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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