Today marks our final real day in Jordan. It is nearly impossible to believe that our trip is almost to an end already!!
After a later breakfast, we separated into two vans to drive into the heart of Amman. Our first stop was scheduled to be The Royal Automobile Museum, however the parking lot was full of children on a field trip. We popped over to the King Hussein Mosque where we had a slight dilemma. Although we all now have scarves, most of us did not bring them with us. As customary, all women who enter into the grounds of the Mosque (and further inside) must have their legs, arms, hands, and heads covered. We did some makeshift head covers with jackets and vests for our quick view into the museum on the grounds. We then diverted to The Royal Automobile Museum, which houses some of the MANY cars and motorcycles of the late King Hussein. This was to let us be closer to the time to go back into the Mosque during the time of prayer. Once the time was close, we again drove to the King Hussein Mosque, where we covered ourselves before entering. As with the Wailing Wall of a few days ago, it was important for the genders to be separated. The men were able to access where we left them, while us women climbed a few flights of stairs to a small landing area. In that area we were required to take off our shoes before entering the chamber. The floor was entirely covered in rugs, and there were several wooden "portal" areas. When we first arrived, we kneeled by the small wooden table holding the Qur'an in front of the wooden doors. After listening to the chanting for a bit, a woman came and opened up the small wooden doors for us, which allowed us to crouch into a small (maybe 1 foot in width and 5 feet in length) cubby between wooden portal chinks. This allowed us to be able to peer into the main area of prayer downstairs. The men were able to take their shoes off and come into the main prayer room. This stop made me realize that I am woefully ignorant of not only Mosques, but of Islam in general. I know that I will definitely be researching more about both once we get back home! Next, we were driven up to the Citadel, which has the best views down on the city and houses a museum, Roman artifacts, and an Umayyad palace. K mentioned that it was interesting here that museum artifacts were just lying in simple cases or on stands around a shabby room verses the same type of artifacts in Europe would be in fancy display cases with full lighting. We stopped in the city for a "surprise treat." We walked the streets of Amman and were able to get a better flavor of what it is like in the more "day-to-day" lives of Jordanians, verses just the more tourist-y places. Our path ended at a TINY hole in the wall area with a huge line of people. Inside, cooks were creating Knafeh--a famous Middle-Eastern dessert. (Here is a recipe link if you are interested in seeing what's in it!) . Let's just say it was the PERFECT way to end our last sightseeing of Jordan. It also gave us all slight sugar crashes about an hour after eating it! Our vans took us back to our hotel where we were given free time and a "day room." Most of us got last minute gifts, repacked our luggage (not that any of us had accumulated TONS! of things on this trip of course...), ate a snack from downstairs, and relaxed. I may add one more page after this to depict our debriefing, but that will not be for a few days at least. Our flight will leave around 2:15 AM from Amman, and with our several stops will be getting back home around 6:15 PM. We will all be jet-lagged and exhausted, but finally back home knowing we have taken a huge step towards better understanding another culture and expanding our horizons. What a life changing experience we will all never forget...
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As our journey rapidly comes to a close, I decided to TRY and make this post less words and more pictures so maybe you can catch a little window into our journey.
We began our path at Yad Vashem, a Holocaust Memorial site. No pictures were allowed inside but it was a burdensome stop. With every step through the museum to see and hear people's artifacts, stories, and lives my heart grew heavy and I was filled with an indescribable sadness. To see the suffering, the loss, the removal of basic rights as humans was horrifying and disturbing. It shook me to the core to think of the past, and how in many areas around the world today there are still places where human rights are being violated. Afterwards, we drove towards the town of Bethany, which stands on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives. It has been cut off from the city of Jerusalem by an Israeli separation wall. In Bethany, we stopped to see the house of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus as well as the tomb of Lazarus (where Jesus resurrected him.) To get inside, there was a narrow steep stone staircase before a TINY opening to crawl through to the actual tomb!! It was a particularly disturbing and exciting experience that I don't think I want to repeat! We finally escaped to fresh air again, and were greeted by a triumphant priest riding around on a camel...we also saw our very first derpy smiling camel. We then made the quickest stop ever at the site of the oldest and biggest Sycamore tree in Israel before making our last official stop of the day at the Mount of Temptation. As you can imagine, many jokes were made about the gifts "tempting" us to buy them... After viewing the Mt., we ate lunch at the Temptation Restaurant and saw what is thought to be the spring of Elisha; "Elisha returned to Jericho, and there healed the spring of water by casting salt into it". Again we headed to the border crossing, littered with many cautionary signs, back into Jordan. We were all VERY VERY overjoyed to find that the process was quick, simple, and painless getting back into Jordan! We once again found ourselves in Amman. For our last official night, we celebrate with a delicious dinner at another Italian restaurant. All I can say is that the food there was BEYOND amazing. Who'd have known it was a gem right there in Jordan? And Who'd have known we would be eating Italian in the Middle East?? We are staying in the same hotel tonight so we were able to just eat breakfast and get out the door this morning.
Our first stop was driving up to the Mount of Olives. To provide some Biblical context, it is a mountain ridge adjacent from Jerusalem where many events in Jesus's life would have occurred; it marks the last path that Jesus took on his way to the cross. We began our trek there, moving onto a platform overlooking the most important Jewish cemetery and a side-view of Jerusalem. We were able to orient ourselves with the city before walking through it. The path we traveled took us to the Garden and Church of Gethsemane. This garden is located at the bottom slope of the Mount of Olives directly opposite of the Temple Mount. It houses olive trees thought to have been around since the Roman times! This leaves them to be roughly between 1,000-2,000 years old.... The church we went to was rebuilt on the area believed to be where Jesus prayed to God only hours before his crucifixion. Our path took us to the Wailing Wall (also known as Western Wall). This wall is a remnant of an ancient wall which used to be located by the original Jewish Temple (the location where the Temple Mount Mosque is now). What is interesting for someone like me, is I did not realize that there would be a separation of men and women. Not only did the genders have separate entrance lines, but the areas of the walls for each gender were clearly defined. I was able to write a prayer and place it in the wall though, so it was definitely a great experience. We then began to follow the Way of the Cross to Mount Calgary. Along the way we did pass the El-Asqra Mosque, noted by its black dome top. The Way of the Cross was located along the Via Dolorosa and had 14 official stops: (Wikipedia)
We finished at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The main thing that came to me during this time was how could anyone enjoy the beautiful peace of the area through the thousands of loud and bustling tourists (not to mention everyone else?!). We walked around, saw the supposed place of Jesus's crucifixion (didn't go touch the rocks due to the large volumes of people), and saw the entrance to where Jesus was thought to have been resurrected. Our last official stop of the day was at the Israeli Museum where there is a large model of the Old City and where the Dead Sea Scrolls were housed. Since there were no pictures allowed inside, we have no pictures of the scrolls. My recommendation for if anyone plans a trip here is to DEFINITELY go visit the scrolls. There is something so amazing and awe-inspiring about seeing the pieces of texts they have to offer there. Our guide gave us the option to go back into the city or to go to the hotel. Four of us chose to go back in by ourselves, and it was DEFINITELY an adventure. For three of us, we braved back into the Church of the Sepulchre to stand in line to see the place of Jesus's resurrection. Our guide warned us that it would be able an hour, and we entered it almost an hour on the dot. It was crazy however, because we moved in a mob from about 10 people across funneled into single-file lines. People (especially for some reason the highly religious tiny older women) were very physical and unforgiving; they would push and bully and elbow their way to the front of the line in front of others. Needless to say I got a LOT too much physical contact from people I didn't know today. However, people asked me when we got back if I thought it was worth it and I say yes. It was mesmerizing to think I may have touched the slab of stone Jesus's body was laid. Getting back afforded us the opportunity to get lost in the city for about 30 minutes before finding our way to the hotel. When we came back together as a group, you could just see the fatigue on everyone's faces! Each day brings new sites, insights, and growth. As our group leader reminded us, our mission and purpose is to "Put a name and a face to the other." By meeting people, asking questions, seeing places, we are better able to call up a memory and a more accurate opinion of the people and places we will hear about once we return to the states. We sadly left the Dead Sea this morning to head towards the border (Note: I personally think the Dead Sea is deceptively beautiful for being unable to sustain any form of life--until you taste it that is!).
We were not allowed to take photos of, or near, the border crossing but it was hectic, crowded, and a titch nerve-wracking. Let's just say none of us felt warm and fuzzy greetings while crossing over. It was a mad-house of people getting passports checked, checking luggage, getting passports checked again, getting luggage, getting passports checked AGAIN and finally on our way our the door; the tension was palpable. It was scary for me because I was interrogated about my name by several officials before being allowed to enter the main facilities, while two members of our group were pulled from the lines for "random" bag inspection. For anyone who thought airports in the US were difficult.... We met our new tour guide (and mini bus!) and drove into Bethlehem. For history buffs, it is important to mention that we were in the West Bank, known as the "Occupied Territories." We are lunch at a restaurant called "The Tent." The name is no misnomer; we ate inside a literal tent. Food was good, and the company was great. The only joke we have is that water is the most difficult thing to get at any restaurant here. Next, we visited the Shepherd's Field. This is the area which people believe is the site where the angel came to the Shepherds to announce the birth of Christ. It is inside a "grotto" type cave. The cave also housed a nativity scene to remind people of the upcoming holidays... From there we drove to the Church of the Nativity. Not only was it a stunning church, you could go see what is considered the actual birthplace of Jesus. Unlike our normal depiction of nativity in a barn-type room, many here believe it was actually inside of a grotto cave. Due to time, we were unable to wait in the long lines to go down and see that portion, but we could catch a glimpse. We quickly stopped at a market that sold carvings of Nativity scenes, camels, etc out of local olive wood, as well as beautiful silver and gem jewelry. Needless to say, they must really have loved our tour group :) The last stop was an unexpected one. A student whom our leader knew from a previous exchange met us at lunch time and stayed with us until right before the hotel. He is a Palestinian who came from a large Refugee camp. We drove into the camp and saw all of the lights of the camp. It was a very difficult place to process since (being an outsider) you must wrap your mind around a group of people today who are still not allowed to leave their refugee borders and do not have the proper (or necessary) items or foundations to live in/with today. For example, they are only given 3 liters of water per day (instead of the needed ~11 liters) and many refugee camps still do not have proper sewer systems, etc. I'd like to end with a short note. As you can tell, I am really not delving into the history of Israel, their people, or the conflicts here. That is more of an in-person kind of discussion. The topics of people and history and religion and conflict are VERY sensitive, and there is no reason to muddle the already confusing topic for many by posting small blurbs about it. What I can say, is that we all feel very lucky to have come here to experience it, because that is a whole new side to things. As Rain told us before we left Jordan, we must remember to ask: "Maybe there is something more to this story?" This morning we grabbed breakfast and headed out to our trusted bus. The first stop was decidedly controversial. In the last ~15 years, new artifacts have been uncovered pointing to the Baptismal Site (where John the Baptist baptized Jesus Christ) being in a new site. Not only does this ruffle feathers because it means the site is moved, it also means that the baptism would have occurred in what is now Jordan, instead of Israel. Armed military persons were present on both sides of the Jordan River to remind visitors to stay on their respective sides.
We were also lucky enough to eat some locust leaves, which may have been referenced in the Bible as what John the Baptist ate (honey and locust). It was surprising--at least for me--that locust could be a type of plant! I always assumed it was an animal, like a grasshopper. The taste was not bad, but was on the salty side. Next, our bus took us to the top of Mount Nebo--the site where Moses saw the Promised Land before he died. Unfortunately due to massive amounts of construction (for the past several years) some parts of the monument were closed. However, the excavations have uncovered significant remains of the early church. We were able to clearly see the Brazen Serpentine Cross, however the rest of the view outwards was hazy. On the way into Madaba, we stopped at a mosaic workshop. This place was set up by Queen Noor to help create viable paying jobs for women and disabled persons in the country. We watched as these local Jordanians constructed stunning mosaics and wood pieces by hand. For the Mosaics, the artists begin with thin strips of local rocks and break them into tiny pieces. These pieces are placed into intricate patterns by hand. It was incredible to be able to purchase pieces there and meet the artists who created them. As Rain pointed out, whenever we see mosaics now we have a better understanding of the time and work invested in them! We then stopped at a Greek Orthodox Church which houses the oldest known mosiac map of the land (in Madaba). Sadly several large sections of the map were destroyed by natural causes and unfortunately humans, however portions of the map could still be seen today. In its original state, it is thought to have contained nearly 2 MILLION stone pieces. In the same place, J read from a guide about a painting of the Virgin Mary and Christ child that mysteriously gained a third blue hand after a service one day. Extremely curious, we found this strange Smurf hand on the painting....It would have been really difficult to miss if originally in the painting, but who knows... Our day ended by getting special "beach shoes"and heading to the Dead Sea. We slathered ourselves in thick Dead Sea mud, impatiently waiting for it to dry before getting into the water. It was slightly eerie, slightly impossible feeling to be suspended entirely by salinity. To give perspective, the Pacific Ocean has ~3% salinity content vs. the Dead Seat at ~32%! Word to the wise, don't open your mouth while floating!! Unfortunately due to massive siphoning of the Jordan River (the main source into the Dead Sea), the Dead Sea is actually losing roughly 1 meter per year..... Dinner was at a favorite Italian restaurant of our group leader's before dropping off to sleep. Tomorrow mark home for two of our group members, while the rest of us will cross the border into Israel! It’s amazing to think we’ve already been gone a week! And what an incredible week it has been thus far.
Today we had a relaxing morning, since checkout was not until 1:00 PM. After sleeping in a bit, we met downstairs for breakfast. At breakfast...
We got to play a bit in the Red Sea before walking around the city (Aqaba). A few blocks from the hotel stood the Al-Sharif Al-Hussein bin Ali Mosque. It was majestic in nearly pure white beauty. It is difficult for me to imagine how it stays so pristine looking in this sandy region, however the building alone beckons for spirituality. Around the mosque was the local Souk, comprised of shops selling items from tourist things to Bedouin silver to shoes and underwear. Of notice there also were a few butcher shops openly displaying large skinned animals (still with their furry/hairy tales attached). Very stark contrast to our clean cling-wrapped grocery store meats! Once we had all checked out we headed down the very long bus ride of two whole blocks to what is considered one of the best seafood restaurants in Aqaba. (Since Aqaba is a port city this made sense). Let me tell you. In all of my life I have NEVER had fish so amazing. The fish and chips were so tender they almost felt like they melted in your mouth. Hmm…hard to go back once you’ve had the best! Back on the bus we traveled towards our destination for the night—the Dead Sea. Full from the amazing lunch and warmed by the sun, many of us fell asleep for a good portion of the drive. We made a brief stop at Mujib Biosphere Reserve. Although it closed November 1st, we were able to catch a glimpse of its beauty. This reserve is 400 meters below sea level, making it the lowest nature reserve on Earth. It also has permanently flowing water, opening the gates for a variety of wildlife! The bus ride today yielded rich conversation surrounding highly controversial subjects. I will choose not to delve into these subjects in this setting, it left me with some thinking points. As noted before, it is important to stop dwelling on differences and start looking for similarities. When we do this, it can completely shift our ways of thinking. Today I felt my brain being stretched to encompass new information about the culture and religions of people here. While of course we are only hearing one perspective (i.e., our guide’s interpretations), it is a refreshing view apart from media. Just imagine what life would be like if people sought to find commonalities among others instead of picking away at negative differences? On the final stretch we saw the sun set over the Dead Sea. It’s incredible to see such intricate natural magnificence without the people and the noise. After checking into our hotel, we meandered the premises, ate dinner, and saw a large and extravagant wedding in the courtyard. I'm not sure I can really believe it, but each day I find that we are having an even more incredible experience than before! Sadly I was able only to sleep util 5:30 AM, but I got the chance to hear the Call to Prayer finally.
I'd like to take a moment to discuss a conversation I had over breakfast. To make a long conversation short, we talked about how this trip is not just to see amazing landscapes, admire ancient artifacts, and to consume delicious foods. A large portion of this trip is to be self-reflective. For example, we need to realize we are all humans. While this concept seems to be self-evident, I feel most people reflect on this less frequently than we realize. If we make the conscious effort to lift off the layers of descriptors we give each other (based on age, gender, race, etc) we find we are all part of one human race. To me, it is an honor to come to a place, meet the people, and experience a small taste of the culture in an area that is so highly media-centric back home. It allows me to have a fresh perspective and to clear my preconceived ideas of how I view the Middle East--whether I realize it or not--and to evaluate my actions and words regarding these people and locations. After breakfast we had free time, so many of us went to the streets to check out the local stores. The picture below depicts a man demonstrating how to make intricate sand "paintings" with various local stones crushed up. It was incredible to see how it is done! Next, we loaded up our luggage on the bus again and were off. We made one quick stop on the way to look back into the rugged terrain to see the areas we visited the last two days. I'm glad Rain was able to point of the main features, since for me it was almost a "Where's Waldo?" experience of searching for landmarks in the similar looking terrain! It's no wonder it took people until recently to discover its presence... (Hint: the white blotches are the viewpoints, and below and to the right is part of The Monastery facade). Our journey took us to the Wadi Rum Visitor Center, where we watched a short documentary. Afterwards, we were excorted to our new mode of transportation--trucks with open (padded) seating in the back end. We began our several hour journey through the heart of Wadi Rum, beginning with the "7 Pillars of Wisdom," as named by T. E. Lawrence in his book. We drove along the lands until we got to a flat area between cavernous wind-shaped walls to picnic in the rocks. There we were offered delicious Bedouin tea (again, always very sweet) by the drivers. It has a distinct taste to it due to production--hot metal tea kettle on a small fire. We were very lucky that our time for lunch was kept quiet and serene with no other groups around! After lunch, we rode to a Bedouin camp to enjoy tea, hospitality, and for a coffee lesson from Rain. Here I picked up a gorgeous blue and pink scarf--the man who sold it to me asked if he could wrap it for me, and proceeded to show us the wedding style. Not sure why he picked the wedding style, but none the less I was taken by the luxurious scarf. Our final stretch in the trucks took us to our camel stop. It was a strange but great experience to finally ride a camel. In order to ride a camel here are the steps: 1) Camels must lay down 2) You must swing your leg over (which is MUCH harder than one might expect...) 3) Hold on tight 4) Be somewhat thrown both forwards and backwards as the camel stand In case you've never had a close up experience with a camel, they are much taller than you might think! They also like to wander off course to grab snacks along the way...Our camels took us to a sunset viewing point and left us at another Bedouin camp for dinner. The dinner was a variety of local foods, including lamb cooked in an underground pit. It was neat to hear people singing and dancing while enjoying the dessert night. After dinner we were carted off by the bus to our hotel in Aqaba. It is important to note that the hotel there is completely modern and all white and glass...needless to say we were not only exhausted, but may have been trailing in little sprinkles of red desert sand across the pristine lobby.... How can it possibly be Day 5 already?! I guess time flies when you're having fun, even when you get up way early and go to sleep late.
After a hardy breakfast at the hotel, we all gathered again to our trusted bus. Our first--and main--destination was to "Little Petra." It is lesser known by tourists since it is another entrance on another side. Although it was a decently long ride to get into Little Petra, it was well worth the drive. Around every bend in the road we drove on, there was another spectacular view of Jordanian landscape. Rain told us that during the spring time everything is covered in green...it's just difficult to imagine after seeing it the last few days! Once inside Little Petra, Rain led us through the paths, pointing out historical points. He noted that many locations/facades have long stumped archeologists, historians, and anthropologists as to what their purposes were. Regadless, it was stunning to see what kinds of creation could have been made thousands of years ago by hand. One of the coolest parts however was the availability to climb steps and enter certain entrances. To me, the most interesting topic we discussed was that of The Last Supper. The Last Supper has long been depicted by artists as Jesus and his 12 disciples around a long wooden dinner table (Gospel of John, 13:21). Rain explained to us that during that time period, it is actually most likely that The Last Supper would have occurred not at a table, but at a triclinium (three-sided seating area where guests eat while reclined, such as the one shown below). It is interesting how one piece of a puzzle can make you re-evaluate how you think about things... At the main meeting point outside of Little Petra, our group split up depending on what they wanted to do with their several hours of free time. Some hiked up to the High Place of Sacrifice, some to the church, some to the Monastery, and some resting and doing the walk back towards our hotel. Everyone seemed to have enjoyed their choice, but for my purpose of writing this, I can only describe the way I chose: to The Monastery. Before the climb, the foot of the impending steps towards the monastery was covered by donkeys, horses, camels, and chariots. I had never seen a camel up close before; they are pretty interesting creatures! From the base to the facade, we hiked the 900 steps. The Monastery itself was just as stunning at The Treasury from yesterday. We took the opportunity to stop there and eat our lunch before climbing up to even higher view points. We visited two viewpoints, each marked with signs of "Best Views Ever!" Both were amazing to stand at, overlooking the whole country and feeling the light breeze. Following this, we took the decent back down (900 more steps from the Monastery!) and began walking towards the main entrance of Petra. Along the way we took a short detour up ~100 more steps to see inside the famous tombs. Eerie yet mesmerizing, I am constantly amazed at the wealth of beauty this country holds. We followed that path until the entrance outside of Petra, stopping only to watch the sun set behind the rosy mountains. Tomorrow will be a GRAND day, because for the first time on this trip we get to sleep in :) Since the Eco-Lodge had minimal electricity use, our wake up "call" (i.e., staff knocking on our door and yelling, "WAKE UP CALL!") was relatively early and relaxing. After a delicious Jordanian breakfast - I'm sure all of my posts will in some way reference food we ate :) - we loaded all of our things into the pickup trucks and were off back to the bus.
Our bus then traveled through the country, showcasing beautiful rocky facades, sandy terrains, and at one point water. The sky was very clear again today, so we had amazing views from almost everywhere! We then unloaded our luggage into rooms before quickly going and grabbing some lunch. There was a full restaurant available, however we decided with the quanity and quality of food we've been eating that we should probably only go for some snacks. Two of our group were adventurous and tried authentic Mansaf. After lunch we all walked to the entrance for Petra. If I could add audio to this page, it would be of Indiana Jones, since part of Last Crusade was filed there! This Nabataean city was carved directly into the rose-red walls. Although no one is exactly sure, this Nabataen city was thought to have been built as early as ~312 BC, but wasn't discovered by others until 1812 by Swiss explorer Johann Burckhardt. It wasn't until 1985 that it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Fun Fact: In 1845, John Burgon wrote a poem entitled "Petra", which won the Newdigate Prize: It seems no work of Man's creative hand, by labour wrought as wavering fancy planned; But from the rock as if by magic grown, eternal, silent, beautiful, alone! Not virgin-white like that old Doric shrine, where erst Athena held her rites divine; Not saintly-grey, like many a minster fane, that crowns the hill and consecrate the plain; But rose-red as if the blush of dawn, that first beheld them were not withdrawn; The hues of youth upon a brow of woe, which Man deemed old two thousadny years ago, Match me such marvel save in Eastern clime, a rose-read city half as old as time. As we walked along the path, Rain pointed out several relics and carvings along the way. At the end of the trail, we were able to see a sliver glance of Petra's most famous facade (Al Khazneh) through the rocky walls. We were able to go all the way up to the base of Al Khazneh and take pictures, but no one is allowed in. Unlike in Indiana Jones, Al Khazneh does not have an intricate inside; it was originally thought to have been built as a mausoleum and crypt. It was an interesting experience being surrounded by some of the most beautiful (large) archaic hand carved pieces of art, juxtaposed against people in modern clothing and persons trying to sell you everything from carriage rides to a plethora of tourist paraphernalia. Still, it is a breathtaking piece of architecture. It is incredible to think that someone could have created this by hand nearly 2,000 years ago! After Rain's history lesson on Petra, the group was allowed to part ways under the condition that we had to be at the hotel at 7:30 sharp for dinner. Almost everyone went back up to the hotel to freshen up or sleep. A few of us stayed a little longer to meander, poke around, and to drop by the shops at the end to find unique gifts for friends and family. It was getting dark by the time we ere exiting the official area of Petra, but the sun setting over the rugged canyon walls was astounding. Back at the hotel we all met up at 7:30 to grab dinner together. We again tried an authentic buffet, which provided us with lots of options of what to eat. In particular, there were delightful TINY dessert dishes of all different kinds. One word: delicious. With the remnants of jet lag paired with lots of walking, most of us looked better than yesterday but still semi-zombie-ish. Tomorrow's adventure will again include visiting sights in Petra, but from a new angle and direction! P.S. We're all safe, sound, and being fed well so no worries! Another day, another adventure! We got up (slightly unwillingly) very early this morning to make sure we were able to leave on time. The food again was GREAT! We had a large variety of meats, cheeses, humus, breads, pastries, cereal, and what not. Always good to get some delicious food in beforehand.
From there, we had a several hour bus ride to the Dana Wildlife Reserve. This reserve houses 4 different Biogeographical Zones. Along the way, we stopped at a sign signifying we were exactly at sea level! We had dropped ~900 km to get to that point, so we were constantly popping our ears…We also were pleasantly surprised by the variety of landscapes! We stopped outside to get trucks and drivers to cart ourselves and luggage to the Feynan Eco-Lodge. Although the distance from reception building to the actual lodge was relatively short, it took almost 30 minutes due to the crazy rocky road/terrain. In the end we were able to make it there with no problems. Once there, the head chef and his pupils then gave us time to practice and create our own lunch! (sorry no pictures; all of my pictures have people in them and I’m not comfortable posting those online). The rooms only have electricity in the bathrooms, so the rest is natural lighting during the day and candles by night. Each of the beds had netting around it to protect from potential mosquitoes. Another day, another adventure! We got up (slightly unwillingly) very early this morning to make sure we were able to leave on time. The food again was GREAT! We had a large variety of meats, cheeses, humus, breads, pastries, cereal, and what not. Always good to get some delicious food in beforehand. From there, we had a several hour bus ride to the Dana Wildlife Reserve. This reserve houses 4 different Biogeographical Zones. Along the way, we stopped at a sign signifying we were exactly at sea level! We had dropped ~900 km to get to that point, so we were constantly popping our ears…We also were pleasantly surprised by the variety of landscapes! We stopped outside to get trucks and drivers to cart ourselves and luggage to the Feynan Eco-Lodge. Although the distance from reception building to the actual lodge was relatively short, it took almost 30 minutes due to the crazy rocky road/terrain. In the end we were able to make it there with no problems. Once there, the head chef and his pupils then gave us time to practice and create our own lunch! (sorry no pictures; all of my pictures have people in them and I’m not comfortable posting those online). The rooms only have electricity in the bathrooms, so the rest is natural lighting during the day and candles by night. Each of the beds had netting around it to protect from potential mosquitoes. Next, we were given 2.5 hours of free time (read: sleep!). Afterwards, we joined together in the common area and those wanting to go on a sunset hike were able to leave with a guide. The progression of the hike began with flat terrain, the middle section was a little rougher since we climbed up a hill, and the last part was decently arduous (climbing straight uphill to another even higher hill). The view was spectacular and well worth the climb. After hiking back down—and grabbing some amazing tea on the way—we returned to the lodge for dinner. It was beautiful to see the reserve at night, only dotted with flickering candlelight. We finished the final touches of a perfect day by stargazing on the roof. There is something majestic and magical about lying down, seeing the black velvet sky dotted with twinkling stars and breathing in the cool clean air. Tomorrow is going to be a not-as-early time frame. We will be meeting up for breakfast at 7:30ish, and be on the bus and on our way by 9:00. Our next biggest stop is Petra—Hint: a very famous movie was filmed there.... |
AuthorTeacher by year, traveler by summer. ArchivesCategories |