Assignment: Nicosia
Over the winter holidays, we were given what is known in Foreign Service parlance as a "handshake" for our next post: Nicosia, Cy...Read More
Christmas Break in NYC
To make the most of our Christmas break, Kacey and the girls flew out of Jeddah a week before me and then we reunited in a frozen New York C...Read More
Canyoneering in Wadi Shab, Oman
We first heard about Oman's Wadi Shab when we spent an evening with bedouins in the Saudi Arabian desert. It's a great place for ...Read More
Muscat, Oman
We based our trip out of the Shangri-la resort, about 30 minutes outside of Muscat. it was an easy drive into town to see the opera house a...Read More
En route: via Riyadh to Oman
Our family took the Thanksgiving holiday to leave Saudi Arabia and visit Oman right after their #national-day. This post has #travel-info on...Read More
Bedouin Night in the Arabian Desert
We took a break from the city of Jeddah and headed into the Saudi Arabian desert, where we saw a camel farm before catching dinner and a s...Read More
Backlogged
Ok, I know it looks like I've been totally off-grid for five months, but we've been busy at home and work. If you're reading thi...Read More
Sri Lanka Family Vacation Summary
Our family of four spent a little over a week in Sri Lanka and covered quite a bit of territory. From animal safaris in the jungle to Buddhi...Read More
Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage
Our last day in Sri Lanka took us from the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, to the Royal Botanical Gardens , and finally the Pinnawala Elephan...Read More
Nanu Oya to Nuwara Eliya
Today is split between taking a train ride to Nanuoya, then driving to Nuwarealiya (also known as "Little England") for some high ...Read More
Arugam Bay Beach Day
It's always a good idea to plan a rest day into a long trip, and for this trip we chose to spend it at the beach in Arugam Bay. Read More
Sigiriya Fortress and Traditional Sri Lankan Village
Today, we visited a traditional Sri Lankan village on our way past the Sigiriya rock fortress. We also saw a Hindu parade where the people h...Read More
Anuradhapura & an Elephant Safari in Minneriya
In the north of Sri Lanka, we visited the ancient capital city of Anuradhapura and then went on safari in Minneriya National park where we s...Read More
Leopard Safari in Wilpattu
Sri Lanka has several national parks that are home to leopards. The most popular one is Yala in the south, but it closes for September and p...Read More
R&R 2016 - Ireland
Enroute back to Saudi Arabia, Kacey and the girls had a stopover in Ireland. Read More
R&R 2016 - Florida
It's important to stay connected to where you come from, so we went back to Florida. Read More
R&R 2016 - Kentucky Horse Park
Our older daughter has a thing for horses, and the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington just happened to be on our way from (x) to (y) so we sto...Read More
R&R 2016 - Canada
We like to keep our kids connected to their Canadian roots, so we spent a week of our R&R on the Canadian island where their grandfather...Read More
R&R 2016 - California
The first stop on our Rest and Relaxation (R&R) leave related to our assignment to Saudi Arabia was in California. We visited Yosemit...Read More
Aircraft Carrier Parenting
Most everyone is familiar with the term "helicopter parent" and the behavior associated with it. But I want to introduce you to a ...Read More
A New Family Member: Bertie
I think that I've mentioned that there are lots of stray cats in Saudi Arabia. Sometime it's hard to tell if they are just abandoned...Read More
Nile Cruise Summary
Our family of four (plus one set of grandparents) took a Nile River cruise from Luxor to Aswan during the kids' Spring Break from school...Read More
Flight Out of Egypt
Ever been on a plane with dozens of pilgrims on their way to Mecca when the plane hits turbulence? That's how we ended our Nile cruise. ...Read More
Edfu and Kom Ombo Temples
On the Nile south of Luxor, you can visit the Edfu Temple to Horus and the Kom Ombu Temple to Sobek (and the crocodile museum there). Both...Read More
Luxor - West Bank
For Egyptians, the West Bank is the dead bank. The Theban Necropolis is where you can find the ancient pharoahs buried in the Valley of the ...Read More
Luxor - East Bank
Luxor (also known as Thebes) is an ancient city in Egypt where many monuments and temples can be found. It's divided into East and West ...Read More
Cairo with Kids
Before starting our Nile Cruise , we flew into the ancient city of Cairo. The highlights of the day included visiting the pyramids , the Cop...Read More
Easter in Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not recognize any religions other than Islam. The national ID cards have only two options for religion: ...Read More
Return to Moon Mountain
Saudi Arabia is more than just a big sandbox. Before I arrived here, it never occurred to me to question the stereotype because all I ever s...Read More
Diving in Yanbu
Yanbu is a Saudi Arabian city on the Red Sea. The Red Sea is one of the top diving destinations in the world, but Saudi Arabia is one of the...Read More
Carpets and Culture
Carpets are a big thing in the Middle East. We're kind of into them, having added to our collection from Morocco, Turkey, Qatar, Germany...Read More
Hejazi Angawi House Tour
The character of a location is often formed by its architecture. In Jeddah, the Angawi house is a truly amazingly well-executed example of t...Read More
Jordan Trip Summary
Over four days, we saw some of the most famous attractions in Jordan: Petra , Wadi Rum , and the Dead Sea . Truly amazing scenery, and so ma...Read More
The Dead Sea
One of the highlights of our trip to Jordan was swimming in the Dead Sea. I knew that it was the saltiest body of water in the world, but I ...Read More
Kerak Castle
Kerak Castle is a large crusader castle located in Kerak in Jordan. It is one of the largest crusader castles in the Levant. Control of it p...Read More
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