Hello everyone!
It's been a very eventful time since we've arrived in Lebanon with a few strange, wonderful, and scary experiences.
After arriving here in Lebanon, we spent three fairly ordinary days in Tripoli exploring northern Lebanon. There's a great souk (market) there where we saw how soap has been made for hundreds of years and they gave us free samples: "just try the jasmine! you'll love it...better than Body Shop"...which the soap might be if it didn't make me itch for two days afterwards. We also made a day-trip to the famed Cedars of Lebanon which were very nice and in an extremely scenic location but I'm not sure if I would want to relive the climbing 4km in flip-flops again.
The real excitement of Lebanon happens in Beirut of course. It's such a metropolitan, fun city where you can walk down the most modern street with glass and polished steel cafes and shops, turn a corner and see a building completely gutted with bullet holes and mortar attacks from the country's fifteen year civil war and problems with Israel. There's an uneasy peace here between the Christians and Muslims after having just forced out the Syrian army (that was "protecting Lebanon" a few months ago.
Our first morning in Beirut, we had planned to take a day-trip to Baalbek and then come back, get changed, and head out to experience Beirut's famed nightlife - centered around Rue Monot - an area with tons of bars, nightclubs, and restaurants. Baalbek is about two hours outside of Beirut and definitely one of the finest Roman ruins...a temple that's absolutely giant - definitely awe-inspiring and well worth the visit. While wandering the ruins, we also heard quite a bit of celebratory fireworks and what sounded to us like automatic gunfire in the distance. Baalbek is ALSO famous because it's the stronghold of the Hezbollah - a militant group dedicated to defending the country from Israel and other zionist supporting countries (like the US) - and classified by our government as a terrorist organization. Locally, it's a political organization that has a lot of support in the area...as we saw in the Hezbollah Museum in Baalbek - displaying their mission as well as the belongings, badges, and guns of about twenty of their "martyrs" that died for the cause. For me it was a little scary and Deanna and I decided to be Canadian again for the time being.
As we waited for the bus back, we met a Muslim family that split time between a village near Baalbek and Beirut. Our main translator was a very smart girl of 17 named Taagreed. They were SO nice to us and asked if we'd like to come to a party that evening in Beirut. Thinking that it would be a great way to experience something new, we readily agreed. It turns out that the party was the pre-event for a wedding the next day and was for women only. So instead of the party, I stayed with the uncle and brother-in-law...neither of whom spoke any English...and sat smoking the water-pipe with the neighbors...who also did not speak English. It was a long night, but the family was friendly and I took my part as the favorite visiting deaf-mute. What I did manage to figure out was that it was a very Hezbollah friendly part of Beirut and the Hezbollah does not encourage grown men wearing shorts...which of course I was wearing.
After the party (read Deanna's VERY interesting account of everything at www.offandaway.blogspot.com), we found out that Rue Monot (where we were supposed to have gone out that night) had suffered a car bomb explosion - theoretically timed to the day Condoleeza Rice was visiting Beirut. No one was killed, but when we went the next day we saw that all of the buildings on one intersection had been damaged with virtually every pane of glass on one-side of the street destroyed, I realized how lucky we were to not have been in the area. It's a bit ironic that while I was worried about hanging out in a Hezbollah friendly area of the city, that's what ultimately kept us safe.
SO...we went back the following night (because they liked us and also wanted to have an outing where we all (re: me) could participate). We rounded up the family and headed out to Fantasy World themepark...basically where all the traveling carnival equipment that's deemed unsafe goes to die. The family is SO hospitable that we just didn't want to disappoint them in any way...and therefore I found myself riding the tilt-o-whirl, swinging in a pirate ship, crashing bumper cars with a head-scarved 16-year old passenger, getting on and falling off the mechanical bull in quick succession, buying a balloon from an Arabic tele-tubbie for a tempermental but very cute three year old, and generally having a much better time than I'm willing to admit.
And...because the Lebanese are such incredible hosts (and very, very insistent), we found ourselves invited to spend a few nights at their family home in Nahle...near Baalbek where we had met Taagreed originally. Coming from a small family spread out over two countries, it was quite a different experience for me...I think we met no less than 50 people over the course of two days. We were paraded around the town, shown off to family members and strangers alike, fed 8 times aday, and taken to every local sight one might imagine. They were just so insistently nice that at times it got to be too much and I wanted to kill myself. I did rediscover the art of pretending to eat and then finding potted plants or windows to dispose of certain yogurt based foods I just could NOT stomach. I also had to put aside my cultural upbringing and learn to kiss men on the cheek multiple times in succession...and not to touch the women at all...not even shaking hands.
It was fascinating to get into the world of a small-town Muslim family...to see how important family is in all aspects of life, to see that each individual (or family) really decides his or herself upon how "religious" they will be - whether or not they prey, whether the girls cover their hair or not, whether to go to the mosque, etc... The other area where Deanna and I both got a little bit of insight was how the separation of marriageable boys and girls can lead to some rash decision-making.
One of the girls we spent a lot of time with was a 16-year old named Mouna. She didn't speak English very well, so I had fairly limited conversation with her but had spent a fair bit of time in her presence with Taagreed and Deanna. The day before we were leaving, I got a lot of questions from other women in the family whether I had a girlfriend, whether I had thought about staying in Lebanon, etc... That night Mouna gave me a flower, her picture, and a note written inside a Valentine's card. Basically she said many nice things and that she had a "big love" for me, that she had known as soon as we met, and not to ever forget her because she would never forget me. Honestly, I didn't know how to react. The things running through my head were:
1. She's 16.
2. I've never seen her without a headscarf.
3. She doesn't speak English. I don't speak Arabic.
4. She thinks I'm Canadien.
5. She's a devout Muslim. I don't believe in God.
6. She's 16.
Mouna is certainly a great girl (and I think "girl" is the right term here) and I do not wish to demean her with this account of events, but it was just so surreal. I think there's a real tendency to "jump" into things here because the sexes don't get to interact that much, rarely get to choose a partner...or get a very limited pool of candidates. From a family perspective, it may also have a little bit to do with getting a Greencard - we had some discussions earlier in the visit about what it takes to get visas to Canada (like I know?) starting with "say for example you married Mouna or Taagreed...".
I took Mouna aside later and explained to her while I was very flattered, there were just too many differences and issues, but any guy would be lucky to marry her. The next morning, I had to say all the same things to her sister since Mouna had understood perhaps 15% of what I said. Needless to say, I was pretty relieved when we got on the bus to Beirut. NOTE: Deanna has a great story that makes this one look completely trivial...read her blog...seriously.
So...back in Beirut and enjoying the nightlife that's a lot like LA in spots. We met a great bartender/future bar owner/potential partner who's showed us around the scene. I'm thinking about investing in a bar here...seems like a lot of potential for a place that's awakening from 30 years of civil war and Syria 'occupation'.
Hope everyone is well!
Friday, July 29, 2005
Monday, July 18, 2005
07/18/2005: Inside the axis of evil
Hello everyone -
Crossing the border from Jordan to Syria was a bit of a worry. In addition to the fact that it was SYRIA, we had also heard some stories about how having any evidence of an Israeli visit would earn you an immediate rejection at the border. So...the night before we had to throw away all our entrance tickets, newspapers, make sure to change all our Israeli money and also refrain from bookmarking or writing comments in the Israel section of our guidebooks - apparently they've checked in the past. Since I've collected money from each country we've visited, I hid a sheckel deep inside my bag and also took the slip of paper they stamped at the border (in lieu of stamping our passports) and hid it inside my shoe. I felt completely ridiculous, but better safe then sorry. I shouldn't have worried. Little did I realize that as we rode over the border (in a taxi with two local gentlemen who knew how things worked and happened to buy FAR more duty-free than they were allowed to take over the border) that instead of dealing with all the hassles of customs and waiting in a line, why not instead just drive to the front, slip the guard some extra cash and breeze on through? The extent of our "check" was the guard opening the trunk, grunting, and waving us through. Gotta love it.
Damascus is a wonderful city. Aside from the propaganda in the newspaper (headlines to the effect of: "US sponsors terror groups in Israel"), people have generally been friendly and we have not been hiding the fact that we're American. We did have a negative experience at the visa office "yes...I know a re-entry visa is expensive, but it's also very expensive and difficult for us to visit America"...case closed.
We paid a visit to an Ummayad Mosque which is the most beautiful mosque I've visited so far. The detail on the walls was absolutely gorgeous and there is a very real sense of serenity within the courtyard - but the real treat was that if you weren't dressed "appropriately" for the mosque (including head covering for women) they gave you a robe to wear over your clothes. I swear the brown robes with hoods looked exactly like Jedi robes so I had the weird feeling of being in a holy place with a bunch of Jedi walking around. And yes...I am taking my medication.
From Damascus, we went to the ancient Roman city of Palmyra and to be honest, it paled in comparison to Jerash in Jordan (mainly because it hadn't been restored). There's nothing like that empty feeling of "that's it?" after traveling for 5 hours on the hottest bus through the desert in 107 degree heat. We left the next morning and took a beeline to the Mediterranean Coast at Tartus.
In Tartus, we happened to sit at a restaurant whose owner heard we were from California and then called his friend - a Lebanese man who had lived in LA years before - to meet us and chat. Sam was an extremely friendly guy who spoke Arabic and English. The restaurant owner(Ghazi) spoke only Arabic and French. Deanna speaks English and French. I, shamefully, only speak English. It was an interesting "conversation" to say the least. But it did showcase for me the famed Middle Eastern hospitality. From our chance meeting and exchanging a few hours conversation, we ended up with:
a. arrangements (transport) to visit a famous Crusader castle where Ghazi would call the driver every two hours to make sure we were okay, and insist that we stop by for a lemonade when we return.
b. dinner at Sam's house (a very imposing modern castle with terraced garden and view over the valley)
c. an invitation to stay at Sam's house rather than book a hotel
d. an invitation to travel to Damascus and stay in Ghazi's villa for a few days
e. a ride across the border into Lebanon - in a nice Mercedes rather than our normal transport of buses manufactured before 1970
Just amazingly nice people...we actually did take a ride to Lebanon with Sam and his brother, and it's COMPLETELY different to cross the border with people that are important and friends with all the borderfolks. First of all, customs checks were pretty much non-existent. Secondly, instead of waiting in any line (not for important people apparently) we walked into the border patrol chief's office and were served coffee while Sam chatted with the gentlemen. In the meantime, someone came and collected our passports and took them for processing. And when we were getting dropped off at our hotel in Tripoli, Sam and his brother took us to a great breakfast and then apologized that they couldn't introduce us to a friend that could show us about Tripoli. Just great folks...but it was also a bit of a relief to be back on our own.
Okay...sorry for ramblings and I hope everyone is doing well. More on Lebanon after I experience the place a bit!
Crossing the border from Jordan to Syria was a bit of a worry. In addition to the fact that it was SYRIA, we had also heard some stories about how having any evidence of an Israeli visit would earn you an immediate rejection at the border. So...the night before we had to throw away all our entrance tickets, newspapers, make sure to change all our Israeli money and also refrain from bookmarking or writing comments in the Israel section of our guidebooks - apparently they've checked in the past. Since I've collected money from each country we've visited, I hid a sheckel deep inside my bag and also took the slip of paper they stamped at the border (in lieu of stamping our passports) and hid it inside my shoe. I felt completely ridiculous, but better safe then sorry. I shouldn't have worried. Little did I realize that as we rode over the border (in a taxi with two local gentlemen who knew how things worked and happened to buy FAR more duty-free than they were allowed to take over the border) that instead of dealing with all the hassles of customs and waiting in a line, why not instead just drive to the front, slip the guard some extra cash and breeze on through? The extent of our "check" was the guard opening the trunk, grunting, and waving us through. Gotta love it.
Damascus is a wonderful city. Aside from the propaganda in the newspaper (headlines to the effect of: "US sponsors terror groups in Israel"), people have generally been friendly and we have not been hiding the fact that we're American. We did have a negative experience at the visa office "yes...I know a re-entry visa is expensive, but it's also very expensive and difficult for us to visit America"...case closed.
We paid a visit to an Ummayad Mosque which is the most beautiful mosque I've visited so far. The detail on the walls was absolutely gorgeous and there is a very real sense of serenity within the courtyard - but the real treat was that if you weren't dressed "appropriately" for the mosque (including head covering for women) they gave you a robe to wear over your clothes. I swear the brown robes with hoods looked exactly like Jedi robes so I had the weird feeling of being in a holy place with a bunch of Jedi walking around. And yes...I am taking my medication.
From Damascus, we went to the ancient Roman city of Palmyra and to be honest, it paled in comparison to Jerash in Jordan (mainly because it hadn't been restored). There's nothing like that empty feeling of "that's it?" after traveling for 5 hours on the hottest bus through the desert in 107 degree heat. We left the next morning and took a beeline to the Mediterranean Coast at Tartus.
In Tartus, we happened to sit at a restaurant whose owner heard we were from California and then called his friend - a Lebanese man who had lived in LA years before - to meet us and chat. Sam was an extremely friendly guy who spoke Arabic and English. The restaurant owner(Ghazi) spoke only Arabic and French. Deanna speaks English and French. I, shamefully, only speak English. It was an interesting "conversation" to say the least. But it did showcase for me the famed Middle Eastern hospitality. From our chance meeting and exchanging a few hours conversation, we ended up with:
a. arrangements (transport) to visit a famous Crusader castle where Ghazi would call the driver every two hours to make sure we were okay, and insist that we stop by for a lemonade when we return.
b. dinner at Sam's house (a very imposing modern castle with terraced garden and view over the valley)
c. an invitation to stay at Sam's house rather than book a hotel
d. an invitation to travel to Damascus and stay in Ghazi's villa for a few days
e. a ride across the border into Lebanon - in a nice Mercedes rather than our normal transport of buses manufactured before 1970
Just amazingly nice people...we actually did take a ride to Lebanon with Sam and his brother, and it's COMPLETELY different to cross the border with people that are important and friends with all the borderfolks. First of all, customs checks were pretty much non-existent. Secondly, instead of waiting in any line (not for important people apparently) we walked into the border patrol chief's office and were served coffee while Sam chatted with the gentlemen. In the meantime, someone came and collected our passports and took them for processing. And when we were getting dropped off at our hotel in Tripoli, Sam and his brother took us to a great breakfast and then apologized that they couldn't introduce us to a friend that could show us about Tripoli. Just great folks...but it was also a bit of a relief to be back on our own.
Okay...sorry for ramblings and I hope everyone is doing well. More on Lebanon after I experience the place a bit!
Sunday, July 10, 2005
07/10/2005: Jerusalem!
Hello everyone, we're back in Jordan now after a quick side-trip into Israel. It was difficult to get there, but well worth it and definitely a highlight of the trip so far.
We made the border crossing at the King Hussein / Allenby Bridge which takes you from Western Jordan to the West Bank (yes that West Bank) in the Palestinian territories. Security was tight and actually less organized than I had imagined...but still very intimidating with every soldier carrying machine guns or an Uzi very casually. After scanning bags through an x-ray machine, they searched just about every single person's bag. For me, I got all the dirty laundry, CD's full of photos, boxers, books, and even a little stone statue I bought in Egypt spread out onto a table and swabbed for traces of explosive materials. It was a bit embarrasing as I hadn't done laundry in awhile...
From there, it was on to the passport check - where I was asked by an Israeli border officer about the presence of a Syrian visa in my passport, what my plans were in Israel, how long I had been traveling, and for what purpose. From what others tell me, we got off pretty light on the questioning, and it was less intimidating because the border officer was very cute... They only allowed us a 7-day visa as opposed to the normal 3-month visa...but at least they let us in. Overall, the process took about 4-hours.
The bus ride through the West Bank was very uneventful, but the rudimentary housing and lack of development made me very present to the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. A gentlemen we had met told us to enjoy Jerusalem - while we could get in easily, he could not as the Palestinians in the West Bank are not allowed into Jerusalem. No easy answers here.
For me, walking into the Old City in Jerusalem was like entering a living storybook of all the images, names, places that I've heard of but never seen. I am awed by the sense of all that's happened here and the fact that just about every street has something that's holy to someone. On the same street you can see Hasidic Jews with men in their black suits and distinctive hats and women with covered hair, elbows, and knees, a church group from the United States, Eastern Orthodox priests in their black cassocks, a group of nuns in full habit, Muslim women covered with head-scarves, and police and army in and out of uniform.
It is easy to see why this has been the most contested city on earth over the centuries. There's just so much that's important to all the different religions in the same place. On the same morning, Deanna and I visited the Temple Mount, Wailing Wall, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Temple Mount is the 3rd most holy site in the Islamic faith (after Mecca and Medina) - where Mohammed ascended to heaven. The Wailing Wall is the last remnant of the first and second Jewish temples (where Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son) and the holiest Jewish site in the world. You can see many of the Hasidim (orthodox jews) praying with head against the wall and stuffing notes in the cracks of the wall as there is a belief it is a direct communication with God. The Church of the Holy Sepuchre is at the end of the path through the city Jesus walked to his crucification.
All of which is in stark contrast with West Jerusalem - a very hip, fun, ultra-modern place. Bars, restaurants, shops with pumping techno music, Israeli girls and guys in tight clothes wearing mp3 players and talking on their cellphones. We ventured to the New City with a great Kiwi guy we met crossing the border and a girl from Atlanta visiting Israel and proceeded to the "King of Shwarma" for one of the best meals I've had in awhile and followed it up by a visit to a local wateringhole. A very fun evening. We've met a lot of great people in Jerusalem, including quite a few that are immigrating to Israel or voluntarily entering the military here because they believe in the cause. Something I'm not sure I understand, but I wish them the best.
From Jerusalem, we headed back into Jordan for a few day-trips based in Amman. First, we took the obligatory trip to the Dead Sea. At 400 meters below sea level, it's the lowest spot on earth with 30% salt content (the ocean, by comparison is 3%). And of course tried to walk on the water (you can't), take pictures with all four limbs and head sticking high out of the water (you can), swim around (which we did but learned the hard way leads to 30% salt water in your eyes and mouth -disgusting), and rub mud on ourselves (theoretically theraputic but definitely oily, oily, oily). The real treat was seeing fully-clothed local women doing the same things.
A second day-trip from Amman brought us to Jerash - a well-restored ancient Roman city which (being the historically challenged individual that I am) brought back images from Gladiator and all great Roman movies past. The great thing about this ruin in contrast to the others I've seen (like in Rome) was that the entire city was still there and unblemished with modern structures built in. We stood between the colonnade in the cardo (main thoroughfare) and as I looked around I could see the hippodrome, temple of Zeus, an amphitheater, public fountain (nymphaeum), baths, and a huge temple to worship Artemis. Basically 360 degrees of Roman ruin views...very cool if you're into Roman history. Not so cool...taking a mini-bus to a bus to a mini-bus to a service taxi and walking the last bit to get back home. Somehow "getting there" and "getting back" seem to never be the same path in reverse here...or the same cost.
Okay, tomorrow we're off to Syria. We've registered with the state department website and hidden all of our Israeli money. If I don't write again within the next three weeks or so, send in George and the boys. Just tell them there might be oil near Damascus.
We made the border crossing at the King Hussein / Allenby Bridge which takes you from Western Jordan to the West Bank (yes that West Bank) in the Palestinian territories. Security was tight and actually less organized than I had imagined...but still very intimidating with every soldier carrying machine guns or an Uzi very casually. After scanning bags through an x-ray machine, they searched just about every single person's bag. For me, I got all the dirty laundry, CD's full of photos, boxers, books, and even a little stone statue I bought in Egypt spread out onto a table and swabbed for traces of explosive materials. It was a bit embarrasing as I hadn't done laundry in awhile...
From there, it was on to the passport check - where I was asked by an Israeli border officer about the presence of a Syrian visa in my passport, what my plans were in Israel, how long I had been traveling, and for what purpose. From what others tell me, we got off pretty light on the questioning, and it was less intimidating because the border officer was very cute... They only allowed us a 7-day visa as opposed to the normal 3-month visa...but at least they let us in. Overall, the process took about 4-hours.
The bus ride through the West Bank was very uneventful, but the rudimentary housing and lack of development made me very present to the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. A gentlemen we had met told us to enjoy Jerusalem - while we could get in easily, he could not as the Palestinians in the West Bank are not allowed into Jerusalem. No easy answers here.
For me, walking into the Old City in Jerusalem was like entering a living storybook of all the images, names, places that I've heard of but never seen. I am awed by the sense of all that's happened here and the fact that just about every street has something that's holy to someone. On the same street you can see Hasidic Jews with men in their black suits and distinctive hats and women with covered hair, elbows, and knees, a church group from the United States, Eastern Orthodox priests in their black cassocks, a group of nuns in full habit, Muslim women covered with head-scarves, and police and army in and out of uniform.
It is easy to see why this has been the most contested city on earth over the centuries. There's just so much that's important to all the different religions in the same place. On the same morning, Deanna and I visited the Temple Mount, Wailing Wall, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Temple Mount is the 3rd most holy site in the Islamic faith (after Mecca and Medina) - where Mohammed ascended to heaven. The Wailing Wall is the last remnant of the first and second Jewish temples (where Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son) and the holiest Jewish site in the world. You can see many of the Hasidim (orthodox jews) praying with head against the wall and stuffing notes in the cracks of the wall as there is a belief it is a direct communication with God. The Church of the Holy Sepuchre is at the end of the path through the city Jesus walked to his crucification.
All of which is in stark contrast with West Jerusalem - a very hip, fun, ultra-modern place. Bars, restaurants, shops with pumping techno music, Israeli girls and guys in tight clothes wearing mp3 players and talking on their cellphones. We ventured to the New City with a great Kiwi guy we met crossing the border and a girl from Atlanta visiting Israel and proceeded to the "King of Shwarma" for one of the best meals I've had in awhile and followed it up by a visit to a local wateringhole. A very fun evening. We've met a lot of great people in Jerusalem, including quite a few that are immigrating to Israel or voluntarily entering the military here because they believe in the cause. Something I'm not sure I understand, but I wish them the best.
From Jerusalem, we headed back into Jordan for a few day-trips based in Amman. First, we took the obligatory trip to the Dead Sea. At 400 meters below sea level, it's the lowest spot on earth with 30% salt content (the ocean, by comparison is 3%). And of course tried to walk on the water (you can't), take pictures with all four limbs and head sticking high out of the water (you can), swim around (which we did but learned the hard way leads to 30% salt water in your eyes and mouth -disgusting), and rub mud on ourselves (theoretically theraputic but definitely oily, oily, oily). The real treat was seeing fully-clothed local women doing the same things.
A second day-trip from Amman brought us to Jerash - a well-restored ancient Roman city which (being the historically challenged individual that I am) brought back images from Gladiator and all great Roman movies past. The great thing about this ruin in contrast to the others I've seen (like in Rome) was that the entire city was still there and unblemished with modern structures built in. We stood between the colonnade in the cardo (main thoroughfare) and as I looked around I could see the hippodrome, temple of Zeus, an amphitheater, public fountain (nymphaeum), baths, and a huge temple to worship Artemis. Basically 360 degrees of Roman ruin views...very cool if you're into Roman history. Not so cool...taking a mini-bus to a bus to a mini-bus to a service taxi and walking the last bit to get back home. Somehow "getting there" and "getting back" seem to never be the same path in reverse here...or the same cost.
Okay, tomorrow we're off to Syria. We've registered with the state department website and hidden all of our Israeli money. If I don't write again within the next three weeks or so, send in George and the boys. Just tell them there might be oil near Damascus.
Saturday, July 02, 2005
07/02/2005: Following the great names of history
Hi everyone!
When last I wrote we had just seen all the sights of Pharonic Egypt in Luxor and Aswan. From there we transported forward about 2000 years (and still to only 330 BC or so) and visited the Siwa Oasis in the middle of the Great Sea of Sand near the Egyptian/Libyan border. In Siwa, there is a famous Oracle that Alexander the Great reportedly visited to ask whether he was truly the descendant of God. Alexander also founded the city of...what else...Alexandria on the Mediterranean coast. Siwa, although a town of no more than 2000 people (and at least 4000 donkeys), also played host to Cleopatra (who apparently bathed in a cold spring nearby). More recently, the city has been inhabited by Bedouins. One incredible sight was the the "mud fort" built in the middle of the town...it's quite large and was literally washed away by the last torrential downpour. As you climb the fort sight you can see the remaning walls and windows made of quite solid dry mud...but looking misformed as it had melted into it's current form. Very cool. The other wonderful thing about Siwa was the view from the top of this fort...you could actually look out on all sides and see a (for the most part) green circle of vegetation and palm trees where the "oasis" exists. Outside of this circle was a great white and blue colored salt lake on one side, sand as far as the eye could see and dark mountains in the distance set off with a very blue sky.
From Siwa, we stopped off in Alexandria - where we wandered around the city lost (using our "guide" book to find two bars/restaurants that had been closed for some time), but got to enjoy a truly non-touristic Egyptian experience - mostly because there's nothing to do in the city. While we sat at a beachside cafe, Deanna did make the sighting of the trip - a women in full cloak and veil (completely covered) cavorting in the water with her friends (who were more liberally dressed in full cloak and head-scarf). Deanna claims that she actually dived underwater and came out with full outfit intact...what a different way of life.
From Alexandria, we made a very long, very difficult trek to the Sinai peninsula. First, we bought tickets on the train - so didn't actually have seats. Instead we squatted in the area between cars and were able to do an exhaustive survey of the different techniques of lighting cigarettes, inhaling, blowing out the smoke, etc... I may write a paper when I get back. From there, we caught a bus that let us on the vehicle, drove two blocks, and then waited two hours before leaving. We had our passports checked at least 5 times, our tickets checked 4 times (separate from passport checks), and arrived four hours behind schedule. And then we got to wake up at 2:30 am to hike up Mt. Sinai.
The climb starts at St. Katherine's Monastery...where THE burning bush is reputed to be (we couldn't verify given it was Sunday and the monastery was closed to visitors). We hiked two hours up the "easy camel path" to view sunrise from the place where Moses received the ten commandments from God. It wasn't "easy" by any means, especially as we were so tired - but it was easier than the way down (which are named the "Steps of Repentance" - perhaps for those who climb them). These "steps" were more like rock-climbing holds in some places and by the time we came down, I had a whole new appreciation for Moses carrying down two heavy stone tablets with the commandments (or if you are to believe the Simpson's version - only losing one tablet of the "15 commandments" on the way down). Side note: the flies in St. Katherine's have to be the worst I've ever experienced.
From St. Katherine's, we traveled to Dahab on the east coast of the Sinai peninsula. This is supposed to be one of if not the best scuba spots in the world. I wouldn't know as I don't dive, but we did go snorkeling in the appropriately named "Blue Hole" and it was pretty spectacular. As you swim from the shallow reef, the water all of a sudden drops from 5 meters (or so) to 100 meters deep. It's also called the blue hole because divers have died here in the past being sucked in by going "a little bit deeper".
From Dahab, it was time to take a boat ferry to Jordan...and unbelievably, the travel day was worse than our trip to the Sinai. This 3-hour trip turned into 8+ hours with a 3 1/2 hour departure delay and then the least organized exit from the boat (it took over an hour to get off the boat once it docked). One very cool thing about this ride however, is that as you leave Egypt the portion of the Red Sea you journey through is where Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia sit within 50km of coastline.
In Jordan, we went straight to Petra. For those of you unfamiliar with Petra, it's the part in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where they ride through the "Valley of the Crescent Moon" and then come upon the structure where the Holy Grail is kept. You walk from the visitor center through this narrow ravine cut between two high rock faces and then the face of the Tomb (called the Treasury) just towers in front of you. In this trip so far, it's the single most impressive sight for me...for those of you who ever get the chance to come to Jordan, it's absolutely incredible.
Tomorrow, we leave Amman (the capital of Jordan) to cross the border into Israel and spend three or four days in Jerusalem. I'm very excited and hoping we don't get hassled at the border because of our Syrian visas.
Best to everyone!
When last I wrote we had just seen all the sights of Pharonic Egypt in Luxor and Aswan. From there we transported forward about 2000 years (and still to only 330 BC or so) and visited the Siwa Oasis in the middle of the Great Sea of Sand near the Egyptian/Libyan border. In Siwa, there is a famous Oracle that Alexander the Great reportedly visited to ask whether he was truly the descendant of God. Alexander also founded the city of...what else...Alexandria on the Mediterranean coast. Siwa, although a town of no more than 2000 people (and at least 4000 donkeys), also played host to Cleopatra (who apparently bathed in a cold spring nearby). More recently, the city has been inhabited by Bedouins. One incredible sight was the the "mud fort" built in the middle of the town...it's quite large and was literally washed away by the last torrential downpour. As you climb the fort sight you can see the remaning walls and windows made of quite solid dry mud...but looking misformed as it had melted into it's current form. Very cool. The other wonderful thing about Siwa was the view from the top of this fort...you could actually look out on all sides and see a (for the most part) green circle of vegetation and palm trees where the "oasis" exists. Outside of this circle was a great white and blue colored salt lake on one side, sand as far as the eye could see and dark mountains in the distance set off with a very blue sky.
From Siwa, we stopped off in Alexandria - where we wandered around the city lost (using our "guide" book to find two bars/restaurants that had been closed for some time), but got to enjoy a truly non-touristic Egyptian experience - mostly because there's nothing to do in the city. While we sat at a beachside cafe, Deanna did make the sighting of the trip - a women in full cloak and veil (completely covered) cavorting in the water with her friends (who were more liberally dressed in full cloak and head-scarf). Deanna claims that she actually dived underwater and came out with full outfit intact...what a different way of life.
From Alexandria, we made a very long, very difficult trek to the Sinai peninsula. First, we bought tickets on the train - so didn't actually have seats. Instead we squatted in the area between cars and were able to do an exhaustive survey of the different techniques of lighting cigarettes, inhaling, blowing out the smoke, etc... I may write a paper when I get back. From there, we caught a bus that let us on the vehicle, drove two blocks, and then waited two hours before leaving. We had our passports checked at least 5 times, our tickets checked 4 times (separate from passport checks), and arrived four hours behind schedule. And then we got to wake up at 2:30 am to hike up Mt. Sinai.
The climb starts at St. Katherine's Monastery...where THE burning bush is reputed to be (we couldn't verify given it was Sunday and the monastery was closed to visitors). We hiked two hours up the "easy camel path" to view sunrise from the place where Moses received the ten commandments from God. It wasn't "easy" by any means, especially as we were so tired - but it was easier than the way down (which are named the "Steps of Repentance" - perhaps for those who climb them). These "steps" were more like rock-climbing holds in some places and by the time we came down, I had a whole new appreciation for Moses carrying down two heavy stone tablets with the commandments (or if you are to believe the Simpson's version - only losing one tablet of the "15 commandments" on the way down). Side note: the flies in St. Katherine's have to be the worst I've ever experienced.
From St. Katherine's, we traveled to Dahab on the east coast of the Sinai peninsula. This is supposed to be one of if not the best scuba spots in the world. I wouldn't know as I don't dive, but we did go snorkeling in the appropriately named "Blue Hole" and it was pretty spectacular. As you swim from the shallow reef, the water all of a sudden drops from 5 meters (or so) to 100 meters deep. It's also called the blue hole because divers have died here in the past being sucked in by going "a little bit deeper".
From Dahab, it was time to take a boat ferry to Jordan...and unbelievably, the travel day was worse than our trip to the Sinai. This 3-hour trip turned into 8+ hours with a 3 1/2 hour departure delay and then the least organized exit from the boat (it took over an hour to get off the boat once it docked). One very cool thing about this ride however, is that as you leave Egypt the portion of the Red Sea you journey through is where Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia sit within 50km of coastline.
In Jordan, we went straight to Petra. For those of you unfamiliar with Petra, it's the part in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where they ride through the "Valley of the Crescent Moon" and then come upon the structure where the Holy Grail is kept. You walk from the visitor center through this narrow ravine cut between two high rock faces and then the face of the Tomb (called the Treasury) just towers in front of you. In this trip so far, it's the single most impressive sight for me...for those of you who ever get the chance to come to Jordan, it's absolutely incredible.
Tomorrow, we leave Amman (the capital of Jordan) to cross the border into Israel and spend three or four days in Jerusalem. I'm very excited and hoping we don't get hassled at the border because of our Syrian visas.
Best to everyone!
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