The Daily Garbanzo

Cartagena, Bogata, and Villa de Leyva

2011-05-14T20:18:00.000-07:00

Images from my March 2011 vacation...

Village Life

2010-07-03T15:59:00.001-07:00

Images from Wuyuan Villages in China.
January 2010

Shanghai January 2010

2010-05-22T11:38:00.000-07:00

Beijing, China December 2009

2010-05-21T22:53:00.000-07:00

Guards in Tiananmen Square

Tiananmen Square

Street food in Beijing

The Great Wall

Petra + Wadi Rum December 2009

2010-05-20T12:17:00.000-07:00

Syria December 2009

2010-05-20T11:37:00.000-07:00

Palmyra, Syria
Damascus, Syria
Aleppo, Syria
Damascus, Syria

Aqaba Kick Boxing

2010-05-20T11:22:00.000-07:00

November 2009

The Simple Life

2009-11-12T09:32:00.000-08:00

Pictures from a Wednesday night in the Old Town...

Lebanon

2009-11-06T01:11:00.000-08:00

October Beach

2009-10-31T00:41:00.001-07:00

Summer in Central America

2009-08-05T12:32:00.000-07:00

This summer, Matthew and I spent a month traveling in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. Here are some of my favorite shots. Enjoy!

An alleyway in Granada, Nicaragua

A man sells traditional Panamian hats in El Valle, Panama

So-called "Diablo Rojo" buses ply the streets of Panama City, trying to one-up each other with over-the-top colorful designs

We ran into this guy at a rally celebrating the 30th anniversary of Sandinista control in Leon. The flag on the left is the flag of Nicaragua, and the flag on the right is for the Sandinista party, which has returned to power nationally under President Daniel Ortega

A bus picks up passengers in Leon, Nicaragua

Summer Vacation in Greensboro, NC

2009-06-21T19:38:00.001-07:00

Photos from the Summer Solstice fair in Greensboro, NC USA.

Irish Band in Aqaba

2009-06-09T03:30:00.001-07:00

Another day, another garbanzo

2009-05-15T04:14:00.000-07:00

A woman walking to the mosque for Friday prayer.

Men praying at a mosque for Friday prayer.

Pre-kebab.

Spring Sunsets

2009-05-08T22:54:00.001-07:00

Hanging out at sunset. Eilat, Israel in the background.
Aqaba, May 2009

Jordanian Shebab

2009-05-08T00:09:00.000-07:00

Shebab, a common Arabic term for young men, in the back of a pick-up truck in the Wadi Araba desert

Hookah Heads

2009-05-03T06:11:00.000-07:00

Nargileh, the Jordanian term for Hookah, is an extremely common pastime in Jordan. Men and women spend hours nursing a pipe, drinking tea, and conversing.

Istanbul, Turkey

2009-04-28T08:52:00.000-07:00

Aya Sophia Mosque
Istanbul, Turkey April 2009
Ablutions before prayer.
Istanbul, Turkey 2009

Blue Mosque
Istanbul, Turkey 2009

Saturday Morning on the Town

2009-04-11T02:28:00.000-07:00

A sheikh enjoys a Saturday breakfast in Aqaba

A newspaper salesman in downtown Aqaba
An Aqabawi woman stands in front of the main public park

Hijabs for sale in all colors and patterns

Warm April Nights in Aqaba

2009-04-02T23:48:00.000-07:00

The plaza around the flagpole overlooking the Red Sea is a popular place for nargileh and tea on weekend nights in Aqaba

The street running from the flagpole towards the mountains is dominated by tire and car repair shops

Aqabawi Band

2009-03-29T12:05:00.000-07:00

Playing traditional Aqabawi Arabic music at an outdoor amphitheater in Aqaba city center. March 2009

Wadi Araba

2009-03-29T11:49:00.000-07:00

Wadi Araba, Jordan March 2009

This Friday at the Mosque...

2009-03-27T04:17:00.000-07:00

Two young girls sit outside a mosque during the midday Friday prayer.

Eid al-Adha in Alexandria, Egypt

2009-03-23T12:55:00.000-07:00

Above: Eid al-Adha street festivities for children in Alexandria, Egypt (November 2008)

Eid al-Adha is a Muslim holiday that commemorates Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son, Ishmael, as an act of obedience to God. Satisfied with Ibrahim's devotion, God put a ram in place of Ishmael at the last moment and Ishmael was saved.

To celebrate Eid al-Adha many Muslims sacrifice a goat, lamb, cow, etc. as a symbol of Ibrahim's sacrifice, and then distribute sacrificed meat to the poor.

Purim in Tel Aviv

2009-03-22T21:59:00.000-07:00

Purim is the Jewish festival commemorating the deliverance of the Jewish people of ancient Persia from Emperor Haman's plot to annihilate them. However, among the young and secular in Tel Aviv, it has become a costume party in the streets which runs until past dawn.

Above: Purim in Tel Aviv (March 2009)

Judaism In Jerusalem

2009-03-22T07:30:00.000-07:00

Women pray in front of the female section at the Western Wall, with Jewish prayer books in the foreground

Orthodox Jewish men on a street in West Jerusalem

Young Orthodox Jews wait to cross the street

Men pray, sing, and embrace at the Western Wall of the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism

Above: Jerusalem, March 2009

The West Bank -- Life Under Occupation

2009-03-22T06:30:00.000-07:00

Above: A young boy sells gum at Qalandia checkpoint in Ramallah.

Qalandia is monitored by Israeli soldiers and restricts Palestinians from leaving Ramallah.

Above: A young woman walks through the high-security Qalandia checkpoint.

Palestinians with permits granted by the Israeli military authority are allowed to enter Israel. Permits --usually for work, medical or religious reasons--are only administered to a select few.

Above: Ramallah at sunset

February Street Scenes in Aqaba

2009-03-21T13:26:00.000-07:00

My Students

2009-03-21T03:34:00.000-07:00

Photo Above: My students from Aqaba International School on a class field trip to Ayla Aviation flying school.

The school was originally created to cater to the families of International investors, however the majority of the students are Jordanian locals. Although development in Aqaba has surpassed Aqaba Development Corporation's predictions, the school has fewer expat students than ADC had previously anticipated.

Conservatism In Aqaba

2009-03-21T02:19:00.000-07:00

Although Aqaba is one of the largest and most modern cities in Jordan, it is still seems considerably more conservative than other well-known Middle Eastern cities such as Amman, Ramallah, etc. It is not uncommon to see women dressed in black abayas, and many girls start wearing headscarves at a very young age.

In 2000, Jordan designated Aqaba a "Special Economic Zone," which gives foreign investors monetary incentives to invest in the development of Aqaba. Many of these new investments are in the tourism industry, as people are trying to develop Aqaba into a resort destination.

Because tourism in Aqaba is still a developing industry, the relatively low cost to vacation here has attracted an influx of European travelers, which makes makes for an interesting street scene when white, bikini clad tourists brush shoulders with Arab, burka clad locals.

Home Is Where The Heat Is -- Aqaba, Jordan

2009-03-21T01:36:00.000-07:00

Ahlan wa Sahlan!

Thanks for checking out my blog, The Daily Garbanzo. I will mainly use this blog to post photos from my travels around the Middle East. I hope you enjoy!

Photos Above: These are pictures taken outside of my apartment window in Aqaba, Jordan. The view overlooks the Gulf of Aqaba and the city of lights in the background is Eilat, Israel. Stunning sunsets are the norm here.