Diving Dahab

Ah, my bad.  Again, I have neglected my readers but at no fault of my own.  You see I have acquired quite the nasty little infection in my finger, making typing near to impossible.  That aside, I am finally back in Egypt, Cairo in particular, my home away from home.  Before I start on that adventure let me fill you in on our not so brief stop over in the Red Sea town of Dahab.
At first it was a difficult transition from Jordan to Egypt.  Not only mentally, but literally, it was kind of a long trip for such a short distance.  We arrived at the slow-ferry docks, in Aqaba Jordan at 11:45 pm.  After we had gotten our exit stamps, paid our departure tax and grabbed some tea, we sat and watched WWE for over two hours while we waited for the remaining trucks to load onto the ferry.  No biggie, we knew that the ferry wasn’t set to leave ‘til 2 am.  It didn’t take me long to notice that not only were we the only foreigners but I was one of only 4 women set to depart on the ferry- awkward.  We boarded the ferry at 3:30am (women and their escorts first - woo hoo!!)  but our boat didn’t depart until 6am and we didn’t reach Nuweiba until 9:30.  The trip was fairly comfortable, except when I opened my eyes from a nap only to see 20 random Egyptian men staring at me or when I had to make the long walk to the women’s toilet, my every move watched by the entire ferry.  Ah, the Egypt I remembered.

Some Egyptian men watching WWE while we patiently wait for the ferry to board.  I hope they don’t think North America is like that.

Once we arrived, we found ourselves having a difficult time coming to grips that we were in fact in Egypt.  It could have been the Thailand vibe of the place but for me, all it took was some world class diving, some great friends and some of the best sheesha of my life.  Unfortunately, I don’t have an underwater camera, so I can’t show you pics but please bare with me while I brag just a touch- I can’t help it, I LOVE diving!  The diving is still cheap enough that we were able to stretch our budget to do 4 dives, including one night dive.  Now we didn’t know what to expect being our first night dive and all but not only did it live up to my expectations, it far exceeded them.  Possibly I like night diving more than diving in the day??  Dunno.  It seems more intimate, and if you can even imagine, more peaceful.  On top of that we were lucky enough to do the famed ‘Blue Hole’ and ‘The Canyon’.  We saw sleeping puffers, phosphorescents, lion fish, pipe fish, stone fish, crocodile fish and Dan finally saw a box fish.  OK.  I will stop there, but really I could go on forever :)

 

Dan and I enjoying some Bedouin tea and yummy eats at a restaurant on the boardwalk.  It’s kinda silly, they build the restaurants so close to the water that every year the ocean destroys them, so they have to build all over again.  Didn’t anyone mention that trees take a while to grow??

Oh so cute :)  Not our dive shop but I liked their logo ;)

Since the revolution, tourism hasn’t recovered, so much of the beach and many of the resorts are closed down.  Past a certain point on the boardwalk, it’s like a ghost town.

Our friend Aaron introduced us to The Sheesha Man.  Not only did we enjoy some of the best sheesha we have ever tasted but he also showed us some amazing tricks…like blowing smoke filled bubbles.

I had to post this shot because this was Sheesha Man's favourite :)

Our hotel and dive shop.  Thanks Down Under Divers for some wicked memories;)

The Stars are Brighter in the Desert

Our trip to Wadi Rum was short and sweet… Maybe a little too short:(
Since we had to drop our car off in Aqaba, we left Petra and headed straight to Aqaba, bypassing Wadi Rum on the way.  After spending a few days saying goodbye to a friend, exploring Aqaba and such, we took a random taxi drivers word for it and booked a tour through Wadi Rum.  Not the best idea.  Generally, we only book tours if other travellers recommend them to us.  We weren’t that impressed with the company, so we stayed only one night in the desert.  We cut our losses though, since we will be hanging out in and around deserts for the next few months- the opportunity will come again.  Though we were disappointed with the operator, Wadi Rum didn’t disappoint and at the end of the day we are laid back and seasoned enough that overall everything was chill and we just rolled with the punches.

Some of the beautiful red sand dunes in the Wadi Rum Nature Reserve.  Climbing proper sand dunes is really, really difficult…..did everyone know that except me?  I was tuckered;)

Great…our first flat, our driver is stuck in the ‘Jeep 4x4’ because his door won’t open and we are less than half way through our day trip…um… hmmmm.  This is just getting worse.

Me, having some fun scrambling up and around some wicked rock formations.  Good Times.

Here birdie, birdie!  Dan and I went out for a hike when we reached camp and found these tracks…but only tracks, no animals :(  Apparently there are sand snakes, which I would have loved to see and scorpions, which I am happy we didn’t see.  Creepy scorpions.

We watched the sun go to bed on a nearby cliff :)

Our camp at sunset!  OK, so the tents were fantastic… Seriously, they might have been larger than some of the rooms we have rented throughout our trip.  We were disappointed with the camp set up since it didn’t allow us to pull our beds outside to sleep for the night, so we settled for a blanket on the sand.  Though we had to do scorpion and snake sweeps every few minutes with our flashlight, our blanket was cozy and the stars lit up the night sky.  It was so peaceful and silent out in the desert, so, so silent… I felt like I was finally ‘away from the sprawl‘. Pure magic.

OK- bad picture but you get the idea anyways.  One of the camp guides is digging out our dinner… Chicken, roasted over hot coals, on a rack, covered with a lid, then covered with sand.  I rarely eat chicken, never off the bone but if all chicken tasted like this, I may rethink my dislike for it.  Yum, Yum!

Some random shots of the cliffs and rock formations that make up the nature reserve.

Dan on one of the famous rock bridges in the park.

I tried to get a shot of some of the more bizarre rock formations.  One mountain in particular looked like a massive cake that was iced before it had cooled- icing dripping down all sides.  Or maybe a melting candle or a stick of slowly melting butter.  Whatever- something like that anyways :)

Petra – Truly a Wonder

Ah, Petra…how to even explain.  This place was absolutely magical, it was alive with history and a beauty that can’t be captured on film.  We loved it here.  For me, it has to be one of the most rewarding ‘Wonders of the World‘ to visit; albeit, one of the most expensive but it’s worth the money and the trip.  Dan and I spent two days and one night, wandering, hiking and scrambling among Petra’s expansive cliffs, caves and trails- it wasn’t long enough.  As we drove away, I could hardly contain my sadness but I know, we will be back.  Next time with more money and maybe even some hiking shoes:)  Sorry, we took so many pictures but I wish I would have taken more.

Petra, Day 1.  We were up, bright and early, ready to explore Petra and see the famous Treasury before all the tourists showed up.  The sun is just waking up for the day. The picture above is of the famous Djinn Blocks or Spirit Blocks, the mysterious monuments built by the Nabataeans in the first century AD.

Oh my, the famous Siq, a natural canyon created by earthquakes and flash floods that twists and turns for 1.2 km before it opens up to The Treasury.  Yes, it was breathtaking, beautiful and all that but it is the only way in and out of Petra.  So, after a long 8 hour day of hiking in the desert heat you’re looking at a minimum 2-3 km walk back to your car or bus.  Not so nice.

The Treasury!!!  We beat the crowds and were able to enjoy it in peace, aside from the generator that was heating the water for tea at the vendor close by.  Hmmm, have you ever heard of fire…that would be more authentic and less noisy.  Well, all in all, The Treasury didn’t disappoint, it was breathtaking in its sheer size and impossible detail.  Though actually a tomb, the Treasury gets it’s name from a legend that an Egyptian Pharaoh hid a treasure in the urn in the middle of the second level.  The locals obviously took the tale to heart as seen by the bullet pock marks that cover the urn – awesome story!

   

Some of the many, many caves that are carved into the cliff faces all throughout Petra.  Up until the early 80’s, local Bedouin lived in these caves before they were relocated to a newly built settlement outside of the Unesco World Heritage Site.  It’s sad really, but most still come for the day to herd their livestock, sell their trinkets and socialize.

A snap of The Royal Tombs.  A sequence of impressive tombs built for various Kings and Queens throughout history- I won’t bore you with the details, though they were beautiful and so colourful.

We loved all the colours of the stone cliffs throughout Petra.  It is known as The Rose City, when if fact there are so many different colours- mauves, reds, white, pinks, blues, blacks and yellow.  Beautiful.

Dan takes a breather during the long hike to The Monastery.  Um, maybe climbing hundreds of stairs at high noon isn’t the brightest idea. Nor is taking a breather with your feet dangling off a cliff hundreds of metres high… *sigh*

What?  I’m not tired…just taking photos :)

Finally, we reach The Monastery. Again, actually a Tomb built by the Nabataeans in the 3rd century BC but it was thought to used as a Monastery by the Byzantines later on.  Much bigger and equally as impressive as The Treasury but much, much harder to reach, so less tourists.  Nice.

OK- our hour long up hill hike wasn’t enough, we had to go higher still to see the view of the Monastery and the surrounding area.  No wonder the locals kept Petra a secret for so long.

Again, another long-ass hike to the top of the hill behind The Treasury.  The climb was at times difficult (a little scary if you are afraid of heights, luckily we aren’t) but totally worth the climb for the peace and quiet, away from any other tourists.

Our friend Daniel- hi Daniel! introduced us to a lovely tea seller, and a perfectly peaceful, quiet spot to enjoy our picnic lunch and some Bedouin tea.  The picture above is of the owners house, he is the last remaining Bedouin that lives in Petra.  After years of battles with Unesco, some friends in high places and I’m sure a little luck, he has been granted special permission to live in, and run his tea shop, within Petra.

I feel awful, I can’t remember his name but I felt special and privileged to meet the only remaining resident in Petra.   He still lives in the caves that his father, and grandfather lived in before him.  Awesome.

One last shot of the colours of the stone in Petra.  Ah- after writing this post, I am sad:(  I miss it and want to go back…,,,Hmmmmm, maybe we can go back?

Ruins, Nature, and Dark Bottomless Pits of Evil

Oh Man- what to say about Jordan?  We love it here.

Dan and I have spent the past few days hanging out with some amazing travellers and we have realized a great pride- we are part of a well travelled few.  We are now part of a community that spans the globe, that knows no limits of age or experience, a community of fun-loving, adventurous, open minded and infectious few.  We often find ourselves sitting around, talking about our adventures and experiences with new friends who really understand our love and passion for travel, people and culture.  The further we get into our trip the more I want to go home but it is this very thing that I will miss the most- the community.  Maybe I will have to start hanging out at the airport in an effort to meet people who are on the same wave length as I am.  That’s not at all lame- is it?
OK, so back to Jordan…as I said, we love it here.  The people, in true Arab fashion, are so friendly and beautiful, it makes it difficult to wrap my mind around the fact that people are left with a bad taste in their mouth when they think of travelling to this part of the world.  Unfortunately, due to the unrest in the area over the past 6 months, many travellers are staying away, and it’s sad to see the people here struggle to make ends meet without tourism.  Sorry, but you have to be mental if you second guess a trip out here, not only are you missing a fabulous, colourful country, you are also missing a great opportunity to experience all the beauty with less tourists.  I say this with a lot of sadness, knowing that our funds are dwindling and all I want to do is go see more and more and more.  UGH.  If you have an interest, come to Jordan- I promise you will not forget it.
Now that I have that little rant off my chest, I would like to share part of the tail end of our road trip.  We had some amazing, once in a lifetime experiences in the south of Jordan- here are a few pictures…..

So readers…you will have to get used to seeing desert pictures- all the time.  It sucks because the desert doesn’t really lend itself to photos, it looks flat and boring when in fact Dan and I have seen some of the most beautiful landscapes in our lives out here in Jordan.  This is a shot of Mukawir Fortress, way off on the top of the hill, taken just before we left to hike to the top to see the ruins.

Half way up- I took this photo to help capture the feeling I was having…. I had flies buzzing around me, I was drying up and I was bound to roast to death and get eaten by vultures in the middle of the desert.  Have I mentioned that I dislike hiking? :)

Actually, I have come to realize that I enjoy hiking when I have a sweet reward at the end- like cool caves, awesome ruins and a great story.  We went to Mukawir because it was the famed sight of St. John the Baptists beheading and it was said to have happened in one of the caves on the side of the mountain.  Gruesome.

A picture of Dan and I at the ‘ Grand Canyon’ of Jordan.

So, after hiking to historic sights and stopping for sweet mint tea, we eventually got to the Dana Nature Reserve.  There we stayed overnight in a Bedouin style tent before waking up early for a self guided trek through the park.   This shot was taken at the beginning of our hike, after asking for directions from a Bedouin man who worked at our Guest house.  Here’s what he said..
“ Follow the trail to the Poplar Trees, walk past the juniper trees to the olive trees.  Then take the path down where the sun meets the mountain.”
Um…OK.  Needless to say, we got lost.  His directions we in fact quite precise, what did us in was the criss-crossing of shepherd, goat, donkey and camel trails that are the same width as the foot paths we were meant to follow.  It didn’t go well.

Getting lost in a huge canyon isn’t at all scary.  We totally kept our cool the entire time.

After our hike through the reserve, we packed our things and headed for the town that borders Petra.  On our way I read about Shobak Castle and thought we should stop off.  Our guide book had mentioned that the castle boasted a secret passageway leading underground and out of the castle.  Knowing that Dan loves caves, I suggested we check it out.  Shit, I had no idea what we were in for.

We decided to check out the secret escape route first and we soon found out that the author of our guide book did not go down, because if they did they would have warned us of the danger.  I can say now that I am happy I did it without crying but as the so called ‘375 steps’ turned into a a steep, smooth, sand covered ramp, I didn’t know if I would make it out alive.  It sounds dramatic but I swear it was… I cursed my choice of foot wear- sandals, as I gripped the wall for dear life knowing full well that if I slipped I could possibly slide into the dark abyss to my right, to a terrifying, painful death.  Did I mention that I am claustrophobic and I have a weird tendency to slip?   I took the one and only picture I could as we saw light and level ground at the bottom, before we made our way out to the road.

Me climbing, happily- out of the tunnel.  When I popped my head up, a shepherd was walking by with his herd of goats and the look on his face made me giggle.  I’m sure he was asking himself what this random white girl was doing down a dark, dangerous pit of evil.

Cruisin' through the desert in our Skoda

Dan and I have been so busy in Jordan that I have neglected our blog which has resulted in quite the daunting task- to try to sum up our past week here in only a couple posts.
Upon doing some research we soon realized that Jordan is much smaller than we thought.  It takes just over 5 hours to drive from north to south, so we are hard pressed to spend more than 3 weeks here and it’s not for lack of things to see.  Unfortunately, the public transportation is lacking, leaving us very few options when trying to reach the lesser travelled corners of the country.  So, we weighed our options and even though renting a car would be stretching our budget, we decided to do it anyways, a decision that we haven’t regretted.  We have spent the past week driving down breathtaking desert roads and have had the freedom to do what we want, when we want.  Here are some of the highlights from our first few days on the road.

After leaving Amman we found ourselves in the beautiful, mellow city of Madaba.  It was a travellers haven, a place to meet fellow backpackers, eat fantastic cuisine and it provided a great jumping off point for the various sights in central Jordan.  The shot above is of the more traditional Muslim attire.

I love this part of the world because you are always just a few doors down from an authentic old world building, outfitted with carpets, sheesha pipes and lovely Arabic tunes.  A great place to enjoy a cup of sweet mint tea.

OK- this was amazing… Although really hard to take a photo of.  So, if you enjoy mosaics you will love Jordan, in particular Madaba for its abundance of well preserved ancient mosaics.  The one in the photo above is on the floor in St. Georges Church and is an image of the holy land in the time of Christ.  Archaeologists have used this mosaic specifically to help identify many important sights throughout the Middle East.  

Our next stop on our day trip was Mount Nebo and by this point I was beginning to really feel the history that we were seeing.  You see both Dan and I grew up going to church and studying the Bible, so to be in the places that we read about as kids was really surreal and a little hard to grasp.  We actually stood on Mount Nebo, where Moses looked upon the promise land that he himself was forbidden to enter.  He later died there and was buried somewhere in the area.

A picture of the view that Moses himself witnessed so long ago, minus the smog.  From the top of Mount Nebo it is possible to see views of the Dead Sea, Jericho, Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

This is the iconic picture you see when you read anything about  Mount Nebo.  A memorial sculpture of Jesus’ crucifixion.

OK brace yourselves because this was CRAZY.  Dan and I visited the actual site where John the Baptist baptised Jesus.  The area pictured above is believed to be the actual site that the baptism took place.  A few days later Jesus left to begin fasting for 40 days and 40 nights in the nearby wilderness.  Wow!

OK- away from the History and to the oddly exciting Dead Sea!!  Ok, I had the impression that a float in the Dead Sea was something that a person did just for the bragging rights but I loved it.  I still am having a hard time wrapping my mind around how buoyant you actually are.  It would be impossible to drown here- impossible.

A snap of Dan and I enjoying our swim- well float.  I was so excited to dip my whole body in to get all the benefits that the water is supposed to yield but once you really grasp just how salty the water is, the last thing you want is some in your mouth, up you nose or in your eyes.

Seriously, look how Dan is floating- bizarre.  The hardest thing is to stay vertical in the water with out going back or belly up.  It takes absolutely no effort to just lie back and relax.  If only you weren’t petrified of getting water in your eyes- that kinda makes it a little more tense.