When you work and travel, you usually spend a lot of time in countries other than your own, so you sometimes get to see how the local people celebrate their holidays. One holiday I’ve been able to experience in the…
In Salalah, Oman the annual khareef season turns the sandy, mountainous landscape of this enchanting Middle Eastern city to a deeply beautiful lush green. This khareef, or monsoon, season is probably the best time to travel to Salalah, Oman. Salalah,…
The Egypt pyramids of Giza are one of the most awe-inspiring sights in the world so I, like most everyone else in the world, always dreamed of visiting them. My dream came true in 2009 when I went as a…
A souq, or outdoor Middle East marketplace, is frequently a labyrinth of crowded, busy and loud streets with masses of aggressive shopkeepers calling out at you to buy their goods. Other times, such as in the Gulf countries, souqs are…
Salalah, Oman is well known as paradise to the people of the Persian Gulf, yet most of the world has never heard of this charming town of 180,000 lying quietly on the Arabian Sea. Tourists by the thousands flock to…
When you're traveling through Egypt, it is really exciting to see ancient history popping up all over the country’s landscape. Especially when you’re not expecting it. I didn't know much about the Avenue of the Sphinxes in Luxor before I…
Israel is one of the most unique and complex countries on earth, with its wealth of religious and historical sites, visible evidence of past wars and status as the world’s only Jewish nation, coexisting very carefully with its Arab population.…
Ayelet Weisz is a 33-year-old freelance writer in Haifa, Israel whom I became friends with when I was also living in Israel and we were both travel blogging. (Her name is pronounced Ah-YE-let Va-is.) She graduated from Tel Aviv University…
Petra Monastery is a magnificent sight, standing atop the stone city of Petra, one of the greatest must-see’s of the Middle East and, in fact, the world. What fascinates me the most about this ancient Nabatean city carved into the…
On New Year's Eve 2010 I traveled from where I was living and working online in Sharjah, U.A.E. to the enchanting location of Doha, Qatar. I stayed until the next day, getting to experience New Year's Eve in Qatar. A…