Airport Day!

So we knew waking up this morning that it was going to be a long day! We decided that we would spend the morning in and pack up all the stuff that has spread out over the hotel room over the past four days!

We checked out at noon and decided that spending the next two hours in the hotel lobby may be a waste of time so instead we ventured out to have one last look at the old city. It was SO busy! With it being Friday there were so many tourists! We were thinking of walking the walls of the city but we were running out of time. Instead we opted for a nice lunch which turned into a bit of a hurried lunch when we realized that we needed to be back at the hotel at 1:45. We ate at a kosher place that serves dairy and spoke quite a bit about getting back to Canada and eating meat and dairy together again!

Just as we got back to the hotel the shuttle showed up early. We were rushed on to the shuttle and before we knew it we were off to the airport. We arrived at the airport around 2:30 to the hustle and bustle only to be told that we could not check-in until 8:00pm! Shortly there after all the shops and restaurants started closing. Luckily there was one coffee place that stays open 24 hrs!

To fill the time we decided to watch Kingdom of Heaven. I had downloaded it at the hotel under the advice of our tour guide (it's all about Jerusalem) and we were going to take turns watching it on the plane but we had time to kill! Once the movie was over (we stopped for a dinner break) it was time to check-in.

Of course since leaving any city for me is an ordeal, I got tagged for the intensive search where they pull everything out of my check bag (seriously, everything) and that meant I also was tagged for regular security's intensive check. I passed though!

Sue and I just split a snack and I snapped a pic of this meal option. Note the fries and onion rings in the middle... What you can't see is that there are chopped up hot dog in there too! I don't get it!

Going to be boarding soon!

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Last Day of the Conference - Terviseks!

So today was the last day of the conference and I was facilitating a session, reporting back to the entire conference and then providing the future leader report. All in all I think it went really well! I even got some great compliments from the delegates about my presentation.

Tonight was the last night in Jerusalem, which was pretty sad but at the same time we had a gala night. The gala was great and the food was superb! We stared with a pate, then St. Peter's fish, and then beef and chicken main course. There was a dessert buffet but I just had ice cream.

From there the Canadian contingent along with the Estonians, Belgians, and some various other countries went out for a drink. We found this great place on Jaffa street with live music. We had a awesome time where I learned that cheers in Estonian is Terviseks and they have "wicked" (as in awesome) people there and to quote the Estonian rep, "wicked people are the best ones".

The Belgium rep knows one of the founders of Skype (really!? how cool is that?) we tried to call him but he wasn't there.

All in all a super fun night, I can't believe I'm leaving tomorrow.

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Day 3 of the Conference - Great Sound and Light Show

Another great day at the conference. I'm so happy to report I am learning so much!

Tonight, the conference had a scheduled outing. We went to see the Sounds and Light Show at the Tower of David Museum here in Jerusalem. Somewhat similar to the Sound and Light Show in Ottawa during the summer, this one was on the walls in the museum and covers the amazing history of Jerusalem. It was really nice and I thought really well done.

We then walked to the Eucalyptus restaurant for dinner. When we got there they has put out a great spread of amazing dips and salads. My favourite was the sweet potato salad. Then was a choice of soup. Sue and I both had the Jerusalem artichoke one (which by the way is not even an artichoke!) For dinner they brought this super tasty rice and chicken dish and mini veal meatballs with okra. Dessert was outside with tea and coffee. I really enjoyed the coconut squares.

Tomorrow's the big day! Wish me luck!


 

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Great Day Today

Today was the first day of the conference and it was so invigorating to be around others passionate about IT in government. Sessions where fantastic!

There were no events planned for us this evening so Sue and I met up and had a fabulous dinner at Rimon. We had gone last week and I had a disappointing pasta dish while everyone else had these great looking salads. This time we both had the Hot Asian salad. It had stir-fried noodles with a large amount of fresh veggies with breaded halloumi cubes all with a soy ginger honey date dressing. So tasty! We even both had the mint lemon slush drink.

Can't believe Friday is coming so fast!

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Journey to Jerusalem

So keeping with tradition, Sue and I left Tel Aviv early for Jerusalem. Sue, on her scouting mission, had found several different options for us to get to Jerusalem. And my oh my there were many options. In the end we went for both the cheapest and the most efficient. We took a local "shuttle" they are mini buses that seem to compete with public transport because they go the same routes but they are marginally cheaper. Basically you stand on the route and flag down one down as it passes. They all go to the main bus station. From there, there were a few options. We could take the same type of vehicle we took to Tel Aviv but now that it's not Shabbat, they stop a lot more and it would take longer so we opted for the public bus line. Get this, it's about an hour bus ride and I paid 15 NIS which is around $4 CDN! It was actually more expensive for me to take a cab from the Jerusalem Bus Station to to my hotel than it was to take the two buses from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem!  

The Inbal is awesome. Skipping ahead a bit, my post is delayed because I had bath! I know they are short on water but I could not resist! It was fantastic. Alas I digress! So we checked in and then headed our for a great lunch in the trendy part of town and then back to the old city for the tour of the Tunnels under the Western Wall. The tour was great and also provided some perspective into Jewish religion that was kind of glossed over by our Jerusalem tour guide. The tour was very neat and seeing some of the very large pieces of the wall that made up the original temple was incredibly interesting! How those large rocks got there no one knows!

 

We then headed back to the hotel to shower and get ready for the reception. I went to the info session for new people to the ICA and there are actually far fewer people here than I expected. Apparently, between 60 and 100 for the total conference. The reception was great and I got to meet some great people from other countries. It will surely be an exciting conference!

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Well... the Hotel Room is Nice

So today was the big conference prep day. I have been totally slacking and putting off finishing my presentation but it had to be done and today was the day I focused on "getting 'er done." We "slept in" meaning we were both up by 7:30 and down having breakfast in our hotel by 8am. I was back in the room by 8:30 working. Sue set out to see some more of the city. While I was working she visited Old Jaffa and did some exploring. She found some places for us to eat dinner, where the shoe stores are at, and the best way to get back to Jerusalem tomorrow morning.

Sue was back at 11:30, we then raced (I was under the clock) to the Eden House (where we has the glorious croissant yesterday.) We had asked when they would be serving breakfast until and they said 1pm so we have a breakfast for lunch at Eden House and Oh my! was it every good! We couldn't decide from all the delicious options so we ordered two things to share. We had the Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon and the Croque Madame with a salad. The Eggs Benedict was stellar! First of all it was on home-made freshly-baked brioche! Followed with a generous portion of smoked salmon, two perfectly poached eggs, with a great hollandaise sauce where you could see the mustard seeds. It also has chives and some salmon roe. The Croque Madame started with a home-made croissant (as previously mentioned, fabulous) and had gouda cheese, black forest ham, a perfectly poached egg, and wilted spinach. It was all served on antique dishes. Mom, you would have loved it!

I then headed back to the hotel for more work while Sue continued on seeing the sights. Around 4pm Sue came back and we watched the sunset from the roof of our hotel with a glass a wine (yeah Sue!) We then walked to the street where Sue saw shoes and I got two pairs! Okay... I only spent $100! They are both all leather one of them is made in Israel. I can't wait to wear them!

We then has some salads by the beach. They were so-so... not nearly as good as the lunch we had.

Tomorrow back to Jerusalem and the conference begins!

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Tel Aviv, A Whole New World

So we wanted to make sure we got a shuttle to Tel Aviv so we headed out around 8am. Based on the directions from our guide we walked down the not so well marked road just then the promised yellow shuttle showed up and dumped off a whole bunch of people. After asking "Tel Aviv?" and we got a nod, we all piled into the shuttle.


After 40 minutes we arrived in Tel Aviv at the bus station. One of our fellow tour participants, Penny, joined us on the journey to Tel Aviv so we all took a cab to our hotel where we dumped our luggage and then headed to Penny's hotel. Penny's hotel is WAY nicer than ours! Sue and I enjoyed a great cup of coffee and a freshly baked croissant at the french cafe attached to her hotel as she checked in.

From there we wandered to Old Jaffa Town, an ancient port city and also where Jonah was swallowed by a whale / fish. Tel Aviv is essentially Sundays in Canada before Sunday shopping was allowed. We walked the boardwalk by the Mediterranean Sea heading to Old Jaffa Town. Passing several beautiful beaches and making our way to the St. Peter's Church. We tried to visit the Wishing Bridge but it was closed. We got some great pomegranate lemonade. We did some shopping of the stores that were open, mostly galleries. I did get Smith this super cute bear made of socks.

From there we headed back to the hotel to change into our bathing suits, stopped at the grocery store for a picnic lunch, and then headed to the beach for a swim in the Mediterranean Sea (so now I've "swam" in all the seas here, Dead Sea, Red Sea, and now the Mediterranean Sea.) The water was cool but so refreshing.

We are now back at the hotel enjoying some great conversation and a great bottle of Israeli wine.

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Day 11 - And We Part Ways...

We had a great group dinner last night at an Israeli restaurant (after some calling around it was one of the few places open!) I had beef stew with rice and fatoush salad. It was really tasty dinner in a very neat restaurant where large boards hold all different types of wine and bottle openers and random photos from women screaming to the pope.

One last group photo and then that was it... we have breakfast this morning and then we travel to TEl Aviv for a few days before we come back to Jerusalem for the conference. It has gone so fast and I will miss my new friends!

 

 

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And Then Our Tour Guide Almost Died

We headed out towards Masada, an isolated mountain-top fortress in the desert and next to the Dead Sea. On the way we stopped at a wildlife preserve, Ein Gedi an oasis fead by several springs. We didn't go in but we did get to see many deer-like animals, the ibex.

From there we headed to Masada. There were two options take a cable car to the top or take the hike up the hill. I should mention that Masada is on average 7 degrees hotter than Jerusalem and on average the temperatures in Jerusalem have been around 28 degrees. When we got there is was easily over 30 degrees. The ticket agent warned us it takes on average about an hour to walk up and about 40 minutes to walk down. After some debate two decided on the cable car and the rest (including our guide) decided that we would hike up. We could decide once we where up there (and pay the additional cost) to take the cable car down. A quick check at the time (9:30am) we set out. It was not an easy climb and it was HOT. It was switch back steps and heavy inclines but the views from the path where breathtaking. Being about to stop and take photos along the way was well worth it. I finished the climb in 33 minutes not the first but nor the last. However looking down it was clear to see that our guide was not having an easy go at it. Sue and another tour member stayed with him and from their description sounds as though there were points where he had a very tough time. When he got to the top it looked as though he was going to pass out! But he made it to the top!

He then managed a great tour of Masada showing us the remaining ruins including a really well preserved Roman Bath as well as giving us a great story of the last time Masada fell. In was a very interesting story involving a giant movable tower, a ramp with large rocks, and mass murder suicide. A tad different from previous day's stories!

We then headed to Jericho. At this point I started to not feel well, whether it was the heat or the very creamy ice cream I had after the tour of Masada. I was not doing well. I drank lots of water and had some food at the lunch place (which was a real ick lunch that I'm not even mentioning!) But still not better. I laid down at the back of the van which was a bit better. I got out to see and take some photos of the Sycamore tree where Jesus converted the tax collector.

From there we raced back to walk the wall of the Old City. However they have recently changed the hours so it has closed an hour before so instead we walked around the market and got some great photos. I did some shopping and I got this beautiful garnet necklace with beautiful silver pomegranates.

We are going to be heading out soon for dinner. It's going to be challenging as it's Shabbat which means that many of the restaurants will be closed. Luckily we are near the islamic quarter so hopefully we will be able to find a tasty restaurant.

 

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Holy Long Day

It seems that every morning is an early morning here in Jerusalem! Today was a lot of driving! We left at 7:30 and drove to Nazareth.

First was the Basilica of the Annunciation, this is where God told Mary that she would become pregnant with Jesus. Inside the Basilica was the cave where Mary lived. What I found really interesting was large art pieces both outside and around the Basilica. One from each country (although some counties got more than one i.e. Spain had three!) Canada's was actually inside with a few other counties. It is not my taste... I thought it stuck out as a brown and green clay ugly contemporary piece. Most of the others where beautiful mosaics or at least colourful. I think some of the most interesting ones were from Thailand, Korea, Japan, and so many others where Mary reflected different races other than the traditional white Mary. We also visited the St. Joseph's Church which was very nice and we learned that due to a poor translation from Greek to Latin, Joseph went from being a builder to a carpenter. Apparently it's very widely accepted that Joseph (and then of course Jesus) was a builder.

We then took a quick walk to the Synagogue where Jesus preached and where they attempted to kill him for the first time. It was neat to see but I'm pretty sure it's not a real synagogue anymore. Another short walk and then we were at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation. The Greeks believe the annunciation happened not at the cave (where the Roman Catholics believe) but at a spring where Mary would have gone for water. They have built a church on top of this spring that you can see from inside the church. I have to admit the Orthodox churches are beautiful. Lots of gold and imagery.

On the way to the van we stopped for freshly-pressed pomegranate juice. I had two glasses! One of pure pomegranate and then one with pomegranate and grapefruit juice. So deliciously tasty! I can't wait for another opportunity to have some more!

Back in the van we headed to the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes. They had a great mosaic with two fishes and four loaves (the fifth was being cut by Jesus.) This church also had a rock under the alter where Jesus cut the fishes and bread.

I should also mention that our guide has been continually saying to us that "this" is where it is but no one is sure. As he says "If it wasn't here it was very close to here."

We then headed to the Church of the Primacy of St. Peter this is the spot where Jesus is said to have laid out a breakfast of bread and fish for the Apostles. While we were there, there was entire bus load of people singing in the church it was beautiful. But there was no room for us in the church so we went to dip our feet into the Sea of Galilee and we were listening to beautiful singing by the water taking photos when we start to hear other music off in the distance, on the Sea, as it closer we realize the boat is blasting Michael Jackson's "Billy Jean."

I think it really added a layer to the day. I was discussing with some of the others on the tour that we feel like tourists on others' pilgrimages. We are sure some of these people save their whole lives to come to the holy land. To see all these amazing moments in their faith in person and we are stepping in (usually not literally) to snap a photo. It just seems odd and the added layer is that while we are crashing their pilgrimage there is someone out on their boat having a good time making our moment a bit bizarre.

We then stopped at the Capernaum Orthodox Church (as it is more beautiful than the Roman Catholic one) which is said to be the home of St. Peter and where Jesus after he rose from the dead fed five thousand people. Another beautiful example of a Greek Orthodox Church. This one was especially nice because of the light fixtures and every square inch had paintings. It also smelled like burning candles which really added to the visit.

We stopped for lunch... more shwarma and falafel. This is a recurrence of Greece where if I saw another greek salad I was going to be ill. The falafel at this place was very tasty... but certainly I am falafel'ed out!

After lunch we went to the Jordan River where people where being baptized in the river and you could purchase a white gown (it also came with a towel from what I could see.) I decided my feet in the water would be more than plenty for me. Once I got my feet in I realized there are MONSTER catfish that live in this river, like HUGE! Plus many different sized fish. It was definitely time to get out when the tiny fishes were coming up to take bites out of my feet... just like in Copenhagen but this time I didn't have to pay! There were many people swimming in the open areas (there are areas where you can walk slowly into the water and then walk out the other side) with those fish. Certainly need a lot of faith for that activity!

It was then a very long drive home. I was absolutely exhausted by the time I got home at 6pm, although I did manage to get some sleep in the van. Not willing to miss out, I jumped in the shower and I was feeling much better. A group of ten of us headed the the New City for dinner. It like Friday night there because one, it's largely jewish in this neighbourhood, and two the Shabbat is tomorrow so everything closes before sunset. We went to this great restaurant and we sat outside. The temperature was perfect not too hot and not too cold, seriously perfect. My pasta (note the lack of falafel) sauce was very sweet but the ravioli was very good. The hot chocolate was pretty amazing. They put real chocolate at the bottom of a clear mug and then fill it with hot milk. When it comes it looks like a mug of hot milk but as you stir it, the chocolate melts and it becomes a cup of deliciousness!

Time to head to bed... should be another great day tomorrow and our guide promised no churches tomorrow!

 

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It was a Good Day to be a Catholic Canadian

Today was one of those long days where you forget what you did in the morning by the end of the day. I will do my best to remember. We started out super early, 7:30 am, but with the time change it felt like we were leaving at 8:30 (yeah!) We took a van to the top of Mount of Olives where we got some beautiful views of Jerusalem and the Dome of the Rock. We then followed the Path of the Palms down the mount. We then stopped at a Jewish cemetery where the guide explained why people were buried there and why there are so many stones on the graves. When the Messiah returns the stones will be used to create the Third Temple.

Continuing down we saw the place where Judas is said to have betrayed Jesus. It is marked by a column that you can touch. Towards the bottom is Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus wept when he felt alone when three of his disciples fell asleep when he asked them to pray to avoid temptation. Apparently my catholic education is coming in handy! Next to the garden is the Church of All Nations where there are 12 domes (one for each country that provided funds for the church.) I was the first to find the Canadian one! It also had a beautifully stunning fresco-like painting on the front of the church.

We then got in the van and headed to the Old City and walked to the Western Wall. We were able to approach the wall on the women's side and touch the wall. I was very surprised on how moving it was. It is amazing to be surrounded by people with such strong faith. It was an emotional moment for me.

We then walked through the Suk to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. In the upper area is this where the rock of the crucifixion is held. Part is for Catholics and part for the Orthodox. You could wait in a very long line if you would like to touch it. Both Sue and I took a pass but we got a few photos. You then come down to the main level and you can see the rock where Jesus was washed with oil after he died. Around the corner is Jesus' tomb. And while the rock had a long line this was a very large and impressive line.

From there we headed out just as several tour groups where coming in. Our guide warned us that there were 40+ large tour buses that would be arriving from Russia to visit many of the same sites.

We then left the Old City and headed to Bethlehem in the West Bank (don't worry Mom, Canada says it's save to visit) the boarder crossing was smooth but I could tell from the arabic that when asked they said we were all Canadians (when there is really only three, they said it is easier to be grouped as the same nationality... just so happened that they picked Canada.) The first on the list was the Church of the Nativity. It had a beautiful mosaic but most of what is on the main level is for the Orthodox religions (i.e. Greek, Russian, Armenian). The line-up for the Birth Place of Christ easily rivals the line-up to see the tomb after a quick discussion we decided we did not want to spend all afternoon in line. We were about to leave without seeing the nativity or the Catholic area when the guide asked a guard if we could watch from a certain area and he said it was for Catholics only. So our guide asked if the Catholics in our group could watch and he said then could join the procession if we went around to the beginning. Swinging quickly around to the beginning we all joined (although I believe we had some spur of the moment converts.) Apparently they all share this space (Catholics, Greek, Russian, and Armenian Orthodox) almost like a time share where each group gets 10 minutes. Our guide said the Orthodox time is off limits to anyone except for the priests and monks, Catholics are encouraged to follow and they often do not have many people who participate. While entirely in latin it had the same intonation as parts of mass so I had a feeling of what was going on. But we go front row view (incense and all!) as the catholic priests and brothers (forgive me, they were wearing robes I have never seen before) said prayers over the spot where Jesus was born. At this time no tourists are allowed it, we could actually see them waiting. We then followed the procession down into Chapel of the Innocents where the priest blessed us and we proceeded out of the Church. It was very moving and I feel really blessed that I was able to visit and participate in the procession.

We then headed to a Shwarma lunch. I had the chicken this time but I got to tell you, I really miss the garlic sauce... no garlic here (or at least not yet.) We then stopped at a shop that does carvings where I got a Jerusalem cross and a small nativity for my small Christmas tree.

We then spent the rest of the afternoon at Yad Vashem the holocaust museum.

We decided on a low key dinner at the restaurant where I had the inferno pizza which had some heat but an inferno it was not and a very delicious Palestinian salad all washed down with some Palestinian beer. Very delicious meal which was very reasonably priced.

Another early morning tomorrow!


 

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Crossing into Israel

Today was border crossing day! I think the stress was felt by all because we really did not know what to expect. We had heard stories that they could ask anything and purposefully ask personally intrusive questions. But all in all it must have been a good day because it was pretty much a breeze... Just a lot of hurry up and wait.

We climbed into a larger bus (because our Jordan tour group wanted to set us up so they could take us directly to the Israeli boarder instead of us having to take the shuttle.) They were successful but it was more than an hour wait at the border before we could cross the bridge. Once over the bridge, we piled out, got our luggage and got in line. There was a guy that took all our passports and came back with a white sticker on the back of our passports, and a sticker for our luggage. We then went to the first gate and they check our passports and gave us a pink sticker to go with the white one. Next was passport control. The first person in line, hand in hand with another person on the tour answered all the questions and then they stamped our passports and we were off. After much debate about whether to get the stamp or not, it didn't seem to matter because even those who didn't want the stamp got one! We then waited in a holding area until our luggage had cleared but they don't tell you... you just have to keep going up and having them scan the white sticker until they said okay.

We then piled into the new van and were off... but not for very long because our van started to slow down and then the driver turned off the A/C and then he really slowed down. We almost had to stop on the highway but he did manage to get to a service station where we all got overpriced ice cream! But within 10 minutes there was a new van and we were in Jerusalem before we knew it.

We freshened up a bit and we went out to wander. First stop was lunch where I had falafel. It was really good (but I was also STARVING!) The chicken shwarma also looked very good but I didn't partake. From there some of us went one way and others another. Sue and I went with the the people that ended up wandering in the Suk. We got some great photos and some how managed to get back to where we stared. I got an awesome video (but I'm way too tired to wait for it to upload! Maybe tomorrow.)

We stopped for a beer, I had a great Israeli beer and we watched the people go by in the Muslim quarter. Three of the people sitting with us spoke with fellow cafe patrons who gave us some great recommendations (negotiate for price and start 60% lower) and they also recommended going up the an area of roofs because we missed getting to go up on the outer walls by about an hour. We did find the rood and it was so beautiful up there... although LOTS of satellite dishes and cats. A concrete playground for kids as well. There was a large clowder of cats between me and the stairs... everyone took their photos and then I ran by... and I'm so grateful I did because we came across the most amazing view of the Western Wall and the Dome of the Rock. It was just in time for sunset prayers and there were many people at the Wall. It was both noisy and quiet, peaceful and chaotic. It was beautiful. Very much looking forward to seeing it up close tomorrow.

We then headed back to the hotel. Stopping at a shoe store. Sue got some fabulous brown shoes. I, on the other hand, am still on the hunt for the perfect pair.

Back at the hotel we all hung out and had some Palestinian beer. Sue and I were hungry so we had a homemade pizza at the hotel restaurant. It had tomato sauce, mozzarella, goose breast, artichokes, rocket, parmesan cheese and then balsamic vinegar. So tasty! To bed early tonight... it is going to be both an early morning and a very long day!

 

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Last Day in Jordan - So Sad to Leave!

I can't believe we are leaving Jordan tomorrow! I have absolutely loved my time here! The people are so nice, the streets are very safe, and all in all it's just beautiful. Seriously, everyone should come and visit! Now is the time! Tourism is down 60% so most of the sites are so quiet! It makes some beautiful photos... you just have to wait for people to clear out of your shot! I like what my tour guide said about Jordan... they are the quiet house in a noisy neighbourhood!

Today was another early day... up and out at 8am. We headed to Jerash, the Greco-Roman city just outside Amman. It is by far the most complete Roman ruins I have ever seen. The site is massive and includes a Hippodrome for chariot races and events, a very large plaza with many intact pillars, Zeus' temple, a small theatre to the side that was so well intact that we could head a coin dropped by our tour guide in the middle of the stage. They also, and I kid you not, had bagpipes! That's right while in the theatre two bag pipe players and a drummer came in and started playing it was pretty neat and a bit odd. I didn't get the full explanation but they have been here for a while and they came down from somewhere. There was a beautiful mosaic, other temples and cathedrals as well as a paved street that is still very complete considering it was probably put in place in 2nd century AD.

 

We then got back in the van and headed to the Dead Sea. It was both awesome and bizarre. You just let go and you float, literally. It's incredibly amazing. If you move so you are "standing" upright, you can bob up and down and you can try (although I didn't try very hard because you do not want to get water in your mouth or eyes) the most I could do was to my neck and then you bob right back up again. If you just stand you float with your shoulders and at least 1/4 of your chest above water. It's a bit of a bizarre feeling.

 

We then walking up a bit where they had some free Dead Sea mud and we all lathered up and waited along the shore until it dried and then headed back in the Dead Sea to wash it off. We accessed the Dead Sea through a hotel (where we had lunch) that has four pool and a (rather tame) water slide. So we hung out at the pool for a few hours and soaked in some of the Jordanian sun. I feel like I'm finally on vacation. It did take a while but the afternoon at the sea was wonderful.

We returned to Amman, freshened up and than we headed to Hashem restaurant that the others raved about! Not just the good food but the amazingly low price. They were not kidding about this place, it was delicious! They brought us each a sheet of paper (think 11x17) better know as our plate and then the food began! We got falafel (both tiny ones and larger ones stuffed with caramelized onions), hummus, beans with chilis, french fries (as previously mentioned everything comes with fries), sliced tomatoes, mint, hot sauce, and onions. Everyone got a very large piece of very fresh pita bread and then everyone dug in! It was really good food and with drinks, everything came to 33 JD for all 13 of us! Just to compare, our first night here Sue and I had dinner and it cost 30 JD for the two of us! We then wanted to try their traditional sweets (and Aziz had recommended a place) we where discussing it on the corner when someone ahead of us turned around and said, if you want sweets you must come to my restaurant, and then one of the guys on the tour recognized him so we followed him a bit down the road to the place the Aziz described - Habibah! We got two types of desserts that where very similar. Both had a sweet cheese base and a crunchy topping. One was like a crumble and the other was like shredded wheat and both where doused in a sweet syrup and topped with pistachios. Sue called it right when she said it was like Jordanian cheesecake! It was very good and also very inexpensive.

We met our tour guide one last time in the bar on the roof of our hotel. I can't believe my time here is already done. I hope to one day return to Jordan, Insha'Allah.

 

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The Caravan back to Amman

Today was pretty much a travel day... leaving our posh accommodations in Petra and heading back to the "waterless" hotel in Amman. Let me tell you, we are waking up early tomorow hoping to beat the rush for water. It's also my turn to shower first!

So the day started off early with us all piling into the van and we made our way to the Crusader Castle at Shobak. I certainly was still hurting from the day before... so tired even though I did have a very restful sleep. Once we arrived at Shobak and Aziz showed us around he gave us two options, sit for coffee or tea in the visitor center or make the uphill climb to the castle.

I so wanted to hang out for coffee... but since the jig is up regarding my blog, many of my fellow travelers convinced me saying I need both the photos and description for my blog. So I sucked it up and headed up yet another hill to the castle with most of our group. I can confirm that it was in fact worth it. While the castle is only about 800 years old (seriously, that's not old around here!) there where some awesome arches and walls. You really got a feeling for what this castle would have been like all that time ago. I found it much more amazing than seeing a lot of the restored castles I've been to in my travels.

I managed to get back in time to enjoy a tea. I use "enjoy" loosely as my tummy was a bit funny this morning and this tea and coffee place provides a bitter tea that is supposed to right tummy ailments. I can confirm both points... it's a bit bitter and resolved my tummy issues.

We then all piled back in the bus and headed the Dana Nature Preserve (which by the way doesn't even get a mention in my tour book) but it was a bit of an odd stop because generally people hike and camp there and we were doing neither. We went through a small walking museum that showed the three different climates in the nature preserve. We then got to take some shots of the preserve from a look out (which, thank god, was not uphill), shop for some silver, possibly a potty break and then we were back in the van. We saw this group of camels crossing the road on our way to the next stop. They were really nice looking camels.

We then headed to Mount Nebo. This was uphill too now that I think about it, but it was fall less so (or maybe I'm getting used to it?) This is the mountain that Moses saw the promised land just before he died. There are several churches there that were closed as they are building a roof but they have extracted a mosaic that you can see and take photos of. The museum was a tad underwhelming but it was neat to see some of the same shapes in the pottery that we had seen along the paths at Petra. But really the most stunning part was the view from behind the church. It was a fairly clear day and you could see the Dead Sea, the Jordan River, Jericho, and plenty of beautiful landscape. Unfortunately, the photos are total crap because we just couldn't capture the real beauty of the view. On the way in, Aziz also pointed out Moses' Spring where he hit the rock for water.

All back in the van, a quick stop at a tourist centre that makes authentic crafts, and we were on our way back to Amman.

Sue and I were assigned that same room we had last time and we headed up, dumped our stuff and then met the group for a walk to the bank machine, money exchange, and then to Salute restaurant. Sue and I split... I had the grilled veggie pizza and she had the halloumi salad. We each ate half and then switched. Although word to the wise, I'm not sure if it's because they don't drink a lot of alcohol here but my drink (as well as the others) was STRONG! We then headed back to the hotel for a drink in the night club above our hotel. You would never know they were connected... especially as they insist that everyone use the rickety elevator to get there!

Far less to report today but I still feel exhausted! Tomorrow is an exciting day. We are going to Jerash and then to the Dead Sea! I can't wait to soak in the sea!

P.s. Mom, I thought you would be interested in what the Diet Pepsi cans look like here... it's english on the other side.

 

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Petra - Happy Hour Will Never Be the Same

It has been a super long and excited day! It all started at 8am when we all piled into the van to head to Petra. Our guide insisted that we leave early so that by the time we got to the Treasury the sun would be shining.

The van dropped us off at the visitor centre, but before we got off the bus our guide warned us about the Bedouin people that live around Petra and come to Petra everyday to sell things to the tourists... aka harass the tourists to purchase jewelry, stop for tea, or ride a donkey or a camel. He warned us that the majority of the jewelry and coins are made in China or India, the shops that sell the tea don't properly wash the cups, and that riding the donkeys or camels can be dangerous as they often over work the animals and the ground is very uneven.

After we got our ticket and we headed in, we passes the horses (which are actually free) that take you from the visitor centre to the beginning of the Siq. If we are talking Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, it's the long narrow path that lead to the "palace-looking" building carved into the wall that the cup of Christ was hidden it. The "palace-looking" building The Treasury. In really life it's a pathway that goes narrow and then larger at different points. It was all paved by the Nabataeans and then the Romans.

It was so amazing as we walked through the Siq, Our guide stopped us and spoke about the ancient Nabataeans society which were the first to develop the area. They were very progressive, they had a democratic society, set up the Siq for many different religions, and advertised key people who played at the auditorium. all this to attract people to Petra. They created much of Petra but there are also Greek, Turkish, and Roman influences based on whomever had taken over the land.

Along the Siq, our guide pointed out the different religions statues that were carved into the rock so that the caravans could stop and pray along the ways to Petra. He also provided some interesting parallels with Islam. Including the washing that is done before muslim prayers comes from some of the ancient religions in the regions. In fact you can see that at each of the religious statues where were areas where they could wash before they prayed. The water was provided by an amazing aqueduct system that carried water on each side of the Siq. One was coved and they used clay to prevent sediment in their drinking water and the other was for agriculture (and was uncovered.)

And then all of a sudden the Siq ends and hints of the sunlight lit Treasury Appear. It's breathtaking. Truly unbelievable to see... and then, we went camera crazy. Both Sue and I got some amazing pics!

 

Aziz then showed us two tombs one tomb of the last queen of Petra and next to her a Petra tour guide! Now the Romans were not happy that they had to go to the Nabataeans for their frankincense and myrrh so they decided they were going to cross the very difficult Saudi desert and create a route to Yemen themselves. This tour guide volunteered to lead them and then lead them to the middle of the desert and then buggered off leaving them to perish in the desert. He returned to Petra a hero and with much thanks they buried him next to the last queen!

We then followed the path while being harassed by the Bedouin people to stop and purchase items. Aziz warned us that he would sound very convincing that we should buy from these people. His code to tell us it's okay to purchase was when he said "Seriously, Seriously, Seriously!" So along the way we stopped for some "serious" drinks. I had another delicious mint and lemonade... WICKED AWESOME TASTY! I'm so going to make these when I get home. I also bought some postcards.

We then saw the Temple of Dushares, the heart of Petra. It's beautiful ruins that include a miracle arch that survived through thousands of years of frequent earthquakes. We then headed to an included buffet lunch that was tasty and I had Fanta... yum... I haven't had a Fanta in a while. It was so cold and so good.

Then we started the very long and uphill climb to The Monastery. At this point it's at least 3K climbing switch back stairs and dodging donkeys. I'm so thankful that Aziz said to stay VERY clear of the donkeys because they are not well controlled and many have gone over the side with their passenger in the past. So stuck to the side of the way we climbed, and climbed, and climbed! At points we thought, is this really going to be worth it. OMG, it totally was worth it! The Monastery is very similar to the Treasury, but less intricate. It was very quiet so we got such great pics! It's truly breathtaking! And not just because we were so high up! It was then about another 10 minute climb to the very top where you can get some great pics of the area.

 

We then began the race back to the front gate to make the 5pm van back to the hotel. We left the top at 1:50. Along the way we stopped at ruins of a church that has some beautiful mosaics. We found along the way to the next stop an amazing amount of ceramic pottery bits from where the homes used to be (they have since fallen in the earthquakes.) Very large bit actually... including cup handles, and casserole handles, and bottoms of cups or bowls.

We then made our way to the Royal Tombs. Sue and I were so close to being done that we almost didn't go but in the end we wanted to see as much as we could so we sucked it up and climbed (again!) and see some of the very large royal tombs. These tombs had some of the most amazing colours.

 

From there it was a race back through the pathways, by the Treasury, taking some sunless shots and them rocketing through the uphill path through the Siq finally to be harassed by the donkey and horse people for a lift to the top. We just couldn't do it, so after a moment break we continued to climb arriving at the visitor centre with enough to grab a scoop of the best ice cream in Jordan. We managed to get on the 5pm bus and saved ourselves the 3 JD for a cab!

So why will Happy Hour never by the same? Because EVERY Bedouin man, woman, and child along the way (and there were many, form the jewelry to the donkeys) would yell out to you saying it's "Happy Hour" indicating there where special deals! Amazingly, happy hour lasts ALL day long. I don't think I can hear about happy hour without thinking about it!

All in all the ruins of Petra where HUGE, over 14K of walking with 1/2 being uphill (and it was uphill on the way back!!!) We are so tired and we are madly packing our bags as they bags need to be out at 7:30 am and we need to be in the lobby at 8 am for more amazing travels tomorrow.

 

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Sea, Sand, and Relaxation

This day started early waking up in an incredibly comfortable bed and heading up to the 6th floor to have breakfast over looking beautiful Aqaba! Breakfast was very good! I had a freshly made omelet with pita and salty cheese.

We got up early so we could all go snorkeling in the Red Sea. It was absolutely unbelievably awesome! We were out at sea for about an hour and 15 minutes. You swim up a channel following the rope. When you get to the end you turn right and fish and coral paradise began. There were so many beautiful fish. Large schools of silver needle-sized looking fish. It almost looked like long floating glitter. Then there were schools of teaspoon size yellow fish that would swim almost right up to your mask. Most of the time when you didn't move they could come so close.

There were hundreds of palm-sized fish that were black and white stripped, bright yellow fish, schools of coal black fish. There were also a few large fish. I saw this amazing long and skinny silver fish and this amazing black fish that looked like it had a neon blue line on its back and stomach, Sue saw this large cobalt blue fish with black fins and tails (very much like Dori from Finding Nemo) We both saw a few large silver fish with black fins. On the way up the rope, I saw a puffer fish (not puffy) and sea urchins that we all managed to not step on!

All crowding around was some beautiful monotone coral. You could see sponge-like ones, stick trees and trees that swayed with the current. It one of those amazing travel moments where I realize my life is so good and thankfulness to be a part of this world washes over me. It's some of the best part of traveling.

The snorkeling company then dropped us off at the hotel where had about an hour and a half to shower off all the salty water, grab lunch and then head back to the hotel to get on the bus. We ended up getting take-away, in fact most of the tour got haloumi cheese sandwiches with fries (actually EVERYTHING comes with fries.) It was really good, grilled cheese with pickles, tomatoes and lettuce. Very awesome!

We headed to Wadi Rum, the Valley of the Moon. These amazing rock formations that were sandstone and granite. First stop was the visitor center where we all headed to the bathroom! The bathroom keeper offered to tie my scarf Bedouin-style. I went with it thinking I would take a couple of pics and it would be so hot I would have to take it off. As it turns out, it was incredibly cool and kept the sun off my head so I decided to keep it until it unravelled. Interestingly our guide always warned the others to keep a hold of their hat but never told me to hold on to my scarf!

We all piled into jeep trucks and set out into the desert! First stop was this climb where you could see for miles and take some amazingly beautiful pictures of the rock formation. We then climbed back in the jeep and drove to a shaded side of a rock formation where you can climb the sand, take some awesome pics and run / slide down the sand on the way down. I must stay we all got a great workout climbing as far as we could. Back in the jeeps, with the next stop being a Bedouin tent. Our guide showed us the camel and hunter drawings that were over 2,500 years old. He explained, as the caravans came through Wadi Rum they would go in smaller groups so the first group would leave information about where they went next. Also written there was directions to water from that point, expressed in the number of camel days of walking. At this location there were CAMELS!!! That's right Sue and I rode camels!!! A lot of our fellow tour people got some great shots of us. I love the one of the camel shadows.

After the camel ride we had some traditional Bedouin tea and a bit of Bedouin shopping. We then piled back into the jeep and headed back to the visitor center. We all grabbed some great ice cream and took a few moments to rest while the van cooled enough for us to get in and then we were off to Petra.

Along the two-hour journey our guide, at our request, spoke about the Jordanian culture and being a muslim. He spoke about marriage both arranged and love, births, and death. It was so interesting to get such an introspective view. I would say our tour guide is fairly liberal so he gave us (what appeared to be) a very balance and accurate account.

When we arrived in Petra we went straight to the hotel... it's going to be the full experience tomorrow! Another very glorious hotel! The beds are amazingly comfortable and dinner was included and was a great buffet with chicken, fish, lamb with a large variety of salads and dips. This hotel has a Turkish bath that Sue and I decided after much thought to give it a whirl.

So you show up in your bathing suit, they wet you down and stick you in a steam room, with the steam going full blast! They then come and get you and take you to a heated room, with a heated marble table where you lay down. The women working on you then puts on a scrubber mitt... think green pot scrubber and then starts scrubbin' you down, legs, back, stomach (if you are not sporting a one piece) and then arms. It's both a bit painful and refreshing. Seeing the balls of skin that's peeled off was pretty ick. Sue was mildly horrified when she found out that all those little balls were her exfoliated skin. You were then moved to another room that was cooler where they wet you down and give you a soapy body massage. Very relaxing! They then rinse you off and you sit in the lobby like area where you enjoy a very relaxing cup of chamomile tea.

Holy crap it was a long and amazing day!

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On to Aqaba!

So because yesterday I didn't get any hot water (and Sue did) because she had a shower second. So today I had my shower second. It turns out I don't have good shower karma... As I showered the pressure got lower and lower until it slowed to a point that it couldn't maintain a shower. Luckily I was able to hold up the shower tab to rinse my hair. Still covered in soap, Sue brought me some bottle water. I managed to get a few cups out of the tap to rinse and then that was it! Not a drop of tap water left!

We then headed down to the lobby to meet the rest of the tour group. There are 13 people (2 men and 11 women) on our tour and we are all from Commonwealth countries, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and England. The group seems really great. There is one complainer but I believe there is one in every group!

We then all loaded into a mini bus and headed for Aqaba, it's about a 4 hour ride with a 30-40 minute stop about half way for lunch and snacks. I had a very fab lamb kabob sandwich.

Our tour guide is really nice. We sat very close to the front of the van (because I didn't want to get sick) so we were able to ask a lot of questions on the drive. Interesting facts include that Jordan is one of the poorest counties in the world for water and that the government / King have decided to turn off the water three days a week. This explains why they have water tanks on the roofs and why we had no water this morning!

When we arrived in Aqaba we were greatly relieved to find this hotel to be AWESOME! First off it appears that there is lots of water! It's super clean, the TV works, and there is a safe. My back is very thankful as I was carrying around all my valuables around which was getting very heavy.

We decided to set off and see a bit of the city of Aqaba. I don't know if it's because it's rip roaring hot (32 degrees!) but there were not a lot of people in the main area with the shops. We walked around and window shopped. I bought a few postcards and gasped at the cost to mail them (I didn't buy the stamps... I plan to check with the guide tomorrow about the crazy price... like $3 CDN to mail ONE postcard!) We also headed down to see the public beach on the Red Sea. Not to actually go in as the guide warned us that we would be stared at if we decided to go swimming. It was interesting to see all the families and women swimming. Some women were swimming fully clothed in their traditional dress!

I went for a swim on the roof top pool and then we headed our for dinner at the seafood restaurant right next to our hotel. We met up with many of the others on the tour as we got a special rate if we were more than 5 people. I had the whole fish and Sue had the calamari. My fish was really good!

We all then went to the local cafe and had some drinks. I tried this wicked awesome creation of lemonade and blended mint. It's my new drink and I'm all over trying it wherever I am! We also tried sheesha! It's those rather tall water bubble smoke pipe things that have flavoured tabacco. I picked cherry mint. It was quite a bit milder than I expected and it was very nice. I have to admit though after a couple of puffs I was good.

 

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Amman that!

So we arrived in Amman without strangling any of our co-passengers! I wasn't a full flight but no one seemed to be sitting in a seat they wanted so even though this night flight, it was non-stop walking around talking loudly and generally having a good time. For people who felt like then had been traveling, for what felt like two full days, it was crazy!

We were met at the gate by the pre-arranged service to take us to our hotel. I think he was expecting more hand-holding but because we already had our visa, we skipped that queue and headed straight to customs. After some mild questioning we picked up our bags and he walked us to the pre-arranged car service. The driver came in with us and make sure we got into the hotel safely.

We got our room key and stayed in what I can only describe as the most ick room accommodations I have come across! (Sue while reading this to her, just added "Yet!") Let's just say this is the first hotel room where I did a very detailed check for bed bugs (all clear... actually, these look like brand-spanking new mattresses), still slept in our sleep sacks, and showered with our flip flops on. In retrospect probably would have been worth the coin to stay in better accommodations! Although what the room lacked, the hotel redeemed it self (okay just a tiny bit) with free wi-fi, free coffee, and friendly and helpful front desk people. Should be very interesting the rest of the trip. Both Sue and I are looking forward to our 5-star accommodations in Jerusalem!

So originally we were going to get up at 10 am... but considering how late we got in we decided on the more reasonable 11am. Sue heard first call to prayers at 6am but with my earplugs in I didn't hear a thing! By the time I got up I had a wicked awful headache. It took a few minutes to realize that I had not had a coffee in quite a while! So after showering and dressing, the first order of business was getting a cup of coffee! Luckily, the front desk gave me a instant coffee... seriously I was that desperate!

We then headed to Rainbow Street which was a series of shops, restaurants and interesting things. We walked down to what seemed like the end. Along the way we saw the tallest flag poll in the world (from afar) and got a few large bottles of water, and more coffee. I had a very great cup of iced coffee. It's not hard when they don't have a non-fat milk option! Although on the way in at two in the morning we did see a Starbucks! It was too quickly come and gone for us to get a pic but it was super cool. Perhaps when we are back in Amman in a couple days we could check it out. We also had a very great lunch of hummus made with grilled zucchini, tabbouleh, and then I had the beef shawarma and Sue had grilled chicken and veggies in a phyllo-like pita. It was very very good! This is what my shwarma plate looked like!

We then came back to the hotel to meet one of the guides. I believe his job is to just answer questions about Amman and make sure we get on the proper bus tomorrow morning when we meet our new guide. There are apparently 13 people on this tour. So far we have meet one other person at the "briefing", Louis from Australia. He's a banker who's thinking of making a career change into fashion design and is taking some time, traveling around before he makes his decision. He's super nice and ended up spending the rest of the evening with us.

We first went to downtown Amman and the main market. Sue and I purchased some scarfs. We got to see some amazing spice areas including the largest pile of saffron I've ever seen! We headed back to the hotel for a little rest and then we went out for dinner on Rainbow Street. Sue and I shared the hot and cold appetizer plates. I must admit we were underwhelmed... the food at lunch was quite a bit better! That being said the music at this place was live and very fun!

While we were in the market we past this mosque. Evening / sunset prayers started as we made our way back. It's quite amazing how far you can hear the prayers, it's really quite beautiful.

Tomorrow we leave for Aqaba! Sunny and crazy hot, here we come!

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