Hi all,
sorry to worry those of you who get anxious when I'm off the grid for a few days, but it's been so crazy I haven't had time to get to a net cafe.
There are three posts below to give you the update on all the insane and awesome running around I've been doing over the past...how many days?...it's all a blur...I don't even know anymore.
Anyway, read from the bottom one up to the most recent one to get the sequence.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Arrival in Aquaba and then off to Petra
We got on the ferry without incident. It involved a little more waiting in a steaming waiting room than we would have liked, but during out wait we re-united with the Kiwi couple from our felucca journey, so it was nice to see them again.
We got on the ferry and staked out a very cool seating area all to ourselves, which was great. Yay VIP section. After a pleasant ferry trip we arrived in Aquaba. The town's name is pronounced "ack-uh-buh," and every time I heard it I thought of my cousin's toddler magic shows where "abracadabra" came out sounding more like "ack-uh-buh." Thinking of you, kiddo!
We wanted to get a mini bus for all five of us to get to our hotel, but they wouldn't let us. One cabbie said he'd take all five of us, though...and all our luggage. We filled up the trunk, and then piled four of us plus more luggage in the back seat, with Roland and even more luggage in the front seat trying to navigate with a bad map and a driver who spoke no English and didn't know the neighborhood. During all of this, Ben is hanging out the back seat window because there's pretty much no place else to put him!
After a wild ride we find our hotel (a dump, but cheap), grab some dinner, and then crash out at about 2AM. I was still, incidentally, running on 2 hours sleep because of the Sinai trip.
The guys decided they wanted to spend a day in Wadi Rum, which is where Lawrence of Arabia hung out, and also a very scenic hiking spot. I was up for more scenic hiking and another day with my Aussie mates, so off we went. We had some confusion with a cabbie trying to convince us that the bus wasn't coming so we should pay him a bunch of money to take us, but we eventually sorted it out. We couldn't get a bus all the way to Wadi Rum, but we caught one to the nearest major intersection, where we caught a minibus to the visitor center and got our ticket to enter the park. Then we hitched a ride (along with a German couple we met on the bus to the intersection) with a villager, because there were no cabs to get us to the rest house in the desert. He was a really funny old guy who spoke just a little English. He was really excited to have Germans in the van, for some reason. He also complimented me and the Aussies on our excellent English, which was funny.
We hopped out at the rest house and got ourselves tents for the night, then it was off to the desert for a hike. We hiked for a few hours, saw some gorgeous desert scenery, including a canyon with some cool petroglyphs. We found a great spot to watch the sunset, which was gorgeous, then it was back into the village for dinner. We had made plans to eat at this local place (not the rest house, which was way overpriced), and the guy made us an awesome meal for a few bucks. Can't beat it. Falafel and salad and hummus...mmmmm...
After a quick night's sleep we got up this morning and headed for Petra. We spent the afternoon there today, and I'll post more about that later, but suffice to say it was gorgeous but a lot of hiking. After 48 hours that include 2 hours of sleep, climbing a mountain, hiking in a big sandy desert, and hauling my butt all over an ancient city, I am ready for a hot shower and dinner, so I'm outta here.
We got on the ferry and staked out a very cool seating area all to ourselves, which was great. Yay VIP section. After a pleasant ferry trip we arrived in Aquaba. The town's name is pronounced "ack-uh-buh," and every time I heard it I thought of my cousin's toddler magic shows where "abracadabra" came out sounding more like "ack-uh-buh." Thinking of you, kiddo!
We wanted to get a mini bus for all five of us to get to our hotel, but they wouldn't let us. One cabbie said he'd take all five of us, though...and all our luggage. We filled up the trunk, and then piled four of us plus more luggage in the back seat, with Roland and even more luggage in the front seat trying to navigate with a bad map and a driver who spoke no English and didn't know the neighborhood. During all of this, Ben is hanging out the back seat window because there's pretty much no place else to put him!
After a wild ride we find our hotel (a dump, but cheap), grab some dinner, and then crash out at about 2AM. I was still, incidentally, running on 2 hours sleep because of the Sinai trip.
The guys decided they wanted to spend a day in Wadi Rum, which is where Lawrence of Arabia hung out, and also a very scenic hiking spot. I was up for more scenic hiking and another day with my Aussie mates, so off we went. We had some confusion with a cabbie trying to convince us that the bus wasn't coming so we should pay him a bunch of money to take us, but we eventually sorted it out. We couldn't get a bus all the way to Wadi Rum, but we caught one to the nearest major intersection, where we caught a minibus to the visitor center and got our ticket to enter the park. Then we hitched a ride (along with a German couple we met on the bus to the intersection) with a villager, because there were no cabs to get us to the rest house in the desert. He was a really funny old guy who spoke just a little English. He was really excited to have Germans in the van, for some reason. He also complimented me and the Aussies on our excellent English, which was funny.
We hopped out at the rest house and got ourselves tents for the night, then it was off to the desert for a hike. We hiked for a few hours, saw some gorgeous desert scenery, including a canyon with some cool petroglyphs. We found a great spot to watch the sunset, which was gorgeous, then it was back into the village for dinner. We had made plans to eat at this local place (not the rest house, which was way overpriced), and the guy made us an awesome meal for a few bucks. Can't beat it. Falafel and salad and hummus...mmmmm...
After a quick night's sleep we got up this morning and headed for Petra. We spent the afternoon there today, and I'll post more about that later, but suffice to say it was gorgeous but a lot of hiking. After 48 hours that include 2 hours of sleep, climbing a mountain, hiking in a big sandy desert, and hauling my butt all over an ancient city, I am ready for a hot shower and dinner, so I'm outta here.
Mt. Sinai
After my day of snorkling on the Red Sea, I packed up all my junk and left it with Ben and Roland to bring on the shuttle, then we hung out until 11:30, when the bus came to pick me up for Sinai.
We arrived at the foot of the mountain around 2AM and started climbing in the dark. The moon was full, so it was easy to see most of the way without a torch (er, that's flashlight to Americans). Our guide was intent on going as slowly as possible so that we'd stop at every rest stop and buy something to eat or drink (earning him a tidy little commission), so these two Brits and I decided to ditch the group and just charge up. Perhaps a mistake on my part, because these guys were butt-kickers, but I managed to keep up for the most part, so I was pretty proud of myself.
The climb itself wasn't all I'd hoped it would be. There were a lot of people, which wasn't bad in and of itself, but wherever there are lots of tourists, there are lots of people trying to make money off of tourists, and every 100 yards some dude offered me a camel ride, which really kills one's contemplation of the religious and historic significance of the place.
The last part of the mountain is a set of 700 stairs put in as penance by a monk. I can personally assure you that that is a lot of stairs. But you would not believe some of the people climbing them. Elderly nuns with canes were everywhere. They would do one step, take a deep breath, lean on their cane, then do another one. Even without religious convictions of my own, I can see the beauty of that kind of devotion, and it was really moving to watch them.
At the summit, it was pandemonium. Thousands of people waiting for the sunrise, including a very musical group from Africa, who sang songs about Jesus all night long. Rather tunelessly, but how can you begrudge them their music on what was, I'm sure, the religious experience of a lifetime for them?
I managed to find myself a little crack in the rocks to drag my pack into and wrap up in my blanket. I was hoping it would be a little out of the wind, but it wasn't much help - it was cold. Fortunately by the time I got up there, there was really only about two hours left until sunrise. Not long to wait. Plus, it was a primo spot with an unobstructed view of the sunrise. I caught a few winks between gusts of icy wind, and when I woke up, the pale glow of sunrise was already creeping over the horizon.
It was a good thing I was awake, because some guy with the African delegation had a shofar and started blowing it...and blowing it...and blowing it. And more singing. An Orthodox priest got really mad because he didn't realize that they were praying through song, and thought they were just hippies rocking out, so he yelled at them to be quiet and more respectful of the people who had come for religious observance. One of his flock had to point out to him why they were singing, and he looked kind of sheepish after that, but he was still mad that his group couldn't hear his sermon.
But no time for drama - the sun was rising! It was really beautiful, and I just know my camera didn't do it justice (alas, this computer doesn't have USB for my pics, but they'll be up soon). Mt. Sinai was revealed as the light grew stronger, and it is ruggedly beautiful. I couldn't quite figure out the geology of it, but the view was really impressive, however it was formed.
All too soon it was time to descend, and I ended up chatting with a woman who was a former middle school geography teacher, which was really cool. I got a few tips on places I should see. Then down at the St. Katherine's monastery I met an American who was on R&R after working for the UN in Sudan trying to demobilize and professionalize their military (a.k.a. teach the people with guns how to use them only for the greater good, not personal vendettas and tribal rivalries, and then take the guns away from everyone else). He's also a big history buff, so we had a good time trying to decipher the icons in the chapel and checking out the relatives of the burning bush that are reported to grow inside the cloisters.
Then it was off to meet the bus for Jordan - and all on less than 2 hours of sleep!
We arrived at the foot of the mountain around 2AM and started climbing in the dark. The moon was full, so it was easy to see most of the way without a torch (er, that's flashlight to Americans). Our guide was intent on going as slowly as possible so that we'd stop at every rest stop and buy something to eat or drink (earning him a tidy little commission), so these two Brits and I decided to ditch the group and just charge up. Perhaps a mistake on my part, because these guys were butt-kickers, but I managed to keep up for the most part, so I was pretty proud of myself.
The climb itself wasn't all I'd hoped it would be. There were a lot of people, which wasn't bad in and of itself, but wherever there are lots of tourists, there are lots of people trying to make money off of tourists, and every 100 yards some dude offered me a camel ride, which really kills one's contemplation of the religious and historic significance of the place.
The last part of the mountain is a set of 700 stairs put in as penance by a monk. I can personally assure you that that is a lot of stairs. But you would not believe some of the people climbing them. Elderly nuns with canes were everywhere. They would do one step, take a deep breath, lean on their cane, then do another one. Even without religious convictions of my own, I can see the beauty of that kind of devotion, and it was really moving to watch them.
At the summit, it was pandemonium. Thousands of people waiting for the sunrise, including a very musical group from Africa, who sang songs about Jesus all night long. Rather tunelessly, but how can you begrudge them their music on what was, I'm sure, the religious experience of a lifetime for them?
I managed to find myself a little crack in the rocks to drag my pack into and wrap up in my blanket. I was hoping it would be a little out of the wind, but it wasn't much help - it was cold. Fortunately by the time I got up there, there was really only about two hours left until sunrise. Not long to wait. Plus, it was a primo spot with an unobstructed view of the sunrise. I caught a few winks between gusts of icy wind, and when I woke up, the pale glow of sunrise was already creeping over the horizon.
It was a good thing I was awake, because some guy with the African delegation had a shofar and started blowing it...and blowing it...and blowing it. And more singing. An Orthodox priest got really mad because he didn't realize that they were praying through song, and thought they were just hippies rocking out, so he yelled at them to be quiet and more respectful of the people who had come for religious observance. One of his flock had to point out to him why they were singing, and he looked kind of sheepish after that, but he was still mad that his group couldn't hear his sermon.
But no time for drama - the sun was rising! It was really beautiful, and I just know my camera didn't do it justice (alas, this computer doesn't have USB for my pics, but they'll be up soon). Mt. Sinai was revealed as the light grew stronger, and it is ruggedly beautiful. I couldn't quite figure out the geology of it, but the view was really impressive, however it was formed.
All too soon it was time to descend, and I ended up chatting with a woman who was a former middle school geography teacher, which was really cool. I got a few tips on places I should see. Then down at the St. Katherine's monastery I met an American who was on R&R after working for the UN in Sudan trying to demobilize and professionalize their military (a.k.a. teach the people with guns how to use them only for the greater good, not personal vendettas and tribal rivalries, and then take the guns away from everyone else). He's also a big history buff, so we had a good time trying to decipher the icons in the chapel and checking out the relatives of the burning bush that are reported to grow inside the cloisters.
Then it was off to meet the bus for Jordan - and all on less than 2 hours of sleep!
Dahab
What a cool town.
I checked into the Penguin, which was just as relaxing and awesome as that picture in my last post made it look, and after an afternoon of running unproductive errands (I will never ever find an open post office....sigh), I returned to find that my Aussie compadres were, in fact, still around! Good news!
We had a really delicious dinner up on the roof. I learned that I am really, really bad at disassembling whole fish, but it was so delicious that I didn't care about how spazzy I looked eating it. The fish was fresh out of the water, and it was one of the best things I ever ate.
The next day the guys had originally intended to head out for Jordan, but they decided to stick around an extra day and enjoy the mellow vibe of the place, so we went snorkling. I'd never been, and the guys are experienced deep-water divers (living on the reefs and all), but they were really great sports and taught me all the basics, including the fact that you should spit in the lenses of your goggles to keep them from fogging up (ew). It took me a while to get the hang of things but once I got my bearings, the reef was really gorgeous. I saw some amazing fish (I wish I could have taken my camera under), and the coral was really funky - very psychedleic colors.
I had thought that that would be the end of our hanging out, since the guys were headed to Jordan in the morning and I still had to climb Sinai, but I mentioned my dilemma to the guy at the front desk and he said "why didn't you say so? You can climb tonight, and on the way back, the shuttle bus to the Jordan ferry can pick you up at the junction. You don't have to spend another night here just to get to Jordan!" So I suddenly had the best of all worlds - my climb and my travel buddies! I love it when I get what I want...
I checked into the Penguin, which was just as relaxing and awesome as that picture in my last post made it look, and after an afternoon of running unproductive errands (I will never ever find an open post office....sigh), I returned to find that my Aussie compadres were, in fact, still around! Good news!
We had a really delicious dinner up on the roof. I learned that I am really, really bad at disassembling whole fish, but it was so delicious that I didn't care about how spazzy I looked eating it. The fish was fresh out of the water, and it was one of the best things I ever ate.
The next day the guys had originally intended to head out for Jordan, but they decided to stick around an extra day and enjoy the mellow vibe of the place, so we went snorkling. I'd never been, and the guys are experienced deep-water divers (living on the reefs and all), but they were really great sports and taught me all the basics, including the fact that you should spit in the lenses of your goggles to keep them from fogging up (ew). It took me a while to get the hang of things but once I got my bearings, the reef was really gorgeous. I saw some amazing fish (I wish I could have taken my camera under), and the coral was really funky - very psychedleic colors.
I had thought that that would be the end of our hanging out, since the guys were headed to Jordan in the morning and I still had to climb Sinai, but I mentioned my dilemma to the guy at the front desk and he said "why didn't you say so? You can climb tonight, and on the way back, the shuttle bus to the Jordan ferry can pick you up at the junction. You don't have to spend another night here just to get to Jordan!" So I suddenly had the best of all worlds - my climb and my travel buddies! I love it when I get what I want...
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Change of plans
I arrived in Cairo yesterday at about 4AM, way earlier than I planned. By fortunate coincidence I ran into some people I knew from the felucca trip at the train station and we all split a cab and got a room together. When I woke up a few hours later, I realized I couldn't spend another day just killing time in Cairo waiting for the embassy to open up. I had to get outta there. Alas, I'm finding I'm kind of over Egypt - not the history, but the tourist trap hassles (and more than a few guys who think all Western women like to be jeered/leered at on the street).
Anyway, I caught the next bus to Dahab, which was supposedly a 6 hour trip according to Lonely Planet, but actually took almost 12. I grabbed a room in the first place I found, which was a pit, but this morning I'm planning to transfer to the Penguin, which hopefully contains people I know, and confirmedly looks like the above and has actual pancakes for breakfast (no hard boiled eggs and bread with shady cheese!). Looks like heaven to me...at least for a night before I head for St. Katherine's and Mt. Sinai...
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