The Lonely Planet’s writers’ blog is a massive, tasty resource of travel tidbits from hundreds of writers currently in the field. Many of the postings are simply that–blog snippets of little experiences or “where to go and what to do” advice. But one series caught my eye. LP’s Frances Linzee Gordon is evidently the first person to be granted a visa to travel through Saudi Arabia as an independent tourist. Her most recent posting (the sixth in a series of eight) in the Middle East blog confronts her odd encounters with the secret policeman following her and her driver. It’s worth reading the previous postings, as well, from discovery of some of the best coral reef diving in the world to finding unexpected relief in the disguise of a full veil.