http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Middle East en-us Wed, 14 May 2008 01:17:23 BST Wed, 14 May 2008 01:17:23 BST We enjoyed a Dune Bashing trip near the Sealine along with a dessert style overnite camping right on the ocean. Much of Qatar's oil and natural gas wealth is visible in Doha which is the economical centre of Qatar. Doha is home to the headquarters of the country's largest oil and gas companies. Like the nearby city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates Doha's economy is moving away from its dep http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Qatar/Doha/blog-275950.html Dubai.I know everyone has seen pictures of the famous skyscrapers of Dubai. So i won't put you through them...instead here are a few shots from our dhow cruise we took over Dubai creek at night. relative Neeraj living in Dubai in background in one of them. http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Dubai/blog-275944.html Nizwa the interior city.Nizwa Arabic 16061586160816098206 is the largest city in the Ad Dakhiliyah Region in Oman and was the capital of Oman proper. Nizwa is about 140 km 1.5 hours from Muscat. The population is estimated at around 70000 people.Set amid a verdant spread of date palms it is strategically located at the crossroads of routes linking the interior with Muscat.N http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Oman/Nizwa/blog-275940.html Wadi Shab'Wadi' means 'dry river bed' Wadi Shab is actually a wet river bed a beautiful emerald green oasis in the desert.Wadi Shab is wadi in Oman and located between the capital Muscat and the town Sur Oman.It has at least seven pools of emerald green water and is studded with boulders. One of the pools is in a cave where light streams in dramatically from above and there are fantastic echoe http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Oman/Nizwa/blog-275933.html Oman is the land of Forts. Many forts adorn the whole country. We visited a handful ourselves. My favorite Nakhl Fort. Built into the side of the mountain...the building's elevation rises and falls with the topography of the mountain. Great design skill. http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Oman/Muscat/blog-275916.html I was talking to another homeschool mom today. She phoned me to ask about something I posted to the local homeschooler's list. We're in the middle of a discussion about unschooling. That is she is trying to tell me what it is. I'm trying to follow along but I'm rather distracted by the armoured Israeli police vehicle patrolling my neighbourhood.The armoured vehicle keeps going around the same st http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Jerusalem-District/Jerusalem/blog-275904.html Sultan Qaboos Grand MosqueThe Mosque is built from 300000 tonnes of Indian sandstone. The total capacity of the mosque interior and courtyard is up to 20000 worshippers.What do you do when you have too much money You hire indentured modernday slave labor from India and flaunt your money by building a monument to your god....ahem. And the monument happens to have a couple of record break http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Oman/Muscat/blog-275898.html Hey Eighth Grade Parents Teachers and FriendsWE ARE IN ISRAEL We began this journey on a 2 hour flight to Newark. This was a painful layover but we all had fun listening to music playing cards and more.When we arrived at Newark we took a slow moving bus to our gate. We had some yummy New York KOSHER pizza with Laurie Lasday. Once we cleared security we found our terminal. There we http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Jerusalem-District/Jerusalem/blog-275881.html Hello parents MJDS staff and friendsWe are having a blast in Eretz Yisrael but it's not my job to tell you all about it. Starting hopefully tonight after the kids finish up an activity with their Israeli madrichim counselors students will be posting blog entries and pictures about many of our experiences. Enjoy and feel free to leave comments rather than send messages those just go to my http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Jerusalem-District/Jerusalem/blog-275872.html Troy and Gallipoli. Two names of great significance one has been immortalised in the culture of western civilisation by an ancient Greek epic the other has been burned into the psyche of the Australian and New Zealand nations. Visiting both in the same day is quite something let me tell you.Troy was close to the hotel so we arrived after a short drive. We were the first group there but our ad http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Turkey/Marmara/Gallipoli/blog-275865.html So after leaving here I went and met up with Jillian and went to a cafe where there is a 'traditional' Arabic storyteller. Met up with Tiana Finnish and Pascal. It was very dramatic though I dont really know what was going on lots of loud bangs and teary eyes being madeWe then went for supper up the road from the hotel and I was starving It was a selection of Mezze but they were not trad http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Syria/blog-275846.html So we had to leave the Country. Instead of giving us the typical three month visa when we landed the lady at Ben Gurion gave us one month. Why did she do that Because we said we wanted to stay for a year. Do you follow the logic The standard is three we are hoping for more so we get less. Why Because we need to apply to get a longer stay. So give me less time to do it in. Perfect.I didnrsq http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/South-District/Eilat/blog-275830.html I just found the office dubbed the Cerner Villa...which is basically a big house on some side street. Everyone here is SOOOO super nice Tomorrow I am going to the hospital for the first time. http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-275774.html Hello Everyone. Thanks for all your comments 305t 305s really n305ce to have messages when I log on.So yesterday was a busy day. I left Seluk at 9am and went to Pamakkale and checked out the calc305um depos305ts that have developed from the calc305um ox305der305ch water flow305ng over the rocks for centur305es. It was really amaz305ng although I hear that 305 http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Turkey/Mediterranean/Olympos/blog-275761.html Well I finally arrived in Abu Dhabi last night after a very long journey. I left Kansas City at 230pm on Saturday on an earlier flight than I originally planned so that I could be sure to avoid bad weather and make my connecting flight. Long story short leaving early was unnecessary as my next two flights were delayed and I arrived in Abu Dhabi at approximately 1030pm on Monday night UAE ti http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-275729.html May 12th or is it the 13th My morning started with the traditional Turkish breakfast cucumber tomato many cheeses toast boiled eggs olives and tea. The Turkish people drink A LOT of tea and coffee. After breakfast I met up with the team at the VW dealership. The owner let us borrow a van for the day. Did I mention that Turkish people drive CRAZY There is no speed limit they donrsquot we http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Turkey/Marmara/Istanbul/blog-275589.html So..... since i have been here i have not been publishing to many blogs. Despite the great responses i normally enjoy and repeated requests to write WritE WRITE i have not been able to sit down and type about my experience here. I could not figure out why this was such a problem until i had a conversation with my father. I realized after our talk that there are two things holding me bac http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Bahrain/Manama/blog-275569.html Here againNew beginningIt's been a very long time since I wrote here last time. I had even forgotten the password to log in. But here I am again laptop on my lap watching Ice Hockey World Championship game Russia Switzerland. Outside temperature is around 40 C here in Kuwait and the game is broadcasted from Canada. I have desperately tried to follow a game where Finland plays but for some reas http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Kuwait/Al-Farwaniyah/blog-275528.html After leaving Ankara we had a spectacular day of riding through the mountains on our way to Istanbul. The air was cool and the scenery spectacular. We ran into a couple on a tandem bicycle who were from Argentina and were travelling around the world. They were also headed to Istanbul and had just come from Syria. We decided to go as far as Izmit a city about 100 km from Istanbul. When we arri http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Turkey/Marmara/Istanbul/blog-275421.html Am beg305nn305ng to real305se that 305 may have to scratch travel wr305ter from my l305st of poss305ble career cho305ces and feel305ng horr305f305cally gu305lty for not hav305ng made an entry for so longRoman305aAfter S305gh305soara we spent a n305ght camp305ng 305n Rosnov after look305ng round the castle. Th305s was our f305rst f http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Turkey/Black-Sea/Trabzon/blog-275369.html Salaam all. This is about that time when I update my blog when it is way overdue and most have forgotten about it. In this episode I will detail my many adventures over Spring BreakPassover Vacation April 11thApril 26th. Immediately after my vacation began at 600 AM Friday April 11th I set for the SeatoSea Hike a fourday trek from the Mediterranean Sea Yam haTichon to the Sea of Gal http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Jerusalem-District/Jerusalem/blog-275181.html 51008 112 PMI have to say that at the moment I have mixed emotions about leaving. It seems surrealhellip in a matter of hours I will be an ocean away from my family and friends. Going so far away for an extended amount of time is a first for me. I am going with a great group of women from Thibodeaux LA who will become my new friends and we will be each otherrsquos family for the duration http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Turkey/Marmara/Istanbul/blog-275162.html Well what a few daysOn Friday I left my hotel in Athens in the morning to go to the airport. When I arrived I couldnrsquot see my flight to Samos on the departures board and sure enough the flight was cancelled. They offered to put me on the standby list for the 630 flight but that was doubtful as the flight was already overbooked by 2. It was no good anyway as the ferry from Samos left http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Turkey/Marmara/Canakkale/blog-275160.html I am on a mission from God. Well not really God is out playing golf. So I guess I am on a mission from me. Busy scouting locations for the Prophet movie to be shot in Turkey Syria and Iran. http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Turkey/Mediterranean/Kas/blog-275155.html 20174Bur Dubai1996831471368072646965292333372446424464387522373665292Old Souk368253732423601261592147632769243143156927719328583034022320260412010212290199683332430340260532821637117202502431435758223123682537324362081996836255Dubai Heritage Walk12290213822149036 http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/blog-275154.html 21407264123520121040264602530821160292892225321435652922151826469324632145120154201713246121364264692104020102Madinat Jumeirah1229026366324633246336807Madinat Jumeirah20960274256529221364222402002620854228063526630340359462132632780201972002623427201652615919968 http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/blog-275144.html Spring Break was phenomenal. So much so that I have no idea what all we actually did. There were about 15 of us from a variety of countries. We left Istanbul in a rented tour bus on Saturday the 26th arriving in Ankara that evening for a huge dinner at the parentrsquos apartment of one of the exchange commission members. The apartment was part of a complex a little removed from the city a http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Turkey/Southeastern-Anatolia/Urfa/blog-275112.html 22408What a great city Irsquom thoroughly impressed with Istanbul. Itrsquos very chilled out and very clean.Magan and I started the day wandering up to the Blue Mosque and Aya Sophya. They are very pretty and about 100 metres from our hostel. The Blue Mosque and Aya Sophya are opposite each other with a beautiful garden teeming with tulips and a fountain connecting them. Here we deci http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Turkey/Marmara/Istanbul/blog-275111.html