by Calvin Sun | Jun 21, 2011 | Crisis, How's the weather?, Jordan, Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea, Walking Tours, What Dreams May Come
Can’t help but contextualize this entry with this classic scene from a classic movie: Ever since this ending scene of Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade, I’ve wondered if they were at a real place. I think this entry answers that question. As if...
by Calvin Sun | Jun 21, 2011 | Introspection, Jordan, Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea
When I first heard Cheb Khaled’s “Aisha,” I had promised myself I would listen to it again whenver I reached the deserts of the Middle East. I always keep my promises. Comme si j’n’existais pas Elle est passee a cote de moi Sans un...
by Calvin Sun | Jun 20, 2011 | Jordan, Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea, What Dreams May Come
via TheCoolHunter.net My turn: What I pulled off w/o a tripod: Hold your breath like a sniper and go for a fast shutter. If an experience is unwriteable, how about a place? Or how about a place at a specific moment of the day? Far far from a tourist trap, Petra...
by Calvin Sun | Jun 20, 2011 | Jordan, Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea
This morning we explored the handful of sights in what was formerly known as the ancient city of Philadelphia, which housed one of the largest public forums and theaters of the Roman Empire. Now Philadelphia has become downtown Amman, where the sights (King Hussein...
by Calvin Sun | Jun 19, 2011 | Epiphanies on the Road, Introspection, Jordan, Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea, What Dreams May Come
We are the only two foreigners. Scratch that — the only two Asians in a sea of local Jordanians and other Arabians. In a balcony cafe awash with the perfumed smoke of nargile, we overlook the quiet chaos of downtown Amman. For a moment, everything seems...
by Calvin Sun | Jun 19, 2011 | Introspection, Lebanon, Mythbusters, Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea
It’s semantics. In India, poorer neighborhoods where Indians live are called “slums.” In Lebanon, poorer neighborhoods where Palestinians live are called “refugee camps.” Yet I saw no evidence of what the media conjures up for us:...
by Calvin Sun | Jun 19, 2011 | Jordan, Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea
Some leftover from our last hours in Beirut: After an uneventful flight from Beirut to Amman, and the standard passport etiquette (20 JOD for a visa on arriva, which is $28.71 USD!), we decided to save some money by taking the airport shuttle (3 JOD) into the city...
by Calvin Sun | Jun 18, 2011 | Lebanon, Let me tell you a Story..., Mythbusters, Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea, What Dreams May Come
Beirut: A cosmopolitan, urban city policed by carbine-armed soldiers, where ferraris and BMWs park next to armored tanks, where glass-paned high-end boutique shops neighbor derelict husks of concrete bombed out by a 10 year old war. There are military checkpoints, and...
by Stephanie Quan | Jun 18, 2011 | Crisis, Fail, Lebanon, Lessons Learned, Let me tell you a Story..., Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea
Now that I’m in Lebanon, I can tell you about entering. Upon arriving in Beirut, I was asked to fill out the visa information. Not knowing the address of the hotel, (Calvin had made the reservations and was coming in on a later flight) I left that part blank....
by Calvin Sun | Jun 17, 2011 | Lebanon, Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea, The Nightlife
“Sir, have you ever visited Israel?” “Never.” “OK, go.” I know this routine. I’ve heard about it ever since I started traveling. The rule is that if you ever been to Israel and show evidence of it with a stamp in your...
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