Middle East Travel: By the Numbers

05/14/09  Print this post Print this post    5 Comments   Popular   Written by David Miller
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All photos: Rob Gain

Matador Community member Rob Gain has been traveling throughout the Middle East for the last several months. Here’s his trip so far by the numbers:
  • Days in the Middle East: 76
  • Days without a haircut: 85
  • Countries: 6
  • Friends made: 59
  • Homes invited into: 5
  • Times: robbed: 0
  • …sick: 0
  • …food poisoned: 0
  • Ripped off by cabbies: 3
  • …with help of Israeli border patrol: 1
  • Dates with Muslim girls: 3
  • Marriage proposals by Muslim girls: 1
  • Hours spent on buses circling Turkey: 81
  • Obama sightings in İstanbul: 2
  • Times stopped by Egyptians just to be insulted: 2
  • Candy bars per dollar in Jordan: 7
  • …in Israel: <1
  • Days passed before I realized it might be a good idea to learn the local language: 1
  • …for reasons other than meeting girls: 37
  • Days to go: 934

Please check out Rob’s blog at Matador for more on his incredible travels + incredible photos.

Community Connection

Do you have a trip or something related to travel or place that’s worth telling by the numbers? If we’d love to hear from you. Please query david [at] matadornetwork [dot] com


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About the Author

Matador ID: david-miller

David Miller is Founding Editor of the Traveler's Notebook and Senior Editor at Matador . His personal blog is here.

5 Comments... join the discussion!

  • Tim Patterson replied on May 14, 2009

    Haha! I love it!

    ↵ Reply
  • Julie replied on May 14, 2009

    I loved that blog when I read it the first time- so simple yet it said most everything important. Love seeing it remixed here.

    ↵ Reply
  • Hal replied on May 14, 2009

    Same here, Julie! This one definitely stuck in my mind. Great stuff.

    ↵ Reply
  • Shreya replied on May 15, 2009

    Awesome! :D

    ↵ Reply
  • Turner replied on May 15, 2009

    I want to hear the marriage proposal story.

    ↵ Reply

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