Hit piece late fees In what appears to be a much-belated post-election payoff, two Los Angeles-area Democrats forced from office amid sexual harassment scandals came up with big money in 2021 for a 2020 campaign …
Middle East
Middle East
Nora Vargas attackers under sex harassment shadows
Juan’s foreign affairs, cont’d
Fresh from an April junket with his wife in the Bavarian Alps paid for by nonprofit foundations backed by German industrialists, House Democrat Juan Vargas embarked alone on another free foreign journey in May, thanks …
July 1, 2015
Ağva's "Club Bar"
My friend Saba and I decided to take a trip outside of Istanbul to Ağva, a vacation village in the mountains, by the Black Sea. Saba is a native Turk, but she majored in American …
March 31, 2015
Olympos, Turkey
Getting to Olympos, Turkey, our final destination, was turning out to be a real doozy. This sleeping spread-eagle business on the cold green floor of the Kharkiv, Ukraine, airport, catching a 3 a.m. flight with …
June 14, 2013
Istanbul Spice Market
Making my way through thick crowds of people slowly walking, talking on cell phones and holding shopping bags, I found the mounds of spices in the marketplace in Istanbul, Turkey. I'd arrived to buy various …
March 19, 2013
Demre, Turkey: The Sea is Free
Before my sister, Stormy, began college at UCSD, I thought it imperative that she have an adventure. So for the summer, I flew her to Antalya, Turkey, where I had been living. For her 18th …
November 5, 2012
Istanbul is Cheap(er)
A cosmopolitan blend of Europe and Asia, Istanbul is a more exotic, less-pricey alternative to Paris or London, especially during the off-season winter months of January, February and March. The city is compact and walkable, …
September 10, 2012
Antalya, Turkey
After working in the mental health field for three years, it was time for an adventure. I purged my life of almost everything I owned, packed two old-fashioned trunks, and moved to Antalya, Turkey, with …
July 10, 2012
Royal Treatment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Part 2)
(continued from a March 29 travel story) Mada’in Saleh: Desert Tombs On my fourth day in Saudi Arabia, our group took a military plane to visit Mada’in Saleh, a pre-Islamic archaeological site of an ancient …
April 23, 2012
Royal Treatment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Part 1)
Is it possible to have a strong connection to a place without ever having been there? Nearly every member of my family, other than myself, grew up in Saudi Arabia. My entire life I’ve heard …
March 29, 2012
San Diegans talk of revolution in Middle East
‘When I heard that Qaddafi was killed,” says Abdul, who’s from Lebanon and doesn’t want his real name used, “I had to laugh because not too long ago he was calling his people cowards, rats. …
October 26, 2011
Life on Earth, Mecca's Direction
Dear Matt: When we went to the desert once, there was a ranger who told us that there were lots of things that could live there, even though it mostly looked like rocks and sand. …
July 14, 2010
Ancient Ephesus, Turkey
If you’re a seeker of sacred sites and find yourself in the Greek Islands, hop a ferry from Samos to Kuşadası (or fly from Samos into Adnan Menderes Airport), then grab a bus to Ephesus, …
September 27, 2009
East Meets West: Istanbul, Turkey
The gateway between Asia and Europe, Turkey is a cultural bridge between East and West. This transcontinental country has a dual cultural ambiance, and offers those who visit a chance to step into both Eastern …
September 8, 2009
Kuşadası, Turkey
I didn’t know what to expect when our cruise ship ported in Kuşadası, Turkey. I was expecting something completely foreign, but instead found a charming place. In Kuşadası they accepted almost any kind of currency, …
June 4, 2009