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Amateur Traveler Interview – World Heritage Sites of Israel and Palestine

I recently made my record 10th appearance on the Amateur Traveler Podcast with my This Week in Travel co-host, Chris Christensen. This time I was there to talk about my recent trip to Israel and Palestine, and their UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Amateur Traveler Episode 558 – UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Israel and Palestine

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The Danakil Depression: The Most Hellish Place on Earth

The Danakil Depression in Ethiopia is one of the lowest, hottest places on Earth. Geographically, it is part of the African Rift which extends from the African rift lakes of Malawi and Tanganyika, up through the Red Sea and into the Dead Sea of Jordan and Israel.

Politically, it is part of the Afar region, which has suffered from separatist violence in the past.

Ecologically, it is an extreme desert located below sea level, with temperatures which reach 50°C (122°F) on a regular basis.

To top it all off, it is also home to a volcano with one of the largest, open pits of exposed magma in the world.

Despite all of this, however, people live in the Danakil Depression and manage to eek out of living in one of the most inhospitable places on the planet Earth.

This is what I saw.
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