Here are some notes from this season's adventures which so far have been in the Middle East
See this link for notes from the beginning of Season 8
January 8, 12, 15, 19, 22, 26, 29
We watched episodes 26-32 which took place in Iran and Iraq
Noraly was given the wrong stamp so she wasn't able to get out of Iran right away. Mohammed helped guide her for hours sorting things, and she even stayed with him and his mom overnight. She explored with Mohammed who showed her where Sadaam had hidden at one point from the Americans. (eps. 28) I enjoyed the tour of Baghdad with Aya, a lady who does tours and advertises her business on Instagram. It was interesting seeing Babylon, Saddam's palace, holy sites and Ali's shrine. I enjoyed her visit to Ur, seeing the ziggurats and seeing her interact with lots of nice people. In episode 32 Abu Haider sang to her and she met Marsh Arabs who live where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers meet.
February 2, 5, 10, 12, 16, 19, 24, 26,
We watched episodes 33-40 which took place in Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia
Noraly was able to get Frankie fixed, and I greatly enjoyed her ride in the wadi in Saudi Arabia. It was unlike anything I imagined that country looked like! She met Sandra and Fiona who have their own social media channel, we saw lovely rocky mountains and a volcano in the desert. I love the sweet groups of men and women who helped carry luggage, fed her in the rough terrain, and kids popping their heads out of the cars (see eps. 39).
March 2, 5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 30
We watched episodes 41-49 which took place in Saudi Arabia
There was a mirrored building and Nabatean tombs, and she met a Scottish lady walking with a local guide and two camels, Juicy and Lula. That lady is walking north to south in the country. She showed us a coral house along the Red Sea and yellow grasshoppers near Medina. She saw a car on fire and had her own mechanical issues, but had very nice people helping her.
April 2, 6, 10, 13, 16, 20, 25, 29, 30
We watched episodes 50-58 which took place in Saudi Arabia and Yemen
Noraly flew into Yemen - a part where the Houthis were not getting bombed. She couldn't have her own motor bike there, but borrowed a variety of Chinese bikes from locals. She had a required guide, tried khat, and showed us mud-brick skyscrapers. The men often had daggers and guns and she had to wear an abaya while riding her bike in certain places. Much of her time in Yemen was actually riding on an island named Socotra. There we saw caves, nice pools and dragon blood trees.
May 4, 8, 11, 16, 20, 24, 25
We watched episodes 59-65 which took place in Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates
In Socotra, she went on a boat and saw lots of dolphins. She also met a man, who often lives in a cave, catching fish with his hands! She flew back to Saudi Arabia where she rode through a beautiful wadi, did some climbing, and heard yelling monkeys. She tried camel meat, rode through some of the Empty Quarter showing us a narrow "hidden" canyon and pigeon houses. She took us through parts of Riyadh where she lamented the traffic and watched Captain America at a super-fancy cinema. She watched the movie while waiting a couple of hours for the sky bridge to open at 4 PM. She went to Dubai where she announced a break on the channel as the first leg had ended. She's going to the UK as part of her book tour. Her book was published this year in English in the US, UK, and Australia. Based on what she said, I think she'll do a mini-series of some sort during this break.
Last year at this time, she had had her accident in Africa and was recovering back home.
No comments:
Post a Comment