So, Froody has been up and at'em for almost a week now, and that means finally seeing Delhi. It's a big city, of course, and is old enough to have a lot of monuments scattered about.
*Froody gets his IV removed at last.
*View from our rooftop restaurant of Main Bazar in the morning.
*Another morning, this time a procession of sorts. None of the waiters could explain what it was about. There's always something going on, even if it's just one man on a drum walking down the street.
*On a walk around our neighborhood we found a Christian cemetary. It must be very new, as none of the dates on the graves were before 1995.
*OBAMA
*Our first walk through Old Delhi was near the mosque, Jama Masjid.
We walked by the poultry market (or what's left of it), some butchers, breads and pasta, and everything else.
*Froody at a small restaurant on Main Bazar. His tummy was ready for a bit more Indian food!
*Humayan's Tomb is part of a big complex with his tomb and several others, and a couple of mosques. It's also known as the Red Taj Mahal.
*I bought myself a salwar kameez, a very comfy, traditional Indian outfit.
*We also checked out the Bahaia Temple, also called the Lotus Temple. It is very beautiful and very modern.
*The Qutb Minar is a 74m tower erected by the Arabs when they conquered northern India and introduced Islam.
*In Islam, representations of people are not allowed, so the muslims chopped the faces off of many Jain and Hindi temples (and lots of Egyptian temples, too) and used the blocks of a temple in the area to build the first mosque in India.
*The Qutb Minar and Humayan's tomb are made of blocks of red sandstone. Some of the patterns reminded us of Petra.
*We also visited Jama Masjid, the largest mosque in India. The guidebook says that every Friday 30,000 people go to the mosque!
*Imagine tens of thousands of people here, not pigeons.
*Back in the day of Shah Jahar, the women of the royal court would sit here and perform prayer, safe from common, male eyes.
*It's interesting to see the common structures of mosques, be they Indian or Arabic. They all have a place to wash, this one the biggest we've seen, and a mihrab, the niche that faces Mecca.
*This mosque has relics of Mohammed and is made of red sandstone and white marble.
*We climbed a minaret and got some nice views of Old Delhi.
*Here I am about to go down the wrong street as we walk through more of the market place around the mosque.
*Mmmmmm.....lots and lots of colorful fabrics. This is the bridal section of the market where you can buy fabric for your wedding sari.
*A parade for something, but we don't know what!
*In the mornings, people stop and worship at a temple. This includes chanting and ringing a bell.
*We decided to splurge and eat at a revolving restaurant near Connaught Place. It's nice knowing we can spend USD20 on one meal and then USD5 on the next, and still be on budget.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
India: My Thoughts So Far
Just my thoughts and impressions on India so far. The people (ie: men) who work in our hotel are very nice, especially since Froody was sick. They are a good resource and seem to want to offer good services, even referring us to another hotel down the street when we wanted to hire a car.
Hiring a car: That was something I never thought we'd do. It seemed like a very expensive thing to do, but since we wanted to see some sights outside the downtown area hiring a car just seemed the easiest way to do it. We were surprised how cheap it was; only Rs650 (~USD15)for a car and driver for 8 hours. He did a good job, was friendly, suggested a tasty and not too expensive place for lunch, and offered to take us to other places after we were done with our temples. He even told us that if we go to this handicraft emporium he'd get Rs50, which would mean a lot to him and his family, but we didn't have to if we didn't want to. We declined one, but let him take us to another later on.
Different: Obviously, things are done differently here than at home. Like, getting to school. In the mornings and afternoons you'll see these rickshaws full of children going to and from school. That is one hard-working man! Another difference is in all the dogs. They are EVERYWHERE and I think it's lucky that people mostly seem to ignore them, so they don't learn that people are mean and therefore attack you. What's funny about them is that during the day you see them sleeping everywhere, as if their nightlife is so busy that they just crashed where they were. There is a local newspaper printed in English, that's something we haven't seen yet. I found the personals, only here they're called the matrimonials and the ads seem to be written by the family. I think the categories are regional and religious and caste. A lot of the ads include the girl's/boy's age and weight and many include the date of birth and a few include the time. The one requesting brides will also talk about what line of work the father is in. One asked that you reply with a photo, a bio, a horoscope, and a paragraph. The divorced/widowed section is very small and will describe the person as "issueless."
Tired: I'm done. I told Froody that I was done with 5 months of in-your-face poverty. I'm tired of seeing people peeing in the streets, watching I don't step in poop (animal and human), minding the stray dogs and cats, and ignoring the beggars. It's not that I really want to go home right now, but my empathy has been played out and I'm not strong enough to handle another 5 months of the same (South East Asia). Each morning I have to brace myself for the stink, the filth, and the poverty I'm going to see as soon as I leave the hotel. I need a break.
Life: Life is lived in the streets of Delhi. All kinds of life! People, dogs, cats, monkeys, parrots, pigeons, hawks, oxen, goats, horses, cows, calves, can all be seen in the streets. Also, all kinds of living! You see people excreting every kind of bodily fluid. I saw a young girl just puke out the window of a crowded bus as it rolled to a halt right next to me. And the men spit everything everywhere. You see poor men sleeping on the sidewalks and everyone just steps around them. I've seen older boys bathing in the street- yes, all lathered up in soap with a cloth around their waists. I've seen women working in construction, mainly with a pick-axe or shovel, digging holes as their small children play nearby. You seen people eating, drinking chai, getting a shave, right on the streets. There's men asking my husband if he wants his ears cleaned, their implements sticking out of dirty red turbans.
You can't help but be a witness to life in India.
Hiring a car: That was something I never thought we'd do. It seemed like a very expensive thing to do, but since we wanted to see some sights outside the downtown area hiring a car just seemed the easiest way to do it. We were surprised how cheap it was; only Rs650 (~USD15)for a car and driver for 8 hours. He did a good job, was friendly, suggested a tasty and not too expensive place for lunch, and offered to take us to other places after we were done with our temples. He even told us that if we go to this handicraft emporium he'd get Rs50, which would mean a lot to him and his family, but we didn't have to if we didn't want to. We declined one, but let him take us to another later on.
Different: Obviously, things are done differently here than at home. Like, getting to school. In the mornings and afternoons you'll see these rickshaws full of children going to and from school. That is one hard-working man! Another difference is in all the dogs. They are EVERYWHERE and I think it's lucky that people mostly seem to ignore them, so they don't learn that people are mean and therefore attack you. What's funny about them is that during the day you see them sleeping everywhere, as if their nightlife is so busy that they just crashed where they were. There is a local newspaper printed in English, that's something we haven't seen yet. I found the personals, only here they're called the matrimonials and the ads seem to be written by the family. I think the categories are regional and religious and caste. A lot of the ads include the girl's/boy's age and weight and many include the date of birth and a few include the time. The one requesting brides will also talk about what line of work the father is in. One asked that you reply with a photo, a bio, a horoscope, and a paragraph. The divorced/widowed section is very small and will describe the person as "issueless."
Tired: I'm done. I told Froody that I was done with 5 months of in-your-face poverty. I'm tired of seeing people peeing in the streets, watching I don't step in poop (animal and human), minding the stray dogs and cats, and ignoring the beggars. It's not that I really want to go home right now, but my empathy has been played out and I'm not strong enough to handle another 5 months of the same (South East Asia). Each morning I have to brace myself for the stink, the filth, and the poverty I'm going to see as soon as I leave the hotel. I need a break.
Life: Life is lived in the streets of Delhi. All kinds of life! People, dogs, cats, monkeys, parrots, pigeons, hawks, oxen, goats, horses, cows, calves, can all be seen in the streets. Also, all kinds of living! You see people excreting every kind of bodily fluid. I saw a young girl just puke out the window of a crowded bus as it rolled to a halt right next to me. And the men spit everything everywhere. You see poor men sleeping on the sidewalks and everyone just steps around them. I've seen older boys bathing in the street- yes, all lathered up in soap with a cloth around their waists. I've seen women working in construction, mainly with a pick-axe or shovel, digging holes as their small children play nearby. You seen people eating, drinking chai, getting a shave, right on the streets. There's men asking my husband if he wants his ears cleaned, their implements sticking out of dirty red turbans.
You can't help but be a witness to life in India.
Monday, January 19, 2009
The World Is Watching
Really. It is.
Now that Froody is better my mind can focus on other things, like Obama's inauguration. I know that you've probably heard on the news how 12 billion pairs of eyes will be on Obama tomorrow and I'm here to say that that is no lie. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, is happy and hopeful that Barak Obama will be the President of the United States of America.
People in Kenya and Tanzania hope that he will increase aid to Africa. Egyptians and Jordanians hope he will bring peace to the Middle East and change the way America deals with Israel. (Our guide in Karak was very confident that Obama will make big changes for the Middle East, especially since he will "rule America" for 8 years. (That really got me. Ruling America. I don't really see the president as ruling America.)) Indians hope he will help them with Pakistan.
I try to remind all these people, gently, that Obama has to fix America's problems. And we all know that we have some big problems.
I'm writing this after watching an Indian-based news program (ie: not BBC World News nor CNN) covering the pre-inauguration lead-up to the actual inauguration. They were discussing the theme for his inaugural speech and all the security measures. A couple of young men from Delhi happened to score inauguration tickets and the newspaper quoted them as being very excited about it.
America will have it's first black president. Everyone knows that Obama is a black American. Yet, I still get incredulous looks when I say that I am American. "Are you sure you're not Indian? No one in your family is Indian?," is the response I'm getting here. No one seems happy until I've explained my family roots. And I don't think this helps to get them to see me as an American. We met a Belgian who said, "Really? You're so brown." Dude, I am so. totally. an. American.
So, Obama, I have a wish for you, too. While you're out there creating more jobs, making our country greener, and bringing peace to the world, can you remind EVERYONE that not every American is white? Some of us are even brown.
Now that Froody is better my mind can focus on other things, like Obama's inauguration. I know that you've probably heard on the news how 12 billion pairs of eyes will be on Obama tomorrow and I'm here to say that that is no lie. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, is happy and hopeful that Barak Obama will be the President of the United States of America.
People in Kenya and Tanzania hope that he will increase aid to Africa. Egyptians and Jordanians hope he will bring peace to the Middle East and change the way America deals with Israel. (Our guide in Karak was very confident that Obama will make big changes for the Middle East, especially since he will "rule America" for 8 years. (That really got me. Ruling America. I don't really see the president as ruling America.)) Indians hope he will help them with Pakistan.
I try to remind all these people, gently, that Obama has to fix America's problems. And we all know that we have some big problems.
I'm writing this after watching an Indian-based news program (ie: not BBC World News nor CNN) covering the pre-inauguration lead-up to the actual inauguration. They were discussing the theme for his inaugural speech and all the security measures. A couple of young men from Delhi happened to score inauguration tickets and the newspaper quoted them as being very excited about it.
America will have it's first black president. Everyone knows that Obama is a black American. Yet, I still get incredulous looks when I say that I am American. "Are you sure you're not Indian? No one in your family is Indian?," is the response I'm getting here. No one seems happy until I've explained my family roots. And I don't think this helps to get them to see me as an American. We met a Belgian who said, "Really? You're so brown." Dude, I am so. totally. an. American.
So, Obama, I have a wish for you, too. While you're out there creating more jobs, making our country greener, and bringing peace to the world, can you remind EVERYONE that not every American is white? Some of us are even brown.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Froody Is Sick :-(
Yes, Froody is suffering from a little cold. We both get a little sick in each new country, which makes sense since with each move we are exposing ourselves to new viruses and bacteria. Again, we aren't being as careful as some other tourists might be. On the one hand, we haven't bought any food off a cart on the street. On the other hand we've had street-side juice and lassi (Mmmmm...lassi).
Before getting sick, Froody and I wandered about our small part of Delhi. Yesterday, Froody felt a bit yucky so we both took it real easy. Even I used the time to catch up on sleep and rest.
Today, however, I was ready to do some stuff on my own! Making sure Froody was OK without me (ie: tissues and water within reach), I stepped out to so some shopping. I have been DYING to buy a salwa kameez, a traditional dress for women consisting of a long tunic with matching pants and scarf. Yesteray I did sneak out of the room and tried on some tops which were too small (even though they were marked L) which, unfortunately, sent me into a little bit of a downslide into low self-esteem. :-( But, today I was going to give it one more try and if it didn't work, I was going to find a tailor and get one made for me. With the help of some nice shop owners, I found a place on the Main Bazaar and bought myself 2 lovely salwa kameezes: one light blue and the other yellow-gold. They are made of cotton with embroidery and sparkles...for Rs1060 (USD22):-) I returned to Froody, triumphant. He was still feeling sick, so I once again left, this time in search of a beauty parlour. I found a little place for women only and got a shampoo, cut, style. (Our hotel bathroom is a little bigger than this!) The woman talked me into getting my eyebrows threaded, where she plucks and trims my eyebrow hairs with a white thread, no tweezer, and a yoghurt facial. I managed to get all this for Rs700 (USD14). I think she would've charged me Rs1000, but I showed her all the money in my pocket, Rs700. She agreed to do it anyway. Guess that's one way to "haggle."
Now Froody is trying to nap and I just finished a plate of dinner in "our" local eatery- a small place we've eaten at a couple of times. The man asked me where my friend was and I told him my husband was not feeling well. :-(
I hope he gets better soon. Shopping and stuff is OK for a short while, but I want to see the Red Fort and Agra with him.
Before getting sick, Froody and I wandered about our small part of Delhi. Yesterday, Froody felt a bit yucky so we both took it real easy. Even I used the time to catch up on sleep and rest.
Today, however, I was ready to do some stuff on my own! Making sure Froody was OK without me (ie: tissues and water within reach), I stepped out to so some shopping. I have been DYING to buy a salwa kameez, a traditional dress for women consisting of a long tunic with matching pants and scarf. Yesteray I did sneak out of the room and tried on some tops which were too small (even though they were marked L) which, unfortunately, sent me into a little bit of a downslide into low self-esteem. :-( But, today I was going to give it one more try and if it didn't work, I was going to find a tailor and get one made for me. With the help of some nice shop owners, I found a place on the Main Bazaar and bought myself 2 lovely salwa kameezes: one light blue and the other yellow-gold. They are made of cotton with embroidery and sparkles...for Rs1060 (USD22):-) I returned to Froody, triumphant. He was still feeling sick, so I once again left, this time in search of a beauty parlour. I found a little place for women only and got a shampoo, cut, style. (Our hotel bathroom is a little bigger than this!) The woman talked me into getting my eyebrows threaded, where she plucks and trims my eyebrow hairs with a white thread, no tweezer, and a yoghurt facial. I managed to get all this for Rs700 (USD14). I think she would've charged me Rs1000, but I showed her all the money in my pocket, Rs700. She agreed to do it anyway. Guess that's one way to "haggle."
Now Froody is trying to nap and I just finished a plate of dinner in "our" local eatery- a small place we've eaten at a couple of times. The man asked me where my friend was and I told him my husband was not feeling well. :-(
I hope he gets better soon. Shopping and stuff is OK for a short while, but I want to see the Red Fort and Agra with him.
Monday, January 12, 2009
In Delhi
Yes, Froody and I arrived safely in Delhi. Big tip: If you ever plan on flying to Delhi, arrive in the middle of the night. That way you aren't plunged head-first into all the noise, traffic, and everything else.
On the plus- side, all our previous travels have made it so Delhi is more interesting than overwhelming. So far, my impression of Delhi is equal parts Cairo and East Africa, and two parts cool and amazing (India). What I mean is, you're walking down a crowded one lane dirt road, full of bike rickshaws, tuk-tuks, and people when a wooden cart driven by a brahma bull pushes past. Also, we're sitting in the (very modern) hotel lobbey when a demonstration passes by, with chanting people, drums, banners, and two elephants. Elephants!! Walking past the hotel! In the street! and NO ONE CARES. Very cool.
We've eaten Indian food each day we've been here so far. We've gotten some folks trying to scam us and others insisting that they aren't trying to sell us anything, just come into their office so they can tell us about some day trip out of Delhi.
On the plus- side, all our previous travels have made it so Delhi is more interesting than overwhelming. So far, my impression of Delhi is equal parts Cairo and East Africa, and two parts cool and amazing (India). What I mean is, you're walking down a crowded one lane dirt road, full of bike rickshaws, tuk-tuks, and people when a wooden cart driven by a brahma bull pushes past. Also, we're sitting in the (very modern) hotel lobbey when a demonstration passes by, with chanting people, drums, banners, and two elephants. Elephants!! Walking past the hotel! In the street! and NO ONE CARES. Very cool.
We've eaten Indian food each day we've been here so far. We've gotten some folks trying to scam us and others insisting that they aren't trying to sell us anything, just come into their office so they can tell us about some day trip out of Delhi.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Final Week in Jordan
***Photo links added!
It's funny, blogging about Jordan when I'm now in India. Guess I'm spoiled from living in Cairo when we had internet all day every day. Which means a quick summary on our last week or so in Jordan. (fyi-Jordanians love their king and feel that he really cares for them. It's nice being in a country where the people like their government.)
We discovered early on that, while Jordan is way more organized than Egypt in many ways, it doesn't seem to have a good public transport system (ie: bus) from anywhere other than Amman. It would take a good one two days to travel from Dana to Madaba by bus and since we didn't have the time, we did what's more popular: We hired a car from Dana to Madaba. It is more expensive this way, of course, but we were lucky in that Roger decided to join us and shared in the cost.
Walid, our driver (or Hajj Walid, the title "hajj" for those who have made the mandatory trip to Mecca which he has, 5 times), suggested a visit to Karak and the Dead Sea, both being on the way to Madaba. Sounded good so we all agreed. Karak is the largest Crusader built castle in Jordan. It's huge! It's also made from bits of Roman and Nabatean temples which was a common practice everywhere (remember: mosque made out of pharonic temple). Everyone ever since has added on to it and it was 7 stories high until a pasha blasted it to bits to rout out the rebels. Here we had our first glimpse of the Dead Sea. We had an hour and a half at the castle, but I would've liked at least another half hour.
The Dead Sea. We have all heard of it, but I never really knew where it was until researching Jordan. In fact, there's a lot about Jordan I didn't really know about until we got there, like how so many biblical events happened there. On our way to the tourist beach we got a closer look at the sea and Lot's wife. Yes, Lot's wife as in turned-into-a-pillar-of-salt. At the beach we had fun learning how to float in the water and "swim" without splashing the foul water into our eyes and mouths (bleh. it tastes awful). I even paid (3JD) to get all covered in stinky, oily, black mud. (Hey, some people pay big bucks for this at home!)
Anyway, we eventually reached Madaba which is famous for its mosaics, another thing I hadn't known about Jordan. The mosaics decorated the floors of fancy homes and Byzantine churches. When Islam became popular in the area the iconoclasts demanded all images be obliterated from everywhere, and it was interesting to see how the mosaicists tried carefully to cover-up the people and animals in these mosaics. This is a pretty neat art form. I've only seen pictures in textbooks and did the usual making of a mosaic from paper in art as a kid, but seeing how huge some of these got to be and how small the tiles, I developed a real appreciation for all their work. We spent all of one day wandering around and seeing these works, starting with the mosaic of the Middle East which is believed to be the oldest map of the Middle East known. Some mosaics escaped being changed over because they were under years of dirt and debris and some are still being discovered to this day, especially when someone decided to re-do their bottom floor.
Amman. Amman is a very Western city, which means to us that it's clean, streets and sidewalks are well-paved, everyone obeys the traffic laws, and no one pees in the street! (Really, I never saw anyone pee in the street anytime in Jordan unlike Egypt, East Africa, and India.)We even got to use crosswalks and welcomed the sight of the green man (the light that tells you when to cross the street). We were there for 3 or 4 nights. We wandered around the downtown area. I loved the Jordanian galabeyyas, but didn't buy any. Things were more expensive here than in Egypt so I didn't get any big souvenirs, just a few chachkis- prayer beads, zip pouch, earrings, bracelet, brass donkey ornament. (Remember how I said Jordanians love their king? Here is a pic of Froody eating at a falafel stand under a picture of the king.)
Another day was spent looking at the Roman ruins in the heart of the city: the nymphaeum, the Odeon, and the Roman theatre. At night a friend of a friend of my father-in-law drove us about Amman. That really showed us how big a city it is! It's also built on hills (which turned our wanderings into butt workouts!) Essam took us to see some great views of Amman at night and some expensive villas and chi-chi shopping. We were very greatful to him for giving us so much of his evening after a busy day at the office- the Ministry of Environment.
The next day took us to Jerash, the largest Roman ruins I've ever seen. It's a whole city! Three theatres, a main street, temples, large nymphaeum, and a bath house. After the second hour, Froody was pretty much done with ruins (remember, we've been seeing ruins for 3-4 months now). After the third, I was done, too. We both liked the first hour: seeing Hadrian's gate and watching some Roman re-enactments at the Hippodrome (the smallest in the Roman Empire so far).
Well, I'm hogging the lobby computer and Froody is talking about lunch, so I'll sign off now and try to come back and link up to some pix- including me in a bikini. XD
It's funny, blogging about Jordan when I'm now in India. Guess I'm spoiled from living in Cairo when we had internet all day every day. Which means a quick summary on our last week or so in Jordan. (fyi-Jordanians love their king and feel that he really cares for them. It's nice being in a country where the people like their government.)
We discovered early on that, while Jordan is way more organized than Egypt in many ways, it doesn't seem to have a good public transport system (ie: bus) from anywhere other than Amman. It would take a good one two days to travel from Dana to Madaba by bus and since we didn't have the time, we did what's more popular: We hired a car from Dana to Madaba. It is more expensive this way, of course, but we were lucky in that Roger decided to join us and shared in the cost.
Walid, our driver (or Hajj Walid, the title "hajj" for those who have made the mandatory trip to Mecca which he has, 5 times), suggested a visit to Karak and the Dead Sea, both being on the way to Madaba. Sounded good so we all agreed. Karak is the largest Crusader built castle in Jordan. It's huge! It's also made from bits of Roman and Nabatean temples which was a common practice everywhere (remember: mosque made out of pharonic temple). Everyone ever since has added on to it and it was 7 stories high until a pasha blasted it to bits to rout out the rebels. Here we had our first glimpse of the Dead Sea. We had an hour and a half at the castle, but I would've liked at least another half hour.
The Dead Sea. We have all heard of it, but I never really knew where it was until researching Jordan. In fact, there's a lot about Jordan I didn't really know about until we got there, like how so many biblical events happened there. On our way to the tourist beach we got a closer look at the sea and Lot's wife. Yes, Lot's wife as in turned-into-a-pillar-of-salt. At the beach we had fun learning how to float in the water and "swim" without splashing the foul water into our eyes and mouths (bleh. it tastes awful). I even paid (3JD) to get all covered in stinky, oily, black mud. (Hey, some people pay big bucks for this at home!)
Anyway, we eventually reached Madaba which is famous for its mosaics, another thing I hadn't known about Jordan. The mosaics decorated the floors of fancy homes and Byzantine churches. When Islam became popular in the area the iconoclasts demanded all images be obliterated from everywhere, and it was interesting to see how the mosaicists tried carefully to cover-up the people and animals in these mosaics. This is a pretty neat art form. I've only seen pictures in textbooks and did the usual making of a mosaic from paper in art as a kid, but seeing how huge some of these got to be and how small the tiles, I developed a real appreciation for all their work. We spent all of one day wandering around and seeing these works, starting with the mosaic of the Middle East which is believed to be the oldest map of the Middle East known. Some mosaics escaped being changed over because they were under years of dirt and debris and some are still being discovered to this day, especially when someone decided to re-do their bottom floor.
Amman. Amman is a very Western city, which means to us that it's clean, streets and sidewalks are well-paved, everyone obeys the traffic laws, and no one pees in the street! (Really, I never saw anyone pee in the street anytime in Jordan unlike Egypt, East Africa, and India.)We even got to use crosswalks and welcomed the sight of the green man (the light that tells you when to cross the street). We were there for 3 or 4 nights. We wandered around the downtown area. I loved the Jordanian galabeyyas, but didn't buy any. Things were more expensive here than in Egypt so I didn't get any big souvenirs, just a few chachkis- prayer beads, zip pouch, earrings, bracelet, brass donkey ornament. (Remember how I said Jordanians love their king? Here is a pic of Froody eating at a falafel stand under a picture of the king.)
Another day was spent looking at the Roman ruins in the heart of the city: the nymphaeum, the Odeon, and the Roman theatre. At night a friend of a friend of my father-in-law drove us about Amman. That really showed us how big a city it is! It's also built on hills (which turned our wanderings into butt workouts!) Essam took us to see some great views of Amman at night and some expensive villas and chi-chi shopping. We were very greatful to him for giving us so much of his evening after a busy day at the office- the Ministry of Environment.
The next day took us to Jerash, the largest Roman ruins I've ever seen. It's a whole city! Three theatres, a main street, temples, large nymphaeum, and a bath house. After the second hour, Froody was pretty much done with ruins (remember, we've been seeing ruins for 3-4 months now). After the third, I was done, too. We both liked the first hour: seeing Hadrian's gate and watching some Roman re-enactments at the Hippodrome (the smallest in the Roman Empire so far).
Well, I'm hogging the lobby computer and Froody is talking about lunch, so I'll sign off now and try to come back and link up to some pix- including me in a bikini. XD
Monday, January 5, 2009
Dana Nature Reserve
After Wadi Musa and Petra, we got a taxi to the village of Dana, right on the edge of the Dana Nature Reserve, Jordan's first nature reserve. I know, it looks like a bunch of piles of rock, but those piles were people's homes for a long time, since the Ottoman Empire. Nowadays, only two families live here. Everyone else lives in the village of Quadisiyya about 3 km away and built just for these people when the government decided to preserve this area.
Dana reinforced the fact that Jordan is way different from Egypt. First of all, there's a lot more water here. More water means things like trees and plants.
We stayed at the Dana Tower Hotel. Our guide book didn't really like it, at least that's how it seemed to us, but folks on the internet seemed to love it and since it was the cheapest thing there, we decided to try it. It was a pretty nice backpackers' stop. The food was awesome and the rooms sweetly done up. The beds were OK and while there was no heating in the rooms we got plenty of blankets, which was great because it was really frikkin' cold while we were there! (non sequitor- I got to play with more puppies there! This time, a litter of 9!!!)
Our first afternoon there we wandered about and met a few of the locals. We got some nice views of the old village, perched right on the edge of a canyon- Wadi Dana. This part of Jordan is so different from what we've seen so far. It's almost like being at home again.
In the evening we hung out in the "tent". It is a big common room with a heater (+) and lights (+). Trying to warm up, we met a few other travellers and swapped stories. Again, I met with folks who couldn't believe I was American, even a Belgian basically said I was a bit more brown than your typical American. :-) Anyway, after a tasty buffet meal served up in the same room, Froody and I went to bed and huddled together under about 4 blankets.
The next day was very cold and very, very windy. After discovering that hot water was not forthcoming at that time, we dressed and headed for the communal tent. We had some more nice conversation around breakfast, with lots of hot tea. Froody and I had decided to walk the entire canyon (having only one full day in Dana), which is about 14km and arranged for a car to pick us up at the end. Luckily, a Spaniard and a Swiss chose to join us and we had a pretty nice walk. (Hmmmm...that sounds like the beginning of a really bad joke, "A Spaniard, a Swiss, and an American were walking around one day, when...)I was very glad as it warmed up, even though it meant carrying all my layers most of the way down.
It was interesting how much the rocks changed during our walk. Froody and I kept on saying what a shame it was that we didn't major in geology. I wished I could read the stories the rocks were telling us.
Dana reinforced the fact that Jordan is way different from Egypt. First of all, there's a lot more water here. More water means things like trees and plants.
We stayed at the Dana Tower Hotel. Our guide book didn't really like it, at least that's how it seemed to us, but folks on the internet seemed to love it and since it was the cheapest thing there, we decided to try it. It was a pretty nice backpackers' stop. The food was awesome and the rooms sweetly done up. The beds were OK and while there was no heating in the rooms we got plenty of blankets, which was great because it was really frikkin' cold while we were there! (non sequitor- I got to play with more puppies there! This time, a litter of 9!!!)
Our first afternoon there we wandered about and met a few of the locals. We got some nice views of the old village, perched right on the edge of a canyon- Wadi Dana. This part of Jordan is so different from what we've seen so far. It's almost like being at home again.
In the evening we hung out in the "tent". It is a big common room with a heater (+) and lights (+). Trying to warm up, we met a few other travellers and swapped stories. Again, I met with folks who couldn't believe I was American, even a Belgian basically said I was a bit more brown than your typical American. :-) Anyway, after a tasty buffet meal served up in the same room, Froody and I went to bed and huddled together under about 4 blankets.
The next day was very cold and very, very windy. After discovering that hot water was not forthcoming at that time, we dressed and headed for the communal tent. We had some more nice conversation around breakfast, with lots of hot tea. Froody and I had decided to walk the entire canyon (having only one full day in Dana), which is about 14km and arranged for a car to pick us up at the end. Luckily, a Spaniard and a Swiss chose to join us and we had a pretty nice walk. (Hmmmm...that sounds like the beginning of a really bad joke, "A Spaniard, a Swiss, and an American were walking around one day, when...)I was very glad as it warmed up, even though it meant carrying all my layers most of the way down.
It was interesting how much the rocks changed during our walk. Froody and I kept on saying what a shame it was that we didn't major in geology. I wished I could read the stories the rocks were telling us.
Happy New Year?
So, how was your New Year's Eve? I hope it was good. Over here, it's just another day as the Islamic New Year was the week before.
Well, for me it wasn't so good. I'm not very political, so I'll just say that it's a bit strange to be on this trip with Israel and Gaza being so near and that the people of Jordan are sympathetic to the Palestinians.
Anyway, we did go out to dinner on New Year's Day and I finally got to try the local beer. It wasn't so bad, actually. Scary how much it looks like a can of Coors, isn't it?
Well, for me it wasn't so good. I'm not very political, so I'll just say that it's a bit strange to be on this trip with Israel and Gaza being so near and that the people of Jordan are sympathetic to the Palestinians.
Anyway, we did go out to dinner on New Year's Day and I finally got to try the local beer. It wasn't so bad, actually. Scary how much it looks like a can of Coors, isn't it?
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Yes, Petra is Better
Petra is truly a sight to see. You have to see it yourself to really appreciate its beauty. There's some poem that describes Petra as the "rose-red city" but that's not true. In fact, the author didn't see the city until after he'd written the poem.
On our first visit to Petra, we walked through the Siq, a 3km path through a narrow canyon from the gate to the city. Even there we were impressed with the colors, not knowing how wonderful it would be later on. My first view of the Treasury made me gasp. I knew Petra's most famous and elaborate site would greet us after the Siq, but it was still a delightful surprise.
We were both unaware of Petra's size. It was plenty big enough for us to happily explore its tombs and canyons over 3 days. Day 1 was spent seeing the Treasury, the Street of Facades, and the High Place of Sacrifice. The High Place afforded some nice views of the city. Then we took the back way down, not as popular as the way we went up which meant not seeing hundreds of tourists, which we liked. This trail passed some tombs and a home and some more wonderful color. We also climbed up another hill that in the end gave us a view of the Treasury from above. Again and again I was in awe of the lush colors or impressed with the skill of the ancient stone masons. Walking along the Street of Facades, we had a little fun with some of the holes eroded in them!
Day 2 we entered Petra from a side route through the Tunnel. This trail led us through a canyon and for the most part we were alone, except for the occasional tourist. We met a Bedouin man who asked us to have tea with him and his friend. We chatted a little and in the end he asked us if we wanted to buy some old coins, which were nice but we declined. I did give them my orange in return for their hospitality. The canyon got more and more narrow and opened up in this small "room" of niches and a facade. We walked by another tomb, one of a Roman governor who wanted to be buried in Petra. We also found the Petra Church. Neither of us had read much about it so the mosaics caught us off guard. They were pretty neat. Finally, we hiked up to the Monastery, Petra's second-most famous site, which would explain why there were so many people walking up and down it all day. The monastery is huuuuuugggee, way bigger than the Treasury though not as elaborate. I still find it difficult to believe that someone just carved away at a cliff-side, leaving these incredible facades behind. The area boasted the View of The End of the World, too. Like Sinai, it did give me the impression of being on top of the world.
By Day 3 we were both tired but looking forward to taking a little-known trail recommended by Nassr, our hotel manager. It was more wild and we only saw a couple of other tourists on horseback in the distance. The trail went past a set of tombs and purple canyons which led to maroon canyons. We found our way to the Treasury again (after losing and finding the trail once or twice) and I would have really enjoyed being the only ones on that bluff looking down on the Treasury and all the other tourists if it hadn't been so cold. :-( We ate our boxed lunch and Froody tried to get a fire going. Before lunch was over I was cold, sore, and not having fun anymore, so we decided to head back the way we came. Warmed up from the walk, I didn't want to leave Petra so soon, so Froody suggested we spend time exploring the tombs we had passed. That was fun, and I got to collect some pieces of pottery. Some are probably Nabatean, others could be Roman, Ottoman, Persian, or from anywhere since Petra was along a major trade route for a couple of centuries. This was our shortest visit to Petra, only 4 hours instead of 6 or 8!
So, if Petra is not a "rose-red city," how would I describe it? A city made of shifting colors in bands of white, burgundy, blue, purple, and yellow. Like bruise? Oh, yeah, that's romantic- See Petra, whose walls and columns beautifully show the bruises of the Earth.
On our first visit to Petra, we walked through the Siq, a 3km path through a narrow canyon from the gate to the city. Even there we were impressed with the colors, not knowing how wonderful it would be later on. My first view of the Treasury made me gasp. I knew Petra's most famous and elaborate site would greet us after the Siq, but it was still a delightful surprise.
We were both unaware of Petra's size. It was plenty big enough for us to happily explore its tombs and canyons over 3 days. Day 1 was spent seeing the Treasury, the Street of Facades, and the High Place of Sacrifice. The High Place afforded some nice views of the city. Then we took the back way down, not as popular as the way we went up which meant not seeing hundreds of tourists, which we liked. This trail passed some tombs and a home and some more wonderful color. We also climbed up another hill that in the end gave us a view of the Treasury from above. Again and again I was in awe of the lush colors or impressed with the skill of the ancient stone masons. Walking along the Street of Facades, we had a little fun with some of the holes eroded in them!
Day 2 we entered Petra from a side route through the Tunnel. This trail led us through a canyon and for the most part we were alone, except for the occasional tourist. We met a Bedouin man who asked us to have tea with him and his friend. We chatted a little and in the end he asked us if we wanted to buy some old coins, which were nice but we declined. I did give them my orange in return for their hospitality. The canyon got more and more narrow and opened up in this small "room" of niches and a facade. We walked by another tomb, one of a Roman governor who wanted to be buried in Petra. We also found the Petra Church. Neither of us had read much about it so the mosaics caught us off guard. They were pretty neat. Finally, we hiked up to the Monastery, Petra's second-most famous site, which would explain why there were so many people walking up and down it all day. The monastery is huuuuuugggee, way bigger than the Treasury though not as elaborate. I still find it difficult to believe that someone just carved away at a cliff-side, leaving these incredible facades behind. The area boasted the View of The End of the World, too. Like Sinai, it did give me the impression of being on top of the world.
By Day 3 we were both tired but looking forward to taking a little-known trail recommended by Nassr, our hotel manager. It was more wild and we only saw a couple of other tourists on horseback in the distance. The trail went past a set of tombs and purple canyons which led to maroon canyons. We found our way to the Treasury again (after losing and finding the trail once or twice) and I would have really enjoyed being the only ones on that bluff looking down on the Treasury and all the other tourists if it hadn't been so cold. :-( We ate our boxed lunch and Froody tried to get a fire going. Before lunch was over I was cold, sore, and not having fun anymore, so we decided to head back the way we came. Warmed up from the walk, I didn't want to leave Petra so soon, so Froody suggested we spend time exploring the tombs we had passed. That was fun, and I got to collect some pieces of pottery. Some are probably Nabatean, others could be Roman, Ottoman, Persian, or from anywhere since Petra was along a major trade route for a couple of centuries. This was our shortest visit to Petra, only 4 hours instead of 6 or 8!
So, if Petra is not a "rose-red city," how would I describe it? A city made of shifting colors in bands of white, burgundy, blue, purple, and yellow. Like bruise? Oh, yeah, that's romantic- See Petra, whose walls and columns beautifully show the bruises of the Earth.
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