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Blogs from Middle East - page 5
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April 27th 2013
Our next stop is Doha, Qatar (pronounced “cutter” by most) and Abdul is our guide. By the way, most of the guides are expats from other countries as few local Emeriti’s do that kind of work. The first excursion stop is to the Souq Waqif, a shopping bazaar established in 1847. You can bargain up to 20% off for the spices, foods and other traded items available, we’re told. This country has 2.5 million people with 200,000 native citizens. Only Qatar citizens may own property permanently with foreigners not owning land and owning housing for up to 99 years at which time it’s returned to the government. Various visas cover a variety of visits including tourist, business, and non-permanent (i.e. working). Health care for the citizens is free as is education. Auto fuel is 25 cents ... read more
April 27th 2013
Day 3 - Bezirgan - Saribelen - Gokceoren Today we decided to get up early and then take a break during afternoon when its really hot. Still we got up around 6:00 and left around 7:00. After a short downhill walk we reached Bezirgan We were hoping to get some breakfast here but the town looked closed. We did not really want to get off the trail, so did not really go into the village. We though we will have food at the next village Serebalen which was about 7km away. Little did we know that its 7km of up and down and up again. After Bezirgan, the there is a steep climb for about 20min, and then it took us to a nice wide slightly uphill road. I thought this is good, we are finally ... read more
April 27th 2013
After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, DC, many American attitudes toward the Middle East and Islam were quite negative and, in some cases, openly hostile. I found my world turned upside down and felt as though my childhood was suddenly over. The time had come to make my own decisions about other countries and peoples, relying no more on the perspectives of family and friends. It was a defining turning point of my life, but once I became caught up in university applications and music school auditions, the events of that terrible day faded into the background. Never did I imagine that I, myself, would one day journey to those distant lands. Sometime over the Christmas holiday, I had a conversation with my Mom about her long-held desire to ... read more
Walking in Cappadocia
Published: April 27th 2013Middle East » Turkey » Central Anatolia » Cappadocia » Göreme
April 27th 2013
Took the opportunity to walk across this unusual landscape. Rather like I remember in Star Wars movies. In fact I think part of it was filmed here. No need to wonder too long about why! The pictures speak for themselves. Most of them are from around the Rose Valley but the Fairy Chimneys (you my like to suggest they resemble something else!- this is a public blog so I'm not going to be the first to say it!) are at Pasabaglari. Got dropped by the hotel bus at the beginning, walked the 6 or 7 km, had an icre cream then chatted to the vendor who hitched me a lift with the delivery man back to town. A stunning walk for the price of a chocolate cornetto! You be the judge though! Enjoy!... read more
April 27th 2013
The emirate of Dubai is an interesting oasis of prosperity in the desert with the honor of being the 22nd most expensive city in the world and with a population of 2.5 million from 190 nations, 17% are from Emirati origin and 1.2% European and American. Fueled by oil income (with 93% of the U.A.E. oil reserves) it has the world’s tallest building (the Burj Khalifa) completed in 2009 at 2,722 feet, and is one of 7 emirates composing the United Arab Emirate nation. Abu Dhabi is the country’s capital. Our first excursion took us on a shopping spree to a couple of the souks or bazaars, but in our next bus adventure we saw some of the buildings that make visiting this country such an architectural adventure. The Burj Al Arab hotel is built on ... read more
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April 26th 2013
Aqaba is Jordan’s only access to the sea and is built at the end of a narrow fjord-like waterway surrounded by mountains on all sides. Israel is only across a dividing irrigation/stream and shares beach frontage with Aqaba. You can easily see development in Israel, but we do not know what the name of the community is. Saudi Arabia is just southeast over the mountains about 15 miles away and Egyptian shores can be seen across this waterway. Aqaba has had many rulers from the Edomites to the Romans to the Crusaders and lastly to the Hashemites. T. E. Lawrence, along with Arab forces, battled the Ottomans for control of Aqaba in 1917 and with his success, become known to all as, Lawrence of Arabia. The big attraction for our shipmates, was the nearby ancient, carved ... read more
April 26th 2013
The Temple Mount is one of the holiest sites in the Abrahamic religions. This was the site of the First Temple, built by King Solomon around the tenth century BCE. This temple was built on top of the location of the Foundation Stone, believed by Jews and Moslems to be the spiritual junction of heaven and earth. The temple stood for 410 years before being destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar II. The First Temple contained the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments. Today, the Dome of the Rock stands on top of the Foundation Stone. This is also considered to be the place where Abraham offered his son Isaac as a sacrifice before being stopped by an Angel of the Lord. This story is mentioned in the Koran, as well ... read more
AT SEA FROM DUBAI, UAE TO AQABA, JORDAN VIA GULF OF ADEN AND RED SEA--Saturday-Thursday, April 20-25, 2013
Published: May 18th 2013Middle East
April 25th 2013
Days of Cruising on The Legend of the Seas We left Dubai that evening and headed south along the coast of Oman and Yemen and then into the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea where we will cruise for the next 6 days covering close to 5,000 nautical miles. On the second day of cruising, we had the usual “all people on deck” drill and on the next day, they held a “what to do in case of pirates or other emergency” drill. We were instructed to stay in our cabins if we were in an inside cabin and move into the halls if we were in an outside cabin. A red card was placed into the key slot of each evacuated room when the room was checked by the stewards. The end ... read more
The Citadel and the Tower of David That Isn’t
Published: April 25th 2013Middle East » Israel » Jerusalem District » Jerusalem
April 25th 2013
My first day in Jerusalem I walked to the Old City. Jerusalem is divided into the Old City, which has existed for at least 4,000 years, and the New City, which dates to 1860. That was the point at which Sir Moses Montefiore, a wealthy Jewish stockbroker from England, built the first neighborhood outside the walls of the Old City, complete with a windmill for grinding grain. Since living outside the city walls was considered to be risky business at the time, he offered financial incentives – which sounds much nicer than “bribes” – along with employment to anyone who would move to the new neighborhood. I entered the Old City through the Jaffa Gate, which is an actual gate that used to be closed at night. Immediately inside the gate is the Citadel, which dates ... read more
April 25th 2013
Walking along the Lycia way - part of it - was a sort of last minute decision. We had thought about it when planning our Turkey trip but dismissed it as it would have involved lot of domestic travel and would take days away from other things. But true to our nature - hikers at heart - we curtailed other plans to accomodate the backpacking trip. Overall we hadnt planned much about the trip. We had a broad idea of the route and had picked the Patara to Kas portion of the hike, but didnt know the distances between the campsites or the elevation profile or whether it was well maintained etc. We assumed it would be a easy hike and we have already done a lot of hiking so it was up our alley. Oh ... read more
