I'm sitting in the hostel at the computer, biding time until I head to the airport.
Last night was a tiring one, more for poor Jenn than for me. She wasn't feeling well at all and barely slept. This morning she and I woke up, she showered and all. I accompanied her to the bus terminal (just around the corner really) to catch a mini-bus to Ramallah. I'm hoping that the trip goes smoothly, especially since she still wasn't well this morning. There are a lot of bumpy roads in this region.
I have removed my belongings from my room, so now I'm kind of weighed down by a large backpack that is stuffed to the gills and my smaller pack. I have 13.5 hours until my flight home, but I'll leave here at 8 p.m. Hopefully, I'll be able to stash my pack somewhere so I can wander out to eat something, maybe take a last walk around old town.
Though I'm sad to see the trip end, being left alone for a day here makes it seem like it's really time to return home. I am looking forward to several things upon my return: my own bed (ugh, did I leave a pile of junk on it?), a washing machine, autumn (I hope there are still some leaves on the trees for me!), some of my regular foods, and of course my friends and family.
So it's almost time to say Shalom/Salaam to the Middle East. I'll be glad to share further stories of this trip, and many more photos with anyone interested.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Jenn & I in front of the Dome of the Rock
So today is the last full day Jenn and I will spend in Jerusalem. Tomorrow morning, she will leave me and catch her transit to Nablus. My flight out of Tel Aviv isn't until after midnight tomorrow, so I guess I'll have a complete day to do as I will. I haven't decided what to do yet.
Unfortunately, our day together today has been marred by the fact that Jenn isn't feeling well. Still we managed to drag ourselves up the Mount of Olives and back down, then over to the new city with it's shopping and it's markets.
Not sure yet what we will do with the evening, but we've both been totally exhausted by evening, so probably not much other than pack and repack.
Unfortunately, our day together today has been marred by the fact that Jenn isn't feeling well. Still we managed to drag ourselves up the Mount of Olives and back down, then over to the new city with it's shopping and it's markets.
Not sure yet what we will do with the evening, but we've both been totally exhausted by evening, so probably not much other than pack and repack.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Trouble in the Holy Land
So I happened to get in to Jerusalem right when there were riots on Temple Mount. Go figure! What timing.
We took a tour of the city today and it included Temple Mount. Everything seemed to be calmed down from yesterday, and there was definitely a huge Israeli military presence in the area. But by and large, everything seemed to be going on quietly. The Dome of the Rock is absolutely beautiful! Unfortunately, it is only viewable from the outside for non-Moslems.
We also saw some other sights, including the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which is huge and so foreign from my concept of a church. It's more of a maze of structures that seem to be slapped together, each marking a holy site where some important biblical event happened. We hope to return tomorrow morning to beat the rush of tourists and pilgrims and enjoy without having to rush through it.
We took a tour of the city today and it included Temple Mount. Everything seemed to be calmed down from yesterday, and there was definitely a huge Israeli military presence in the area. But by and large, everything seemed to be going on quietly. The Dome of the Rock is absolutely beautiful! Unfortunately, it is only viewable from the outside for non-Moslems.
We also saw some other sights, including the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which is huge and so foreign from my concept of a church. It's more of a maze of structures that seem to be slapped together, each marking a holy site where some important biblical event happened. We hope to return tomorrow morning to beat the rush of tourists and pilgrims and enjoy without having to rush through it.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
The Road from Damascus
Jenn and I split from our group this morning, leaving Damascus at 9 a.m. It was a sad parting both because we will miss the people we were traveling with, and because we really wanted more time in Damascus, which is amazing, and in Syria in general.
Damascus is a beautiful city. The old section has so many interesting shops as well as caffes, mosques, houses, etc. I could have just wandered the streets for days on end. The people are also a huge asset the city. They seemed so happy and were always friendly to us. Their catch phrase is "you are welcome here." They seem to enjoy having visitors to their city.
After saying our sad goodbyes, Jenn and I caught a taxi to a bus terminal way on the other side of the city. From there, we caught another taxi, which carried us all the way back across the border to Amman, Jordan. We quickly transferred to yet another taxi, which carried us to the King Hussein Bridge border crossing. A bus there took us into the West Bank where we went through rigorous questioning about or destination, why we visited Syria, etc. Once through this, we took a taxi bus to Jerusalem, arriving at 6-something in the evening...
More to come.
Damascus is a beautiful city. The old section has so many interesting shops as well as caffes, mosques, houses, etc. I could have just wandered the streets for days on end. The people are also a huge asset the city. They seemed so happy and were always friendly to us. Their catch phrase is "you are welcome here." They seem to enjoy having visitors to their city.
After saying our sad goodbyes, Jenn and I caught a taxi to a bus terminal way on the other side of the city. From there, we caught another taxi, which carried us all the way back across the border to Amman, Jordan. We quickly transferred to yet another taxi, which carried us to the King Hussein Bridge border crossing. A bus there took us into the West Bank where we went through rigorous questioning about or destination, why we visited Syria, etc. Once through this, we took a taxi bus to Jerusalem, arriving at 6-something in the evening...
More to come.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Petra-Fied
So today was Petra day. Petra was definitely a highlight.
The group went down to Petra at 7 a.m. We all went our own ways once there. After entering the front gate, we walked down a long canyon corridor which was very beautiful with many colors of stone. Jennifer and I made our way down through the crags when suddenly the treasury "building" (in the picture). It was one of the most spectacular features of Petra, though the whole place was very impressive. It's amazing to consider how people a couple thousand years ago could have carved a city out of stone.
Besides the ancient carved-out buildings, there were many local Bedouin vendors selling their wares. There was a lot of beautiful jewelry, but Jenn and I refrained from buying. Jordan is more expensive than Egypt by a long shot, and from what we have heard, much more expensive than Syria, so we're holding out.
Altogether, we spent about 10 hours wandering through Petra. We did two long climbs over the city which offered great views. During one of them, we walked up up up to the highest peak above Petra. There was a young Bedouin guy up there who spoke English and sold tea. He lives up there in isolation in a little hut selling tea an other beverages. He was extremely laid back, a real character. We hung out with him for about 20 minutes before continuing on our way.
Tomorrow, off to the Dead Sea. I have several bangs and bumps on me, so I'm a bit nervous about the salty water, but it's a must do!
The group went down to Petra at 7 a.m. We all went our own ways once there. After entering the front gate, we walked down a long canyon corridor which was very beautiful with many colors of stone. Jennifer and I made our way down through the crags when suddenly the treasury "building" (in the picture). It was one of the most spectacular features of Petra, though the whole place was very impressive. It's amazing to consider how people a couple thousand years ago could have carved a city out of stone.
Besides the ancient carved-out buildings, there were many local Bedouin vendors selling their wares. There was a lot of beautiful jewelry, but Jenn and I refrained from buying. Jordan is more expensive than Egypt by a long shot, and from what we have heard, much more expensive than Syria, so we're holding out.
Altogether, we spent about 10 hours wandering through Petra. We did two long climbs over the city which offered great views. During one of them, we walked up up up to the highest peak above Petra. There was a young Bedouin guy up there who spoke English and sold tea. He lives up there in isolation in a little hut selling tea an other beverages. He was extremely laid back, a real character. We hung out with him for about 20 minutes before continuing on our way.
Tomorrow, off to the Dead Sea. I have several bangs and bumps on me, so I'm a bit nervous about the salty water, but it's a must do!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Flight from Egypt
OK, the departure from Egypt wasn't so dramatic as a flight. But I'll get to that shortly.
The visit to the Coloured and White Canyons was beautiful. Jenn and I were picked up by our driver and our guide at 8 a.m. last Friday and joined a small group in a minivan. There was a Dutch couple, a Belgian Flemish couple, a Kiwi and the two of us as passengers. We visited the Coloured Canyon first. The canyon starts wide and becomes very narrow so that we had to walk through some very narrow fissures, climbing up and down the rocks in several places. It was refreshingly cool because it was shaded.
The challenging part of the day was the long drive from the Coloured Canyon. From there we drove for over two hours through the heat until we got to a small Bedouin community at an oasis where we were fed lunch (meat stewed with vegetables, served with rice and flat bread) and rested before hiking the White Canyon.
We left Egypt in our truck on Saturday. We drove to an ugly port city on the Gulf of Aqaba and took a ferry ride, about three hours, to the city of Aqaba in Jordan. We spend the night camping outside of town, then we drove to the Wadi Rum the next day. The Wadi Rum is a beautiful dry area with great rock formations. We took a three-hour truck ride through it yesterday, climbing rocks and exploring deep cuts into the rock.
Last night we camped in the Wadi Rum, then this morning we drove here to Wadi Mousa. Tomorrow we will visit the ancient city of Petra, which I anticipate will be one of the highlights of the trip.
The visit to the Coloured and White Canyons was beautiful. Jenn and I were picked up by our driver and our guide at 8 a.m. last Friday and joined a small group in a minivan. There was a Dutch couple, a Belgian Flemish couple, a Kiwi and the two of us as passengers. We visited the Coloured Canyon first. The canyon starts wide and becomes very narrow so that we had to walk through some very narrow fissures, climbing up and down the rocks in several places. It was refreshingly cool because it was shaded.
The challenging part of the day was the long drive from the Coloured Canyon. From there we drove for over two hours through the heat until we got to a small Bedouin community at an oasis where we were fed lunch (meat stewed with vegetables, served with rice and flat bread) and rested before hiking the White Canyon.
We left Egypt in our truck on Saturday. We drove to an ugly port city on the Gulf of Aqaba and took a ferry ride, about three hours, to the city of Aqaba in Jordan. We spend the night camping outside of town, then we drove to the Wadi Rum the next day. The Wadi Rum is a beautiful dry area with great rock formations. We took a three-hour truck ride through it yesterday, climbing rocks and exploring deep cuts into the rock.
Last night we camped in the Wadi Rum, then this morning we drove here to Wadi Mousa. Tomorrow we will visit the ancient city of Petra, which I anticipate will be one of the highlights of the trip.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
The Blue Hole
Most of the group went snorkeling today, including me. The location is called The Blue Hole. It's very beautiful and very popular. There was variety of very colorful fish and other sea life to be viewed. Unfortunately, I had problems creating a seal around my mask, I think because of my facial hair, and I ended up breathing in a lot of salt water. Ick! There was a second round available, but I opted out to sit on the shore in a caffe' and drink overpriced beverages (about 3 times the price being asked in Dahab).
The place was very busy, and most of the divers around seemed to be Russians with a lot of money and very little taste. In fact, there seem to be many Russians around the Sinai from what we've seen so far.
The Jeep drivers took us back into the city in three different vehicles. Our driver chatted with us. He seemed like a very likable guy. Driving Jeep is is second job. He is also a school teacher. He told us that his state salary is about 400 Egyptian pounds per month, which works out to about US$20. Many people in the group seem put off by the Egyptians who are constantly trying to make money by charging for things such as rest-room use etc, but I don't blame these people. I somehow doubt that anyone is getting rich by charging two Egyptian pounds to use the loo.
Tomorrow Jenn and I go on a Jeep ride to the two canyons mentioned earlier. If the ride out there is anything like the ride we experienced today, which was a cross between a drag race and obstacle course adventure, I will probably have sore knuckles from gripping tight to the "oh shit" handles, if the Jeep has those.
The place was very busy, and most of the divers around seemed to be Russians with a lot of money and very little taste. In fact, there seem to be many Russians around the Sinai from what we've seen so far.
The Jeep drivers took us back into the city in three different vehicles. Our driver chatted with us. He seemed like a very likable guy. Driving Jeep is is second job. He is also a school teacher. He told us that his state salary is about 400 Egyptian pounds per month, which works out to about US$20. Many people in the group seem put off by the Egyptians who are constantly trying to make money by charging for things such as rest-room use etc, but I don't blame these people. I somehow doubt that anyone is getting rich by charging two Egyptian pounds to use the loo.
Tomorrow Jenn and I go on a Jeep ride to the two canyons mentioned earlier. If the ride out there is anything like the ride we experienced today, which was a cross between a drag race and obstacle course adventure, I will probably have sore knuckles from gripping tight to the "oh shit" handles, if the Jeep has those.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Red Sea Bumming
Yesterday we rode into Dahab on the Red Sea. What a nice break it has been so far, too! Dahab is full of foreigners here for diving, snorkeling, wind surfing and just hanging out eating/drinking and smoking a sheesha (water pipe). We are staying in a hotel that is really like a series of cabins, some connected, in an enclosed area. It isn't luxury, but by the standards we've had thus far, it is very nice and spacious. I share a room with two guys who have been my regular roommates on much of the trip, Rich and John, both really nice guys. In our previous places, we've often been crammed together with three single beds in a rooms as small as about 10x10.
Our room here in Dahab has four beds and plenty of space between them. Most of the features (sink, lights, A/C - which costs extra to turn on) seem to function and occasionally there is hot water! All water in the bathroom is salt water, so hopefully I won't run into any camels looking for a good salt lick.
The two days previous to arriving in Dahab were very adenturous. We parted the nasty seaside resort of Hurghada (it was just a stop-over to give us a rest on the trip from Luxor to Mt. Sinai) at 6 a.m. We arrived at Mt. Sinai after several hours in the truck. It was early evening when we stopped. Most of the group opted to climb the mountain and spend the night on top, then climb back down the next day. I don't thnk any of us knew what we were in for! The walk to the top took about 3 hours. We had a local guide by the name of Salem. The climb was exhausting! Jennifer wisely chose to ride a camel as far was possible, which was to a set of "steps" (uneven rocks that had been put in place by monks some time ago). Supposedly there were 700 or so of them, but I'm not sure how they counted. At the top, I think that most of us were expecting a flat camping area where we would all sleep in a group until sunrise. Instead, what we found was a construction of some sort with random steps leading here and there. There was also a WC, which was probably not the most disgusting in the word, but most likely in the lower 10% range. Jennifer braved it, being hardened by the toilets she's experienced in West Africa. I decided to refrain until our descent.
So Salem allotted us each a sleeping space. Jenn and I ended up on a slab of rock about the size of a king-size mattress and perched over a sheer drop of a few thousand feet. Each time the wind blew, we dirt blew into our faces. It was absolutely terrifying. When we woke up after about 3 hours of sleep, we found that hundreds of pilgrims and tourists had climbed up that morning to watch the sunrise with us. Jenn and I packed up our sleeping bags and other belongings and got the hell off of our little condor's roost to find a spot to watch the big event. The sun came up, we took pictures, and then the descent began. Salem watched over the group as we climbed down. This time we took a different route, which consisted entirely of "stairs" (using the say rough definition as those we used to ascent). This time there were 3,000 or so of them (again, how do you count?) It was beautiful, but with the sun up and the heat taking hold, plus the fact that I hadn't used a restroom in about 12 hours or so, made me more focused on just getting my wobbly legs off the mountain and to flag group where I made a direct line to the nearest toilet.
Back down at the bottom, we had breakfast, then Jenn, Rich and I went to St. Katherine's Monastery, which is at the base of the mountain. It is quite a tourist destination and supposedly contains Moses' burning bush (yeah, right - anyone want to buy a bridge?) The place was packed with tourists and though listed as a 'must see' in most tour book, it was a major pain in the patoot.
So here in Dahab we are having a fee day today. Tomorrow most of the group will go snorkeling at the Blue Hole (a first snorkeling experience for me!). On Friday, Jenn and I will go with a couple of others in the group to see the Coloured and White canyons by Jeep. We will also have a Bedoin lunch.
More later!
Our room here in Dahab has four beds and plenty of space between them. Most of the features (sink, lights, A/C - which costs extra to turn on) seem to function and occasionally there is hot water! All water in the bathroom is salt water, so hopefully I won't run into any camels looking for a good salt lick.
The two days previous to arriving in Dahab were very adenturous. We parted the nasty seaside resort of Hurghada (it was just a stop-over to give us a rest on the trip from Luxor to Mt. Sinai) at 6 a.m. We arrived at Mt. Sinai after several hours in the truck. It was early evening when we stopped. Most of the group opted to climb the mountain and spend the night on top, then climb back down the next day. I don't thnk any of us knew what we were in for! The walk to the top took about 3 hours. We had a local guide by the name of Salem. The climb was exhausting! Jennifer wisely chose to ride a camel as far was possible, which was to a set of "steps" (uneven rocks that had been put in place by monks some time ago). Supposedly there were 700 or so of them, but I'm not sure how they counted. At the top, I think that most of us were expecting a flat camping area where we would all sleep in a group until sunrise. Instead, what we found was a construction of some sort with random steps leading here and there. There was also a WC, which was probably not the most disgusting in the word, but most likely in the lower 10% range. Jennifer braved it, being hardened by the toilets she's experienced in West Africa. I decided to refrain until our descent.
So Salem allotted us each a sleeping space. Jenn and I ended up on a slab of rock about the size of a king-size mattress and perched over a sheer drop of a few thousand feet. Each time the wind blew, we dirt blew into our faces. It was absolutely terrifying. When we woke up after about 3 hours of sleep, we found that hundreds of pilgrims and tourists had climbed up that morning to watch the sunrise with us. Jenn and I packed up our sleeping bags and other belongings and got the hell off of our little condor's roost to find a spot to watch the big event. The sun came up, we took pictures, and then the descent began. Salem watched over the group as we climbed down. This time we took a different route, which consisted entirely of "stairs" (using the say rough definition as those we used to ascent). This time there were 3,000 or so of them (again, how do you count?) It was beautiful, but with the sun up and the heat taking hold, plus the fact that I hadn't used a restroom in about 12 hours or so, made me more focused on just getting my wobbly legs off the mountain and to flag group where I made a direct line to the nearest toilet.
Back down at the bottom, we had breakfast, then Jenn, Rich and I went to St. Katherine's Monastery, which is at the base of the mountain. It is quite a tourist destination and supposedly contains Moses' burning bush (yeah, right - anyone want to buy a bridge?) The place was packed with tourists and though listed as a 'must see' in most tour book, it was a major pain in the patoot.
So here in Dahab we are having a fee day today. Tomorrow most of the group will go snorkeling at the Blue Hole (a first snorkeling experience for me!). On Friday, Jenn and I will go with a couple of others in the group to see the Coloured and White canyons by Jeep. We will also have a Bedoin lunch.
More later!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Greetings from Aswan
Wow, so how to sum up the last few days from this little internet station? And using this rickety computer with no USB port to post any photos! Well, here's the condensed version:
The flight to Cairo went fairly smoothly - I left home on Oct 1 - Portland - Seattle - Paris (5 hour layover) - Cairo at about 6 p.m. on the 2nd. At the airport I was greeted by a person hired by the tour group, was whisked off into a van and ported through the most chaotic city I've ever been to in my life. Really, Cairo makes Rome look like a pleasant little northern European town where people actually obey taffic laws. Traffic weaved in and out with total disregard for those quaint line things in the road. I got to the hotel, which was a far cry from a luxury delux. The lobby was under renovation, but the rooms looked like they had been left fairly untouched in the umpteen decades since construction. The bellboy guided me up the elevator and insisted on carrying all of my luggage. The elevator had the dimensions of a telephone booth.
Said bellhop then showed me my room on floor 14 and pointed out the amenities: (barely working ) A/C, beds (well helloooo!), sheets (relief!), telephone, TV, "bar" (mini-fridge in need of defrosting), "salon" (two ancient appolstered chairs with stains & rips set next to a glass-top table, loo consisting of bidet, shower, hot & cold water (YAY!). What was missing: washcloths, a proper lock on the door, fire alarm, etc. But the people at the hotel were very friendly.
OK, things get much better than this, but it's time for me to take off. This computer is hard to type on, so I'm calling it a night.
The flight to Cairo went fairly smoothly - I left home on Oct 1 - Portland - Seattle - Paris (5 hour layover) - Cairo at about 6 p.m. on the 2nd. At the airport I was greeted by a person hired by the tour group, was whisked off into a van and ported through the most chaotic city I've ever been to in my life. Really, Cairo makes Rome look like a pleasant little northern European town where people actually obey taffic laws. Traffic weaved in and out with total disregard for those quaint line things in the road. I got to the hotel, which was a far cry from a luxury delux. The lobby was under renovation, but the rooms looked like they had been left fairly untouched in the umpteen decades since construction. The bellboy guided me up the elevator and insisted on carrying all of my luggage. The elevator had the dimensions of a telephone booth.
Said bellhop then showed me my room on floor 14 and pointed out the amenities: (barely working ) A/C, beds (well helloooo!), sheets (relief!), telephone, TV, "bar" (mini-fridge in need of defrosting), "salon" (two ancient appolstered chairs with stains & rips set next to a glass-top table, loo consisting of bidet, shower, hot & cold water (YAY!). What was missing: washcloths, a proper lock on the door, fire alarm, etc. But the people at the hotel were very friendly.
OK, things get much better than this, but it's time for me to take off. This computer is hard to type on, so I'm calling it a night.
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