Tired of traveling to the “classics”? Get off the beaten path and take a chance on a place you’ve never heard of. Freelance writer Alex Martin gives plenty of suggestions and advice in today’s guest blog.
As a lover of wine and Lebanese cuisine, a visit to Lebanon’s biggest and oldest winery was the perfect way to wrap up my five-day trip. Chateau Ksara dates back to 1857 and its storage area is a cave that stretches two kilometers. It produces 70 percent of Lebanon’s growing wine industry and has won more than 200 awards. My Travelers’ Century Club visited and had a wonderful wine tasting.
(This is the second of a three-part series on Lebanon.) BEIRUT – In the heart of a country at war, there is Hamra. Hamra is the neighborhood in Beirut where you drink fine wine in elegant enotecas, peruse paintings in modern art galleries, sip coffee in tony cafes, chug beer in rollicking dive bars, see […]
I paid a taxi driver in Beirut $35 to drive me through Dahiyeh, Beirut’s most bombed neighborhood. It was like a mini Gaza. Buildings cut off at the second floor. Blown-out windows. Entire blackened buildings shaved of their outer layer. My driver gave me warnings not to get out of the car or take pictures and at one point, told me not even to take notes. It was a riveting inside look at Israel’s war with Hezbollah where its stronghold is Dahiyeh.
Dec. 8 marked the one-year anniversary of the ouster of Syria’s brutal dictator, Bashar al-Assad. I came to Damascus for four days to observe the wild celebration through the capital streets and get a grasp of what the people went through during 14 years of revolution. I came away wondering what they’re walking into.
Hiking in Armenia in late November isn’t ideal. I hiked alone. It was cold. The trails were covered with leaves and I missed on Armenia’s famous spring wildflowers. But I got in nature to see three monasteries dating back to the 12th century. And I chatted with the lone monk working in one that’s still operational after 900 years.
Armenian wine is growing on the international wine scene and its center is a small village of only 1,700 people in the south end of the country. The town of Areni boasts not only three of the biggest wineries in the Armenia but also the oldest winery in the world. In 2007, archaeologists discovered a cave that had all the well-preserved remains of a wine manufacturing operation. Areni is a fascinating place and delicious, too.
Is there a more persecuted people in the world than the Armenians? After spending 10 days there last month, I suspect there isn’t. But despite earthquakes, genocide, Soviet rule and the recent wars with Azerbaijan, Armenia is growing and thriving. Marina and I loved it, particularly the bustling, lively capital of Yerevan.
There is nothing better than travel. There is nothing worse than traveling while sick. I know. I’ve had my share of illnesses, including a recent one that cancelled my trip to Armenia. I write about my painful history of traveling under the weather and offer some tips on not letting it happen to you.
A 300-mile stretch of desert north of the capital of Ashgabat reveals Turkmenistan at its rawest. I swam in an eerie underground lake, stared down at the expanse of a spectacular canyon and walked across a seabed where the Caspian Sea once washed over. Northern Turkmenistan is a true dichotomy of what Turkmenistan offers the intrepid traveler.
Turkmenistan’s top tourist attaction is a giant, fiery pit four hours north of the capital. The Darvaza Gas Craters, better known as the Gates of Hell, have been burning ever since a sinkhole occurred in 1971. Today it is a dangerous but fascinating sight I was privileged to experience in my recent trip to the mysterious desert country. This is the second of a three-part series on Turkmenistan.
I’m going to Istanbul today. Turkey is one of 17 Muslim countries that I’ve traveled in, much to the chagrin of many Americans. I love traveling in Muslim countries for a variety of reasons, from the history to the architecture to the fact that they are just so different. I give 10 reasons why I’m lured to the land of Islam plus some travel tips for worried travelers.
