Blogs from Middle East - page 1231

The next day we went to Petra again, but this time to look at all of the lost city. It was so amazing. The colours of the rocks there were something I had never seen before. It took us a while to get to the entrance way this time, as it was really hot, even though it was morning. By the end of the day, I couldn't be bothered walking back through the siq, so I rode a horse. On the way back, I stopped in a little rest stop, and got talking to a nice Jordanian man. I was so tired that I just went back to the hotel and slept. Later that night I met up with Charlotte and Gaz up on the roof top of Rabee's hotel, smoked a few sheesha's, and had ... read more

Turkish Delight – 7 July, 2001 Well. I don’t know where you are as you read this; I hope it’s somewhere nice. Me, I’m sitting in a Turkish café, overlooking the Turquoise coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The sun is bright, the breeze is cool and the faux-cappuccino is close enough that I’m not complaining. Not far across the sparkling water are several islands, mostly “belonging to” Greece. The oddity that these islands so close to Turkey are in Greece (Cyprus, of course, remains divided since the 1974 coup and invasion) reminds me of how idiotically international boundaries are generally set. In the next few days I’m planning to visit one of the “ghost towns” left empty after the Turkish war of independence, when thousands of people were “traded” between Greece and Turkey in a League ... read more

Our family holiday to Paphos in Cyprus. Having lived in Limassol for 3 years from 88 to 91 came back for a holiday. First time round was so much better... read more

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Our last day and we begin by wasting half of it visiting the museum of Persian carpets and another pottery museum. I suppose it can be fascinating to count the millions of knots involved in weaving a carpet masterpiece, but the detailed devotion to each and every design gets rather samey. Each time I walk through a doorway I find myself hoping that it will not open up to yet another hall but to the exit. Heading for lunch both the Bergmans and I are getting a bit fed up of the samey kebab diet and instead insist on only having the tasty soup, bread and salad, skipping the main course. The staff look at each other and Farzaneh, probably muttering something about foreigners.... Afternoon is free time and I head down to the lobby to ... read more