to the oasis town of Siwa. With plently of date palms and fresh water springs Siwa offers a great insight into mid-desert life, with donkey carts being the main mode of transport. With its fair share of Greco-Roman ruins and its abundance of mosquitos it has to take your mind off the strict conservative muslim ethics that the town's map asks you to respect.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Siwa
We took a 9 hr detour through the desert, close to the Libyan border 
to the oasis town of Siwa. With plently of date palms and fresh water springs Siwa offers a great insight into mid-desert life, with donkey carts being the main mode of transport. With its fair share of Greco-Roman ruins and its abundance of mosquitos it has to take your mind off the strict conservative muslim ethics that the town's map asks you to respect.
to the oasis town of Siwa. With plently of date palms and fresh water springs Siwa offers a great insight into mid-desert life, with donkey carts being the main mode of transport. With its fair share of Greco-Roman ruins and its abundance of mosquitos it has to take your mind off the strict conservative muslim ethics that the town's map asks you to respect.
Alexandria
And so onto the historic city of Alex, established in 332 BC by Alexandra the 
Great. Although nothing much remains of its glorious past (including one of the ancient wonders, the lighthouse of Paros) it has some impressive catacombs, regal colonial buildings, historic coffee shops and the oldest, noisiest tram system we've ever seen. We also stumbled upon a small scale fish market full of charactures more than willing to have their photos taken, even the crab man!
Great. Although nothing much remains of its glorious past (including one of the ancient wonders, the lighthouse of Paros) it has some impressive catacombs, regal colonial buildings, historic coffee shops and the oldest, noisiest tram system we've ever seen. We also stumbled upon a small scale fish market full of charactures more than willing to have their photos taken, even the crab man!
Suez
We hadn't planned to stay in Suez, but after a 7 hr bus trip we 
were ready for a break. Amazingly, our talented 'egg man' at the hotel in Dahab was on our bus and very kindly arranged for us to meet a childhood friend of his who not only found us a decent hotel but also took us out for dinner, showed us around some local businesses and took us to the famous Suez Canal. It was quite 
surreal seeing these huge cargo ships apparently 'floating' through the desert. It was one of those really fun days on the road that is simultaneously totally random and entirely fun. It has also induced a number of kushari cravings.
were ready for a break. Amazingly, our talented 'egg man' at the hotel in Dahab was on our bus and very kindly arranged for us to meet a childhood friend of his who not only found us a decent hotel but also took us out for dinner, showed us around some local businesses and took us to the famous Suez Canal. It was quite 
surreal seeing these huge cargo ships apparently 'floating' through the desert. It was one of those really fun days on the road that is simultaneously totally random and entirely fun. It has also induced a number of kushari cravings.
Egypt - Dahab
After bidding James farewell (well, until we visit him in February, 
anyway) we took the ferry from Aqaba to Nuweiba, Egypt. A quick minibus ride and we were in Dahab, a place we'd planned to visit overnight but ended up staying for 3 days. Ah, it was a little slice of heaven in the part of a trip that has been, shall we say, culinarily limited. Suddenly we were surrounded by pubs, seaside bars, gourmet burger joints and several Thai restaurants (and good ones, I might add). It was a very welcome treat. We mostly ate, drank and planned the rest of our trip.
anyway) we took the ferry from Aqaba to Nuweiba, Egypt. A quick minibus ride and we were in Dahab, a place we'd planned to visit overnight but ended up staying for 3 days. Ah, it was a little slice of heaven in the part of a trip that has been, shall we say, culinarily limited. Suddenly we were surrounded by pubs, seaside bars, gourmet burger joints and several Thai restaurants (and good ones, I might add). It was a very welcome treat. We mostly ate, drank and planned the rest of our trip.
Aqaba
We spent our last few days together in the relatively relaxed city of Aqaba drinking at the local mock-English pub and doing four fabulous dives. The diving there is great - the dive sites only take a few minutes to drive to and are all shore dives which are much, much more relaxing (these were my first shore dives and I loved missing out on all the anxiety of the last minute rush that always happens on boat dives). The water was lovely and warm, the coral was bright and beautiful, the fish were great and we saw our first underwater tank! It was wonderful to get back into diving again and both Phil and I are really looking forward to jumping back in the water in Egypt when we meet up with Si.
We had a fabulous time with James and are missing him loads!!
We had a fabulous time with James and are missing him loads!!
Wadi Rum
Wadi Rum is billed as Jordan's second biggest tourist attraction 
and was described as 'gobsmacking' by a tourist we ran into. While I'm not sure I'd go so far as to crack out 'gobsmacking' it is cool and very beautiful. Not only does it have its fair share of great sand dunes but it also has some beautiful rock formations and some great rock inscriptions. We spent an afternoon rambling around in an ancient 4wd (that makes Big Red look like a sleek new machine) checking out the sights 
and even climbing to the top of dune until we were dropped off at a local 'Bedouin' camp. The Bedouin are a nomadic desert people who have typically survived by herding goats and camels in the desert but now many of them make their money from the tourism. Our camp was brand new - built just 3 day earlier - with basic and comfortable accommodation, especially considering we were in a desert. We got a yummy chicken and potato dinner cooked in a Bedouin oven - a pit dug into the ground and covered with coals and soil.
and was described as 'gobsmacking' by a tourist we ran into. While I'm not sure I'd go so far as to crack out 'gobsmacking' it is cool and very beautiful. Not only does it have its fair share of great sand dunes but it also has some beautiful rock formations and some great rock inscriptions. We spent an afternoon rambling around in an ancient 4wd (that makes Big Red look like a sleek new machine) checking out the sights 
and even climbing to the top of dune until we were dropped off at a local 'Bedouin' camp. The Bedouin are a nomadic desert people who have typically survived by herding goats and camels in the desert but now many of them make their money from the tourism. Our camp was brand new - built just 3 day earlier - with basic and comfortable accommodation, especially considering we were in a desert. We got a yummy chicken and potato dinner cooked in a Bedouin oven - a pit dug into the ground and covered with coals and soil.
Petra
Petra, what can you say? It's as amazing as you think 
it's going to be and so much more. Seeing the Treasury peaking out from between the canyon walls was a thrill each and everytime we approached (made better by gently humming the Indiana Jones theme song).
Petra was built in the 3rd century AD by the Nabateans who carved palaces, temples, tombs, storerooms and stables into the sandstone. And they did an incredible job. What struck all of us was not only how beautiful the site is - and it is incredibly stunning - but
also how big it is. We ended up walking about 5km from the start of the Siq (canyon) to the immense Monastery at the other end. Along the way we checked out loads of palaces, churches (built later), tombs, and the colonnaded street. We climbed up all of the grueling stone steps in the intense heat of the day to see the beautiful and huge Monastery which looks more or less like the Treasury but on a bigger scale without some of the finer detail. 
And, at the end of the day, we walked back through the valleys and past the ruins, enjoying each one for a second (or third) time; it's a place that I think I would never get tired of.
it's going to be and so much more. Seeing the Treasury peaking out from between the canyon walls was a thrill each and everytime we approached (made better by gently humming the Indiana Jones theme song).Petra was built in the 3rd century AD by the Nabateans who carved palaces, temples, tombs, storerooms and stables into the sandstone. And they did an incredible job. What struck all of us was not only how beautiful the site is - and it is incredibly stunning - but
also how big it is. We ended up walking about 5km from the start of the Siq (canyon) to the immense Monastery at the other end. Along the way we checked out loads of palaces, churches (built later), tombs, and the colonnaded street. We climbed up all of the grueling stone steps in the intense heat of the day to see the beautiful and huge Monastery which looks more or less like the Treasury but on a bigger scale without some of the finer detail. 
And, at the end of the day, we walked back through the valleys and past the ruins, enjoying each one for a second (or third) time; it's a place that I think I would never get tired of.
Karak
Karak is one of 
the many Crusader castles built in the 12th century between Aqaba and Turkey. It is the centerpiece of an otherwise friendly, dusty little town. The castle itself is pretty well preserved or reconstructed, with loads of so-called jail cells and an amazing amount of stables. We mere escorted around by an enthusiastic young police officer-cum-guide who showed us the 'VIP jail cell' and the various dining rooms. After our tour and a bit of poking around on 
our own, we all sat down and enjoyed the view and the swifts darting around after insects.
the many Crusader castles built in the 12th century between Aqaba and Turkey. It is the centerpiece of an otherwise friendly, dusty little town. The castle itself is pretty well preserved or reconstructed, with loads of so-called jail cells and an amazing amount of stables. We mere escorted around by an enthusiastic young police officer-cum-guide who showed us the 'VIP jail cell' and the various dining rooms. After our tour and a bit of poking around on 
our own, we all sat down and enjoyed the view and the swifts darting around after insects.
Madaba, Dead Sea
After a few days in
Amman it was nice to escape to the little town of Madaba, home to Jordan's most famous mosaic, which is saying something given the number of mosaics in this part of the world. The mosaic is known as the earliest map of Palestine. It was created in 560 AD and has 157 lables in Greek showing all of the major biblical sites of the Middle East from Egypt to 
Palestine. Though not that much of it remains, it used to be about 20m long and 6m wide.
We used Madaba as a base for a day trip to Mt Nebo where Moses supposedly saw the Promised Land. We caught a taxi right to the top and spent a few minutes looking at the surrounding area sandwiched between groups of religious pilgrims.
A real highlight of our trip through Jordan was our visit to the Dead Sea. Now, on paper I don't
think it sounds like much: hyper-salinated water that makes you float. But there is something unnatural and very fun about the whole experience. It feels a bit more like what I imagine zero-gravity would be like than swimming. We spent about an hour bobbing around super-buyonantly watching other tourists coat themselves with the local black tar-like mud. The only downside of the experience was accidentally getting a few drops of water in the mouth; it tasted like burning.
Amman it was nice to escape to the little town of Madaba, home to Jordan's most famous mosaic, which is saying something given the number of mosaics in this part of the world. The mosaic is known as the earliest map of Palestine. It was created in 560 AD and has 157 lables in Greek showing all of the major biblical sites of the Middle East from Egypt to 
Palestine. Though not that much of it remains, it used to be about 20m long and 6m wide.We used Madaba as a base for a day trip to Mt Nebo where Moses supposedly saw the Promised Land. We caught a taxi right to the top and spent a few minutes looking at the surrounding area sandwiched between groups of religious pilgrims.
A real highlight of our trip through Jordan was our visit to the Dead Sea. Now, on paper I don't
think it sounds like much: hyper-salinated water that makes you float. But there is something unnatural and very fun about the whole experience. It feels a bit more like what I imagine zero-gravity would be like than swimming. We spent about an hour bobbing around super-buyonantly watching other tourists coat themselves with the local black tar-like mud. The only downside of the experience was accidentally getting a few drops of water in the mouth; it tasted like burning.
Jordan - Amman
Amman is the 'modern' capital of Jordan and where we met James for our two week 
Jordanian adventure. While Amman won't win any beauty prizes it was a nice enough place to spend a few days. Besides having two (two!) places that serve sweet, delicious beer, Amman is also home to a few cultural sites.
We hiked up the hot, endless steps to the citadel which not only had some excellent ruins but also gave great views of the city. As an extra bonus, we also got to listen to the awesome sounds of an Arabic bagpipe band and saw some of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
We also visited the local Roman theater that was built in the 2nd century AD.
The excellent ruins of
Jerash are about an hour North of Amman. Jerash is a huge and beautifully preserved site of a Roman city. All the usual 'ruined Roman city' sites of interest where here, the theatre, the forum, the (impressive) main gate, the nymphaeum (I wish fountains where still referred to as nymphaeums) and the many columned temples. Alas, most of the columns had succomed to their sesmic nemisis: 
the earthquake. Another impressive addition in Jerash was the hippodrome, but just as you're always in a whale-watching area out of season, we were here on the only day of the week that the reinactment of the chariot races weren't racing. Neither was the 'Gladiator' show 
showing which would have been hilarious.
We finished off the day by taking a trip up to the awesome Ajloun castle.
Jordanian adventure. While Amman won't win any beauty prizes it was a nice enough place to spend a few days. Besides having two (two!) places that serve sweet, delicious beer, Amman is also home to a few cultural sites.
We hiked up the hot, endless steps to the citadel which not only had some excellent ruins but also gave great views of the city. As an extra bonus, we also got to listen to the awesome sounds of an Arabic bagpipe band and saw some of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
We also visited the local Roman theater that was built in the 2nd century AD.
The excellent ruins of
Jerash are about an hour North of Amman. Jerash is a huge and beautifully preserved site of a Roman city. All the usual 'ruined Roman city' sites of interest where here, the theatre, the forum, the (impressive) main gate, the nymphaeum (I wish fountains where still referred to as nymphaeums) and the many columned temples. Alas, most of the columns had succomed to their sesmic nemisis: 
the earthquake. Another impressive addition in Jerash was the hippodrome, but just as you're always in a whale-watching area out of season, we were here on the only day of the week that the reinactment of the chariot races weren't racing. Neither was the 'Gladiator' show 
showing which would have been hilarious.We finished off the day by taking a trip up to the awesome Ajloun castle.
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