lebanon now, and I haven't had much time to work on this, as I've been on the move constantly.  I arrived in Beirut just in time for a huge rally in remembrance of former Premier Rafiq Hariri, who was assassinated by a car bomb three years ago, ... Read more >


The Entry into Syria

SYRIA | Thursday, 3 Jul 2008 | Views [624]

I entered the border to Syria from Turkey at approximately 8:30 AM, and for the next 8 hours, sat on a bright red, hard-plastic bench, waiting for my visa.  The official policy concerning an American's entry into Syria is that a visa MUST be obtained ... Read more >


Gallery: Syria

SYRIA | Thursday, 3 Jul 2008 | Photo Gallery


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Gallery: Turkey

TURKEY | Thursday, 3 Jul 2008 | Photo Gallery


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Asia Minor and Alexander

TURKEY | Thursday, 3 Jul 2008 | Views [566]

After two overnight buses, tours of Ephesus, the temple of Artemis, the house of the Virgin Mary, Pamukkale, Hierapolis, and numerous sites around Cappadocia, I'm exhaustively satisfied.  Currently I am in the village of Goreme, smack dab in the middle ... Read more >


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