Most authors think the setting is important, perhaps the most important, element in a novel. If they are right, I was in for a disappointment when I reached one of the top ten in my lifetime bucket list, Petra. When our bus left the ship and headed out of Aqaba to the highway, we encountered several lightly po...
Dubai is a tale of two cities, living jointly and singly. If you can imagine a community designed as a shared project between an eighteen-century city planner and George Lucas of Star Wars family and Mickey of Disney fame as project supervisor, you’d have Dubai. Consider this: less than 20% of the population is...
When I glanced out my window at the port of Muscat in Oman, I thought I was looking at a brown Santa Fe. The community of low-rise blocky buildings loops along the beaches of the Strait of Hormuz with additional fingers of townhouses and commercial structures snaking between the rock upcroppings. The horizon reminde...
Our sweaty group of visitors returned to the mothership with smile and flower-bedecked. In an exploration during which we encountered memorable sites, this day stands out. One member said, “I think Kochi was the best day yet.” Our arrival did not seem auspicious. A strong windstorm the night bef...
