by Calvin Sun | Mar 24, 2022 | Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, You're Going to Miss It...
PRESS play and read the post with the music . . . Adventure is a mindset, not a destination. The thought of it alone both hurts and invigorates, for no pleasure can exist without pain. No desire without restraint. No sweet without the sour. Therefore...
by Calvin Sun | Mar 13, 2022 | Iraq, March 2022: Central Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Way Way Off the Beaten Path
For our third and final day in Iraq, we embarked on our journey to Samarra, capital of the Abbasid Caliphate and the only remaining Islamic capital retaining its original architecture, plans and relics. Before leaving we were treated to the royal treatment when...
by Calvin Sun | Mar 12, 2022 | Iraq, March 2022: Central Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Way Way Off the Beaten Path
After a morning paying our respects in the holy city of Karbala, we enjoyed a private chicken and lamb lunch at a rest stop in Hillah before another 30 minutes’ drive to Babylon. Upon arrival we first posed in front of the only remaining (and...
by Calvin Sun | Mar 12, 2022 | Iraq, March 2022: Central Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Way Way Off the Beaten Path
For our second morning in Iraq, we drove an hour onwards to Karbala, the “mecca” for Shi’ite Muslims where tens of millions of Shi’ite Muslims visit twice a year to commemorate the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali. As we...
by Calvin Sun | Mar 11, 2022 | Getting that VISA, How Did You Do That?, Iraq, March 2022: Central Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Serendipitous!, Way Way Off the Beaten Path
Less than 4 years ago I was invited on a whim to join my friend Rik Brinks for a beer in Kurdistan Iraq. So I went without a moment’s notice, not realizing how easy it was to get in with a visa on arrival. There I ran into not only Rik, but also...
by Calvin Sun | May 9, 2018 | Epiphanies on the Road, How Did You Do That?, Iraq, May 2018: Kurdistan Iraq, Mo' Money Mo' Problems, Rules Are Meant To Be Broken, Travel Warnings, Way Way Off the Beaten Path, What Dreams May Come
Our drive this morning on the “Highway To Hell” into Mosul, Iraq: DISCLAIMER:Unless you have made adequate arrangements, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DO WHAT WE DID TODAY. At of the time of posting, Mosul remains an active war zone. Although...
