My First Middle-Eastern Trip!

 Good afternoon travelers!

Hope you're all warm and safe this morning. Texas is slowly thawing out and starting the road to recovery after this historic storm.

I watched a video on YouTube last night that totally inspired me. Britain's fastest snowboarder, Jamie Barrow, was invited on a Trip to North Korea's most secretive luxury ski resort. He's not a diplomat, a politician, or a celebrity.. however, he showed us that he's an athlete with intelligence and an open mind.

Just a short detour, America saw 37,000 casualties during the Korean War. 60,000 British troops fought alongside our American Heroes, with about 1,100 casualties. America and the British worked together as allies to attempt to "liberate" Korea from the communists. Today South Korea is a major economic partner with the US while North Korea is flashing nuclear war heads and military power aimed toward our country. 

Its eye-opening to see how this conflict has lasted DECADES. The video I watched featuring Jamie, was enlightening because he was escorted by North Korean Military personnel to museums honoring Korean Soldiers, Kim Jong-un, and an array of US military ships, helicopters, and weapons captured during the Korean War. He stated that although he knows what he was taught in school regarding Socialism/Communism/War, he felt that he owed the people an open-mind and respect in return for their hospitality. 

Today, we are traveling to the Middle-East. Although I've never been, it's a trip I'd love to take one day. An area rich in history and culture, I can imagine the scenery is great too. I would love to learn about the people, religions, and traditions.

We've landed at Jebal Barez- a mountain chain in the Kerman province of Iran. Iran!!


The mountain range boasts an elevation of 3,750ft at its highest point. The mountain range gathers its name from an old Persian term meaning "high watch point" as you can imagine it would be a great way to see trouble coming from far away. The Persian empire was huge and I'm sure always under attack. 
I read an interesting article about how Asiatic Black bears had to be re-distributed into different areas, as they were being hunted and extincted in their native lands. They find a home in the cold-desert mountain ecosystem. 


Jebal Baraz is also the location of the famed "Jebal Baraz Skeleton" which is a hoax started by a Dutch Archaologist claiming to have found a giant skeleton in the mountain rocks. 


It's currently 42 degrees in the mountains, which compared to the 20 and below we have had here, that sounds great!!
The best time to travel this location is Spring and Autumn, however, the current US/Iranian relations are rocky at best. US State Departments urge US travellers to not chance their lives in Iran right now due to COVID-19 and Terrorism. 
If you've ever been to the middle-east, please comment below and tell me about your travels!




See you tomorrow!
-Meredith






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