The Traveling Pancy

Rub Al Khali, the Empty Quarter, is the largest sand sea in the world stretching across parts of Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. Our destination in the Empty Quarter was a desert resort, Qasr Al Sarab, a secluded oasis two and a half hours south of Abu Dhabi and twenty miles…

Mention the United Arab Emirates and everyone immediately thinks of Dubai. Yet its more conservative, albeit less flashy neighbor, Abu Dhabi is a modern, cosmopolitan city worth a more extensive visit than a day trip from Dubai. Following three days of a conference and work meetings in Dubai, I met my husband and son for…

The many places we visited on this Ancient Crossroads itinerary highlighted the importance of human interaction and exchange. When diverse people come together, whether because of trade, evangelization or adventure, ideas flow. Sometimes the intention may be hostile – greed, power, subversion, but the intermixing of diverse cultures always produces something – an idea, a…

We arrived in Muscat midafternoon. Deplaning, we appeared to be entering a palace, not an airport. The sun was intense and the white sandstone facade shimmered with reflected light. No, not a mirage but our first introduction to the grandeur of Muscat, Oman’s capital city. We quickly cleared customs and boarded a shuttle for a…

Oman, or more precisely the Sultanate of Oman is our final ancient crossroads destination.  We will visit its modern capital city, Muscat.  Today, the country has invested its immense oil wealth in palatial infrastructure that is the envy of the world.  Muscat has been blessed throughout the ages by its seaside location and proximity to…

The approach to Paro was every bit as white knuckled the second time around as the first. It’s rumored that there are only fourteen pilots in the world qualified to navigate the rapid descent amongst the Himalayan peaks and follow the precise glide path through the valley to land at Paro airport. Looking out the…

Bhutan is known as the Land of the Thunder Dragon, a reference to the violent thunderstorms that strike its valleys from the surrounding Himalayan peaks, blasting in like a dragon. The country was all but closed off to the world until the early 1970’s when it allowed a small number of tourists to visit; three…

We rose early, breakfasted and met our guide for the short ride to Pashupatinath, one of the holiest Hindu temples in Nepal. The sun had not been up long enough to burn through the early morning haze. As we neared the temple complex, we smelled the pungent aroma of smoke. Pashupatinath is also a funerary…

While we were in lightheaded awe at Everest Base Camp, the rest of our group was at Bhaktapur, a UNESCO world heritage city in the Kathmandu valley. When our helicopter guide heard we had missed this excursion, he offered to stop at Bhaktapur before taking us to our hotel, telling us the medievil city was…

We often dined with Laura, a solo female traveller in our group. Like us, she was well travelled, had an affinity for adventure and as a result had a great many interesting stories to share, making her good company. While in Jaipur, she mentioned how excited she was to be going back to Nepal. Twenty…