Blogs from Jordan, Middle East - page 8

Finally arriving somewhere that you have long wished to visit can put you a little on edge. We walked down the long siq towards the famous and much photographed canyon like entrance to Petra wondering could it be as impressive as the pictures and other people say. When we turned that final corner and came upon the gap with the rose coloured façade of the Treasury peeping through all our concerns vanished. Much as with other well photographed icons such as the Taj Mahal there is nothing to compare with being there and seeing it for yourself. The Treasury is truly impressive, carved out of the cliff face rising to a great height and in a beautiful soft colour is something very special. This of course is not all there is to Petra, it’s a huge ... read more

It was an early departure to start our Jordanian adventure outside of the capital. First stop was Mt Nebo, where Moses is said to have seen the promised land for the first time. Lucky for us it was a clear day, so we had views all the way to Israel. Our British travel companion got her way in the end and a stop to see St George Church in Madaba was included in our itinerary. The church boosts a mosaic map, covering a large section of the Church's floor. The map is of lands that are now known as Jordan, Egypt, Israel, Syria, Palestine and Iraq. Through earthquakes, parts of the mosaic have been damaged, but considering the map dates back to 6th century AD, it is quite impressive it is in as good condition as ... read more

18 March 2012 20:00 local I don't have Internet access here, so I am completing this now with the intention of publishing it at the first opportunity. I woke up at 3:30. Listened to the basketball game (too many easy baskets) and spoke with Melly and Caterina. I then napped, showered, packed, caught a taxi to the bus depot. As soon as I got out of the taxi someone screamed from across the street if I was going to Petra. I asked taxi or bus, he said bus and so I hopped in. The ride was very crowded (damnit Jessie, close your legs) and we were a little long in leaving, but it turned out fine. Petra weather today is a lot like New Mexico, chilly, sunny, and windy. I found my hotel, dropped off my ... read more

19 March 2012 5:45 local Now it can be told. I left my jacket in the bus from Aqaba to Petra. I went to the bus station next to the visitor's center when I realized it was missing (3 + hours later) to see if they have a lost and found. It turns out there are two bus stations. The one I went to is for tour busses. Mahmoud who runs the entrance gate invited me into his kiosk while we tracked down the driver of the bus I was on. A few phone calls located the jacket and arrangements were made to pick up the jacket from the bus station the next morning. While we were trying to get people on the phone, Mahmoud and I shared sweet tea and stories. He has seven kids. ... read more

19 March 18:02 local Breakfast was delicious. My favorite things were a stuffed tomato and a piece of toast that was loaded with so much green spice (pesto?) I expected quite a kick - it was so light and delicious. After breakfast, i went to the bus stop (see previous post). Then, I made it back into Petra and got to see a lot of things I missed on the first day. I went into more tombs, found and walked along a Roman road, found a church with beautiful mosaics, revisited the Roman temple, and had tea with a Beoduin woman and her children. Going through customs, I met a German woman who sat behind me on the bus to Petra. We talked and she gave me a ride to the airport. Her name is Sigi. ... read more

18 March 2012 4:43 local It's halftime at the lobo/Louisville game. Great game so far, happy Drew isn't injured too badly. My bracket was worse than usual- had Michigan/UNM in the final, well the wolverines lost in their first game. Breakfast got more bazaar after my last posting. Most notably, I tried pickled lemon. Some one cut a lemon into quarters and stuck it in vinegar peel and all. I ate it. I did not like it. English does not have words to describe the flavor. Yesterday, was a much needed rest day. I mostly read poolside (both air temperature and red sea water temperature are cooler than I expected, but still welcome after snowy Istanbul) I had a very nice sunset stroll on the beach. After the game ends, I will rest until breakfast and ... read more

17 March 2012 8:42 local time Final thoughts on Istanbul: Minarets are much broader than I imagined. They look skinny only because the mosques they are next to are so huge. Tigger and Lilly are really heavy compared to Istanbul cats.I explored pretty far afield in this city, and saw none of what I would call abject poverty. I woke up Friday at 2:30, packed, and met my shuttle ride down stairs. I had to check out first. When I was quoted my price, I had to explain and show documents what the right price was. Then I was told the previous price had been quoted in lira not euros. Uh huh. The hotel does every thing in euros. Whatever it got straightened out. The shuttle to the airport was quicker than I was told, but ... read more

Although it seemed like a good idea at the time, it probably wasn’t the best plan to spend my second-to-last week in the Middle East alone on the beach in Sinai, with my nose stuck in a book; isolated from reality both geographical and mentally. I was stuck between here and there – between the Middle East and India – vacillating between a nostalgic desire to stay longer and a growing anxiety to be gone already. And I had no one to bring me back to the now. I left my private beach and went to Dahab. I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of being just another tourist, but it’s there that you’ll find some of the best dive sites in the Red Sea – and it had been far too long since I had accumulated ... read more