Bhutan for Beginners

The same man that wrote the lyrics “I’m a lumber jack and I’m okay” introduced me to Bhutan, a tiny Himalayan country the size of Iowa. Comedian Michael Palin of Monty Python fame has gone on to a successful career as a travel presenter for the BBC. The 2004 series “Himalaya with Michael Palin” chartedRead more

What’s cooking in Petra

“I’m afraid I’m going to have to kill a sheep or something,” says Chris on our way to a cooking class at the Petra Kitchen on Sunday (November 6, 2011). “If there’s any day that I would have to, it would be today.” He’s referring to Eid al-Adha, also called the Festival of Sacrifice, anRead more

Off to the Races: Camel Racing in Dubai

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A line of speeding white 4x4s emerges from a thick fog of airborne desert sand, and they are heading directly at us. Munir, my taxi driver, pulls off the pavement just as the herd blazes past at lightning speed — the occupants honking furiously, but not at us. Their attentions are turned toward the adjacentRead more

Dubai is on top of the world

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“We are lucky to have the sheiks here,” says Mohammed Labeeb, of Arabian Adventures. “They have really invested in the country.” Look around Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and chances are Sheik Mohammed had something to do with it. He dreams it, he builds it. Take, for example, the Burj al-Arab, the sailboat hotelRead more

What not to wear in the Middle East

Clothes make the man. But what about a woman visiting the United Arab Emirates? As it turns out, it’s not totally clear. Yeah, I know Dubai promotes itself as a cosmopolitan destination that is fairly liberal when it comes to accepting a western lifestyle, but then I found an article on The Epoch Times websiteRead more

The Kids are Alright

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Ok Matoke

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Built for Africa

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On the run

While many of you were still sleeping in the western hemisphere, I was barreling down a narrow two-lane Tanzanian highway choked with overloaded vehicles belching black smoke, bicycles carrying anything from piles of bananas or couches (yeah, that was crazy) and an endless stream of people going about their daily existence. Erin, my fellow traveler,Read more

How to track a lion on safari without becoming prey

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There’s nothing like being stared at like you’re a piece of meat. The lion less than five feet away from us licked its lipped, noting the open window in the safari vehicle, and the tender human arm belonging to Erin Huber just inside. “Hurry up and close the window,” our driver Cyrus says. The sevenRead more

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