Travel Bucket List

My time in the Middle East is winding down, so I'm trying to get in as many low-cost trips as possible.

I'm headed to Jordan next weekend to see Petra
I have flights booked to Nepal in mid-August
Other than that I'm trying to hit up Egypt, Greece, Lebanon, Syria, Kurdistan? and potentially Cyprus before I head out. Which is going to keep me rather busy. So I booked 9 flights yesterday to get started.

If you've been to any, please email me with travel tips!

WTF Tuesday

Ok,admittedly this article is less shocking than other WTF Tuesday posts, but it's approaching Ramadan and most Saudis are leaving the country soon so it's the best I got:

Article on the Booming Beauty Industry in Riyadh

My favorite quotes:

Sheikh Mohammad al-Habadan, a religious commentator, recently suggested that women should show nothing more than one eye in public. Revealing both, he said, could still promote lascivious thoughts.

Some beauty salons ... display stickers pointing out the dangers of damnation associated with plucking eyebrows

This article does bring up some interesting discussions about the lives of women in Saudi society. For more, I recommend Girls of Riyadh, a true story following the lives of four upper-class Riyadhi girls. A quick read, and very intriguing. Buy it on your Kindle!

WTF Tuesday

I don't know what is wrong with Gulf, or the Emirati media, but Tuesday just seems to be the day for the oddest stories:

WTF Tuesday

Millennial-Style Travel

I'm in the process of perfecting my weekend getaway planning:

Sunday: Determine Destination

Monday: Book Cheap Round-Trip Ticket

Tuesday: Book Hostel for Thursday Night

Wednesday: Download Relevant Lonely Planet Guide (via KindleDX)

Thursday: Depart, Read LP En Route, Figure Out the Rest on Arrival

Saturday: Return to Dubai

Sunday: Repeat

This weekend: ATHENS, the birthplace of democracy!

Hagia Sophia

Inside and Out. This building was big.