UAE or Bust

It all started with my cousin Rachel. (Actually it "all started" back when I was 13 and I started flying from one place to another. Ever since, I just can't seem to get enough of international destinations.) Anyhow, Rachel...

She currently lives just south of Dubai and she offered me a place to stay if I felt like exploring Dubai and the rest of the UAE. Well, one thing led to another and I've decided that "the rest of the UAE" wasn't a big enough trip. So, although UAE is "home base" for the next month, I'll be taking a collection of side trips to locations in the "vicinity":

Muscat, Oman
Sana'a, Yemen
Beirut, Lebanon
Katmandu, Nepal (ok, we're using a very broad definition of "vicinity")
Dubai and Abu Dhabi, UAE

And just for good luck, let's throw in Salt Lake CIty Utah, Pocatello Idaho, and the Lava Hot Springs for good measure.

I know some of you (even though you've actually clicked through to this link) have little interest in following such a crazy trip. I'm offended. Not really, it's actually completely fine either way!

I'm actually quite surprised, though, at the number of people who have asked that I do just this: keep the ivagabond travel blog up-to-date. I suspect internet will be sparse at times and easily found at others, but - for my blurking friends - I'll do what I can (with limited time and resources) to update this.

And for Erik... Yes, I'll take a few snapshots.

But for now, I just need to finish packing before my brain shuts down. 2008 has been a uniquely "taxing" (for lack of a better word) year, and I'm looking forward to (if nothing else) 15 hours on an airplane to debrief, and then several weeks of newness. As I told Jared months ago when I started thinking about this trip, "travel is something that I constantly look forward to. I guess it's my release."

Here's to release time.