Of all the venerated religious sites in the Old City of Jerusalem, most important to the Christians and an important pilgrimage target is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where purportedly Jesus Christ was crucified, buried and resurrected. Today the Church is the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, but interestingly the key […]
As unmarked dark black cars with tinted windows and nests of antennas are escorted through the streets by a bodacious display of lights, sirens and artillery, its another blatant snub in the face those who would have preferred an alternate destiny for the holy land post World War II. ... Yet as I take quiet time to wander through the Jewish Quarter of Old Jerusalem and climb and walk above the city in the ramparts built originally by the Ottoman Turks, I can't help but think that this is a city that belongs to everyone.
A Wall Too Far?
Flanking the Dead Sea it’s hard not to consider the history of those lands just a stone’s throw from Jordan. I wouldn’t have much time to spend in Israel, so I had to make what time I had count. The wine regions of the north, the resorts of the west and the bustle of Tel […]
A Wall Too Far?
I know that for many readers halfway or all the way across the globe, that the notion of riding a motorcycle alone through the Middle East sounds either far fetched or perhaps incredibly dangerous. Many would pick a hundred other destination before choosing Jordan or Syria. But the truth is, I have never felt in […]
It’s hard to imagine I’m in Jordan. Just three years ago as I scanned the world atlas to better acquaint myself with world geography the tiny scribbly line that defines Jordan’s boundary just wasn’t on my radar. Yet as I ride through the desolate landscapes of this young country I find it difficult to remember […]
Wow things sure change once you cross the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. At least here in Aqaba. Wedged between Israel to the west and Saudi Arabia to the south, Aqaba reminds me more of an up-market beach resort destination than any of the preconceived notions of what an Arabic country bordering Syria […]
At least I had a good meal last night at my hotel. For my last night in Egypt and on the Sinai Peninsula I stayed at the north end of Nuweiba at Casa del Mare a beautiful and cozy seaside hotel called where I was the only guest and perhaps the only hotel in Nuweiba […]
Since taking the ferry into Egypt nearly a month ago I’ve been burdened with burning curiosity about many of the men I’ve met or seen here. Perhaps I was in a sleepless delusional state the first time I noticed it, or perhaps I shrugged it off as a fault of my aging eyes. But something […]
It was time for me to leave Egypt. I contemplated my options. While it’s easy to extend a passport visa, getting an extension on the motorcycle temporary import would prove to be difficult, time consuming and taxing. I had two more days before Doc needed to be in Jordan, my next destination. I could ride […]
And here I was just a scant few miles from the Suez Canal. As that globe-fingering kid I always wondered about Canals. The Panama and the Suez. It was nearly three years ago when I rode this same motorcycle over the Panama Canal. Now today I’ll ride under the Suez. I didn’t even know there […]
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