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Archive for May, 2006

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Syria – our forbidden fruit brought about a few changes in plans

Saturday, May 13th, 2006

Between the numerous stories other travelers have shared about how difficult it is to get a visa to get in, particularly for Americans right now, and getting denied a few times ourselves, we had embraced the idea that we wouldn’t be able to make it to Syria on this trip….Surprise!
[read on]

Posted in Middle East, Syria, Travel | 1 Comment »

Out and about in Lebanon

Saturday, May 13th, 2006

Snow in the mountains Byblos

Given that Lebanon is such a small country, it was easy for us to use Beirut as our homebase and to take day trips outside of the city to see the various sites and cities. We visited Sidon and Tyre in the South; Baalbek, home of some of the best preserved temples in the world; Byblos, a charming little port town; Tripoli, famous for it’s sweets, and the beautiful Cedars. [read on]

Posted in Lebanon, Middle East, Travel | 1 Comment »

Beirut – our taste of the Western world in the Middle East

Saturday, May 13th, 2006

The Corniche Pigeon Rocks New development in Beirut
We arrived into Beirut, thrilled to get a taste of city life with some Western-flare, something we haven’t experienced since leaving Taipei months ago. Upon arriving in Beirut, I was thrilled to find that the airport bathrooms were pristine, smelled like roses and had toilet paper – not just one but TWO rolls for me to choose from! They were heaven on earth after months of having to making sure to always have tissue or TP with me and learning the art of deactivating my sense of smell without asphyxiateing myself every time I entered a public toilet. Not only were the city’s public bathrooms clean, but we also basked in some of the simple pleasure’s that we’ve been missing while being on the road. [read on]

Posted in Lebanon, Middle East, Travel | 1 Comment »

Dana, the Kings Highway, the Dead Sea, and Amman

Thursday, May 11th, 2006

Kings Highway Dead Sea

Between Petra and Amman, we made a few stops that were well worthwhile. We spent a day hiking at the Dana Nature Reserve, wandered around Karak castle, floated in the Dead Sea and went up to Mount Nebu before arriving in Amman, our last stop in Jordan.

[read on]

Posted in Jordan, Middle East, Travel | 5 Comments »

Petra – better than Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Thursday, May 11th, 2006

Treasury S&A in the Siq
Though the bus to Petra never showed up, we were lucky enough to hitch a ride from 2 Americans who drove by and decided to take pity on us. Needless to say, thanks to their hearts-of-gold, we finally made it to Petra which turned out to be even more fabulous than we expected. [read on]

Posted in Jordan, Middle East, Travel | 1 Comment »

Sleeping under the stars in the desert of Wadi Rum

Thursday, May 4th, 2006

Wadi Rum camels S&A under the desert sun

Make a mold of the Grand Canyon and invert it; add Dali-esque rock formations, pile on red and white sand dunes, paint on stripes like fudge ripple ice cream and you’ve got some of the best desert landscape in Jordan. We spent two days at a Bedouin camp and toured the desert by camel and jeep. [read on]

Posted in Jordan, Middle East, Travel | 1 Comment »

Jordan, here we come! First stop: Aqaba

Thursday, May 4th, 2006

Aqaba gardens Shan & the tamarind juice vendor

After spending 8.5 hours on a packed ferry (which was only supposed to take 3 hours) we finally arrived in Aqaba, Jordan. Unfortunately, our first day there Anthony caught something nasty and wasn’t feeling to well so we ended up staying a little longer than planned 🙂

[read on]

Posted in Jordan, Middle East, Travel | No Comments »