Two great sites

[Jona Lendering]

I received a message from Sebastià Giralt, who refers to two beautiful websites: hundreds of photos (hosted on a Flickr site) and several useful maps, showing Rome's expansion, the travels of Odysseus and the voyage of Aeneas.

[D B Campbell]

Splendid links. Thanks, Jona!

[Komet]

I would love to go to Leptis Magna and Sabratha some day. I hear Libya is more safe than it used to be for travel. It's too bad that relations between the West and the Islamic world are so rocky. There are so many places in Libya, Syria, and Iran I'd love to go to.

[Jona Lendering]

I would love to go to Leptis Magna and Sabratha some day. I hear Libya is more safe than it used to be for travel.

Here are my photos; several sections still unfinished, but the Lepcis part is acceptable.

It's too bad that relations between the West and the Islamic world are so rocky. There are so many places in Libya, Syria, and Iran I'd love to go to.

In my experience, it is really easy to go there and make a trip. What is rocky in the Islamic world - I mean Quranic litteralists and fundamentalists resorting to violence - is also a threat to the official governments. It is only in countries with a weak administration (like Afghanistan, Algeria, Palestine, and Pakistan) that you have to be careful - although my trip to Pakistan was a quiet one, without any danger (photos).

Libya has no obstacles to tourists whatsoever now that it has restored diplomatic ties with the USA. (The embassy is in one of the tallest skyscrapers of Tripoli.) It is also the safest country in Africa. Your only problem is that the tourist operators want you to go to those touristy things along the coast, while the desert and the ruins of the Limes Tripolitanus are the truly unique things.

The Iranians are easily the kindest people in the world and their country is very cheap. (Flying in from a European or USA airport, you can have about a month of fun for the same amount as two weeks in Greece or ten days in Rome.) In Iran, the only obstacle is that you can not enter the country if your passport shows that you've been in "the Zionist occupying entity in Palestina", which means that you may have to renew your travel document. I am glad I can visit my friends over there again in October; photos from earlier trips here.

If you're from the USA and decide to go there, there's no direct connection and you will make a stop in Dubai, but the blatant anti-Americanism of the government is never a problem. There is a famous story about Americans in Tehran watching an anti-USA-demonstration from a hilltop, with people from that demonstration climbing up that hill to tell their guests that it is nothing personal. And indeed it is essentially folklore. "George Dubya" is extremely popular among Iranian youngsters.

Summing up: I think the diplomatic issues are no real obstacle. If you send me a p.m., I can give you some useful addresses.

[Komet]

Yeah, but there are still the occasional kidnappings and beheadings by extremists. Even in parts of Egypt, you still must travel with armed guards.

[Jona Lendering]

Yeah, but there are still the occasional kidnappings and beheadings by extremists.

That's Iraq and Baluchistan. Believe me, Iran and Libya are really safe.

Even in parts of Egypt, you still must travel with armed guards.

Unfortunately, that is true; there was a big assault some ten years ago. Still, those guards are also a way to cover up unemployment. I was in Egypt a couple of months ago and when we went into the western desert, there was a policeman with a small gun with us. In fact, we had less trouble with nomad tribes than with... the rain! The people out there in Siwa live in houses made of mud, so it was very problematic to the people, making even the Egyptians worry about climatic change.