Middle East

Postcard from Persia - Iran, Middle East On the way to Iran, John M. Edwards wonders if they play Uncle Wiggly in Tehran.	Top 10 Destinations for Independent Travelers in 2008 BootsnAll, the website for independent travelers, announces its Top 10 Destinations for 2008.

Along The Templar Trail - Middle East, Europe Brandon Wilson gives us chapter one of his Along The Templar Trail, due out in January, 2008.	An Education on Life and Culture in Kurdistan, Iraq - Middle East Eager to see a different side of Iraq, Brian Yamamura receives a positive education from Kurdish university students.
Defying Death (and Stereotypes) in Israel - Middle East Jennifer Green realizes there's much more to Israel that the images we see on the nightly news.	Jordan: The Switzerland of the Middle East - Jordan, Middle East Jordan has no oil and is officially a “water poor” nation. But it has one valuable resource in a troubled area - not easy to export, people flock to get it. Andrea Granahan wishes it could be bottled and savored like fine wine.
Israel Airport Mishap - Israel, Middle East Shawn Venable arrived at Tel-Aviv airport, 3.5 hours early - security was tight and he was flying standby. He made his way to the counter, handed over his passport - and received the shock of his life.	Madain Saleh: Arabia's Hidden Treasure - Madain Saleh, Saudi Arabia There is truth in the saying "a picture paints a thousand words". But words and photographs cannot convey fully the beauty and essence of a place. Danny V. Hizon found this to be true when he visited Madain Saleh in the northwestern part of Saudi Arabia.
He Sings About His Gun - Rijal Alma, Saudi Arabia, Middle East Mohammed greeted Matt Scott and the party of tourists who had come to see a way of life - a way of life that was diminishing - proud and fierce.	On the Road to Petra - Petra, Jordan Danny Hizon thinks that you can't say you've been to Jordan if you don't see Petra - so he makes sure to spend a day there.

Jordan....No Map, No Guidebook - Jordan Don Sparks arrives in Jordan without and map and without a guidebook. Is he up for the challenge?	How Can This be Israel? - Israel Sean Oâ€™Reilly thinks the constant broadcasting of violence from the West Bank into American homes has rendered the Israel of imagination a frightening place somewhere between Watts in the nineteen sixties and Black Hawk Down in the early nineties.
Dubai Holiday Apartments Rental - Dubai, United Arab Emirates Allessadro Dubaldo offers good tips on how to select a holiday apartment in Dubai - one of the world's premier tourist destinations.	The Triplegem Afghan Expedition: Herat Part 3 - Afghanistan Stephen Shucart spends a lazy day in Herat, fumbling with bad Internet connections and other not-so-perfect luck.
The Triplegem Afghan Expedition: Herat Part 2 - Afghanistan Stephen Shucart spends a day in Herat trying to get to the Minaret of Jam... Will he succeed?	The Triplegem Afghan Expedition: Herat Part 1 - Afghanistan Stephen Shucart spends his first day in Herat and shares the mantra that could save your life!
The Triplegem Afghan Expedition: Road to Herat Part 3 - Afghanistan Stephen Shucart completes his journey to Herat with an early-morning wake-up call and a 17-hour drive...	The Triplegem Afghan Expedition: Road to Herat Part 2 - Afghanistan Stephen Shucart begins his two-day journey to Herat early and spends 15 hours on "one of the most hellish rides on the planet." Sounds fun.

The Triplegem Afghan Expedition VIII - Maimana, Afghanistan Stephen Shucart goes back in time en route from Mazar-i-Sharif to Maimana in Northern Afghanistan, seeing nomads and camel caravans along the way.	The Triplegem Afghan Expedition VII - Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan Stephen Shucart goes bead shopping in Mazar-i-Sharif and decides not to proposition the gorgeous British ISAF soldier with an automatic rifle slung from her shoulder.