After riding the jarring overnight train from Luxor to Cairo, we were handed off to another guide, Hesham. He took us over to the site of the famous pyramids of Giza. At first blush, we were rather disappointed. The high local winds often blow the fine desert sand into the sky, creating a scene similar […]
Egypt 2 – Luxor
Above is another of those “happy accidents” where we made a mistake while making a photograph of the “Sound & Light” show (see below) at the Karnak Temple. Never just delete an image because “you goofed.” Some of our more memorable images were the result of such goofs… ☺ Our second full day in Egypt had […]
Egypt 1 – Aswan
Getting from Israel to Egypt is surprisingly arduous. Because they are neighbors, we naively expected to be able to drive from one to the other. Nope. Had to fly from Tel Aviv to Athens, and then on to Cairo. Politics once again gets in the way of common sense and creates unnecessary complications for the […]
Israel
I found Israel unpleasant and unwelcoming, and expect to never return. I have never had this reaction in any of the other 81 countries we have visited. To be fair, we were only in the country for three days, and one of those days was misspent with two abhorrent excuses for humanity posing as tour […]
Jordan 4 – Wadi Rum
We spent one night in Wadi Rum in the desert in a tent. As part of the 4-wheeled drive tour, Fadi (our Jordanian guide) stopped at a sand dune, saying there would be a great view of the surrounding area from the top of the dune. We started the climb (if you have ever tried […]
Jordan 3 – Petra – Bomb Scare!
Petra is the crown jewel of ancient ruins in Jordan, and is the primary reason we chose to visit this country. Hidden for more than 2000 years, it is considered one of the seven Wonders of the World with more than 500 tombs and designated a World Heritage site in 1985. Petra is reached through […]
Jordan 2 – Jerash
The ruined city of Jerash is one of the largest and most interesting Roman sites. You enter through an imposing ceremonial gate, go past colonnaded streets, enter a hippodrome (horse racing track), walk around temples, and can easily spend half a day there. Hadrian’s Arch, the Temple of Artemis, the Forum, and the Temple of […]
Jordan 1 – Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan, and has been continuously occupied since 6,000 BC. It is the starting point for our two weeks tour organized through On The Go tours (OTG), that will cover Jordan, Israel and then Egypt. As we stepped off the plane from Tehran to Amman, we were greeted by the OTG […]
Iran 8 – Kashan – the last stop
Iranian Local: I love you! (while making heart with his hands) Me: I love you too (chuckling, then asking if I can take a photo — he warmly agreed, and he and his friends posed for the next several minutes for us) After some more discussion, it turned out that this man was actually Afghan. […]
Iran 7 – Kashan (the real story)
Happy mistake when the camera was moved while shutter still open. Iranian Local: (after opening pleasantries and surprised that I am an American.) My English is good because I studied hard, expecting to go overseas to study. Me: You did not go? IL: No. We discovered we could not afford it after the collapse of […]
