TravelStream™ news feed for member philiphannis on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/philiphannis en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sun, 04 Jun 2006 14:49:06 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/philiphannis/jordan2006/1148578800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/philiphannis/jordan2006/1148578800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/philiphannis/jordan2006/1148578800/tpod.html Sun, 04 Jun 2006 14:49:06 -0400 Yes, it's year two of Philip's intrepid middle-east adventure. Thanks to Sprott-Shaw Community College and Jordanian Canadian College for bringing Canadian education to the Middle East.

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Damascus, Syria

I had a long weekend so I decided to go up to Syria. If it wasn't for the border, Damascus would be a two hour drive. As it was, it too four. Damascus has been continuously inhabited by humans longer than any other place on our planet.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/philiphannis/jordan2006/1143894360/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/philiphannis/jordan2006/1143894360/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/philiphannis/jordan2006/1143894360/tpod.html Wed, 19 Apr 2006 09:45:30 -0400 Yes, it's year two of Philip's intrepid middle-east adventure. Thanks to Sprott-Shaw Community College and Jordanian Canadian College for bringing Canadian education to the Middle East.

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Kawkaban, Yemen

No it's not April fools, I'm really in Yemen. :)Tasha, the Brooklyn high school teacher, joins us; Qais's father picked up early this morning; and we will spend the day touring the Yemeni countryside. Tonight will be spent in the small mountain village of Kawkaban.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/philiphannis/jordan2006/1143795540/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/philiphannis/jordan2006/1143795540/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/philiphannis/jordan2006/1143795540/tpod.html Wed, 19 Apr 2006 09:43:15 -0400 Yes, it's year two of Philip's intrepid middle-east adventure. Thanks to Sprott-Shaw Community College and Jordanian Canadian College for bringing Canadian education to the Middle East.

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Sanaa, Yemen

No place on this Earth has ever made me feel like I was on a different planet. My four-day journey to Yemen was both wondrous and surreal. I didn't want to leave; I promised to return.Yemen's history goes back to the very beginnings of human civilization. Yemen is the ancestral home of the Arab race, and some even theorize that it was the historical location of the biblical Garden of Eden. When you visit Yemen you are confronted with a unique culture that has largely been untouched for hundreds of years. Architecture, language, clothing, music -- each aspect of their culture seems from another time, yet alive and vibrant.Sanaa, the capital city, was once an important centre for the frankincense and myrrh trade routes. It is even thought that the one of the three Wise Men of the Christmas Nativity was a Yemeni king. Arabia Felix, as the Romans called it, was the domain of many empires including the biblical Queen of Sheba.I didn't take pictures of every amazing thing I saw. Part of being a traveller in the Middle East means showing respect for the peoples that you encounter. Photographs can become a form of exploitation when they are unwelcomed. Veiled Moslem women shrink from eye contact and cameras. I respect their privacy by not showing their faces. We came across a tribal council taking place on the side of the road. An outer circle of Yemeni men in traditional dress, sheathed knives, standing proudly, rifles in hand, listening intently to the circle of elders seated on the ground inside the circle. They gathered to debate and resolve a tribal or family issue. The camera wasn't appropriate. To see this side of Yemen, I will encourage you to visit it for yourself.I was most fortunate to share these experiences with three wonderful friends: Nick, Kate, and Tasha. Nick is a Virginia native and New York aesthete who I have known since I arrived in Jordan over a year ago. Kate, an Arabic speaking Brit and scholar, I have known for the last several months. Trisha, a high school history teacher from Brooklyn, met Kate in Yemen at the Arabic school in Sanaa where they both study. We were a very mixed group from different corners of the world, but I counted myself lucky to share this Yemeni adventure with them.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/philiphannis/jordan2005/1110882960/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/philiphannis/jordan2005/1110882960/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/philiphannis/jordan2005/1110882960/tpod.html Wed, 19 Apr 2006 09:41:03 -0400 Sprott-Shaw has loaned me to the Jordanian Canadian College in Amman, Jordan!

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Amman, Jordan

Mother Hadid's family own the college. There are several apartments in the same building that house their children and grandchildren. We went for dinner tonight, lot's of great Arabic food, and were shown a good time!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/philiphannis/jordan2006/1143811560/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/philiphannis/jordan2006/1143811560/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/philiphannis/jordan2006/1143811560/tpod.html Tue, 11 Apr 2006 07:12:45 -0400 Yes, it's year two of Philip's intrepid middle-east adventure. Thanks to Sprott-Shaw Community College and Jordanian Canadian College for bringing Canadian education to the Middle East.

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Sanaa, Yemen

The morning of the second day in Sanna, Kate and I went walking again around the old city. In the afternoon, Nick arrived. That evening we made plans to head out into the Yemen countryside.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/philiphannis/jordan2005/1136303460/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/philiphannis/jordan2005/1136303460/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/philiphannis/jordan2005/1136303460/tpod.html Wed, 04 Jan 2006 11:04:51 -0500 Sprott-Shaw has loaned me to the Jordanian Canadian College in Amman, Jordan!

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Stonehenge, United Kingdom

My friends Kate and Nick from Jordan were visiting family in England. We got together in my last couple days here in England, and we traveled to two ancient sites in the south of England: Avebury and Stonehenge.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/philiphannis/jordan2005/1136215380/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/philiphannis/jordan2005/1136215380/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/philiphannis/jordan2005/1136215380/tpod.html Wed, 04 Jan 2006 10:50:33 -0500 Sprott-Shaw has loaned me to the Jordanian Canadian College in Amman, Jordan!

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London, United Kingdom

I spent 2 full days seeing the sights and sounds of London. I can truly understand why it was the centre of the British Empire. So much history, from Medieval to Imperial. Then at night, a friend in every pub!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/philiphannis/jordan2005/1136128500/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/philiphannis/jordan2005/1136128500/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/philiphannis/jordan2005/1136128500/tpod.html Wed, 04 Jan 2006 10:23:18 -0500 Sprott-Shaw has loaned me to the Jordanian Canadian College in Amman, Jordan!

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Dublin, Ireland

I arrived in Dublin in time for New Years Eve and spent it at one of my favourite pubs. I had a blast, but didn't run into any of my old friends. In the years since I have been here, Dublin turned into a modern European city. Good for them! It was surprised to find out that my favorite burger joint was now owned by Arabs, but the burgers were just as I remembered them!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/philiphannis/jordan2005/1136040900/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/philiphannis/jordan2005/1136040900/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/philiphannis/jordan2005/1136040900/tpod.html Wed, 04 Jan 2006 10:14:58 -0500 Sprott-Shaw has loaned me to the Jordanian Canadian College in Amman, Jordan!

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Belfast, United Kingdom

Belfast was one of the most depressing towns I have ever been to. Not just because of the closed shops and gutted buildings, but also because its inhabitants were gruff and unwelcoming. Northern Ireland has suffered from generations of political and religious strife. I hope, for their sake, that this peace is a lasting peace.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/philiphannis/jordan2005/1135953360/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/philiphannis/jordan2005/1135953360/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/philiphannis/jordan2005/1135953360/tpod.html Wed, 04 Jan 2006 09:55:06 -0500 Sprott-Shaw has loaned me to the Jordanian Canadian College in Amman, Jordan!

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Edinburgh, United Kingdom

On the way into Scotland, we stopped a place called Holy Island. We found there a lovely village, ancient abbey ruines, a quaint church, and a snowy old castle at the edge of the North Sea. The interesting part is you can only drive to Holy Island during certain times of the day, because when the tide comes in, it covers the road!
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