Baxter Jackson

In 1987, at age 15, a crappy movie changed my life. The skateboarding in Police Academy IV inspired me to grab a board, head to cool skateparks, and practice the tricks I’d seen on the theater’s screen. My passion for skateboarding developed from there, and I soon started my own zine about the local skate/art/music scene in Denton, Texas, where I moved from Anchorage, Alaska, to skate year-round. My dream was to get sponsored and skate the world.

Because of seemingly overwhelming cultural differences, the prospect of traveling to the Middle East is often not considered a viable travel option to many. Those who do take the plunge often opt for an easier, softer intro to the area with a brief layover in Dubai or an all-inclusive vacation package, where the cultural milieu of the Arab world is kept at bay and you can parade in your bikini and speedo without worrying about cultural sensitivity.

If you think sorcery is dead and gone, a trip to the Arabian Peninsula — where people are still charged with this crime punishable by prison, lashing, and sometimes death by decapitation — is very much in order. While Saudi Arabia has an anti-witchcraft unit of the religious police, the longstanding epicenter of all things that go bump in the night — including, genies, exorcisms, and voodoo — is the Sultanate of Oman. Historically, Oman was a slave destination country.