Petra is a historic and archaeological city (named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985) that was established some time around the 6th century BC. The site, nicknamed “The Rose-Red City” was unknown to the Western World until 1812, when it was rediscovered by a Swiss explorer.

Now that I’m back in the States, as promised I’m taking the time to write about the things I did along my route that I never had the opportunity to write about previously on She’s in Love with the World. Follow along as I revisit some of my favorite, memorable and most stops on my journey. First up are my twice-weekly visits to Bangkok’s Immigration Detention Center, a place that few tourists venture deep enough into the city to see.

She’s in Love with the World is one of GO! Overseas Top 10 Travel Blogs on the web and this week’s featured interview on their site. Come check it out!

I’ve been absent from She’s in Love with the World for the last week, but have no fear: I’m back with what I hope you’ll let me use as a passable excuse!

Nothing is a better cure for a never-ending bus trip or lazy night in the hostel common room than a good book.

“Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things — air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky — all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.”

Though I don’t particularly care for football (soccer, for my fellow Americans), I can see the value a world sporting event like the World Cup adds to society and culture.

The Middle East, it turns out, is not nearly as conducive a place to travel as a backpacker to start, let alone a solo traveler. All the difference in the world is made with a plus one.

Ir David — or the City of David — is Jerusalem’s oldest settled neighborhood and a major archaeological site that runs from the South of Temple Mount.

At 5:30 a.m. on June 30, I arrive at JFK airport back in New York.