A few years ago, while still living in Washington, DC, I often heard conversations about the “Middle East,” the “Persian” Gulf, and the Strait of Hormuz, the notorious narrow slip of water between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula. Back then I never questioned those terms but after a year living in the region, I do.

I am not sure what it means to be in the “middle” of something called the “east” but what I know now is that people are people, everywhere. As for the Strait of Hormuz, I have now had the opportunity to see it from the Arabian side and it is one of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever seen.. The rocky mountains descend right into the ocean and on a clear day, you can see for miles and miles,, even getting a small glimpse of the Persian landscape across the water. The Musandam peninsula is both beautiful and majestic and my final trip through Arabia was once again a magical one.