Paying the Price for Visiting Oman
Recently, we did something we had never done before. We went for an extended trip to a very expensive country. Or so we thought we did. Oman was our first Gulf country, and all we heard before our visit was that the oil-rich countries of the region were not the […]
In the Heart of Oman: Exploring Sharqiya Sands
One of my favorite memories from Egypt was the two days and one night we spent in the White Desert with the endless starry sky, surreal white rock formations, and sand dunes glowing in the sunlight. I’ve wanted to go back for over a decade and Oman finally offered a […]
Essential Oman – Forts and Castles
When we traveled to Thailand 10 years ago, one of the planning concerns was how to see as many Thai temples as possible without being “templed out”. Although by the end of the trip, the beautiful Thai temples did start to resemble each other, we left the country just in […]
The Wonders of the Wadi
The next few posts are going to be about what we consider to be “essential Oman” – the natural beauty of breathtaking landscapes and the traditional architecture of historic forts and castles. I am going to start with something we’ve never seen before and that only exists in a few […]
Hump Day in Oman
It was 5 am and we were on the move. We got up in the middle of the night to drive out of Nizwa, a lively city full of neon signs and bustling markets, towards a dusty outpost town of Sinaw in the desert. The next thing I am going […]
Clothes Make the Man, Vietnamese Tailors Make the Clothes
“Twenty-seven and a half!” the woman called out and quickly slid the measuring tape down my body. “Right shoulder higher than left shoulder!” I started twisting to look at my unequal shoulders in the mirror, but she quickly forced my body back, while methodically calling out numbers and body parts. […]
Murder on the Dragon Pearl
Part II of Adventures on the Anti-Love Boat in Halong Bay Our first lunch on the boat was served on the lower deck, on dark red tables covered by crispy white linens. Victor and I picked the table closest to the railing, so we could enjoy the unobstructed view of […]
Out of Our Comfort Zone – Backpackers on a Luxury Cruise
Part I of Adventures in Halong Bay Through the years of traveling, we have slept in cars, vans, buses, trains, airplanes, a garden shed, a hut, bungalows, a remodeled horse barn, hostels, motels, guesthouses, strangers’ houses, hotels, and once on a lawn in a park (well, that was a nap […]
Part II: Welcome to the Jungle … on Motorbikes!
Start with “Part I: Asia, Motorbikes and Us” here. Our evening in Hue we spent rearranging our next day’s schedule and our understanding of who we are as people. “I moved our Airbnb stay in Hoi An by one day and rescheduled the tailor appointment,” Julia said, “We are all […]
Part I: Asia, Motorbikes, and Us
A year ago in Cambodia, we had the misfortune of spending a night in the rat-infested, side-way leaning, bamboo bungalow which simultaneously happened to be 20 feet from a busy road full of thundering trucks, while also tilting into a muddy river where local fishermen started their morning calls to […]
Hand of God and Goal of the Century: Azteca Stadium
-Arbitro corupto! Arbitro corupto! We are sitting in the nosebleed section of the Azteca stadium on the outskirts of Mexico City listening to hilarious chants of the local boisterous soccer fans. We are sitting so high that I feel a little dizzy and a bit worried that my nose may […]