Traveling the world

My friend John left yesterday on a trip that will take him to Istanbul, Turkey and Demascus, Syria. When he first told me he was going, given the current geopolitical climate, I was horrified. John is a classic American white boy and he'd stick out like a sore thumb in any place where Americans are less than welcome. He does insist that he has contacted the embassies and other people over there to ensure that it's safe. I must admit that my fears are based on pure assumptions and I really know nothing about what it's really like over there right now. Once he gets to Demascus, he'll be joined by our friend Omar, who no doubt knows the lay of the land.

When getting back in touch with my email this evening, I found an email that said "Per Cynthia's suggestion, I am creating web log for my trip so that people can stay connected without getting a bunch of unwanted emails. I'll update as I have opportunity." It's nice to know that I've inspired someone to do something. I've posted a permanent link to his blog on the right, but you can also click here to see it. I don't have any posts that begin "Made it to Istanbul" - I wonder if he'll sell me some stories that I can tell when he gets back.