Noura and I traveled all around Southeast Asia trekking Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand for nearly 2 months. I learned a lot of life lessons from backpacking and met people from all over the world that truly touched me.

Those were some of the best days of my life with Noura. I never knew how adventurous she is! Notwithstanding stereotypes aside, my Syrian friends in Brunei were pretty impressed that she had the aptitude and athletic prowess to backpack with me. She’s definitely a guy’s type of girl.

If you missed it, you can catch all of my backpacking adventures organized here.

What blessings are you thankful for this year?

But back to the story. Seriously. Jeita Caves (also known as Jeita Grotto) is an 8th world wonder. Mammoth and mini calcium formations of every color, shape, and size surround you as you walk through the silent mysterious caves that hide well-kept secrets of the past…humbly kept in their bosoms. This is Earth speaking in all its’ wonder and infinite natural power.

When I was surrounded by this miraculous structure, all I could think about is how loud, annoying, and tyrannical mankind is compared to a peaceful, silent, and forgiving Earth. Maybe nature was trying to teach us something?

So the water drops taught me a lesson. The one incredible thing that inspired me from the cave’s silently active demeanor was how a small effort over time can be multiplied infinitesimally into a large yield with patience and persistence. No matter how small you are, you can make a big difference. That’s how these caves were formed after all: trillions of consistent mineralized water drops forming at the bottom of stalactites.

My takeaway: “The next time you feel like nothing better than a meek calcium deposit, put your head to the grind and never give up…”

What really gave me a rush was looking down through the cave abyss and seeing that there were actually layers and layers of caves underneath the surface we saw. Whoa to what lives beneath – how small man’s wee-wee is compared to that of nature’s!

Jeita Grotto is located at Qornet El Hamra near Beirut, Lebanon.

View location in Google Maps

Go visit this natural wonder…the BBC-featured, one and only: Jeita Caves. [Insert Reading Rainbow theme song here.] If you’ve been there already, tell me what you think of it.

So you might ask why the hell are you doing all these Western things in the middle of the Orient?

I must admit – day 2 of the trip and I’m at a coffee shop watching TV and having greasy pizza. Yes, even backpackers miss home sometimes. Around travel days, your full day is shot being lazy and coping with being human. You have to rest to be energized for the rest of your travels.

Travel mix up. The reason for this rush is I told the lady at Air Asia to book me to Vietnam and she booked me to Vientiane, Laos! We changed our whole travel plans but I think our plan B is going to work; just a lot of rushing through the first sites because I’m on a visa pinch.

Ok, enough depressing news – here’s an unrelated picture riding around in the city. There are tons of motorbikes here!

People are very peaceful and surrendering, warm and welcoming, and speak in voices quieter than pin-drops. We had some good spring roles here, curries, and noodle soup. We’re taking a bus tomorrow to visit some interesting sites.

Highlights of the day:

• Witnessing animists worshiping ancestors
• Getting served by 6-year old waitresses
• Finding 75% of people on motorbikes women
• Seeing French influence on a Thai-like country
• Meeting the most peaceful kind of people on Earth!

Noura and I spent a fabulous Eid in this slice of heaven. KK is a short-stop before KL with a mild yet vivacious city climate and a silky serene island scene. We jettied our way to Manukan Island which is located just off the edge of earth between nowhere and no care. Shot great pics. Fabulous.

This speech was delivered at his funeral sermon. It is indeed hard to believe that a short man dressed only in a loin cloth could lead an entire nation to take on the mighty British Empire using non-violent means. Yet, that is what Mahatma Gandhi did. Most famous Gandhi quotes bear testament to the fact that this man was truly a Mahatma or Great Soul. More than half a century after his death, Gandhi continues to be an iconic figure.

Gandhi was a revolutionary hero and a “game changer” that introduced a new way of resisting oppression; this redefined war from its traditional terms of guile deception, elimination, and humility to transparency, benevolence, and a benign heartful humility. He showed us the meaning of self-sanctity and human respect through nonviolence. Innovative in his genius simplicity, he serves as a unique example for us on how to appeal to humanity and win hearts and minds of the masses with swift paradigm shift mechanics, leveraged by simple the ingenuity of passive resistance. My hero!

With hope I write you and with a sigh of relief. When she tossed her head back in comical relief and laughed at the airport procedures, I felt a drainage pipe break through. It came gushing forth, all coming back to me. The whys and hows all came together like a symphony. Alhamdulillah, Allah has not forsaken me. I am whole again in love.

The remains of John the Baptist, the Son of Hussain, Sayyida Ruqayya, and Salahulddin Al Ayyoubi are all within dear proximity of your sturdy stone walls. Oh how I wish the days of old were still here. Imbeciles like me don’t know how to appreciate your glory as we flick and frolic around your holy grounds balking at what is a masterpiece of God, a place where roamed the greatest figures in history. I am honored to be in the embrace of your holy shade.

Basim: “No plans. Let’s just stay at home. Just chill. You know, it’s been a while since we’ve done that…”

Noura: “No way! Why don’t we go to Kuching?”

[24 hours later we’re on a plane eating peanuts...]

What a beautiful hidden city in Malaysia. It’s a perfect walking city and a great place to get away from the hustle and bustle of KL. Kuching was a pleasant surprise for me.

People are so nice and easy going here. The Sarawak people have this happiness and peacefulness about them. I’m glad I came.

The people are very innocent and detached from the outside world.Wherever you go, there is a small town feel to the place. The taxi drivers are very devout and peaceful and loving. You see, Omanis are not really stout, outspoken, arrogant, or lavish like other Gulf inhabitants may seem. Still, Omanis display their pride through the way they dress, the respect they show to their elders, and their village affinities.

Everyone speaks good English. People are really peaceful and open to Western ideas, but they do not rush to adopt them with blind passion as you may see in Beirut, for example. What I mean by ‘open’ is that they are not sold to misunderstood Islamic ideals that are very secular and unopen to the international world. That goes a long way for an Islamic state coming up quickly.

It is for this reason that I say that Oman has earns its gate to the international business world. Omanis language, food, tolerance, people, permitting government, natural resources, easy visa process, peaceful terrains, internet and 3G phone network infrastructure make it very inviting for foreign investments. Oman is rife with oil – Petroleum Development Oman practically builds the country, well for well. The place is growing by leaps and bounds. We tried to book a hotel and we had to go to nine hotels before finding a vacancy. Even the streets are packed – the city of Muscat can’t contain itself – it’s like the infrastructure is dated already compared to the growth the city is experiencing. A new airport is being built-in addition to Seeb International. It’s funny to see a small town grow. The perversions that it will learn will be horrible. Oh, the innocence it will lose…if only it could remain.

Ok, positive note. It’s unbelievable that in one of the hottest countries of the world there are beautiful beaches that make for beautiful getaways. Diving in Oman is a fantastic thing to do on the weekends. Oh, and did I forget the seafood in Oman is the best I have ever had in my life. Do try the prawns, King Fish, and calamari…

My conclusion on Oman is that it has a unique position in the Gulf, as compared to the towering empires of the Emirates nearby. Oman remains the peaceful, serene, innocent getaway – a fast competitive advantage and key differentiator. On the contrary, Dubai is hustling and bustling and overflowing with hype, style, energy, and pushing the edge to create the next world’s biggest this or that. Oman is not that. Oman is a counter-balance and is here to stay and flourish slowly. Because that’s the way Oman does it…

…and rightfully so. Oman is a great place to escape to get away and enjoy nature in a unique way in the desert.

Switzerland can be expensive. The weather is starkly cold compared to Oman. It has been a complete 180 for me. Going from secluded, dull, and hot to open, colorful, and cool was a complete change of pace. I feel a little ill; maybe it’s because of the drastic environment change. I’m rocking it out, though. I don’t get to come here every day now. I really wish my family was with me to experience all this beauty around me.

The green and blue go really good together here. The rolling prairies, picturesque mountains, white picket fences – it’s all too perfect here. It really seems the clock works slower here. I went to Heidi Park today. The story of the legend was pretty cute; you should Google it.

I get a feeling of elitist independence around here. Like people are completely unaware of the wars and movements happening outside the country. Not that it’s bad, it’s just so interesting each country is living exclusively its own past and executing on solely its own objectives without being very apparently aware of the outside world. Maybe it’s the socialist side of me. I’m not being a hater, this place is beautiful; just a thought that came to mind.

Anyways, was a really short trip. I desperately need to make it back here to catch winter on the Swiss Alps. Would love to test the slopes here. I think this has a completely different flavor when the winter blanket covers this heavenly country.

After getting stuck many times in the sand, we learned and it was one of the funnest excursions I have ever taken. Our chief objective was to drive up every single sand dune at top speed and rock on down alive. It was the bumpiest ride ever and we were all hitting our head on the sides and roof of the vehicle. The pulse of energy was amazing and the dares kept on getting better and better. Mind you, we were 5 guys in the car all cursing and provoking each other on in the name of manliness.

Did I mention it was hot? I had 6 liters of water in a couple of hours – it was crazy. Yeah, so we also took a huge watermelon and a plastic knife. That, and a soccer ball. But it was hot as hell and the sand was totally unbearable on bare foot. Still we raced and played soccer and took all these crazy pictures, some of which you see here!

I don’t think I have ever been hotter in my life. Sweat was pouring down my body by the bucket. The nicest part of it all was that there was no one in sight, save a couple of Bedouin tents we found here and there. The desert landscape was perfect and beautiful, unmarred by any human impressions – impeccable. There are few scenes in nature like this – the sand was vast like an ocean all around us; the turmoil of it deadly if unaided.

So there we were, driving through the sands, and we see some camels just chilling there. This desert was the real thing. It was just like the movies. Something about it was very peaceful; nothing in sight, just the whirring whisper of the wind. There is no feeling like the tart bite of the desert – a reminder of death, the strength and desperation of solitude, and the power of God.