I’ve had a rough four or five days. I went all the way to the edge of the sublime Simien Mountains, one of the top sights in all of Africa—and never saw them. Chronologically: At my hotel in Bahir Dar … Continue reading
Tag Archives: hostels
I like being back at Al Haramain hostel in Damascus, great people here, but adjacent to the common area is a bathroom with a gap at the top for ventilation, meaning excellent acoustics, meaning I can hear everything going on … Continue reading
It’s weird to imagine that until recently, for a long time Lebanon was under Syria’s thumb. The two are so different. Lots of travelers aren’t crazy about Lebanon because of these differences, but I’m not among them. This is the … Continue reading
It’s a can’t-lose idea I’m giving you for free. (The Dromomaniac gives and gives and gives.) There’s really only one place to stay now: Talal’s New Hotel, $12 a night in a dorm. (There’s another that charges the same, but … Continue reading
I was originally going to title this, “I Hate Traveling”. After 28 hours of airports and airplanes, I was a little punchy after arriving in Amman, Jordan. I flew San Francisco-Los Angeles-London-Amman for $589 one way on United and bmi, … Continue reading
I’m contemplating where to stay when I go to Amman, Jordan next week to start my trip. My last time waaaaaay back in the 90’s I stayed where everyone stayed, the Cliff Hotel. It’s one of those places where you … Continue reading
Question: if you were flying to the Middle East, arriving at 8:20pm, would you have a hostel/hotel reserved? Is it a preposterous question? Who wouldn’t? I am hesitant. I like some serendipity and flexibility. I might end up Skyping a … Continue reading
I doubt I have ever stayed at a hostel for a whole week. I am not such a youth hostel fan and I am too restless to stay anywhere for too long, but it was a perfect storm of events … Continue reading
Last year in a flea market, but more literally called a garbage market, in Budapest, Hungary, I bought a bunch of soccer stickers/cards from the 1990 World Cup. I brought all my Colombian ones with me and randomly gave one … Continue reading
In a hostel dormitory my habit is to put my camera and extra money and papers–even journals and address books no one in their right mind would want–inside my bag and lock it while away for the day. Meanwhile, my … Continue reading
