Blogs from Middle East - page 871

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Middle East » Jordan » North » Amman July 30th 2008

I had a falafel today.... AND IT WAS GREAT!!!!!! :)... read more
getting our fix!
yummmmmyyy!!!!

Middle East July 29th 2008

The hillsides of Haifa and Zefat are a tangle of streets. We managed to find out B&B's in each city, though, without maps! In Haifa we can thank the local pizza parlour worker and in Zefat we got tired of driving around and paid a taxi driver to escort us... I wonder about the hillside cities in Israel. Did they develop because its cooler in the mountains? Safer? Certainly they were not planning for cars!!! Our stay in Haifa was only one night and way too short. Haifa seems like the kind of city you unravel over time. Our B&B overlooked the ocean, with an incredible view. The historic main boulevard, Ben Gurion, has an interesting history. Recently they renovated the street and moved it 163 cm to match it up with the Baha'i Gardens situated ... read more
Zefat
Zefat
Zefat

Middle East » Turkey » Mediterranean » Olympos July 29th 2008

well, how can i possibly be writing a blog right now when i am so relaxed i barely bother to think anymore...??? the reason being, we just did a blue cruise that ended in olympos. but i will go back to the beginning of sorts, to santorini. Santorini, one of the most beautiful of Greek islands, was created by a volcano and was further molded and moved by subsequent volcanoes and earthquakes. It's a fairly small island and is the shape of a smile, and where the nose should sit, is a semi dormant volcanic island. And where the eyes would be, is another island that used to be connected to Santorini. Hope that makes sense! All up one side of the island is a big cliff face with multiple colours (white, red, black, grey, brown), ... read more
Red Beach
chilling out on Santorini
nice view, Santorini

Middle East » Israel » Jerusalem District » Jerusalem July 29th 2008

Sitting in a cave like cafe downstairs from our hostel in the old part (inside the walled city) of Jerusalem. It' s amazing here; Muslim, Jewish and Christian pilgrims coexist but you can tell they don't really care for eachother. The people watching, to say the least, is interesting. We went to the Western Wall this afternoon and walked so much our legs are tired. Yesterday we went to the Sea of Galilee and swam in the lake that Jesus walked on. We've been here a week now! I can hardly believe it. Being a shiksa from California, I can say that an obvious sign of being in Israel are the bomb shelters (every few blocks there are underground buildings, in apartment buildings and hotels there is a bomb room near the elevator shaft) and scars ... read more
hookas for sale
Asaf at market
pomegranates

Middle East » Turkey » Central Anatolia » Cappadocia July 29th 2008

We left Istanbul and headed inland to Cappadocia. It's incredible here, the landscape is like something from a different planet. There are solid towering cones all over the landscape that were formed from ancient volcanic erosion. The locals call the cone- like formations "fairy Chimney's". Apparently because they couldn't imagine humans building them, so they figured fairies did (?). The history in this region is quite overwhelming and we hardly managed to get it all. But, it's mentioned in the bible and has been inhabited since the 6th century BC! Many of the caves were transformed into functional spaces and used as houses, churches, and factories. Entire cities were built using the structures. Unfortunately the iconic intolerance of Muslim invaders and European treasure hunters is apparent everywhere. Many of the frescos and ruins in Turkey have ... read more
Me on the stairs to the Open Air Museum
An apse depiction of Jesus, not destroyed
A Fresco ~ 400AD

Middle East » Iraq » East » Baghdad July 29th 2008

We arrived at our layover destination about 0200 and had to catch a bus to the helicopter terminal to get our connecting flight. Our helo did not leave until sunrise so we slept in the terminal on the benches for a few hours. As the sun rose we took a bus to the flight line. There were helos everywhere - as far as the eyes could see. Our bird was named the “Hillbilly Deluxe,” which is not as cool as “Bachelor’s Delight” but was a great helo. We watched the crew do their flight checks and then boarded the chopper. After we were settled the Chief fired up the engines and the rotors began to spin and blow dust everywhere. The Crew Chief bungee corded the doors open so that we could fly in the open ... read more

Middle East » United Arab Emirates » Dubai July 28th 2008

Hello again, We are having a fabulous time here in Dubai, but let me finish our African Safari saga. We had arrived at our lodge on the rim of the Ngogongoro Crater at what seemed to be sunset, but we couldn't be sure since we were engulfed with clouds. The driver said that we must hurry through the lobby if we wanted to get pictures of the crater because of the fading light. The pictures came out quite well. We probably should have been noticing that the staff were all wearing multiple layers of sweaters, sweatshirts and jackets. Their boiler for heating water for the radiators which was their source of heat was broken. You cannot imagine how remote these places are without even a village, much less a town, to pick up a few parts. ... read more
Pride of lions.
Stately Giraffe
Small cat

Middle East » Iraq » West » Al Asad Airbase July 28th 2008

Today I left for a conference in Baghdad. I was there about a month ago but another opportunity came up for me to attend a Commander’s conference. I sure do hate to travel but I enjoy seeing new things. We left for the military passenger terminal at 2300 on the 29th and departed very early the next morning. I flew on a Sherpa. A Sherpa is an Army aircraft that is used primarily to transport passengers and cargo. It is a small twin engine airplane that has high wings and is shaped like a bus. Sherpa’s hug the ground as opposed to flying high so the ride is quite exciting. We flew blacked out with not lights at all - the pilots and crew wore night vision goggles. The flight was quite uneventful.... read more

Middle East » Turkey » Aegean » Bodrum July 28th 2008

Walking the waterfront before work.... read more
Medieval Castle Bodrum, Turkey
Getting hot Bodrum, Turkey
Tons of Gulets Bodrum, Turkey

Middle East » Israel » Jerusalem District » Jerusalem July 27th 2008

Friday, July 25, 2008 Relaxing on Friday afternoon before Shabbat. Judy and I were up early today to meet another friend for a trip to the shuk (outdoor market). We were finally able to get there without any security warnings (we are told to stay away from highly populated areas during such warnings). First we stopped at a wonderful bagel shop (naturally) called Holy Bagel (love the name) to get a bagel, lox, and cream cheese sandwich for breakfast. Mmmm… Then off to the shuk. Since we were there pretty early, we almost had the market to ourselves, which was really nice, although it filled up before long. We had fun exploring the different stalls and haggling with the vendors. Found head scarves and shawl wraps that I’ve discovered I really like to wear. Of course, ... read more
Gotta love it!
Dinner with new friends
Pedestrian street




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