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Hanging Out in Quiet Area
Pigging out on free chips! These are the chair we slept in that night. About halfway into our time in SE Asia we'd decided that India would not be our next stop and we'd go there later in the year. The main reason for this was the heat. Malaysia and Cambodia were particularly humid and we knew India at the time we wanted to visit would be even worse. It made more sense therefore to book a flight to the Middle East, as it would be a lovely Mediterranean spring. Surveying flights we decided against the markedly cheaper option of Aeroflot, a third rate Russian airline with a flight safety record to make any respectable engineer gasp with horror. Instead we went for Qatar Airlines, with whom we would get to Jordan with a stop over in Doha, Qatar.
I should note that the Middle East is often not on most people's travel agendas. There seems to be a common misconception that the Middle East is not safe; images of Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah and Palestinian-Israeli conflict are certainly widely broadcast in the media. However what is probably not better understood is that the area is at least officially 'at peace', many (not all) countries in the area are fairly stable and potential flare-ups are very likely going to be confined to a few obvious hot spots that you should stay away from. So as long as you are cautious and informed most places in the region are safe and enjoyable places to visit. For us, the Middle East is a treasure trove of historical sites, beginning with the very 'cradle of civilisation', the beginning of agriculture, then onto the Roman Empire and the multitude of well preserved sites. Next it is the site of the three monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam (a fact which unfortunately constitutes a large portion of their current-day problems), and contains many sites of religious significance. If I still haven't convinced you, should I mention the food? A haven for meat lovers and vegetarians alike, just think: kebabs, spit roast, felafel, hummous and tabbouleh. Mmmmm!
For our Middle East itinerary we decided on three countries best known for being safe and also that fitted in with our 'must see' destinations: Jordan for the rock hewn city of Petra, Syria for the city of Damascus, Roman ruins at Palymra and crusader castle Crac des Chevaliers, and Turkey for its unique east-vs-west mix, the Gallipoli battlefields and the stunning landscapes of Cappadocia.
Ok, enough of the travel guide talk....
Our flight to Doha left at 2am HK time, which was actually easier than it sounds due to our excitement. After a 12 hour flight we arrived in Doha, Qatar with an average of about 3 hours sleep each. Phoebe was doing exceptionally well, as the novelty and action kept her buzzing. Doha waiting lounge is large, but air conditioned to freezing point and extremely LOUD, with various announcements happening every other minute. To get away from the cold and the noise we chose a spot by the window far away enough from the PA system that we could hear each other talk. For the next 8 hours we took turns in napping and doing quiet activities. Now, somewhere along the line in our sleep deprived state we mistook the flight leaving time on the board for the boarding time (as is usually displayed). Approaching the desk at the required time (or so we thought) we were informed that our plane had already left, and sorry there's not another flight for 24 hours. They had tried calling us but as we had decided to go to the quieter end of the airport of course we didn't hear them. Uh oh.
To cut a long (24 hour) story short, Qatar Airlines put us on the next flight free of charge which we couldn't quite believe. And to further reward us for our stupidity they even gave us meal tokens for three meals a day plus snacks. We set up camp in the quiet lounge and Phoebe had a long and very overdue nap. After getting over the initial shock and disappointment of missing our flight (and perhaps some hurt pride in feeling so dumb), we tried to make the most of things, getting Phoebe to catch up on some school work, us catching up on emails and beginning to plan the rest of the year (still a work in progress!). Surprisingly, we all had reasonably good sleep in the quiet room and managed to adjust to local time almost exactly. The following day getting on the flight was a relief, and we were so pleased to be finally heading off to Jordan!
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birgit
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hi there,i cant believe they put you on the next flight without any additional charges,how fantastic.we have successfully mutated from travellers to holidaymakers-which lukas enjoys a lot.koyao is a beautiful small island near the touristy phuket,our resort is great,we eat, sleep ,swim and bike round the island-it is 5km to the nearest shop and everyday commodities like crisps,fruit or cookies are ridiculously expensive(of course)in the resort. i am in constant contact with the embassy and have unfortunately just received a serious travel warning for bangkok.the roadmap has apparently fallen through today and now the government wants to cut down electricity and water supplies in the protesters area.....in reverse bomb attacks are being expected.just what we need now....... curious to read up on the middle east,lots of love, birgit