Blogs from Middle East - page 18

We have been back just over three weeks, but my mind keeps wandering back to the epic landscapes and vivid history of our family trip to Jordan and Egypt. Over 16 days, we completed a whirlwind tour of both countries seeing many of the most famous sights and leaving us eager to return and see more of both countries in the future. On a bright note, Riley did really well on the trip with almost no other kids to interact with! He made friends with our fellow tourists over the two weeks. After a gruelling 24 hour set of flights from Vancouver to Calgary to Frankfurt to Amman, we arrived late in the day on January 7, were greeted by a local guide and taken to our hotel. The next morning, we were up bright and ... read more

October 13 – 16, 2022 The next stop on our few days away from Marmaris where Tsamaya is quietly waiting for our return was the city of Izmir. In actual fact, it was definitely not high at all on our list of places to visit in Turkey. It really wasn’t on the list at all, but we wound up adding it to our itinerary due to the bus schedules! Yes, we first thought we’d just go to Pamakkale and Bodrum before returning to Marmaris, but in trying to get from Bodrum to Marmaris, it wasn’t such an easy task by bus. It seemed crazy that it was easy to get to Bodrum, but the return was going to be quite long and almost meant we’d have to stop someplace to make decent connections. It appeared that ... read more

The sun is setting on this trip, as I reach the final stretch of what has been a very interesting journey. Not an easy trip, at least, not easy if you are trying to keep to a budget, and don't have your own transport. But worth the money nonetheless. Looking back I can confidently say I managed to do more than I expected. I have seen a country in change. Going from a closed society to an open society. Remember this is a nation that until three years ago was forbidden territory for (western) tourists (but not businessmen). I have met lots of wonderful Saudi's and migrants from all over. 'Welcome' is the word I hear most, but also, 'What do you think of our country?' I have enjoyed the bus rides, it has given me ... read more

In the fancy tent, the beds were super comfy and nice bedding, which should have made for a restful evening. Ken took advantage and slept all night, which is amazing for him. Me, not so much. This was one of those rare nights where sleep just wasn’t happening. Oh well…I was snug in bed and got a bit of reading done, before just relaxing and hoping for some snoozing. As we were doing a sunrise camel ride, it was up and at the reception area at 630a. Along with 10 others, we wandered in the barely dawn light down the path to our trusty camels. My camel, FouFou was quite chatty and wanted to talk to everyone, kind of between a horse whinnie and a cow moo that is quite comical. She was also enamored with ... read more

Sunshine dawned and this is a hang-day for us at the Dead Sea Marriott. Car is safely stowed, pools ready to be used and the big activity….MUD and SALT. More on that in a bit, as we had to enjoy the breakfast with lots of choices, including fresh fruit, fresh vegis and of course local food that is fresh and tasty. Ken is even venturing into the local fare and not complaining that “this isn’t breakfast food!”. Ok, salad and grilled vegis are not normally on the day-to-day breakfast menu, but you gotta admit it is healthier than most “normal” breakfast foods. Now, it was time to head for the beach and check out the mud and float in the sea. Down the paved path, down the stone stairs and soon we were at the private ... read more