by Janet Grischy

Created on: April 03, 2008

Extremists are a problem all over the world, but most of the world's wonders remain free for all to see.

I have never been to rose-red Petra. My sister came back and raved about it. So beautiful, she told me, so ancient, such a sense of mystery and peace. She brought back hand-painted ceramics by the craftspeople of Jordan, and an account of nothing but welcome and gracious hospitality from everyone she'd met. Everyone, she says, should see Petra.

There are modern hotels in Jordan, modern roads and conveniences. The country is ethnically and religiously diverse, and a dazzling mixture of ancient and modern. But there are other places I like to see too.

In mysterious Oman, frankincense trees grow out of stone. There is a Frankincense Trail, a world heritage site, where the ancient trees give up their resinous tears. Somewhere near may be the site of the lost city of Ubar, once a center of the trade in frankincense and myrrh. Frankincense is still used in religious rites and exotic perfumes and long ago was charred and ground into kohl to paint Cleopatra's eyes.

Gold, frankincense, and myrrh may be purchased in the souks of Muscat, Oman's ancient capital, and also in the modern malls there. There are fabulous beaches and resorts, a stark mountain spine full of twisting stream-carved canyons and limestone caves, and the timeless desert. Direct flights leave London for welcoming Muscat, or it's possible to drive there from Dubai.

Glamorous Dubai is in The United Arab Emirates, just over the border from Oman. The Burj al Arab is here, the luxury hotel built to resemble a ship under sail. There are the Palm Islands and the World Islands, built on land reclaimed from the Gulf. You can ski indoors in Dubai, or tour the eternal desert. Dubai is a bustling modern trade center: a diverse, cosmopolitan city, more like London or Tokyo than Las Vegas. It has long been a center for sport, culture, and trade. There are air connections to Dubai from around the world.

Indonesia, a nation of islands, is the world's largest Muslim-majority country, though it does not officially call itself an Islamic state. It has a tropical climate with two seasons: dry and rainy. There are a multitude of plant and animal species native nowhere else in the world: Bird of Paradise, Orangutan, and the dragon-like Monitor Lizard. Although Indonesia's population is 85% Muslim, the constitution specifically mandates tolerance for Christianity, along with other world religions.

There are other Islamic countries

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