Special Edition – Recap of Liz photos and travel Israel/Jordan pitch

Most of the pictures on the blog so far have been from Jim’s iPhone because we are just figuring out this whole “iCloud” and “Air Drop” thing to share pictures. We managed to do that during our 6 hour layover in the Johannesburg airport on our way to Zambia so we thought we would share an overview of Liz’s pictures as we transition from the Middle East to Africa. She has a fancy camera so the quality is much better especially for those pesky scenic shots. She also captured some unique memories and given Jim was behind the iPhone, there is more of him in Liz’s pictures (if you can bear that). We hope you enjoy this collage of our last two weeks.

First a few shots from the Israeli churches including Abby seeking a blessing at the birthsite in Bethlehem, Jim placing a candle at the crucifixion site (retroactively praying for a speedy recovery for Aunty Sharon Maher) and a picture from inside Jesus’ tomb (recall that Jim’s pciture mysteriously came out pure white).

Here are a few water shots including the children flocking to Abby on the beach (as usual) while David looks studly and a real action shot from that water slide just outside Syria (ugg).

Here are a number of family scenes including at beautiful waterfalls in Israel, sharing a laugh at the tomb bar in Petra, chilling out at the port in Tel Aviv, engaging in heavy negotiations at Petra  and the whole herd off on our ride to Aaron’s tomb with a view from the top.

We look forward to Africa but Liz got a couple of decent animal shots here too includng wildlife at Ein Geddi and camels at Petra (which looked pretty underutilized – see discussion below).

Liz’s camera was much better at capturing the beautiful scenery including the Sea of Galilee, the rock formations in Petra, the views from Aaron’s tomb and the desert at little Petra (with the less than forthcoming shopkeeper while waiting for Abby and Jim to find their way!).

Finally, some memorable moments included bargaining for olives in Nazareth, the Carmel Market in Tel Aviv, Liz driving a stick in the Wadi Rum and a picture of our little angel!

We’d also like to make a pitch for both Jordan and Israel. Everywhere we went in Israel and Jordan and in talking with almost all of our guides in the various places we visited (especially in Jordan), we found that tourism is down quite significantly after the “Arab Spring”. For example, in Petra, they said that there used to be 5,000 to 6,000 visitors on average in a day and now there is maybe 500-600. In the large open area around the Treasury, they said that you could hardly find a place to stand before but there were times for us now when we were just about the only people in there. See below.

Our guides believed it was because the entire Middle East is all basically painted with the same broad brush. It is clearly true that there are “hot spots” – the news in Iraq while we were here is testament to that. However, like most of this, it is actually quite far away from where we were and Jordan and Israel have been at peace for some time. They have a very long, safe border that we looked over many times and a really strong desire not to fight over it. The people were extremely friendly and welcoming as they recognize the importance of tourism in their country and the region. Both of our main guides, Yuval in Israel and Wally in Jordan, were open-minded and respectful and showed a passion for their country and a desire for peace. But also recognize that while there is conflict around their countries, they can provide a safe and fulfilling experience that we can attest to. As you may have read in the previous blog posts, there are fantastic sights, tremendous history and amazing scenery. Both countries are a testament to the ability for the many cultures in the region to get along and flourish. The simple message from Yuval, Wally, Zead and Sameer was to come and experience it all. We told them we would encourage that because it is truly an amazing experience. Sameer’s email is sameer_muamar@yahoo.com if you’d like to arrange a most excellent tour of Petra.

So, in closing, Wally and Zead at Wadi Rum say…

Sameer says “Come to Jordan and experience the beauty!”.  In fact, you could meet a future love interest here…

These countries are full of helpful people with good food in breathtaking places….

where even former paratroopers have their lighter moments….

In short, we loved it!  Here’s to the Dead Sea – one side Israel, the other Jordan.

We’ll be back to you from the Islands of Siankaba on the Zambezi River overlooking Victoria Falls!

 

The Dead Sea (Resort)

There isn’t much to say about the last couple of days. The following pictures basically sum it up:

The pools here are amazing but since we are staying on the Dead Sea we figured we should go at least once and it  was lots of fun.  We floated away and covered ourselves in Dead Sea mud to cure all that ails us.  As usual, Abby had a creative use of the mud for David’s back. Jim drank a beer with an easy-to-use floating frisbey tray (buy 2 Buds and you get 1 free!).

On the way here we did have a couple of interesting stops (at least for some of us).

The first was a look at the train that is apparently famous for being attacked by Lawrence of Arabia and the Prince of Jordan in 1916.

The next stop was the Saint George church in Madaba that has a 6th century mosaic map of the region on the floor of the church (see also the guide below – if you can read really small print!).

Our guide told us before going in that the map was created by Moses which was odd because we found that the centre is Jerusalem and it is labeled as the “Holy City”. It seemed to us that that would have come well after Moses especially since, as we’ll see later, he wasn’t allowed to go to the Holy Land. We’re starting to think that Wally exaggerates for effect sometimes.

Madaba is known as the city of mosaics because of many such archeological finds here. This of course draws tourists with the next logical step being the tourist trap. We were brought to one which was, predictably for this town, a mosaic shop. After the typical brief, staged tour of the workshop, we were brought into a large showroom and offered free shipping. We browsed politely and snuck out. One interesting home-related factoid is that the University of Toronto has been excavating here for years. Jim asked for an alumni discount but the salesman didn’t seem to understand the request.

From there we went to Mount Nebo which is the spot where Moses got to take a peak at the Promised Land but wasn’t allowed by God to go in. It was quite an amazing view so if Moses (or God or whoever) was going to pick the one spot Moses would get for a panorama of the land of milk and honey, this was it. We kind of thought it was a bit harsh of God to not allow Moses in after everything he had done for Him/Her but who are we to judge.

The “Brazen Serpent Monument” is located here which is a famous sculpture incorporating Moses’ serpent and the cross.  It sits quite spectacularly over the whole scene.

The R&R here has been good for us other than some inevitable stomach issues and perhaps a little too much sun (sorry for those in TO). We’re off for almost 2 days of travelling with our ultimate destination being Victoria Falls in Zambia via Amman, Abu Dhabi, Johannesburg and Lusaka (wherever that is).  The kids don’t mind because they get plenty of iPad time while in airports/planes.

Wadi Rum

Just as a teaser, here’s where we are now…

Just in case you are troubled by the “hardships” described below.

We left Petra for Wadi Rum, a valley/ancient sea bed now a desert where we will camp with the Beduin.  First fact regarding Wadi Rum, there is no actual rum – just non-alcoholic beer. Other than that, we had a great time – who says you have to drink to have fun?

On the way, we stopped at little Petra, a place called Beida, where the Nabateans entertained their guests. You can see from the pictures there were lots of pretty houses with living rooms and family rooms and exploring them clearly delighted Abby and David. Still plenty of rock formations to climb around on though.

It was meant to be a quick stop so we went without a guide. We were searching for a cave painting that existed in one of the houses. In a lesson in why you need a guide, we missed that house entirely and Jim and Abby took a trail out into the desert. Some said we were “lost” but we (or maybe just Jim) prefers referring to the incident as having taken one wrong turn. Upon doubling back a little bit (and following the loud calling), we discovered the pretty much hidden entrance back into the site. A half hour stop turned into an hour although the shop keeper we passed on the way in said others have been lost for 2-3 hours. We sort of wondered why he didn’t share that gem of wisdom when he saw us going in. Anyway, Liz and David claim to have had a pleasant time with him while they waited and he did provide Fanta for us once we were back.  On the way to the car at the entrance, we found the painting – it wasn’t worth it.

Things picked up when we arrived at our place in Wadi Rum on the back of a pickup truck. It is tent camp run by Bedouins although we stayed in the “VIP suite” – it even had a bathroom (although it didn’t flush – perhaps a little TMI).

They took us on a very fun and exciting 3 hour trip through the desert in the back of the   truck. It reminded us of dune buggying in the Peruvian desert last year except on that trip we had a five point harness. Perhaps the giveaway should have been our drivers name printed on the back window with flames coming out of it.

Below are some scenic shots….

Our first stop was at a big sand dune that you could walk up bare foot (if you stick to the shade). The object was to get to the top and roll all the way down. This was better captured in video but you have to pay $60 to upgrade this site for  video so you can enjoy this picture. Most of the family rolled at least part of the way down.

The next stop was a climb up a rock to see an ancient map of the area. It seemed they used camels a lot.

We then stopped in this valley that provided for excellent echoes. In the movie “Lawrence of Arabia”, he blew a whistle here and discovered it (apparently).  We also had our names written in the sand in Arabic. Guess which ones are which! The consensus was that “Elizabeth” was the most beautiful of course.

There were some interesting rock formations as well including an elephant, a native North American and, believe it or not, a Toronto Blue Jay!  Who knew they were fans.

Our guide could not believe that a woman could drive a pick up truck with a stick shift in the desert no less. Liz proved them wrong – girl power!  Scared those of us in the back though (we think on purpose).

The next stop was to make some Wadi makeup.  Aren’t they lovely!

We made a rest stop at a place where Lawrence of Arabia used to plan his activities with the Prince of Jordan and carvings were left. David and Abby preferred to run up another sand dune way off in the distance. This one was easy to find the way back.

We then had the obligatory stop for the sun set. Everybody claims to have the best sunsets in the world. It’s a big world – this one was pretty good though.

We made it safe and sound to camp after some adventurous driving up and down the dunes by Zead. Abby and David seemed to enjoy this more than the churches. Not sure what their problem is.

Once back we were treated to a traditional Bedouin dinner called Zarb which is cooked entirely underground. They have a pit in which they start a fire to make coals and bury a whole rack-thing full of chicken, lamb, veggies and potatoes to be cooked for 4 hours. Here is a series of pictures showing the extraction process. It was delish. The 25 or so cats that live in the camp think so too – no doubt that they were well fed – they did well by us.

Then the Bedouins began a traditional dance. It involves the playing of what Wally called a “music machine” (guitar-like) with lots of singing and dancing (kind of like in “Cats”, Ed). The leader of the camp dances with a sword as a symbol to this guests that we are under their protection. They did several numbers, again better captured through video (but there is that $60 thing).  They invited everyone to join in. Liz didn’t want to (or was it Jim?  Hard to say).

The morning provided for some beautiful sunrise shots as well. We say “sunrise” because you had the unfortunate choice of leaving the blind down in the tent to block the light but if you did you also blocked what little there was of breeze and the tent was like an oven. We chose to get at least a good 5-6 hours of somewhat pleasant sleep and enjoy our early morning and carb filled but tasty breakfast.

We left the camp, tipped everyone in sight and started back for the Dead Sea and a few days of much needed relaxation (refer again to the opening picture above). We had a couple of neat stops along the way to talk about in the next post but we will also have a couple of “special editions” because there is only so much writing you can do about a beach and a pool over 3 days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Journey to Prophet Aaron’s Tomb

 

Today we had a great day on donkeys and mules (there were both but hard to tell the difference)  on a 7 hour trek through Petra to the tomb of the Prophet Aaron.  If you recall from your Old Testament, Aaron was Moses’ spokes person and is revered as a prophet in both the Hebrew Bible and the Quran.  He was Moses’ brother and the first high priest of the Israelites.  According to Islamic tradition he was buried at the highest sight near Petra and there has been a mosque here since the 14th century.

This is a view of the first sighting of the tomb on our trek.

Getting there was kind of like approaching one of the hotels in Vegas.  It looks like it’s right there but it’s actually really far away.

So we walked through the Siq again, past the Treasury and to the restaurant/gift shop to meet our guide and get our mules and off we went.

The ride was generally very comfortable although it left us stretched in parts that generally don’t get stretched.  The  Bedouin’s we travelled with are raised on these things so they were generally kept in check.  It’s amazing how they go up and down steep terrain but we only had one slip.  David’s hit a little sand and gave us a scare but no harm done.

Here’s a view from a rest stop.

And you guessed it, the scenery was spectacular and can’t be caught in photos but here’s a few anyway from our arrival at the top.  The last one is another view of the Monastery from yesterday but way off in the distance.

Here a few random pics as we made our way up to the tomb.   This is a police station to guard the tomb.  It is also conveniently overlooking the Israeli border.  A policemen with an M16 checked us out but I don’t think we looked too threatening.  We didn’t take a picture of him.

This looked like the 10 commandment tablets.  Our guide thought they probably weren’t.

Thre were lots of rocks to throw around here so David can keep that pitching arm in shape.

We went into an ancient water cistern along the way.  The pool of water was beautiful and looked refreshingly cool.  It is now locked and you must go in escorted after a few tourists took a dip.  It was tempting.

We finally arrived at the tomb.  It is simple but really powerful.  The tomb is a marker over the spot where Prophet Aaron is believed to be buried. 

Some more great views from on top of the tomb as well including the last picture which is an acheological site of a stone aged village.

After exploring the top, we had a wonderful lunch put on by our Bedouin guides on kind of a shady ledge.  The older gentlemen is 75, has 2 wives and 25 children including 17 sons with the youngest being 1 year old.  We tipped him well.  In what little English he spoke he said all his children are staying in school and won’t be “guiding donkeys”.   Everyone was wonderful and David said our chicken lunch made over a fire was “fantastic” – it doesn’t get much better than that.

After a very filling lunch (it is a complement to the cooks to eat as much as possible which wasn’t a problem),  we walked down a portion to help the donkeys then we were on our way back.  The trip is much quicker downhill.

This was the typical view from Jim’s donkey – the back of Liz’s ass.

We got back to the outdoor restaurant place safe and sound.  We had been there several times and there was a young girl who took a liking to David.  There is more to the story but we agreed with David that we wouldn’t tell it here other than saying that we would take the picture below and show it to him when he is 16 and see if he has any regrets then.

We splurged and got a horse and carriage ride back up the Siq after some extensive negotiations with shysters typical of such things in any country.  Below are pictures of Liz, Abby, David and a selfie of Jim (we’re not sure what makes these things so popular).

In the evening, we went to a performance of “Petra at Night”.  This involved yet another 5 km walk back and forth through the Siq to the Treasury (Petra is beautiful but demanding).  It was all lit by luminaries along the path and throughout the Treasury.  The musical acts consisted of a “rababa” (a regional guitar with one string) and a  flute player.   We were also treated to a speech by the host about connecting your soul to nature, the stars or something or other.     It was pretty dark so difficult to get pictures but Rob will appreciate this one of Petra by night.

We got a great surprise earlier in the day in learning that we were not being picked up until noon tomorrow.  After 7:30 and 6:00 am starts, the morning break and sleep-in was really welcome.   In any case, we have our first pre-planned rest stop at the Dead Sea for 3 days after we spend tomorrow night in a desert tent with the Bedouin at Wadi Rum.  Should be interesting – we hope there is actual rum.

 

Jordan

Over the course of the last 2 days we flew to Amman, drove to Petra and had a hike through this majestic site.

Our driver for the 3 hour trip from Amman to Petra was Wally. Like all tour guides, he likes to talk. We heard many of his views on religion (we are all first cousins from Abraham so why can’t we all get along?), Jordan (a peaceful place whose tourism has dropped significantly since the Arab spring), Iraq (very bad guys causing all the trouble there currently), Israel (no problem with them), US/Canada (good friends), etc. All very interesting but exhausting after a while.

Below are a few pictures from the sites along the way.

Yes, all desert, all the time. We did get a picture of a Crusader castle as well. The kids were glad it was closed.

Our hotel is kind of cool. It’s set within the park and includes a bar within a tomb.  They’ve got plenty of tombs here as you’ll see later.   We had a drink in a tomb and the kids posed.  Jim took an artsy picture and we also watched the World Cup through Corinthian columns (or something).

We had a traditional Jordanian meal of “upside down” (chicken, rice, potatoes, vegetables), humus and various salads. The number of visitors to Petra is way down so we got offered lots of things as we wandered through town. As you’ll hear later, we wish we had got the mules up to the Monastery.

We hit the trail bright and early at 7:30. The first decision given to the kids was whether to ride horses for the first kilometre or get some interesting information on the first few sites we would pass while walking.  Here’s what happened:

Surprise!  Below are some pictures of things we know nothing about as a result.

Nevertheless, here’s some background on Petra – it  is basically  a huge archeological site now. Back in the day, the Nabataeans settled in this area 2,200 years ago and essentially controlled the region’s trade routes that linked China and India to the Mediterranean coastal cities and their ports. As with many civilizations, they were eventually conquered by the Romans in the second century AD but still thrived until trade routes shifted and the rise of Christianity resulted in the area being abandoned by the 14th century. It was rediscovered by a Swiss traveller in 1812 and the Swiss presence still exists today (never heard of a Movenpick hotel before). Greek, Roman, Egyptian and Arab cultures are all evident throughout Petra.  [Note that Abby and David have glazed over as usual]

We started at “The Siq” (after dismounting) the ancient main entrance to Petra. It is a stunning 1,200 meter long, deep and narrow gorge. It’s really hard to pick through the dozens of pictures you take in a place like this. In part because there is no way a camera (and perhaps more so an iPhone) can really come close to doing it justice. Nevertheless, below are some pics to give you a sense of the grandeur of this place.

As you emerge from the Siq you come face to face with what’s called the “Treasury”. This is the typical picture you’ll see in any description of Petra.

Having said that, it is anything but typical. It is a truly impressive thing to behold. Apparently it wasn’t a Treasury at all however. It was given this name by some nomads who came across it thinking it was filled with gold. In fact, you can see the bullet holes in the facade where they shot it believing that gold would pour out. It’s actually believed to have been used as a tomb to a 1st century king and later used as a temple although our guide said there are 27 different theories as to its purpose. As with much in Petra, its design has many cultural influences.

 

Another feature of Petra are the tombs. They are imposing structures carved into the rock and you can only imagine the beauty of them before erosion took its toll.  You can see the “stairway to heaven” on the top of the first picture which was a tomb for the wealthy.  This contrasts with the tombs of the common folk shown next.

This is the interior of one of the tombs showing the burial chambers and pyramids etched into the rock showing the number and relative age of the people in the tomb.

Many houses were also carved out of caves in the rock. We had fun exploring these 2000 year old households!

 

Another feature is the Colonnaded Street which lead through the city centre. You walk on the marble pavement flanked by temples, public buildings and shops.  More contemporary shopkeepers were peddling their wares as well.  The main temple is still freestanding after many years of floods, earthquakes and little urchins climbing on them (or tying their shoes).   There was also, of course, a theatre.

 

From there the next big hike is up to the “Monastery”. You can hire donkeys to take you up the 840 steps but we chose to forge out on our own. That lasted about 420 steps when David and I sought refuge in the shade of a little cave with our friendly neighbourhood dog and Liz and Abby flagged down a couple of donkeys for the rest of the trip (for half price!). The Monastery is of the scale of the Treasury although not quite as ornate. Given everyone was completely burned out and we had to walk down and then do another 5 km or so hike back, this may not have been the wisest decision so far but who knew?

After much thought, David decided to spend some hard earned souvenir money on an authentic dessert knife.  In an effort to restore some of our parents-of-the-year honours, we counseled him out of the rather large knife shown below and towards the smaller but very special ornate dagger that he eventually haggled for.   Our little Lawrence of Arabia was very happy!

After all that, we are all now prone in the cool air conditioning in various stages of nap. Tomorrow we head out to Aaron’s Tomb at 6 am so we’ll need our rest! (but by donkey this time)

Incidentally, there are now over 2,000 views of this site. The statistics are a little dubious but it looks like a few of you are enjoying it anyway. We’re glad to have you along!

Finally, happy Father’s Day dads. We miss you.  And HFD to all the dads!