“Photo Reports” Section Added

Recently I realized that certain activities have become “normal” and that when I leave, the images associated with these activities will fade. I have thus decided to carry my camera even when my objective is not “epic”. I have posted the first three such reports here.

Report 1
Two diving trips to the Musandam Peninsula in Oman. The UAE’s manic development drive has a heavy environmental cost; the once pristine reefs on both the east and west coasts are now being covered in sediment by monstrosities such as this. But the Peninsula, which is largely uninhabited, remains a refuge for both marine life and enterprising divers. Typically, I go with ADSAC, my dive club. We leave from Dibba harbor in Oman around 7AM and travel north on an Arabian sailing dhow, which has been modified with an engine. Typically, the sea is calm, but during the heavy spring tides, I become very seasick. The water is clear, so we usually see a many fish and a plethora of marine plant life. After two dives, we go back to Dibba, arriving around 5PM. The whole affair costs about $45.

Report 2
Driving back from Oman, I pass through Sharjah–the most religiously conservative emirate–Dubai, and Abu Dhabi. I am often struck by the juxtaposition of these three dissimilar provinces: Sharjah’s overt religious observance, Dubai and its profligacy, and Abu Dhabi’s reticence. Dubai often reminds me of one who wears a tailored tuxedo to a dinner party for the first time: he wants to be recognized, but his affected style causes revulsion. One must always consider that near each luxury hotel are employees working 12 hours a day for $200 a month. What a country.

Updated Pictures

I have just uploaded photos from the South Africa expedition described yesterday. Further, I (finally!) commented and uploaded images the Kilimanjaro trip last summer. More to come in the days ahead.

I’m Back…

Hello.

Updates, etc.

I just added Pictures from Andy and Caroline’s wedding in June. Also, I posted the first two days from Tanzania (only 11 more to go…). I’ve had connection issues over the last few days; hopefully I can get the remaining pictures up soon.

A bot flamed my comments section; if you need some Valium, click below. Another item on my list is upgrading to the latest version of Wordpress. This problem should not recur.

Off for the Summer

Travel, class, work, and several other things have prevented me from posting this summer. I’ve kept a thorough journal, though, and after 9/16 I’ll start posting regularly again.

New Pictures

Etisalat, the state-run UAE telecom company, evidently restored bandwidth yesterday. I uploaded all of my pictures from Cairo this afternoon.

On Vacation

I’m at home until Jan. 3. Check back in a few weeks.

Coming Home

I have three weeks of leave for Christmas and have decided to stop through Washington before returning to Atlanta. My flight arrives at Dulles on Dec. 11 around 2:30; I leave from BWI the following afternoon. I’ll be in Atlanta until Jan. 2.

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