Why on earth would you ever want to go there???

Last night, I was having a conversation with a friend, and a friend of hers that I had just met. Of course we all talked about what we did and I said I work for a tour company that specializes in the Middle East and North Africa. My friend, who knew this, said how interesting and exciting the tours sounded. The woman I had just met exclaimed “why on earth would you ever want to go there?!?”

As you can imagine, we at Caravan-Serai, hear this a lot. To us and our clients, the region is a world of amazing sights, people who are extremely hospitable, a land with a deep history and traditions rooted in their land and environment. There are modern cities and traditional villages, an exciting variety of foods and shopping in markets as old as Moses. Invariably, though, the conversation turns to women and the requirement to cover in some of the countries.

Me, in Iran near Yazd. This is an ice-making building!

So here is what I said: First of all, we are visitors and we respect the cultures and traditions of the countries we visit, and I can handle wearing a scarf on my head for the short time we are there. And while some of the reasons for the requirement of the scarf or abaya are religious (women are commanded to be modest), it is also part of the culture of the region from before Islam. And there are practical reasons for the traditional dress we often associate with the Middle East, mostly it’s protection against the elements. A scarf covering your hair and part of your face can go a long way to keeping blowing dust and sand out of your eyes, mouth and hair! If you are wearing an abaya or galabyia, it also keeps your cloths from getting dirty and gritty. There have been several times when traveling that I have found that covering up is actually helpful and more comfortable. Our American casual dress isn’t always suitable for every environment we find ourselves in!

My friends said they had never thought of it that way. This is just another reminder that when we see something that we don’t like, it can be very helpful to learn a little more about it. You might just find there is more to it than what first meets the eye.

I was also asked about the safety of traveling to the Middle East, and I have to say, the thing that scares me the most about being there, is trying to cross the street in some of the major cities! Really, that is a hair-raising experience to try and cross the street in Cairo, Fes, Tehran, etc.!

Members of our group talking to a group of school girls in Tehran.

As for the rest of the discussion we had about travel, I told them of my trip to Iran a few years ago, and our trips coming up. Iran remains one of my favorite places to visit, and I hope to go back there again soon. With all the saber rattling going on, I know people are shocked to find we still have tours to the region at all. But once you get there, you find that the people are most welcoming. And not going means missing out on the best history lessons and cultural experiences of your life.

~Brenda Pierce

Caravan-Serai Tours

Report from Aleppo

Rita recently spoke with family members in Aleppo and her is what she heard from them:

I talked to family last night in Aleppo and they said this is the first time that they have had the shelling so close to home.  It is moving from the old city and the outskirts of Aleppo to the residential areas.  This is coming from both sides that are doing the shelling- we got the FSA that is working on the ground and then you have the Syrian military that is shelling from the air.  The people have no chance what so ever.

An aunt was able to get out and get to Turkey recently she hired a driver and the cost was $400 US per person to drive them the normally three hours to the border and this would take almost the whole day.  If you needed to take a car to Damascus the cost was even higher of $800 per person and then to get to Jordan by car it was $350.00.  As you can see with prices like this only a few are able to do that and others are walking to get out of the country if they can, carrying whatever they can take with them.  Usually it is food and some basic supplies and then things for the kids.

Like everything during the time of war inflation sets in and everything costs much more.  When talking to family they said they just leave the house to get some basic supplies that they need and come back home.  They are pretty much in their homes taking cover and listening to the radio or the government run TV station.  The other information they get is some thru internet, when they have electricity and then thru word of mouth of what is happening and what area of town not to go to and who has been killed recently.

The ones that are suffering the most from this are the children who will be growing up knowing only death and destruction and their parents or grandparent or siblings being killed and tortured.

It is so hard with the family so far away in war zones the airports are closed and there is no way out for now.  Medicine is running low and so are some basic food supplies, but they still have their spirits.

The news media has switched their attention to the anti-Islam movie and the violence that has caused, and are not really covering Syria and all the victims that are being killed on a regular basis.

Please do not forget Syria and its people.

To make a donation to help the Syrian refugees flooding into Jordan, click here.

On the lighter side...

I recently came across this article that I am sure anyone who has flown can relate to. You know the dread of boarding a plane and realizing there is an infant on board and you just know they are going to start crying when their ears are adjusting to the pressure change, or they are tired of sitting still, etc. Here is a story about how parents of infant twins took proactive steps to make the flight a little better for their fellow passengers.

Parents of infant twins provide candy gift bags and a message to their fellow passengers.

More help needed for Syrian Refugees

Please see this update on the dire Syrian refugee situation in Jordan and the surrounding countries. Many of the refugees are being sheltered in schools, but the schools will be back in session soon and we don't know where the refugees are going to be able to go then.

Read more here at the Salaam Cultural Museum website. Salaam is collecting donations for the refugees, and 100% of what is collected (less credit card fees to the card processor) goes to help provide basic food and medical supplies.

UAE & Oman Tour Map

Below is the link for a map of where our UAE and Oman Tour will take you in October.

Nizwa Fort, Oman

UAE-Oman Tour Map

Also, you can get complete details on our website about this tour.

UAE-Oman Tour Itinerary and Details

Burj Khalifa, Dubai

New Airline Baggage Policy

New baggage policy – interline through baggage check discontinued

  

"Effective July 24, 2012 the DOT has mandated new baggage rules requiring airline passengers to pay the same published baggage fees[1] and have the same allowances for their entire itinerary. As a result of this new policy, effective August 1, 2012 US Airways will no longer be through checking passengers’ bags when they have been ticketed on separate tickets. For interline itineraries where the passenger has their entire journey on one ticket, we will continue our practice as it is done today, however when the tickets are split (e.g. ticket 1 on US Airways from Phoenix to Honolulu and ticket 2 on Hawaiian Air from Honolulu to Lihue) we will only check the bag to the destination on the US Airways ticket.

A ticketing and baggage agreement is required to ticket interline itineraries on one record (PNR). Published minimum connect times are only valid for interline itineraries; minimum connect time cannot be precisely calculated when bags are not through checked." 

-US Airways

So far this is a policy of US Airways, but undoubtedly the other airlines will follow. In order to minimize the problems this will cause (missed flights due to the extra time needed to claim bags, schlep them to the next ticket counter, and check in for the next flight), we will always try to get your flights on a single ticket. When this is not possible, we will do our best to make sure you have plenty of time to deal with your luggage and make your next flight. 

What this will eventually mean for travelers is that if you are going to Morocco, for example, and find a really great fare on Royal Air Moroc from New York, but you book a separate ticket to get to New York, you will not be able to check your luggage all the way to Morocco. You will have to collect it in New York, then recheck it on Royal Air Moroc, instead of just going to the gate for your next flight.

No doubt this regulation was imposed to try and make things more transparent for travelers, but the response from the airlines is just creating more difficulty for the passengers. Ask when booking a ticket if all legs will be on one ticket or not, so you will know what to expect. 

[1] Carriers are not required to recognize exemptions to other carriers’ baggage policies such as free first or second bags due to frequent flyer status or loyalty credit card membership. The carrier’s published baggage fees or US Airways’ baggage fees must be charged, depending on a variety of factors including first marketing carrier and/or most significant marketing carrier.

Syria Refugee Update

This is from an email sent out by Rita today to update people about the situation in the refugee camps in Jordan.  If you would like to contribute please go to this website: Salaam Cultural Museum

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I want to thank all the people that have made donations so far for the Syria Refugees in Jordan.  Attached to this email are the items that are most needed by the refugees and to date the organization I am working with has been able to supply 19,500 people with these goods in the last 10 days.

Food Items

• Canned foods
• Bread
• Milk
• Iftar meal
• Jams
• Oil
• Rice
• Pasta
• Groats
• Sugar
• Olives
• Tea
• Cheese

Non Food Items

• Hygiene Kits
• Water and sanitation supplies
• Mattress & Cover
• Diapers
• Napkins
• Clothing
• Underwear
• Medicines
• Medical Supplies

To give you an idea the people that are working on the ground in Jordan are all volunteers, to date we have 200 people helping with this crisis.  At the present time we are working on the new arrivals that are coming in, but also with the urgent cases of young kids of all ages, especially the kids that are 1-6 months, 6 months to one year and then one year to 3 years, and others. 

The new arrivals are temporarily housed in a school or other temporary shelter until either they can get back to their homes in Syria or we can find them more permanent places to stay.  We are giving them basic food items and non-food items, and we have the volunteers receiving them in 24/7.

 

The money that is being used to help these families is coming in from donations from people like you. With the recent fighting that is taking place in Aleppo we are not sure how long this will be lasting.  The reports that are out as of today say over 200,000 people have left Syria.  Very few flights are going in or out of the country and the roads are too dangerous to be traveling on.  We have heard that the airport might be closed soon in both Aleppo and Damascus.  Some of the border crossings are open, but it really depends on the day and what fighting is going on for the security of the neighboring countries, they are not able to leave them open regularly.

We still urgently need your help.  Please if you can find it in your heart to help with any amount of money it would be appreciated.

To help follow the news for people that have been with us on trips, below is a map of the areas that are being hit in the north.   

When we arrive into Aleppo on our tours you will usually go thru the area of New Aleppo Salaheddin areas.  The areas of our hotels is in the Old City and Fardous regions which has some fighting , but very little hope this helps when listening to the news and the areas the army and rebels are in.