Blogs from North, Jordan, Middle East - page 2

31 mars (Toujours au Marriott Petra, Chambre 811) 10h00Am. Debout devant ma fenêtre, je tire une gorgée de mon éternel Earl Grey en observant des chèvres brouter de la brindille dans les collines inertes et recourbées de Petra. Dès que mon regard s'attarde sur quelques mouvements à l'extérieur de ma capsule, je souris, prenant soudainement conscience que le paysage à l'extérieur de la chambre 811 n'est pas qu'un simple décor photographique fixé dans le temps. Le téléphone de ma chambre sonne soudainement, me sortant d'un coup de mon ennuyante routine de prisonnier. Il n'est pourtant pas l'heure du lunch. Au bout de la ligne, l'ambassade canadienne m'annonce de bonnes nouvelles: une entente entre le Qatar et la Jordanie permet le décollage d'un avion le 2 avril à 1h15AM, à partir de l'aéroport international d'Amman (Queen Allia), ... read more

Now that we can't go to Israel, we were all in panic mode trying to get flights home. Damien, Jacinta, & Natalie (Australian) were going to go to Greece, but found out they were shutting down sightseeing to the sites, so they booked a flight home.By lunch today all of us had booked flights home. I got messages from friends that Trump banned flights from Europe and my new flight goes through Frankfurt, so I was wondering what to do. Another friend said it was about European people not being let into U.S., not U.S. citizens. It's been stressful enough because I tried to rebook with United Airlines (according to their website I could rebook and they wouldn't charge rebooking fees), but I couldn't get through on the 800 phone line (which is the only way ... read more

Last night we had our farewell dinner. Hard to believe the Egypt part of the tour is over. Khaled asked us to talk about what we liked about the tour and suggestions. I really appreciated how passionate Khaled is about his country, and he would discuss anything with us, not just sightseeing things. I appreciated his attention to detail to constantly be calling bus driver, the boat, the felucca, our train tickets, our flight tickets, showing us where to get money, taught us how to haggle in the market, where to buy water. He was always there to help us. I came for the Pyramids and Sphinx, and got alot more. My only suggestion was a handout with a list of the Gods that he talked about because I got confused even though I read about ... read more

Following a buffet breakfast and checking in luggage (for the bus driver), we boarded the bus for a trip to Mt. Nebo. This is where Moses viewed the promised land since he wasn't permitted to enter. It is believed he died on Mt. Nebo or nearby, though the exact place is not known. I was warned it would be cooler and windy on Mt. Nebo, but I wasn't prepared for the intensity of the wind. It felt like you were being blown over the hillside as you walked toward the sites. I will post a short video on my Facebook page for you to see just what I mean. As you walk up the hill there is a large stone like the one place over Jesus' tomb and a statue of Moses to commemorate his life ... read more

Today we have arranged to visit the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Jerash, which is about 50 kilometres north of Amman. Our driver’s name is Haitham. He tells us that as recently as the 1980s Amman was a relatively small city, but it has experienced enormous growth in recent decades. We ask whether a lot of this is due to the influx of refugees. He says that some of it is, particularly Iraqis, and more recently Syrians, many of whom are currently living in two large refugee camps near the border. He says that it has recently become a lot safer in Syria and a lot of the refugees are now returning home. I think that the standard applying to the word “safer” might be a bit different here to that back in Australia. ... read more