Travel & Adventure Show: Skepticism Eliminated
Okay, so where am I? No, not underground writing my latest screenplay or those two book projects that are nearing deadline. Believe it or not, the 2012 L.A. Travel and Adventure Show called to me like the North Star in the dead of night. I know. I know. I was skeptical too. But off to […]
World Portraits: Soaring
Arabian Peninsula—Rare in many parts of the world, three eagle species, the Greater Spotted Eagle, Imperial Eagle, and Lesser Kestrel, spend winters and early spring throughout the Arabian Peninsula in search of prime areas to mate and lay their few eggs (only one to three per mating season).
World Travels: Snapshots of Forgotten Places
The Middle East is marked by incredible diversity and indelible images. One extended visit erases the misconceptions and opens an entire new world filled with laughing people and overwhelming hospitality. Sights, unseen outside of the region, jump with historical significance and endless stories. Here are just a few. Isfahan, Iran…The cool blue tiles of Isfahan‘s [&hell
World Portraits: Deal or No Deal
Marrakesh, Morocco…By far the biggest challenge you’ll face in Marrakesh is a shopping trip, as the art of the deal is a way of life in Morocco. Everyone bargains, sometimes over tea or trinkets, and it’s only considered a satisfactory purchase after the bargain is settled upon. The usual practice with tourists is to ask […]
World Portraits: Sabkha
Umm Said, Qatar…Sabkha is an Arabic name for a salt-flat or very saline areas of sand or silt lying just above the water-table. The salt crust can easily support the weight of a human and sometimes cars. While unseen in the image, a solid desert of white sand sits only yards beyond the flat.
World Travels: Open Again
As Lebanon searches for ways to bring the country and tourism back, it turns to the food that made it famous, while giving an emphatic YES to the question: Will food be Lebanon’s savior? Beirut has always been kind to me. Eating has always been a guilty pleasure where the only thing more exciting than […]
World Portraits: Escape
Maalula Village, Syria—According to legend, Saint Tekla was stalked by an unforgiving, scorned fiancé who tried repeatedly to kill her for her religious beliefs. Eventually she sought refuge in a grotto in the cliff around the bend where a convent — now named in her honor — was built. She used this escape route to move […]
World Portraits: Catered Coffee
In the center of the grand souk in the shadows of the massive sandstone minarets, stands Ahmed. For 30 years the “human drinking fountain,” as he is known, has provided sparkling cupfuls of liquid relief from the hot desert days. He says that shoppers, who repeatedly visit him throughout the day feel as if they […]
WORLD PORTRAITS: Taj Mahal
The sun crept down the burnt grey sky as I pushed my way through the crowded, arched entrance that surrounds the monument. Burnt amber rays warmed the white marble, creating a breathtaking muted glow.
WORLD TRAVELS: Saudi’s Ahwah Arabiyah
It was time…We started exchanging “Coffee?” emails last January with the search for good coffee as our excuse to travel the world. For us there isn’t a better Internet moment than receiving that first email with “Coffee?” in the subject heading. As we get older there are only three of us left: MacD, Hops and […]
