Posts Tagged ‘Middle East’
“We don’t eat people, we’re vegetarians!”
“It was just a few days later in Istanbul that we heard one of the funniest lines ever from a man who was trying to entice us into his store. We initially walked past him, pretending not to hear his plea. But then we couldn’t help but laugh.”
Riel World photo – Ancient ruins in Jordan
Donkeys outside the ruins of The Monastery at the ancient city of Petra in Jordan.
Turkish baths and backflipping pigeons
“A Turkish man whom we just met drove us 20 minutes to a tiny village and left us here. I jumped in a pool of ice water. I laid down on a stone table that was so hot it nearly cooked me. And now I’m having my skin scrubbed off by a guy who is dressed a blue loin cloth. The things we do for travel experiences.”
Riel World photo – Mount Sinai, Egypt
We watched the sunrise from atop Mount Sinai (after trekking up the mountain by flashlight from 2:45 to 5:15 a.m.). Now, we’re making our way back down the trail through the stark and stunning Sinai landscape on the way to St. Catherine’s Monastery.
Memories of Egypt
This is the tale of our interaction over several days with an Egyptian university student during a trip to Egypt. Though the story is a bit humorous, you will see Khalil here discussing his dreams for the future and his economic challenges. Since this is relevant to the historic events now taking place in that country, it’s a good way to remember the dreams of all young Egyptians.
Ferry adventures on the Red Sea
Sometimes travel is a dazzling collage of sights and wonders, and sometimes it’s an exhausting, sigh-inducing day of trying to get from one place to another. If you’re lucky enough to be traveling, though, then even the sigh-inducing moments can be memorable.
Poetry of travel: A cafe by the Red Sea
A scorching desert drive across Egypt’s otherworldly Sinai Peninsula has sucked the moisture from your skin, but as you descend from the jagged and dusty terrain a vision of an iridescent sapphire sea appears before you.
Two woman and their luggage in Jerusalem
What happens when you take an American female traveler, an elderly nun and a taxi filled with luggage, and throw them into the middle of a gay pride parade in Jerusalem?
Riel World photo – Dahab, Egypt
Dahab, Egypt A seaside cafe in the Red Sea town of Dahab, Egypt, on the east coast of the Sinai Peninsula.
Unlearning conformity in Egypt
It’s common throughout the Middle East, Asia, and some other regions of the world for a culture to value conformity over individualism, and memorization over creativity in education. This topic is covered in a recent article I came across, which discusses how the educational style at the American University in Cairo differs significantly from the typical Egyptian classroom.
The food temptations of Syria
Do you enjoy food? Are you a traveler who likes to experience a culture through its cuisine? If so, then Syria should perhaps be on your list of future countries to visit. Yes, Syria. There was a great piece recently on NPR about the rise of Aleppo, Syria, as a destination for food lovers. Aleppo, [...]
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Bob Riel is a writer and a traveler. Go here to read more about Bob, his work and the Travels in the Riel World blog.
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