Upcoming Travels

I have been back in Saudi for 2 weeks, and will be leaving on Tuesday night, and heading to Sri Lanka for a week with 2 of my close friends from here. Am so looking forward to another vacation. Travel is definitely my new addiction, and I'm pretty much hooked. I had some time off in November as well and have booked a week in Portugal which is to be my 1st solo trip. Am really looking forward to doing what I want to do, and who I might meet along the way. December I have no trips planned, and no long stretches off so will be staying in the desert for a chunk of time then. I know what you're thinking.... and yes Dad I am managing to pay things off and still travel :)

The Canadian Ball

The other night I was invited to attend a "Red and White Ball" at the Canadian Embassy with a lady from work. This may have been the Canadian event of the season, and I had failed to grasp exactly how formal the event would be. Think Oscars in Saudi minus the awards. People were dolled up and glamed out. It was a really great evening with delicious food including pumpkin pie and nanaimo bars, great music (mostly Canadian), and Canada flags galore. As cheesy as it sounds it made me so proud to be amongst my fellow people even if we were partying in a desert on the other side of the world. Amazing, amazing night that I am so thankful I got to attend!!

Lebanon Day Trips

While in Lebanon we did a couple day trips outside of Beirut. One tourist site that I would highly recommend is the Jeita Grotto, an amazing upper and lower cave/ cavern. The upper cave you walk thru, while the lower one you are taken on a slow motorboat tour. Worth the trip for sure. After sending an hour or so here, we headed to the small seaside village of Byblos- north of Beirut. We arrived during a major afternoon downpour- so we chilled out in a local restaurant till the skies cleared. We then toured the ruins at Byblos- and took a bunch of great photos:

The second day trip that we did was into the Bekaa Valley- which used to belong to Syria and is the homeland of Hezbollah. Driving thru this region you pass numerous billboards showing the photos of local martyrs. We were there to see the famous ruins of Baalbek- which is on a smaller scale than Palmyra, but much better preserved. We spent a few hours wandering the sites, and taking more photos.

We ended the day with a trip to the wine regions and a visit to Ksara wineries. This included an awesome free tour of their underground caves where the wine is stored, and a wide selection of tastings. We spent the afternoon drinking wine and snacking on cheese....I was in heaven!!

Lebanon

Thankfully crossing into Lebanon was less of an ordeal than getting into Syria was, but more time consuming because apparently half of Syria also wanted to go there at the same time as us! The driving in Lebanon may be the worst that I have seen- many of the roads are very curvy and they have no center median so cars literally drive where ever they like weaving into oncoming traffic to pass. Its kind of amazing to watch, and also quite terrifying. The countryside is quite beautiful, and the men are gorgeous to say the least!! I love men in uniform- and the Lebanese army did not disappoint! Security is pretty rigid- traveling in the countryside you will pass through check points where they may ask to see your passport, and they are plentiful on the street corners, or patrolling the streets in military trucks. We were there just a few days before the President of Iran visited, and security was heavy- you could feel that tensions were rising. I felt safe, but on edge while there, and felt like of all the places we visited if something was going to happen it was likely going to be in Beirut. Our 1st night we heard bombing in the southern part of the country, many of the buildings are riddled with gunshots- completely different from anywhere else I have traveled. That being said I enjoyed myself, and its a lovely weekend away from Saudi. The people were very friendly, and overly concerned with both my relationship and child bearing status. Here are some photos of Beirut:

The Blue Mosque

The bombed out Holiday Inn

Pigeon Rock

Our final night in Beirut was spent at a local tourist bar where we met a bunch of guys from the German Navy- who patrol the Mediterranean with the UN. They were all very young, and very drunk and referring to themselves as "sea men," but not fully getting why we thought this was hilarious. I was actually introduced to....no joke....."chaplain sea man" so wrong, and funny :)

Syria- Daytrips

We did 2 day trips while in Syria. The 1st was to a Crusader Castle from 1031 called Crac Des Chevaliers just outside of the town Homs. We took a taxi to the bus station and were lead to an air conditioned bus to take us to Homs. Public transit is very very cheap, very reliable to larger towns, and really a fun way to travel. In Homs we hired a guide who took us to visit St George's Monastery and then the castle. The castle was huge, amazing to wander thru, and really well preserved.

We took a local cheaper bus back to Damascus- once again we were the only women. Some young guys on the bus went out of their way to offer their assistance to us, and even shared their food. Once again- Syrians are amazingly friendly!!

Our 2nd day trip was to the ancient city of Palmyra dating back to the 1st and 2nd century AD. Palmyra is probably the most popular ruins site in Syria, and well worth the hassle of getting there. From Damascus it is about a 3-4hr bus ride into the middle of nowhere. The bus we took was filled with villagers, and Bedouins- we were the only tourists on it. The site of Palmyra is huge- and fairly well preserved. There is an Arabic Castle called "Qual'at ibrn Maan" that overlooks the ancient city, and offers amazing panoramas. The gate keeper to the castle gave us a free tour with his limited English- it mostly consisted of him pointing and saying one word descriptors like "sleep", "water", "bread", "boom boom boom." Not entirely sure whether he was referring to cannons or hanky panky for the last one. I prefer to think that he was pointing out the shagging room! Here are some photos from Palmyra:

Syria- Damascus

We spent 4 nights in Damascus, and took a couple day trips out of the city. We stayed just outside of the old city- but within walking distance of it, and the Christian Quarter (the only place you can buy alcohol). Damascus was a really interesting city- but not a city I would want to visit on my own. It is really dark, and kinda had a cold feeling to it. The Syrian people were very friendly- and extremely diverse in their appearance. We saw very few Western tourists there, and met no Canadians or Americans the entire time. We spent our time in the city touring the market, walking the old alleys, eating and drinking. The food was excellent- everywhere we went.

Syrian men are also very funny- openly staring. And often saying a trademark "Ahllow" or "How are you" to your back after you had already walked past them. Apparently the "wink" is also making a comeback in these parts (for better or worse.)

Crossing into Syria

This was one of the funniest and best afternoons I have had traveling. Jen and I will be talking about this particular day for years to come. To cross into Syria requires several different taxis- and several negotiations. We 1st had to negotiate a driver to take us to the northern-most town in Jordan. Our driver was supposed to speak English, and help us negotiate the next part of the journey. Unfortunately, he did not, and we were left to rely on my super basic Arabic. It is very uncommon to see women traveling alone, and crossing into Syria this way. As we were negotiating for the inter border taxi, we started to draw a large crowd. Men are very curious as to what a couple of light haired ladies might be up to!! Everyone wanted to offer there assistance and the few English words they knew.

Luckily they love Canada (who doesn't), but when one guy saw Jen's American passport- things got a little interesting. He yelled "American" in a way that actually gave me chills- I expected some extremist attack on us, and was prepared to karate chop our way out of the crowd!! From then on we hid Jen's passport under mine- and told everyone we were Canadian- which made me very proud for Jen- and probably made Jen hate my patriotic nature even more!! GO CANADA!!!

We negotiated our way between the borders, and were treated like celebrities. EveryMAN needed to see what we were up to, wave, try and chat with us, stare, or sing their own personal Arabic version of O'Canada. It was border entertainment to the max!!! I would throw out a couple Arabic words, and suddenly hands would be clapped together with wide grins as if I myself had brought peace to the Middle East!!

Once across the Syrian border we had to negotiate a driver to take us to Damascus. We were dropped in a small office (of only men) and we started the negotiations. Men started to cross the street from the opposite side to see what was happening. A small crowd gathered. A decision was made, and a mix CD was selected after much discussion between them for our journey. We pulled away- and the crowd waved at us.....and the music started.....50 cent Candy Shop, Akon Right Now (Na Na Na), Smack that Ass ect. We almost peed ourselves. Some of the raunchiest tunes out there- and we were driving thru Syria singing right along. Our poor driver (who was not involved in the music selection and didn't speak English) had no idea what was so funny. Mumkin (maybe) the best afternoon ever!!!

Jordan- Jerash

Our last night in Jordan was spent in a smaller town in the north of the country. We checked into the Olive Branch Hotel for the night. This hotel is located about 10minutes outside of Jerash, amongst the olive trees hence its name. The landscape was very rocky- and pretty much how I would have pictured things to be in biblical times.

Jerash is known for its well preserved Roman ruins dating back to 129AD. The site is quite large, but doable in a couple of hours. The ruins consist of an impressive arch, roman roads, a well preserved oval plaza, baths, theatre, and temple. The ruins were originally of Christian origin, until Islam came to the region. There is remnants of a mosque now. We walked the site, and were approached by a creepy dud who asked to have his picture taken with me. I seriously question what is wrong with men in this part of the area. Many, many men have asked to either take my photo, or have there photo taken with me. What are they later doing with them?? I sorta cringe to think about this. Anyways, here are a few photos from Jerash. From here we headed up to the Syrian border- which is the start of a great afernoon which I will blog of later!

Jordan- Petra

Indiana Jones here we come!! The number 1 tourist attraction in Jordan is Petra, and it definitely lived up to our expectations. The park opens at 6am, and we were there just as it opened. This is the best time to go as the sun is starting to rise, and there are minimal tourists to eff up your photos. Also the heat is pretty unbearable- so best to go early!! You have to walk about 1.5km through a canyon before you approach the Treasury building. There were maybe only another 5 people who woke up early, so we really had the place to ourselves. The site is large, and you can't see everything in 1 day. We had only about 5hrs to see what we could- so we made the most of it. The Treasury was larger than I had expected, and has sustained itself so well because it is protected from the wind and rain, as it sits back into the rock that it is carved out of.

From the treasury we made our way to the Monastery. We passed thru the Royal Tombs, and still there were very few tourists! To get to the Monastery you must climb up a path, and typically it takes about 1hr to get there, or 20min on a donkey. Never having been on a donkey, and being pressed for time I convinced Jen that this was the way to go. Not a great idea. Lets just say my donkey had issues related to the placement of its feet- they liked to slip. Basically we screamed about half the way, and then begged the Bedouin boy to let us off- we would walk the rest of the way.

Arriving at the Monastery is amazing. It appears similar to the Treasury, but is more open, and the space and experience is entirely different. Because of the distance and time needed to get there, most tourists never get to see this area of Petra. We arrived there about 9am, and it was already starting to get too hot. Luckily, in this area there was plenty of shade!

We then headed back down, passing many people who looked like they might not make it to the top due to heat and exhaustion. I myself thought Jen might have to carry me out- as it gets way to damn hot in the Middle East! As we walked back towards the Treasury the crowds started to make their way. The tourist buses were obviously just arriving, and we were so thankful we had come early. We headed back to our hotel to the waiting driver we had booked to take us to Jerash for our final night in Jordan.

Jordan- Wadi Rum

After our night of luxury at the Dead Sea we headed to Wadi Musa for the next 2 nights. We hired a driver to take us, and stopped off for a short time at Shobak Castle which was built by the Crusader Baldwin in 1115AD. We did the quicky version tour, and snapped a few pics before getting back into the car.

We then headed to Wadi Musi/ Petra where we checked into the Cleopetra Hotel. Yes, that's right- the CleoPETRA hotel. Jordanians are very funny!! We spend a low key 1st night there- went for a delicious dinner, and called it an early night. We woke up early and met up with a tour headed to Wadi Rum, which is this amazing desert/ rock formations about 90min from Petra.

We spent the day in the back of a truck, 4x4ing thru the sand, and attempting to decipher the minimal English our Bedouin driver knew. To say the scenery is breathtaking would be an understatement. It was simply amazing. Everywhere you looked was something you wanted to take a photo of. The sand is redder than anything I have seen before. It was like being in the desert and the grand canyon at the same time. Oh, and it was HOT. We ate lunch in the shade of a large rock formation, before jumping back into the truck for more touring. The truck stalled or broke down at least a dozen times- but we made it back in one piece. This was a really special day, and I would recommend going to anyone headed to Jordan. If we had more time I would have liked to have spent a night camping there!

He clearly knows what he's doing!!!

Jordan- The Dead Sea

After a couple night in Madaba we headed back to the Dead Sea. We had decided that this would be our big "splurge" and had reserved a room at the Movenpick Resort. Not cheap, but really lovely, and we were able to flirt our way into an upgraded sea-view room! We wasted no time on heading to one of the infinity pools, where we ended up meeting a couple English guys who would become our sidekicks for the evening. After the pool we headed for a float in the Dead Sea. Word of warning- NEVER SHAVE PRIOR TO GOING IN!!! The salt content of the water will burn like crazy the entire time you are in the water, and for some time after.

How does on describe the Dead Sea experience?? Well basically as soon as you attempt to walk in your legs are kicked up from under you, and you are floating. It is best to stay floating on you back. If you roll onto your stomach you risk getting the water in your mouth- and trust me this is very unpleasant. The taste will stay with you well after you have dried off and headed back to your hotel room! To say the water is salty is an understatement. It is also quite oily. Actually quite a strange experience. Not often do you get into water feeling cleaner that you did when you got out. It was really cool to be floating looking at the opposite shore, and thinking about the close proximity to Israel.

We then headed back to our room, and met our new friends for Happy Hour drinks. Drinks turned into dinner- and we had a lovely evening. The next morning we hung by the pool, and dipped in the Dead Sea before getting a driver to take us to Wadi Musa. Guide books and locals will tell you that it is impossible to get a sun burn at the Dead Sea because it is the lowest point on earth and that the UV rays are filtered by the time they reach you......NOT TRUE, or maybe I am the exception to this rule. I sported an amazing burn for several days after, but it did eventually turn into a pretty amazing tan!!

Lathering up with mud from the Dead Sea

Looking at the Israeli hills

Jordan- Madaba

Things have been really busy since I got back from vacation last week. I've switched from days to nights, with OT thrown in, and the last week has flown by. I'm planning on doing several blogs and posting some photos taken during my 2 week vacation in Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.

I met my close friend Jen at the airport in Amman- she had a long flight from Chicago. We got a driver and headed to Madaba which is outside of Amman, and is actually a Christian town. We had booked 2 nights at the Miriam hotel- which was basic, but great. Naturally, we headed to the hotel's bar for some legal alcohol, and ended up meeting a couple American guys who were in Jordan learning Arabic.

The next day we woke up, and headed to St George's Church to view the oldest mosaic map of Palestine. It was pretty cool to be in a church after so many months spent in Saudi. We toured Madaba, and ended up meeting up with our new US friends later in the afternoon. We drove past Mt Nebo, and to Bethany on the River where it is said that Jesus was baptized. It was hotter then hot that day!!After the baptism site we drove to the Dead Sea- which was pretty hazy, but went to a Panoramic overlook, and had dinner as the sunset over the Dead Sea. Pretty much a perfect travel day!!

St George's Church- Madaba. Oldest mosaic map of Palestine.

Madaba Jordan.

The site of Jesus Baptism- Bethany, Jordan

Amazing sunset over the Dead Sea.