What a crazy few days. Leave Cairo 10am Aug 27th. Arrive in Jordan 12pm and drive 3hrs to The Orient Gate Hotel near Petra. Try to convince an Arab speaking man at the front desk that we have a reservation and that it is he who is supposed to tell us how much a room costs and not vice versa. After using dictionary.com to translate our words into Arabic, we agree to settle up when his colleague returns later in the night. We then have an amazing BBQ meal and then have drinks in the Cave Bar, which has been a cave since 1st century BC. We see Petra by night and then leave the hotel at 6am and spend 9hrs hiking around Petra on the 28th. Eat amazing BBQ again and then drive 3hrs back to Amman and get all turned around trying to find our hotel in Amman for the night. We first stopped at McDonalds to use free Wifi but the connection wasn't working. We then asked the manager for directions to the Torwada Hotel and by some stroke of luck were able to go under the correct 3 bridges and stoplights he directed us to. We then took a wrong turn on a roundabout and ended up on a road that left at the top of a 'cliff,' with our hotel being somewhere down on the streets below. We must have asked at least 5 different people where our hotel was and were told at least 5 different things before finally finding the Torwada hotel. Upon arriving though, we were told that we needed our passports in order to see our rooms. It is standard to need passports when checking in to overseas hotels, but it isn't standard to walk around downtown Amman for an hour to find a hotel because they didn't have any directions on their website. In thinking that we weren't going to have to walk very far to find our lodging, we left our passports in the car. So my friend Ben and I walked back up hills and steps to get back to the car (which was no small feat given the 9hrs hiked around Petra earlier in the day) only to then drive around in circles for another hour because we couldn't figure out for the life of us which roads to take to get down off the cliff. Every road we wanted to take, was NO ENTRY. We passed every restaurant and store shop on that cliff at least 3 times before finally making the smart decision to go the wrong way down a one way street to get to a road we hadn't seen over the last hour. That road got us back to where we thought we needed to be and then after a few more wrong turns and some dumb luck we finally made it to the hotel. We then left the hotel at 730am and drove 1hr to Dead Sea on the morning of the 29th. Spent 4hrs there and then drove an hour back to the airport where I then sat for 4hrs before catching my 2hr flight to Istanbul. No issues using the metro to get to the stop where my hostel was located, but then I walked in many different directions, as instructed by the locals, before finally being given the right clues in actually finding my home for the next 2 nights.
So I arrived at 10pm at the Sultan Hostel and just like that, I am back to the grind again. All of the friends, with whom I spent every waking moment over the last 4 months, have now gone their separate ways and I'm on my own again. And just like that, alone (or at least as alone as one can be in a hostel dorm room named Harem with 26 beds). Alone might not be the best way to describe my current state, but at the very least, I am on my again on the road again. I'm not ready for it to be honest with you. It was nice to have my last 4 months planned for me. And while you'd think I'd be ready to be on my own again, having complete control of what I do on a daily basis after being in a relatively controlled environment for the past 4 months, you'd be wrong. What I'm really ready for is something a friend of mine wrote about in her blog recently: routine. She and my friend Scott house sat in Munich recently. They were there for 3 weeks. And while many of us backpack to break out of lifes' routine, it is often the deisre and actually living in a routine for a few weeks that recharges our backpacking batteries. Unfortunately for me, I didn't really schedule any 'routine time' in my travels. My 'routine time' will consist of doing laundry, sending a package home, and catching up on my journal. Hopefully after a day of those thrilling activities I will again have the desire to return to that backpacker mentality.
Ironically, I am hoping to recharge my backpaker batteries in order to tour mosques. Even after all of those early morning wake ups resulting from slightly less than melodic call to prayers, I still want to spend money to see a mosque. It is perhaps the greatest mosque in the world, and one of the reasons to come to Istanbul in the first place, but ironic nonetheless. Although, I do need to thank the Muslim community for illuminating some of their minarets in bright neon lights. It was those illuminated minarets that acted like the sun or north star in helping guide Ben and Me to our hotel in Amman. Had we been staying near a Christian church, we might still be driving around Amman. So thank you, neon green illuminated minarets on the Al Hussein mosque. You're a life saver.
And last but not certainly not least: Petra was the most amazing sight I have ever explored...period (do you still need to put a . after writing the word: period?) I don't like to throw out superlatives, except when I personally do something amazing, but this was the best sight I have ever explored. So move over Egypt, move over Rome, mover over Great Wall of China, move over Angkor Wat. Petra is the best. Let me explain. Were the pyramids and temples of Egypt amazing? Yup, but if you were hungry while at the pyramids of Giza, just walk across a garbage filled street to the Pizza Hut. Was Rome amazing? Yup, but all of their sights now have highways, and high rises around them. As you close your eyes to try and envision what it would have been like to watch gladiators in the Colesseum or live in the Forum, you open them to see cars whizzing by with horns honking. Were Angkor Wat and The Great Wall of China amazing? Yup, but there were loads of tourists who frustrated the photographer in me. To be fair though, without tourists, Angkor Wat, Great Wall and Petra would be on similar levels, but I still think Petra would win. Picture New York City carved out of stone over 2000 years ago. If any of you have ever seen Indiana Hones and The Last Crusade, Petra is featured in that movie. We arrived at 630am, walked the 1.2 miles on a pathway between sandstone walls over 100 feet high which resulted from tectonic plates shifting. As the path ended, we arrived at The Treasury and had the place to ourselves. Not a single soul but for Ben, Lauren, Lucy, and Me. In fact, until about 12pm, I didn't once have to wait to take a picture because of other tourists. We hiked over rocks, walked through valleys, explored tombs, and hiked to viewpoints with sweeping views of the desert below. We were able to totally immerse ourselves in the Petra environment and be in awe of the craftsmanship involved in carving all of these amazing structures out of the red, pink, and purple sandstone native to the area. You could actually envision people living here. The more impressive structures would have been the city center, with all of the other rock dwellings being the suburbs. For those of you in the states, envision the Grand Canyon without the Colorado River and envision the canyon walls having liveable structures carved into them for miles. Truly amazing, and in an equally amazing environment. You could explore for hours and not come across souvenir shops, or at least not notice them because you weren't being hassled to buy like you are at most other sights. If any of you ever go to Petra, go when the temps will be blazing hot and get there early in the morning. You can see the sights in the morning when it is cool, you can avoid tourists, and see most everything before the peak heat of the day. There was something magical about seeing Petra with just the 4 of us, and it is an experience that will forever hold a place in my sightseeing Hall of Fame.
There is some pretty fast internet at this hostel. I will continue to upload pics in order of when they were taken. Still have a few months of Africa pics to upload before the Petra pics, but hopefully in a couple of days, I will be caught up in order to show the rest of Africa and Petra. Cheers.
So I arrived at 10pm at the Sultan Hostel and just like that, I am back to the grind again. All of the friends, with whom I spent every waking moment over the last 4 months, have now gone their separate ways and I'm on my own again. And just like that, alone (or at least as alone as one can be in a hostel dorm room named Harem with 26 beds). Alone might not be the best way to describe my current state, but at the very least, I am on my again on the road again. I'm not ready for it to be honest with you. It was nice to have my last 4 months planned for me. And while you'd think I'd be ready to be on my own again, having complete control of what I do on a daily basis after being in a relatively controlled environment for the past 4 months, you'd be wrong. What I'm really ready for is something a friend of mine wrote about in her blog recently: routine. She and my friend Scott house sat in Munich recently. They were there for 3 weeks. And while many of us backpack to break out of lifes' routine, it is often the deisre and actually living in a routine for a few weeks that recharges our backpacking batteries. Unfortunately for me, I didn't really schedule any 'routine time' in my travels. My 'routine time' will consist of doing laundry, sending a package home, and catching up on my journal. Hopefully after a day of those thrilling activities I will again have the desire to return to that backpacker mentality.
Ironically, I am hoping to recharge my backpaker batteries in order to tour mosques. Even after all of those early morning wake ups resulting from slightly less than melodic call to prayers, I still want to spend money to see a mosque. It is perhaps the greatest mosque in the world, and one of the reasons to come to Istanbul in the first place, but ironic nonetheless. Although, I do need to thank the Muslim community for illuminating some of their minarets in bright neon lights. It was those illuminated minarets that acted like the sun or north star in helping guide Ben and Me to our hotel in Amman. Had we been staying near a Christian church, we might still be driving around Amman. So thank you, neon green illuminated minarets on the Al Hussein mosque. You're a life saver.
And last but not certainly not least: Petra was the most amazing sight I have ever explored...period (do you still need to put a . after writing the word: period?) I don't like to throw out superlatives, except when I personally do something amazing, but this was the best sight I have ever explored. So move over Egypt, move over Rome, mover over Great Wall of China, move over Angkor Wat. Petra is the best. Let me explain. Were the pyramids and temples of Egypt amazing? Yup, but if you were hungry while at the pyramids of Giza, just walk across a garbage filled street to the Pizza Hut. Was Rome amazing? Yup, but all of their sights now have highways, and high rises around them. As you close your eyes to try and envision what it would have been like to watch gladiators in the Colesseum or live in the Forum, you open them to see cars whizzing by with horns honking. Were Angkor Wat and The Great Wall of China amazing? Yup, but there were loads of tourists who frustrated the photographer in me. To be fair though, without tourists, Angkor Wat, Great Wall and Petra would be on similar levels, but I still think Petra would win. Picture New York City carved out of stone over 2000 years ago. If any of you have ever seen Indiana Hones and The Last Crusade, Petra is featured in that movie. We arrived at 630am, walked the 1.2 miles on a pathway between sandstone walls over 100 feet high which resulted from tectonic plates shifting. As the path ended, we arrived at The Treasury and had the place to ourselves. Not a single soul but for Ben, Lauren, Lucy, and Me. In fact, until about 12pm, I didn't once have to wait to take a picture because of other tourists. We hiked over rocks, walked through valleys, explored tombs, and hiked to viewpoints with sweeping views of the desert below. We were able to totally immerse ourselves in the Petra environment and be in awe of the craftsmanship involved in carving all of these amazing structures out of the red, pink, and purple sandstone native to the area. You could actually envision people living here. The more impressive structures would have been the city center, with all of the other rock dwellings being the suburbs. For those of you in the states, envision the Grand Canyon without the Colorado River and envision the canyon walls having liveable structures carved into them for miles. Truly amazing, and in an equally amazing environment. You could explore for hours and not come across souvenir shops, or at least not notice them because you weren't being hassled to buy like you are at most other sights. If any of you ever go to Petra, go when the temps will be blazing hot and get there early in the morning. You can see the sights in the morning when it is cool, you can avoid tourists, and see most everything before the peak heat of the day. There was something magical about seeing Petra with just the 4 of us, and it is an experience that will forever hold a place in my sightseeing Hall of Fame.
There is some pretty fast internet at this hostel. I will continue to upload pics in order of when they were taken. Still have a few months of Africa pics to upload before the Petra pics, but hopefully in a couple of days, I will be caught up in order to show the rest of Africa and Petra. Cheers.
Well, now you're back to setting your own schedule and making all your own plans. I'm sure it's nice having some flexibility but on the other hand you don't have others to travel with. Enjoy this next leg of your trip.
ReplyDeleteHappy Travels
MomG