Blogs from Middle East - page 985

I got in at 4.30pm and went straight to Bodrum Backpackers, where I met Ria (kiwi chick) and Pascal (from manly). We went out for dinner along the beach. A massive steak from 1st stop, $20 for a glass of wine, entrée and monster sizzling steak. An early night for me coz I’m planning a day of photography tomorrow. Tarik gave me some tips on where to go for photos, he’s a budding photographer too and works at the hostel. It’s a gorgeous day, the sun is out and reflecting on the turquoise water. The boats are all in the harbour with their flags flying and everyone is looking relaxed. I headed straight to the Castle of St Peter. Built in 1402, it’s so impressive and even has a museum of underwater archaeology within, housing finds ... read more

Despite having to force ourselves out of bed due to the lack of any light to wake us naturally we managed to get up, pack and check out fairly early. We had to rush to the station otherwise the next bus would have been an hour later. We grabbed a typical Turkish snack of pretzels to eat on the way. We arrived at Troy and to our surprise it was 10ytl for adults but completely free for students of any nationality. That is what we like to see. At the entrance to the site there is a big model replica of the wooden horse in an artists impression. You are allowed to climb inside it right up to the top which we gladly did with no pretences of being too old or mature. Troy itself is ... read more

Just fresh back from a weekend in Tel Aviv... with a few stories. On Friday, my good friend Dana (graduated Cornell in 06', is here on a fullbright, and besides having these wonderful credentials, is an amazing friend and housemate!), went up to Tel Aviv to see a concert. The concert was this funk/drum and bass band that performed in this hidden venue right near Yafo. The Apples. Check them out. On Friday evening, before the concert, Dana and I visited Dana's family in Rishon L'tziyon. Dana has this wonderfully sweet grandfather who is married to, how do I say it a bit nicer, em, not the nicest woman in the world. This is Dana's stepgrandmother, (family through marriage, Dana wants all of us to know) who is a bit of a grump. Rather, a bit ... read more

Sternzeit :: 0.17.92 :: Den ersten Teil der Anreise haben wir hinter uns. Wir sind planmaessig in Doha gelandet und muessen uns 6 Stunden bis zum Anschlussflug totschlagen. Das Essen hier auf dem Flughafen ist ein kleiner Vorgeschmack auf das, was uns ev. erwarten koennte, denn nicht einmal die Pommes haben so geschmeckt wie sie ausgesehen haben. Das schreit eigentlich nach einem Schnapserl, doch leider sind unsere Flachmaenner im Reisegepaeck (Mist). Im schlimmsten Fall muessen wir uns halt mit Imodium volldroehnen :). Fotos gibts dann hoffentlich beim naechsten Mal, denn anscheinend gibts hier noch keine USB Schnittstellen .... Testeintrag Ende.... read more

The port stop today was Salalah, Oman. Salalah is the second-largest city in the Sultanate of Oman, and the largest city in the Dhofar Province. Once again the cruise dock was a little out of the way. We had decided to use some more of our "credit" and took a ship's tour called "Oman Heritage" which travelled into the 'real' Oman. First we went along the easterly Cornish to the coastal village of Taqa where traditional rafts and boats are still made. We took in views of the village from the cliffs, and then visited the castle (for which the town is most famous) which was previously occupied by the Wali (local tribal chief). We rejoined the coach and were taken a further 20 km to the tomb of Bin Ali who brought Islam to southern ... read more