Thoughts before departure

"Why are you going there?" is the common response.

So yeah... we are going to the Middle East. Into Istanbul and six weeks later, we fly out of Cairo. Turkey, Syria, Jordan and then on to Egypt and what is often called the most chaotic city in the world and the biggest city in Africa, Cairo. This is the original 'hippie trail', the route pioneered by western counterculture in the late 60's - early 70's. It was adventurous trip then and will undoubtedly be an adventure now.

I don't know why exactly we choose to go to the Middle East. What I do know is when living in the US, it is easy to think that the region is all doom and gloom. It is somehow comfortable to believe this, maybe even patriotic to some, especially given the current political climate. But contrary to popular belief (and FOXNews) it is widely known among the international travel community that the people of the Middle East are the most friendly and hospitable in the world especially to foreigners (Israelis possibly being the exception). They are keen to share their cultures and country with visitors. And yes, it is safe to travel there. Use common sense, keep your wits about you, keep up with the latest political developments, and take responsibility for your actions. This is not unlike traveling anywhere in today's world. Crime is very low there, owing much to the harsh penalties for criminals. "You want to keep your hand? Keep it off my wallet". Past violence and the associated present security are a integral part of society. There are obvious no-go zones including most of Iraq, parts of Iran, and parts of Occupied Palestine like the Gaza Strip. Hey, with a map there is no problem avoiding these areas. I guess my point is that one can easily stay home and write off the region, write off a country, or even write off an entire culture, or, one can go out and see the local people, talk to the children. Hopefully see that these are real people, living lives not that different from our own. The local people are the true faces and voices of these countries.

One thing that I have learned from past travels is, by default, we are obligated to a personal level of responsibility. Given that, travel in this region may demand an even greater responsibility. We have a responsibility to the local people (who may or may not harbor a distaste for the west) in showing that we are not a country full of Bushs and Cheneys. And I think we have an equal or greater responsibility to our friends and family back home in the US. We need to tell a story that would never get a chance to read about in western media headlines. These are the opportunities (or burdens) of taking such a trip. The title of a travel book we recently saw at the bookstore I thought summed it up nicely, "Traveling as a Political Act". Or at least traveling with some political and social responsibility.

I thought the blog thing would be a cool way to share our trip experiences with others. Never done a blog, never really even read a blog until just recently. But after reading my buddy's on their recent trip to SE Asia (yeah Z, MendoIndo.blogspot.com), I thought this would be a good opportunity to give this blog thing a go.

So here we go. Off to a region and culture with its feet planted firmly on three continents, a land where the east really does meet the west. Where civilizations have risen and fallen, only to rise and fall then rise once again. To stand in one place where three of the world's greatest religions all claim the rights to the same sacred ground. To hear the morning call to prayer over a cup of tea. To share the red desert sand with the Bedouin while hearing the echos of Lawrence of Arabia. This may or may not be our experience, but we are going to go, and we are going to check it out for ourselves......

So the I guess the simple question really just becomes.... why not go? -CB