The boy couldn’t have been more than seven or eight years old but he seemed perfectly at ease with the Bedouin men sipping tea in the cafe at Petra, Jordan. He tossed his unruly black curls out of his eyes, flashed a pearly smile that split his deeply tanned cheeks, and lit up a hand-rolled … Read more
I sought the advice of fellow travelers on the most important places to visit in Jordan. Of the many responses I received, two sites made the top of everyone’s list: Petra and Wadi Rum. But how to arrange to see these far flung places from my initial arrival in the capital city of Amman? My … Read more
The sun assaulted me at Baalbeck ruins in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. Brilliant blue skies were perfect for viewing this world’s largest Roman temple, but in the 90-plus degree temperatures I soon ran out of water. I blinked sweat out of my eyes and headed for the nearest kiosk to buy another bottle. A middle aged … Read more
I slipped off my shoes and stepped over the threshold of the Barbur Gallery. Tucked into the backstreets of a residential neighborhood, with a community garden at its side, it hardly seemed like a hotbed of political activity. This avant-garde gallery, the first of its kind in Jerusalem, hosts film screenings, plays, Israeli art showings, … Read more
The timing couldn’t have been worse. A day before I arrived in Jerusalem to attend the Travel Blog Exchange Conference (TBEX), my right knee went out. I have no idea what caused it. My knee had acted up like this once before. One day I was fine, the next I couldn’t climb stairs. That time, … Read more
