Is My Head Scarf Straight?: The Middle East Tour

My latest business trip led me on a 2-week trek through several countries in the Middle East. Even though I was working a lot, I tried to take more days off this time to stop and smell the roses. I didn't see any roses, but I did see a lot of camels - which don't smell anything like roses.

I was not looking forward to traveling in the Middle East alone, especially just after the whole "Danish cartoon" bedlam. I was prepared to keep a low profile (thus, the head scarf), but I was made to feel very welcome - perhaps too welcome in Istanbul. The locals that I interacted with the most are Christians, so perhaps I was sheltered, but I did not pick up on any tension toward Americans. One of the Jordanians admitted that the idea of America (imperialist super-power with their nose in everyone's business) does not sit well with most Middle Easterners. I wonder why not? However, he continued, most of them really like the American people. This was pretty consistent with what I experienced. Read on for more highlights . . .