Middle East Travel Blogs on RealTravel

Kas journal: The Captain of our Gulet has a Mullet

2007-11-04T16:16:01Z

a entry by Four Explore from a trip to Kas, Antalya.

By Christina

For those of you who don’t know, a mullet is a groovy hairstyle (short on top, long at the back) that enjoys great popularity the world over. Apparently, this popularity extends to Turkey, because the captain of our gulet had a mullet. And, for those of you who don’t know, a “gulet” is a wooden yacht used for cruising the western Mediterranean (west to east, in our case) in Turkey on a “blue voyage”. But, I will get to our boat trip in a moment.

We awoke in our lovely Fethiye hotel primed and pumped for breakfast since the prior evening’s meal had left us wanting. ...

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Tel Aviv journal: The Life of a Woman

2008-04-09T14:15:55Z

a entry by Eve in the World from a trip to Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv.

After a delicious night's rest, I was a little less than enthused to be getting up and out. After a moment or two to bring myself to full consciousness, I remembered I'm in Tel Aviv and with that I got up and began to make myself human again.

While roommate Jane was tending to her business I took in Tel Aviv from our balcony and marveled at this johnny-come-lately city on the Meditteranean . Looking out over the mass of 4 & 5 story bauhaus style apartments, skyscrapers littered in between and masses of traffic below, it is hard to believe that Tel Aviv is only 99 years old. Barely a ...

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Tel Aviv journal: Out of the Desert

2008-04-08T18:40:46Z

a entry by Eve in the World from a trip to Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv.

Setting out from Mitzpe Ramon right after breakfast we headed to Nahal Bahad 1 IDF (Israel Defense Forces) Base aka Haim Laskov Officer Candidate School. This is the West Point of Israel, where the best and brightest are trained to lead their fellow soldiers. Upon our arrival we were ushered into a conference room where we were introduced to 6 female Officer Candidates and Gabriel, their Commanding Officer.

All Israelis, with few exceptions, serve in the IDF directly upon graduation from high school. Men serve 3 years and women serve 2. If a person opts to serve following college ...

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Mitzpe Ramon journal: Traveling Across The Negev

2008-03-24T20:12:22Z

a entry by Eve in the World from a trip to Mitzpe Ramon, Hadarom.

Our group departed Eilat before 8:30 am on Sunday, March 23 and began our travels through the Negev. After a fairly short ride from the seaside of Eilat we found ourselves surounded by the sand, rock, wide open spaces of the Negev desert. It is important to say that throughout the Negev are Kibbutzim, Moshavim & individual communities populated by Israelis who have chosen to live in this harsher climate. The Negev was the original portion of Palestine alloted to the Jewish people in the 1948 UN Partition plan. The Israelis will tell you that was because it was thought to be uninhabitable ...

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Eilat journal: Shabbat Shalom

2008-03-22T15:18:16Z

a entry by Eve in the World from a trip to Eilat, Israel.

Shabbat Shalom & Happy Purim.

This afternoon I flew across the sky suspended from a rainbow colored parachute and floated above the Red Sea. From my perch I spied Jordan to the left, the Sinai (Egypt) to the right and if I strained my sight I could even see Saudia Arabia. As I parasailed, I looked into the red mountains over Aqaba and could hear the words of Miri, our lovely Israeli guide, telling us that historians now believe that the children of Israel sojourned in those mountains for 30 years and lived as shepards before reaching Zion. In those red hills it is believed the ...

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Tel Aviv journal: Israeli Military History

2008-04-09T18:30:07Z

a review of Palmach Museum, a thing to do in Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv.

A fantastic inter-active multi-media museum illuminating the role played by the men and women fighters of the Palmach in British Mandated Palestine just prior to and following the birth of the Jewish state.

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Tel Aviv journal: Carmel Market

2008-04-09T18:25:04Z

a review of Nachalat Binyamin, a thing to do in Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv.

If you want to find a nice piece of jewelry or just a fun chakalah to remind you of your trip to Tel Aviv check out this Market/Craft Fair. The market is open on Tuesdays and Fridays. Take cash, but many sellers also take credit cards. Finish you shopping jaunt with a fresh fruit smoothie which can be found at the market's entrance.

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Tel Aviv journal: Lovely Modern Hotel on Beach

2008-04-08T18:40:47Z

a review of Carlton Hotel, a place to stay in Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv.

By chance my roommate and I got a room on the top floor of this luxury hotel, which is always a good thing. Unfortunately we had a city view, rather than an ocean view, but we were hardly there long enough to enjoy it either way.

The service was good - milk & cookie delivery at night. But the A/C was just not working properly and the bathroom could have been a bit nicer.

The lobby was lovely and there was internet service - which cost I believe 60 NIS per hour and had to be used consecutively. Breakfast was quite nice, with a large buffet and our group was seated in a ...

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Nicosia journal: Nicosia: first night and first day!

2008-01-26T16:14:04Z

a entry by Jenn Funke from a trip to Nicosia, Cyprus.

Well I finally made it to Cyprus!!!! The plane ride here was loaded with turbulence and it was kind of scary but we flew right over the Alps and that was by far the coolest thing I have ever seen!!! I loved it. I was sitting next to a couple who lives in Larnaca. They were really cool and friendly and gave me their number and told me to call them and then come and visit! it was so cool! So my roommates and I just might have to do that! I also met another couple in the Heathrow airport who also live in Larnaca who gave me their phone number and told my friends and I to come visit too!! It was ...

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Petra journal: Petra and Wadi Rum

2008-02-26T09:29:39Z

a entry by Jenn Funke from a trip to Petra, Jordan.

We flew into Amman very early on February 29th. We then met a guy from the travel agency we booked our flights through and he took our passports and got them stamped and then customs was over! We weren't searched or checked or anything. Yay, Americans! All 11 of us then were shown to our two rented cars that we would be driving for the weekend! There was 6 people in one car and 5 in another. Unfortuantely, I was stuck in the car with 6 people and so it was four girls in the back and two people in the front. My car consisted of Ryan (driver), Laura (Ryan's girlfriend), Amanda, Liz, Kelly, and ...

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Teheran journal: HASSLES IN IRAN

2006-10-22T15:27:43Z

"They could have dumped our bodies in the middle of nowhere and no one would have been any the wiser..."

a entry by Tony G from a trip to Teheran, Tehran.

We woke up early, drank chai in the restaurant, paid the bill and walked out of town, having decided to try hitching to Teheran. Unlike many of the small towns we had passed through in Eastern Turkey where there were always plenty of men standing around, apparently doing nothing, and hardly any women to be seen, everyone in Maku seemed to be busy. The bakers were forming dough into flat rounds, a peak-capped policeman was strolling down the street, women wearing chadors over western style blouses and trousers were carrying water or washing clothes in a stream. A group of small children ...

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Istanbul journal: ACROSS TURKEY - By Bus

2006-10-16T08:26:30Z

"The journey immediately began badly, with the driver reversing the van into the path of a passing truck"

a entry by Tony G from a trip to Istanbul, Turkey.

So there we were, in ancient Sultanahmet, with its unfamiliar smells and sounds, and that exotic skyline of domes and minarets silhouetted against the evening sky. Immediately in front of us was the Blue Mosque and Aya Sofia and, right across the road from where the bus had stopped, the famed travellers meeting place, the Pudding Shop on Divan Yolu. At last we felt like we were really in the East. But, after three days and nights on the (not so Magic) bus from Amsterdam I was exhausted and seriously cranky. Even so, it felt exciting to be in Turkey.

We avoided the rush to the ...

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Famagusta Walled City journal: Famagusta and St. Barnabas Museum

2008-02-01T05:33:01Z

a entry by Jenn Funke from a trip to Famagusta Walled City, Farmagusta.

Friday, Febuary 1 a bunch of us all went across the "Green Line" into the Turkish side to visit a once flourishing town called Famagusta. Famagusta is now a ghost town and the buildings are starting to fall and crumble.

The city of Famagusta (Mağusa in Turkish) is one of the finest examples of medieval architecture in the eastern Mediterranean. Joe, Jon, Scot, Devin, Laura and I went together and we visited Othello Tower. This citadel was built in the 12th century during the Lusignan period, to protect the harbour. The Sea Gate and the Land Gate were the two major entrances of walled ...

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Olympos journal: Hanging out in Tree Houses then cruising to Fethiye

2007-07-16T14:24:43Z

a entry by Michael & Erin from a trip to Olympos, Turkey.

We arrived in Olympos with much anticipation to stay in the famed tree houses. I, Michael, was still recovering from a running belly, and we were tired of traveling on buses for the previous 2 nights. It saved us money on hotels, but was somewhat uncomfortable, especially with diarrhea! We got a room in a tree house in the morning, pooh poohing the suggestion that we get a cabin with AC. We wanted a tree house, up in the sky. The tree houses turned out to be spider infested shacks on stilts, about 4 feet above the ground. It served as a pretty good oven as I lay in it recovering during a ...

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Ayvalik journal: Ayvalik and Bergama ruins

2007-12-19T15:08:47Z

a entry by Trace & Simon from a trip to Ayvalik, Turkey.

Ayvalik is an old Greek Ottoman village set around a small sheltered bay looking toward the Greek island of Lesvos. The guidebook sold it as 'crumbling charm' which sounded appealing and was certainly true (the 'crumbling' part anyway)...I think we wondered whether it was such a great idea after all when our taxi bumped it's way through potholed cobbled streets past row after row of houses in varying states of falling down.

Luckily enough, our accommodation seemed to be standing with 4 walls AND a roof, so we settled in fairly quickly and headed in to town to check out the weekly ...

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Canakkale journal: Gallipoli and Troy

2007-12-11T14:56:42Z

a entry by Trace & Simon from a trip to Canakkale, Canakkale.

Being ın this part of the world we had to visıt the war memorials at Gallipoli and the ancient site at Troy.

Firstly however we had to get there and if you were paying attention in our last blog you will know that leaving Istanbul was not as easy as we had imagined. In fact you might find the logistical difficulties of getting from one place to another is a recurring theme while we are in Turkey!!

So twenty four hours later than expected we dragged ourselves back down to the ferry port and this tıme the timetables didn't lie and there was, as scheduled, a ferry. The one and a half ...

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Istanbul journal: A fleetıng vısıt to Istanbul

2007-12-11T13:28:46Z

a entry by Trace & Simon from a trip to Istanbul, Turkey.

We arrıved at the 'alternatıve aırport' ın Istanbul (don't you just love budget aırlınes?) whıch ıs somewhere out East ın the Asıan sıde of the city. After dabblıng wıth the ıdea of catchıng a taxı ın to town we decıded to 'rough ıt' wıth everyone else from our plane and catch the local bus ın.

Istanbul ıs a HUGE cıty. We drove along a motorway for about an hour through suburb after suburb crammed full of multı-story apartment blocks. No houses, semı-detached or terraced housıng here, just a huge sprawlıng mass of humanıty. There are apparently 15 mıllıon people lıvıng ın Istanbul ...

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Istanbul journal: Istanbul

2007-11-06T21:16:16Z

a entry by John and Erin from a trip to Istanbul, Turkey.

Yet another overnight bus in two days was draining. Istanbul’s bus station was a hectic nightmare. We were not to catch a free shuttle in to Sultanhamet but after close to an hour of waiting we decided to catch the train and then a tram. It was peak hour traffic so this was a nightmare. The train was full, Evrim and I were the only females in our carriage and the next. We got our fare share of stares. The tricky part was trying to get on a tram this took over half an hour. We were all tired when we finally made it to the tourist strip. Erin was getting frustrated with the locals ...

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Dead Sea journal: Dead Sea, Jordan

2007-11-28T12:52:16Z

"Swimming in the Dead Sea is a wild experience. You can swim, but you cannot sink."

a entry by Shane S from a trip to Dead Sea, Jordan.

The Dead Sea is very cool. I was surprised how blue it was. Somehow knowing there is nothing living in the sea makes me think that it would be very dirty. But its actually quite clean.

There is nothing in the area except the resorts that serve the tourists who come to see the Sea. No small local town, nada. The resorts are quite beautiful and have all the amenities one needs, which is good - since you have no other option. Howe.ver even with all these amenities I'd recommend no more than a few days on the Jordan side of the Dead Sea.

Swimming in the Dead Sea is a wild ...

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Petra journal: Petra, Jordan

2007-11-14T08:19:22Z

"The city of Petra is amazing!"

a entry by Shane S from a trip to Petra, Jordan.

The city of Petra is amazing! The Nabateans built this city directly into the side of the mountain. I never realized that so many future civilizations use older one's for themselves. In this case, Petra was eventually used by the Romans and then Greeks in later years. I have found this to be the case with the Egyptians too. Makes sense, but somehow I just never though of it.

The city is built into sandstone and the water created a huge gorge that is over 300 meters! I hiked up this mountain and it is quite tiring. But the views were worth it! They put a restaurant at the other end ...

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Muscat journal: Oman, the Last Great (Middle Eastern) Adventure

2007-11-02T10:02:08Z

a entry by Lanta from a trip to Muscat, Oman.

Yes, Oman is dazzlingly different. Beautiful. Sultry. Determined. A heady mix of all these which has helped it conquer vast swathes of Africa in days gone by. It has also helped it to adapt to the pressures of modern tourism and consumerism in its rush not to be outdone by its culturally deficient, but more flagrantly ostentatious neighbour, the UAE.

Indeed, many UAE expats have, over the years, used Oman as an escape from the brazen commercialism and brash de-desertisation that has befallen the Emirates (also because as soon as you cross the border, Omani driving is far more considerate ...

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Dubai journal: The City of Cranes

2007-12-01T00:13:46Z

a entry by relevart from a trip to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

What a contrast to go from a place with some of the poorest people in the world to one with some of the richest. Everything is clean and neat, lots of expensive cars everywhere, but what I notice most is the quiet. It makes me realize that I had actually become a LITTLE used to the constant noise of India and reminds me how overwhelmed by it I was at the beginning. I can walk anywhere and no one approaches me. It is like a breath of fresh air. Now don't get me wrong, I loved being in India, just a huge contrast being here.

Here it is, two weeks til Christmas, but I still hadn't seen any ...

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Jerusalem journal: City of God

2007-11-25T08:49:08Z

"Visiting the holy city"

a entry by The Sehrineau's from a trip to Jerusalem, Israel.

As most people know Jerusalem is very important to Christians, Jews and Muslims. Seeing the city in person is intense. The ancient passageways of the old city crawl with Christians reenacting the crucifixion, Orthodox Jews wailing at the last remaining wall of their 2000 year old temple and Muslims heading to the Dome of the Rock. The streets are really narrow, to get through you have to elbow your way through everyone while dodging the tiny tractors and carts hauling merchandise into the market (no cars can get into the old city)

What amazed us about the old city was how lived-in and ...

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Dubai journal: Dubai, U.A.E - Hustle and Bustle in the Middle East

2007-11-23T17:23:57Z

"“Ah, hello! Come in my emporium! I give best price! Best Price!”"

a entry by cessna152 from a trip to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Exiting the arrivals hall of Dubai International Airport, Angela and I jumped in a taxi, wondering what the

United Arab Emirates

would have to offer.

Our short one-hour flight from Qatar had been initially interesting. Apart from being the only Westerner’s aboard, we noticed something else too. It was the amount of empty seats even though all passengers had boarded. But not everyone had boarded. Five minutes later, a troop of Arab women entered the aircraft from the front all wearing traditional black ...

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Paphos journal: An Average Hotel

2007-10-31T15:55:56Z

a review of Paphian Bay, a place to stay in Paphos, Cyprus.

The Paphian Bay hotel is part of the Constantinou Bros Hotel chain who owns three other hotels on the island. Although the hotel itself displays it is a four star hotel, you will find most brochures and tour operators give it a three star rating which is probably a more true reflection of the hotel. The Paphian Bay is located directly next door to its sister hotel the Pioneer Beach and is but a short and cheap bus ride to its local town with Paphos Port just further down.

Arriving at the hotel on the first day, you get that impression of it being a nice, quiet and relaxing place to stay ...

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