Blogs from Middle East - page 22

Well, flight was an amazing experience due to the people in it, most passengers were jordaneons who were travelling home to celebrate EIG which is their biggest celebration of the year, the atmosphere on the flight was amazing and everyone was so friendly, cabin crew even walked around serving free champagne, have never been on a flight like this in my life. ... read more

We had a bit of a late morning the next day and ate breakfast at the hotel before we were driven to the Jordan-Israel border where we would return to Israel, but this time Jerusalem. Getting there in the late afternoon, we spent time in our Air BnB and ended our night with dinner in a nearby mall. Our first morning in Jerusalem started in Rachel’s Tomb. Jewish women- as the tomb was divided by sex- bowed their heads in prayer and cried as they faced the walls of the tomb. I am Jewish, but by blood, not faith, so it was interesting to see real devotion and practice of the religion, especially in the holy land. Following the tomb was the Shepherds’ Field Chapel where supposedly an angel came down to inform the shepherds of ... read more

After lunch in Petra, we were driven to the Dead Sea. Once there, we went into our hotel’s private part of the Dead Sea, and it was certainly strange. I knew beforehand that you float in the water because of the high salt content, but it was still surprising to go into the water and shoot up like a buoy. The hotel offered a mud mask to put on and then take off in the Dead Sea; I did mine on my face and legs. We washed off and then went to the pool. After that, we took showers and ate yet another wonderful Lebanese dinner before calling it a night.... read more

We woke up late the next morning before we were driven to Wadi Rum. Views of camels and tall, beige rock structures made up the hour and a half car ride into the desert where we stayed in a bubble room- literally a hotel room but in a bubble. After we settled in, we went on a jeep ride, and the first stop was to this large sand dune. Although not easy to climb, it gave us a great view of the surrounding mountains of rock lying on top of a bed of sand. Then, we rode along to a walkable valley that had cave drawings along its impressive walls. One of them depicted a childbirth in which the parent was squatting instead of laying down. The next stop was to a cliff where we walked ... read more

Who said hot?! The ancient Romans that’s who!! Yeah, so they decided to build this city in a basic oven. Well, at least if you’re 10 or 13, it basically feels like you’re dying because it’s SO hot that even though you come from Sydney, one crappy summer, and you’ve forgotten how to do heat. And basically, you’re about to die. Seriously. Lucky your mother has predicted what an absolute torture chamber this has inflicted on your life and scheduled a morning by the pool, splashing and relaxing. That, and the guide wasn’t available until 3.00 after all the cruise ship passengers had left. But let’s go with caring and accommodating. The day kicked off the most spectacular Turkish breakfast at the hotel which then required some slothing by the pool, and splashing. And agonising over ... read more