-- seeing an abundance of spectacular ruins, including (ranked in order of the impression they made upon me): 1) the Nabatean ruins of the "Lost City" of Petra, Jordan, 2) the Roman ruins at the oasis city of Palmyra, along the caravan route to Asia in the Syrian desert, 3) the Greek and Roman ruins at Heliopolis (Sun City), at Baalbek in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon, 4) the Crusader Castle at Krac des Chavalier in Syria, 5) Phoenician, Greek and Roman ruins at Byblos (the world's oldest continually inhabited city), Sidon and Tyre, Lebanon ... and numerous other archeological sites covering up to 10,000 years of human history.
-- exploring the exotic souks (marketplaces) of Middle Eastern cities: The most special can be found in 1) Alleppo, Syria, 2) Damascas, Syria, 3) Tripoli, Lebanon and 4) Jerusalem, Israel.
-- seeing beautiful natural scenery, such as that in Petra and Wadi Rum, Jordan, and unusual features such as Pigeon Rocks, viewable right from Downtown Beirut, Lebanon.
-- being very warmly received as an American by many who simply wanted to impart their trademark Arab or Bedouin hospitality, welcoming all weary travelers.
-- observing some of the devastation, the recovery process and the tremendous spirit of a country miraculously rebounding from the ashes of 17 years of civil war -- Lebanon.
-- feeling very much at home with my friends, Igor and Alla Kosov, who immigrated with their son, Igor's mother and grandmother two years ago from the Ukraine to Haifa, Israel. Igor's sense of humor always leave me in stitches, Alla's fantabulous meals are to die for, and vodka zakooska (vodka with salty hors 'd oeuvres as chasers) is always great fun ... but most special is the love that they, their family and friends always gently impart to me. They kept the noodles off my glasses and the donkey shit off my shoes. They kept my coughing throat lozenged, my bare feet slippered, and my scatterbrain focused. Igor's mother worries about me and raises the roof if my feet are not kept warm. Though Igor's 86-year-old grandmother lacks much of her sight and hearing, her mind is still sharp as a knife and she seemed to enjoy peppering me with questions about my travels, as I shot back questions about Stalin, Krushchev, and the old days of the Soviet Union. The whole family is a profile in courage for trying to adapt to a completely different culture while attempting to learn two languages at once (Hebrew and English). Their son Michael seems to be making the adaptation best. Meanwhile, Igor and Alla have returned to highly technical engineering careers after many years without using such skills. While things seem to be going quite well for the family, Igor and Alla still aspire to immigrate yet again to Canada or to the U.S., the former being a much easier to attain.
Additional photos:
Smoking
a nargileh (waterpipe), Tripoli, Lebanon
Coffee
salesman, Tripoli, Lebanon
Dean
at the Temple of Bacchus, Baalbek (Heliopolis), Lebanon
Shoe
repair, Alleppo, Syria
Schoolgirls,
Alleppo, Syria
Bedouin
on motorcycle, Dura Europos ruins, Eastern Syria
Dean
and the Palastinian Authority, Jericho, West Bank
Hasedic
Jews at the Wailing Wall, Jerusalem, Israel
Via
Dolorosa, path of Christ bearing his cross, Jerusalem, Israel
Dome
of the Rock Mosque, Jerusalem, Israel
The
Treasury, Petra, Jordan
Galloping
camel, Petra, Jordan
Click the following links to read emails that I sent while visiting
the Middle East:
1.
Beirut, Lebanon, November 8
2.
Beirut, Lebanon, November 11
3.
Amman, Jordan, November 20
4.
Jerusalem, Israel, November 23
5.
Petra, Jordan, December 1
Trip to Minnesota -- I took a second trip to Minnesota this year, motivated by the desire to see my family and friends, but also to provide some moral support to my Uncle Ted, who became partially disabled on the right side of his body over the summer by a stroke, and to my Aunt Patsy, who is his primary care giver. Ted is home again now, after about two months spent at the Veterans Administration Hospital. Thankfully, Ted and Patsy seem to be doing reasonably well now through a combination of great courage, a sense of humor, and just plain hard work. They are also assisted by a supportive family. Their daughter (my cousin) Lauri spends much time helping them and giving Patsy some opportunity to relax.
My family in Minnesota seem to be doing well:
-- My stepfather Ben had laser surgery on one of his eyes to remove
a cataract. He said the surgery was painless, although it perhaps
didn't correct things 100 percent and expects to return for perhaps a follow-up
operation in the Spring (once he and my mother return to Minnesota from
Arizona).
-- My mother is happy to have a new laptop computer to play with in
Arizona, and she enjoyed the fall working for local St. Paul candidates
(although one of her favorites did not win).
-- My brother Dale and sister-in-law Lynn seem to be enduring the transition
to their new jobs. Joshua is in his first year at college.
Joel is a sophomore in high school. Rachel is in junior high
school. Sarah graduates next spring from the University of Minnesota.
-- My father still travels the Upper Midwest for a good part of the
year, creating advertising brochures to be placed in hotel rooms.
-- My uncle Doug is now traveling a lot with his new job, and giving
contemplation to a possible transfer to Milwaukee.
COMING UP NEXT QUARTER:
Trips to Jamaica and to Arizona -- plus a look back at Y2K day!
Check in and let me know what's up with you. You can contact me by clicking on this E-mail address: doman@tidalwave.net.
Review previous newsletters:
Summer
99 -- Dean's News Vol 3, No. 1, 09/01/99 -- Minnesota
Spring
99 -- Dean's News Vol 2, No. 4, 06/01/99 -- Pacific Northwest
Winter
99 -- Dean's News Vol. 2, No. 3, 03/01/99 -- Haiti and the Dominican Republic
Fall
98 -- Dean's News Vol. 2, No. 2, 12/01/98 -- Germany, Poland and Czech
Republic
Summer
98 -- Dean's News Vol. 2, No. 1, 09/01/98 -- A summer romance
Spring
98 -- Dean's News Vol. 1, No. 4, 06/01/98 -- New York City and Minnesota
trips
Winter
98 -- Dean's News Vol. 1, No. 3, 03/01/98 -- Arizona and Colorado trip
Fall
97 -- Dean's News Vol. 1, No. 2, 12/01/97 -- Venezuela and Trinidad
Summer
97 -- Dean's News Vol. 1, No. 1, 09/01/97 -- Toronto and Niagara Falls
-- For those who may have missed my change of address: The new address is: Dean Oman, 1523 North 16th Road #1, Arlington, VA 22209. The telephone number remains the same: 703-524-7641. My email address is now: doman@tidalwave.net, although the old one doman@nicom.com should function through the remainder of 1999. Likewise, my new web page address is: http://deanoman.com/index.htm.
Best wishes to all,
Deano
