Liz and Richard's 2008 Adventures

Flight Into Egypt

First time travel on Austrian Air Lines proved so comfortable that Dickie lost his cell in the seatbed.  Our passports say we visited Vienna, but only saw the inside of an international transfer holding area(at least it was the Business Class one.)

On to Egypt - Cairo is big (17 million) and dense, as the following cabin window photos attest:

Liz has escalated us to new levels of pamperedness.  Paul is there (on the plane side of immigration) to meet us, find our luggage, purchase our visas and sweep us through Customs.  We stand around with nothing to do, probably looking dumb.  Once through Customs we are met by our wonderful guide and travel planner Ahmed Hamed Yousif (also known as Ahmed #1 - more about planning the trip with Ahmed later) and our equally wonderful driver Ahmed #2.  Our three minders then whisk us into our private van, tips are palmed, checkpoints are cleared and we plunge into the chaos of Cairo traffic (more on Cairo traffic later).

Ahmed #2 displays Formula One skills navigating us cross metro Cairo to the Mena House Hotel next to the Pyramids in Giza.  The airport waltz repeats itself at the hotel - Paul takes our passports, deluxe rooms are secured, Ahmed #1 fusses over us, Ahmed #2 handles security, Bellmen are dispatched, cold beers arrive - Liz and Dick stand around being useless!

It may take a village to raise a child, but it seems to take a small army to move Liz and Dick around Egypt!

A sidebar note about our Guide/Travel Planner Ahmed Hamed Yousif:

We would not have the wonderful time in Egypt (as you will read) without Ahmed.  He worked with Liz for 7 months to set up every detail of every day...and then made changes when we got here and wanted to do different things.  We joke about our "handlers" but they were wonderful.  We zipped through security everywhere (of which there is a lot), rarely hauled luggage, meals were choices of food we loved served at interesting restaurants, the van dropped us off and picked us up at our convenience.  It was great. 

But the functionality of the experience was eclipsed by his humanity and professionalism.  He has a deep knowledge of Egyptian culture (ancient and modern), plus speaks impeccable English and his guiding experience has made him very sensitive to the issues we Westerners are curious about.  We loved talking with him.  No issue appeared too provocative.  We learned.  We will never see the Evening News in the same way again. 

He pampered us. He made us laugh....frequently. He eased our experience in dealing with a new culture without totally insulating us from it.  But mostly we believe he became our friend.

We have been fortunate to work with many wonderful guides in Asia, Europe, Australasia and South America  - Ahmed ranks with the best.

Back to the blog!

Liz has outdone herself - our room overlooks a lovely garden with Khufu's and Khafre's pyramids staring down on us night and day:

 

The hotel is a delightful medley of high tech (wi-fi, satellite TV). British/Egyptian monarchy history (a great bar, Indian restaurant) and Islamic design .... all flavoured with intense levels of service that manages to avoid obsequiousness.  Liz and Dick immediately set up camp in the Lobby bar next to the pillar with a power outlet and great wi-fi access (great, but not cheap!).

Photos of hotel public rooms and facilities follow - definitely a top 10 for us of all the hotels we've ever stayed - first our tasteful room

Shots of the gardens.....

Opulent public spaces...

A post script on breakfast - we loved the breakfasts at Mena House (as we consistently loved breakfasts throughout Egypt and Jordan)

• omelets to order
• an amazing sweet bakery/pastry table
• Indian food
• Egyptian food
• multiple juices (Hibiscus!)
• yogourt variants
• fresh fruits/salads
• honey in numerous variants
• grilled tomatoes, potato croquettes, beans etc

Liz and Dick of course did "pigs in space" with the intention of walking the calories off later

On to the Pyramids with Ahmeds #1 and #2

Ahmed #1 is charming, humourous, doting, intelligent and a wonderful traveling companion (he also put up with months of emails from Liz obsessing about the itinerary as Ahmed did all our bookings). 

He is 34 years old, a devoted new father with a wife and child in Suez with her family and when the charm turns on he is positively lethal.  He must have been very, very, very dangerous prior to marriage!  We love him.


The Great Pyramid is overwhelming.  You know its history, you saw the National Geographic TV specials, you may have had to build a model of it out of sugar cubes for your grade 5 teacher - but nothing prepares you for its size

Photos don't do it justice - but the one with Liz and Ahmed at the very base comes close to capturing how large it is

Two million, three hundred thousand blocks averaging 2.5 tons each.  450 Feet high, 756 feet on the base.  Big trumps all the feelings of history, hubris and belief.

To put the achievement in context - 20 years to build the Pyramid, 10 more years to erect the attendant mortuary temples, Queen's pyramids and family tombs/mastabas/clad the pyramid/etc.  That's 115,000 two and a half ton blocks a year or 315/day or 20/hour (16 hour day).  The achievement strains credulity.

Into a pyramid we go - we entered Khefre's pyramid - assuming a crouched over position (only 4' high) down approximately 120 feet of tunnel under the pyramid, then approximately 60 feet in a full height tunnel with side chambers and another 120 feet of crouching up to the burial chamber - sadly robbed long ago except for the sarcophagus.  No interior photos allowed, but not much to see.  Could be frightening on a torrid summer day with hundreds of multi lingual tourists crammed into the tunnels like toothpaste in a tube.  A panicky Korean having to deal with a frustrated German followed by a Canadian who meant to go to the washroom could be a recipe for disaster!  Not a good place for claustrophobes and certainly not fun if you think some Egyptian engineer may have made a mistake 4,500 years ago - there's a lot of rock over your head!  Below - the entrance to the tunnel....

At the base of the pyramids crouches the Sphinx - enigmatic, haunting.  It's 4,500 years old.  The tourist density is high - and contrasts the Sphinx elegance - the Watney's Red Barrel couples (tattoos, random piercings, females pouring flesh out of unsuspected clothing orifices) and a surfeit of plumber's bum cracks; the Russians (Pole dancer females on 4" stilettos - tough to walk the desert in stilettos - and alpha males posing to be the next Putin; and then the perplexed Canadians (not sure what to do before checking with their guide and/or handler and/or driver!).

We're having a wonderful time.  We know.  Our guide told us we are.

Seriously - the Sphinx is haunting.  Smaller than the National Geo photos implied.  The whole experience takes probably less than an hour.  In retrospect we wish we had sat there for a day and watched the sun shadows move across that eternal face

And then off to a very satisfying lunch with Ahmed.  Some may think Liz and Dick as culinary sophisticates .... we're not.  We love what we fondly call "gloppy food" - dips, casseroles, stews, pastas, salads, etc.  Egyptian food is perfect and Ahmed picks the right restaurant - good gloppy food and cold beer.

This Islam/alcohol issue is confusing for us.....the Egyptians like to make alcoholic beverages - multiple breweries, many wineries producing some reasonable reds (whites not so good).  We just seem to have trouble matching our wants with their merchandising.  Purchasing a bottle of scotch seems to be something requiring a knowledge we do not yet possess.....and those little mini bar scotches are pretty dear at Mena House!

Notable was the deep fried Pita bread (yes, let's take a product that might actually be good for you and deep fry it!) - combined with rosemary and citrus rinds - it was delicious.  We'll be making this dish at home - we vacummed through 2 baskets of it - Ahmed didn't stand a chance

(Before we went to the pyramids we visited the Egyptian Museum in downtown Cairo - no photos allowed so not much to post - other than to say the Tut Rooms are magnificent.  We had seen the Tut exhibit in Toronto years ago but it was just a fraction of the collection - even including the famous Mask).

Close with one of Liz's favourite photo from this day.....

The Citadel, Cairo Market and Coptic Cairo

Off to the Citadel Mosque.  A physically gorgeous building overlooking Cairo; exotic ceiling mosaics and clusters of lamps hovering like fireflies.  First time for both of us to visit a Mosque - it was charming.








And then a visit to one of the Cairo marketplaces.  The beehive analogy is inadequate to describe the throb of activity.  Many lovely fabrics, carvings, ceramics and other items that we might have wanted to purchase.  Sadly the vendors are so aggressive ("how can I take your money" said one fellow!) that you have no time to fall in love with a piece....you just want to escape the hard sell.  It's unfortunate


We sat in the square perched on a bollard.  It was one of the few times we weren't in a van or at a tourist sight.  The passing parade was fascinating; notably a gentleman with a load of pita borne on his head as he provisioned the local cafes.  It's a different culture - a visually fascinating one

Of course we attracted one of the local cats who kindly agreed to pose in front of a mosque

Next - off to Coptic Cairo and a visit to a church built in the 4th Century on the sight of where (purportedly) Joseph, Mary and Jesus hid when they fled Herod (all our Sunday School lessons had dragged out again!) - no pics allowed unfortunately.

Then off to the Step Pyramid at Sakkara.

As Ahmed #2 piloted us through traffic we viewed a provocative panorama of the contradictions of modern Egypt - donkey drivers with cell phones, fully shrouded ladies waiting for mini buses beneath a billboard featuring partially clad runway models.  A hundred beautiful pictures whipped by.  We eventually capitulated and shot hundreds of photos from the moving van - most out of focus - but of the remainder (displayed below) our favourite is the young men partying on the back of the moving flat bed truck.  One wrong step and ......

Step Pyramid at Sakkara and Lunch in the Country

The Step Pyramid is the first pyramid - 4,700 years old - its scale is more accessible.  Built of smaller cut stone it is an amazing structure.  No one seems to have counted the number of stones, but one is awed by the achievement.  Following - pics of the Pyramid and surrounding temples













From the Step Pyramid one can look across the desert and discover a surprise....there are a lot of pyramids - 17 big ones we understand.  As the shots below show they pepper the landscape; different sizes, different angles.  Amazing until one remembers that Egyptian civilization has been around for almost 5,000 years; a lot of time to build a lot of pyramids!

In the distance is the "Bent Pyramid"







As we learned early, security is everywhere in Egypt and an AK-47 is an common as a whistle.  Below, some of the highly alert Tourist Police protecting we innocent travelers.  As one of our guides characterized it - they are part of SSP - "Silly Security Procedures":



On the way back to Giza and the Mena House, Ahmed took us to a country restaurant.  Lovely location by the Nile, classic Egyptian food and bread to die for.  Two ladies were baking pita in a wood fired oven moments before it was delivered to our table - we ate till they ran out of wood - and they had cold beer - thank you Ahmed!

The eggplant dishes are wonderful......

And here are two fun spontaneous shots on the drive back to the hotel - we love the Camel parked "curb on" like a Smart Car.  It might be GM's solution to their small car organic market dilemma:

• carries two persons and some luggage
• easy to park
• infinite miles/gallon - uses no gasoline
• you can eat it rather than trading it in

(Methane emissions might be a problem though!)

We also loved the truck full of eggs.  We're sorry - but this is actually a truck full of eggs!!!!  It's the opening scene for some bad Monty Python sketch.  We've seen Cairo traffic.  This had to be a joke.  Dickie actually went over and checked the eggs were real.  We estimate over 4,500 of them.  A roadside omelet in the making!



 

Day Trip to Alexandria

Off early with our intrepid Driver Ahmed #2 (and Ahmed #1 of course) on a 3 hour drive to Alexandria.  Exited Cairo through the wealthy area.  The following snap captures the opulence....and arguably the absence of taste




The following en route shot illustrates three interesting features of the drive

1) the desert road is very flat and very straight, however there are periodic speed bumps (interesting at 120 k/h) and regular checkpoints with armed guards (they do not like having their photos taken)
2) there is a constant run of outdoor signs for hundreds of kilometres - somebody's brother in law must be big in outdoor
3)  the car in front straddling the white line is not changing lanes.  Many drivers (including semis) drive with the line passing between their front wheels.  It makes for interesting passing situations when you discover you're one of 5 vehicles abreast on a 2 lane road.  In heavy traffic at slower speeds, aggressive drivers will take a romp through the desert to pass cars (on either side). 4WD SUVs make sense here...and as Ahmed told us "road lines are signs are just decoration"



Along the way many of the farms have elegant dove cotes - apparently for both eating and as a hobby




Alexandria is dichotomous.  The seaside roadway is physically beautiful.  An old fort stands sentinel over the harbour and the sea front promenade is lined with lovely hotels and apartments.  It is classically Mediterranean.  You could be in Nice, or Sicily or San Remo








But a few blocks inland is a warren of streets and marketplaces.  There is a great sense of safety.  After the long drive we took delight in sitting in one of the squares to watch the passing throngs

Had a pleasant lunch in an old Colonial hotel and visited Hadrian's column.  Note the typical apartment building in the background.  An Egyptian family wanted a picture of our tall blonde.  Since we are regularly hounded by locals wanting us to pay them to take their picture we considered charging our new Egyptian friends for a photo of Liz.  Decided not to add further difficulties to Mid East relations!

Inside Alexandria traffic approaches Cairo congestion.  Note below our trusty Ahmed #2 is relaxed as he confronts a streetcar head on....by definition we are in the wrong lane



We close our Alexandria visit with a charming pic of a courting couple on the beachfront



It took us 3 hours to drive Cairo to Alexandria and 3 hours to get back within a few blocks of our hotel....then another hour crawling the last mile through the incredible Cairo traffic.  It is amazing.  Thank you Ahmed #2

On to Aswan

Next morning our platoon of handlers assembled to get Liz and Dick on their plane to Aswan.  Bags were checked, tickets were obtained, security was navigated.  We stood around being useless as usual.

Shots from the cabin window highlight the aridness of the desert with a glimpse of the Red Sea and the stark contrast of the green ribbon of verdant Nile Valley














In Aswan we were met by a new contingent of handlers and performed our security/baggage/van ballet.  En route to the hotel we stopped to view one of the temples relocated when the Aswan High Dam created Lake Nasser.  We knew Abu Simbel had been moved but were unaware that 17 other temples and monuments had been relocated (explaining how it is that the Metropolitan Museum in NYC secured the Temple of Dendur - something we have long wondered about).  Below - Philae - one of the most beautiful temples on our trip, taken from the top of the old dam



Liz had booked us into the Old Cataract Hotel.  You turn a corner expecting to confront Hercule Poirot.  In fact, Agatha Christie wrote Death on the Nile in the hotel.  It is a time capsule; one shortly to be closed for renovations.  Glad we saw it in its original state.  Note the shots of security at the gate (a constant presence in Egypt) and the Terrace Bar overlooking the Nile













Our accommodations were classic - a Victorian elevator, aging furniture, a bed as hard as granite and a view to die for (night and day).  The feluccas (Nile Sail boats) are geometrically charming and the many monuments on the far shore (actually an island) are illuminated at night.  On the river view shot our room is on the left, second floor, with the pillars











And tomorrow - our flight to Abu Simbel......and then we board the Oberoi Philae for our 4 night cruise

Abu Simbel and boarding the Oberoi Philae

How to describe Abu Simbel?

There is, of course, the engineering miracle that it was literally sawn from the cliff face of its birth (now under Lake Nasser) and reassembled at its present location - including the seldom described inner temple complex. 

But this is overwhelmed by the hubris of Ramses II who built the Temple to declare himself a God.  The 100 foot high figures are daunting - note the graffiti from 1857






















The fallen head is the result of an earthquake in 27BC (note the photo of Ramses II fallen ear).  Everywhere the scale dwarfs you.  Inside the wall carvings/paintings are stunning (no photos allowed, but we did steal one of the inner sanctum) - overall Dickie's favourite Egyptian site











Ramses II was a generous Pharoh/God and built a temple next door dedicated to his favourite wife Nefertari.  In probably typical Ramses II fashion, it features 4 giant statues of him, and only two of her!







A quick flight back to Aswan where we boarded our river boat (Oberoi Philae) - our home for the next 4 days.  The boat is beautifully appointed - comfy salons, an upper deck with a stunning river view and helpful staff everytime you turn around.













As she describes it herself, Liz obsessed over the selection of the Nile Cruise boat - and with Ahmed's assistance chose the Philae.  Part of the reason was the exterior cabins with balconies and the fact that the boat is rarely rafted to other vessels (pics of that later). 

Note the view of feluccas from our private balcony - we're on the low deck in the middle on the outside shot







We also met our new guide (arranged by Ahmed) - Emad.  He would be our companion for the duration of the cruise (staying on board).  One of the real pleasures of our Liz/Ahmed planned tour is always have a private guide and a private driver (the cruise comes with guides and transportation but we went separately). 

Our guides have incredible radar regarding crowd avoidance. We always seemed to be 15 minutes ahead of or behind the 20+ strong group who had arrived by bus. 

Emad is Nubian - young, very bright, well informed and would prove to be a stimulating dinner companion

Felucca ride on the Nile and Philae Temple

After checking in we headed off on an early evening Felucca sail on the Nile with Faruk, our pilot and Emad.  Wonderfully tranquil, wild birds, ruins of ancient forts and temples, the Tomb of the Aga Khan and in counterpoint - new hotels under construction.






















The Temple of Philae

Next morning, after a great breakfast (we love Egyptian breakfasts) we took a launch over to the Temple of Philae.  Most Egyptian Temples are situated in desert; Philae is made more beautiful by the flowers and trees of its island location.

It is a classic Greco/Egyptian temple (post Alexander the Great installing his relatives on the throne - Cleopatra, et al)

Again we marveled that the whole complex had been sawn up, moved and reassembled.

There is a style and grace to the Egyptian iconography that is eternal and haunting.  The images are striking enough in "Black and White" (as they are now) - they must have been even more impressive in Colour....as we would learn later

































Sailing the Nile

Back on board we set sail for Luxor.  There are approximately 280 tourist boats on the Nile.  I busy ports like Aswan they are often moored 4 abreast (see photo below).  One of the delights of the Oberoi Philae is that it does not raft with other boats so we always had an open river view from our cabin balcony





As we sail down the Nile, we pass some of the most fertile farmland in the world - wheat, cotton, sugar cane, rice, dates, oil palm, etc and exotic vegetables/fruits for domestic consumption and export to Europe.  Still, small plots tilled by hand or with oxen, water buffalo, donkeys or camels - very few tractors.  Probably not very different from 3 millenia ago.  We also lock through a lower dam with not much room to spare, where vendors sell by tossing their wares on the deck and you toss back money....or at least return their wares.

Note the carpet in mid air between the pillars

From our cabin balcony

A Visit to Kom Ombo

Everything is perfect. The boat is luxurious.  The view of the Nile is truly fascinating and we love our new guide Emad (organized by Ahmed Hamed Yousif). 

Emad's knowledge of not only ancient, but modern Egyptian history is encyclopedic.  We pester him with questions ranging from Ramses II progeny to the Sadat assassination.  His responses are candid, thoughtful and often revelations to we Westerners.  We are learning alot - not always optimistic - but we will never read a newspaper quite the same way again.

Emad has wonderful radar regarding our interests.  While reviewing the history of a particular monument he focuses in on details, visuals and stories that he senses will pique our fancy.....he's usually right as the blog will show over the following days.  And he has a magical sense of where the hundreds of other tourists are not at any particular moment.  While others are surrounded by the hordes, we often find ourselves delightfully alone.

We toured with him, ate meals with him, drove with him - all amidst a constant chatter of questions!

We view Kom Ombo first from the river and then up close.  Built in the 2nd Century BC it is a double temple to both Horus (good) and the local crocodile God Sobek (not good), plus the Romans added some features
















Kom Ombo had medical/health properties and many of the glyphs communicate this theme.  Note the depiction of various surgical instruments and the lady giving birth in an upright position





Emad also explained some fascinating calendars to us.  We'll neglect the details, but you can probably sense the marking of time and the associated payments of taxes





At Kom Ombo we saw colour (that we could now photograph - lots inside Abu Simbel but no photos allowed) - they glyphs become even more beautiful

As the temple was dedicated to the Crocodile God, excavations have discovered a number of crocodile mummies along with the Gods' images





While Emad avoids the crowds, the Tourist Police are omnipresent.  You're never far from a loaded Uzi or an AK47



Kom Ombo contains a "Nile Meter", a concept that had long fascinated Liz.  In the courtyard of the temple is a deep well with an interior spiral staircase.  The well is connected to the Nile by an underground tunnel.  As the Nile level rises and falls the water level in the well alters accordingly.  Seasonally a Priest would descend into the well and depending on how many steps were submerged, define the tax rate for the coming months - since the Nile defined the agricultural productivity (early Rev Canada!)



Next to the Nile Meter is a less pleasant well, one once filled with crocodiles where they dispensed with prisoners.  The Gods then, as now, had to be fed

Beyond the ancient temple are sugar cane fields and a very modern refinery belching smoke into the sky

The Cabin Boy, The Cabin Boy.....

The crew on the boat are wonderful.  Our cabin housekeeper surprised us one evening upon our return from dinner, with a dummy in our cabin - comprised of pillows, towels, a bathrobe and our hat, glasses and cane



(Liz called him "Mummy Man")

We had seen this ploy on cruises in South America.  We retaliated the next night by building a similar dummy before we went for dinner, and leaving it perched on the toilet in our cabin.....with the loo door closed




He confessed to having been momentarily embarrassed to have interrupted a passenger on the loo......and the game was on!  An elephant greeted us on our bed that evening






The next night we responded with Mummy Man reading a guidebook in bed.  By this stage we are hiding down the corridor to see what happens when he enters our room....much mutual laughter ensued



He responded with a volley - an elaborate child in our chair, and a boat and a crocodile drinking our water on the bed with Mummy Man (note the water caps for the croc's eyes!).  Sadly this was the end of the cruise.  Since we're non very competitive, it wouldn't have escalated (NOT!) - Note from Liz - Richard was starting to climb up on chairs to test the ceiling tiles to see how much weight they could hold........

On to Edfu

Only Liz and Dick could experience rain in Egypt!  The day is gloomy and damp.  The Temple is lovely, once buried under the sand - its carvings are striking on both the macro and micro scale


















There is a tall, narrow corridor with both walls covered in elegance.  It's not a particularly notable place, but on pausing and examining, it becomes visual overindulgence...and of course if we paused Emad's radar kicked in and we got a charming dissertation on the complex hagiography of the images depicted.  Egypt is like scuba....you can always dive deeper and deeper.  You want to dive deeper



Some of the original colour still survives at Edfu.  It hints at what must have been a chromatic banquet





In the inner sanctum of Edfu is one of the boats designed to carry the Pharoh to the next life (a replica - original is in Berlin we think).  Again, lovely design lines



The interior passages of Edfu have workable light and we migrate from awe of the giant pylons and pillars to examining the inner details









One of our particular favourites is in a narrow back stairway, where the all knowing Emad explains that the red drawings are the original planning artist's sketch - but since nothing could be higher than the Pharoh's face, the stone carver cut lower - at chin level........



As our focus draws ever narrower, we become fixated on one particular glyph - the honeybee (on the left) - as shown below it refers to royalty - the bee signifying Lower Egypt and the plant to its right signifying Upper Egypt)....used alone and outside a cartouche it also is the sound "B"



As we dive deeper we discover the cobras, rabbits,jackals, lions, boats, baboons etc hidden in the glyphs.  Each one is an individual work of art.  Consider the rabbit below - the Egyptians did logos better than anyone













At the gates of Edfu are two falcons that encapsulate all the elegance and majesty that we have fallen in love with.....an appropriate departure from Edu.  One would look great in our living room!

Valley of the Kings

Guarding the entrance to the Valley of the Kings are two Collosi - currently being restored.  The workers provide a good sense of scale






By digging their tombs deep into the Thebian Hills, pharohs from 1500BC  and on hoped to stop robbers stealing the possessions buried with them (not a great success, unfortunately).

Here comes the bad part - the tomb interiors (even without the gold) are spectacular.  We could rhapsodize for pages on what we saw, but photos are not allowed.  The colours, the detail are still there are 3,500 years.  It is magical.

Crowds are everywhere but Emad does it again and we visit 4 tombs - in one case completely alone...but for the guard.....we probably should have paid him off and taken pictures (Ramses V/VI - a separate ticket cost but worth every penny).

Here's an image and description from the web regarding the ceiling image in Ramses V/VI - absolutely stunning

The astronomical ceiling     of Ramesses VI's burial chamber is decorated with scenes illustrating the Book of the     Day and the Book of the Night. A double representation of the goddess Nut,     personification of the celestial vault and the "Mother of the Sun", is     represented in the act of swallowing up the sun in the evening and regenerating it in the     morning. She thus assumes the role of a life-giving and regenerating force that shines     down upon the dead pharaoh, assimilated with Re with whom he shares the rebirth.

There are still excavations on going in the same basic way that would be familiar to Howard Carter.  We will buy a book to save our memories.

Temple of Queen Hatshepsut

The only female Pharoah.  Wore a fake beard to play the game and a soap opera story of inter family connivance to outclass the Borgias.  She'd probably survive very well in a Wall Street boardroom.

In consistent, iconoclast fashion she built her temple to be unlike the traditional pylon/pillar structure.....and chose an awesome natural cathedral-like backdrop






Hatshepsut's successors were not even a little fond of her and many of her images have been eradicated, but other statues are still lovely....with vestiges of colour













By now we're very into the details of the glyphs and love the owl, the falcon with his tail extending from the column and other pieces









Two examples of surviving colour are particularly notable - one of Hathor and best of all - a banquet/offering for Anubis, featuring a panoply of foods - oils, meats, vegetables, etc - it would be a perfect menu cover for an Egyptian restaurant!





From the Temple you look over the whole fertile Nile Valley (her domain) and as we would learn later, you can see her temple from the other side of the Nile and the temples of Luxor and Karnak. 

Hatshepsut would have done fine in the corporate world......or even taken a run at first female Pope



Our driver for this day - Mohammed - was delightful and spoke much better English than he first let on.  Richard and Emad left the van to buy tickets and Mohammed gave Liz an easy way to pronounce Hatshepsut (which had eluded her) - "Hot Chicken Soup"!

Then he went on to remind us that this was the location of an anti tourism attack in 1997 - security around the area was perhaps more visible...and with mobile shields which are presumably bullet proof

Temple of Ramses III at Medinat Habu

Emad suggests we go to one of the less visited temples - Ramses III at Medinat (Mohammed concurs).

We are basically alone.  The temple is glorious, the saga of its building fascinating - why more people don't visit will remain one of tourism's mysteries.

You will note in the first picture - above Liz's right arm - Ramses III is posed to smite someone.  He was a warrior pharoah and the temple is dedicated to his high testosterone activities - war and hunting.

We do something unusual - we walk around the complete outside of the temple - and Emad does just what Ramses III had hoped for - he reads to us the accomplishments of Ramses III's life, from the carvings on the exterior walls (sadly abraded in places but it is an interesting tale)

We see Ramses the Archer/Warrior; a sadly eroded depiction of the Pharoah hunting wild ox; and smiting his enemies.

Then we move on to some less charming aspects of Ramses' rule.  When he conquered a people he assured that they would never fight against him again, by cutting off their right hands.....note the pile of severed hands

No fool, our Ramses - he also assured that they wouldn't breed more sons to fight against him - note the pile of severed penises

One of the many fascinating things that Emad pointed out - was how deep the carvings are - as shown above.  Apparently Ramses wanted to ensure his immortality - and that includes not having later Pharoahs erase his presence by carving over his images.

Many of the columns and interior carvings still retain their colour and the temple is quite beautiful and particularly photogenic, since there is virtually no one else there to appear in your shots

As mentioned above, the glyphs are notable for the depth of carving....not the subtlety of detail we saw at previous temples

And of course our favourite honey bee

Following are some general pictures of the temple - the absence of crowds makes it a delight which is amplified by the quality of the carvings and their underlying tale

One mode of transportation we haven't used on this trip (so far) is a hot air balloon.  They fly on the calm morning air above the Valley of the Kings

(They look like retired Remax balloons, don't they? - guess they are!)

Emad is cautious about the balloons - says there are good and bad operators and it's not something for which you should necessarily take the lowest price!

Karnak and Luxor Temples

Karnak and Luxor are classic Egyptian temples - 2 massive entry pylons and a series of columned inner temples beyond.  Karnak is distinguished by its arcades of ram headed sphinxes and Luxor by its pair of obelisks.  The Egyptians are justifiably grumpy that there seem to be more obelisks in European squares than are left in Egypt.










The obelisk is striking, especially since we now have a blue sky background after a couple of days of un-Egyptian cloud and rain.







The pillars are very tall and elegantly carved - a suitable backdrop for a pensive traveler

Most of the Egyptian temples have had to survive trauma of multiple forms - desecration by angry pharoah successors, being buried by desert dunes, removal of the blocks to build nearby towns and - most destructively - eradication by Christians and Muslims.  Karnak did not survive unscathed.  Christians turned part of it into a church and rather than just destroy the statuary they carved a trio of Egyptian Gods into a Christian Cross

We, of course, found our favourite honeybee and a number of other elegant glyphs

There are many examples of lovely statuary at Karnak, all with the elegance of time

More Luxor to follow in next post

More Luxor

Luxor is big (and crowded) - two massive frontal pylons, an obelisk in the fore square and a pair of wonderfully preserved seated collusi of Ramses II guarding the entrance










The entry obelisk is 82 feet of ink granite, once one of a pair - the mate is in the Concorde in Paris





You have to respect Ramses II.  Arguably no human being has erected more cubic feet of statues of himself.  It worked.  We still remember who he was and what he did. The collosi are still daunting - only slightly dimmed by time.  We should all be so lucky!







There are a pair of stunning panels at the bases of the collosi illustrating the unification of upper and lower Egypt





Because the temple was buried for centuries under desert sand many of the statues are wonderfully preserved. 









An interesting by product of Luxor being buried for so many centuries was that succeeding generations built a town - including a Mosque - on top of it.  When Luxor was discovered the town was removed but the Mosque was retained.  It now sits perched seemingly in mid-air above the tourist site below - now under renovation



Prior to its burial Luxor served as a Christian Church and there is a wonderful juxtaposition of Byzantine art on the Egyptian structure





We leave Luxor and our guide Emad....and it's the wind down of our Egyptian adventure



A trip back to Cairo, one more night at the welcoming Mena House where are are received like the Prodigal Son - then Paul and our other handlers repeat the ballet one last time and we're on our way to Amman Jordan.

We had a wonderful time in Egypt.  The history, the monuments, the art - are overwhelming.  In a time where Mid East issues are high profile, it was also a learning experience to spend two weeks in a Muslim country - we will never be the same. 

The joy of our experience must be accredited to the wonderful Ahmed Hamed Yousif who was the architect of our trip; Emad - our marvelous guide on the cruise; Ahmed #2 - a driver extraordinaire and a charming human being; the unnamed driver in Aswan who returned Liz's coat when she left it in a van; Paul, who shepherded us through the Cairo airport with grace and warmth and all the other guides, drivers, facilitators, hotel employees, restaurant staff and everyone else who were so kind to us.  Shukran.

A note on Cairo Traffic

Cairo traffic is simply insane.

As Ahmed points out - "lines and signs are just for decoration" and there are virtually no traffic lights since experience indicates that the drivers will ignore them.

It's a roller derby with pedestrians crossing 6 lines of divided highway (climbing the centre median) at regular intervals.  Driving at night is a dance with death as ladies shrouded head to toe in black suddenly appear in front of the van.  When traffic stops (frequently) vendors suddenly appear between the vehicles selling Kleenex, food, toys and other unexpected items.  No photos can capture the mayhem. 

A favourite shot is the soldier peaking out of the gun port of a ubiquitous army vehicle.  Liz's favourite joke is when one of her travel correspondents inquires about renting a car in Cairo.....you must be kidding.  Note the mini bus with its standard 15 passengers crammed into dimensions that are illegal in the sardine industry












A note on Cairo Construction

For reasons of taxes, inheritance, cashflow or other factors that we never quite fully understood, Cairo apartment blocks are all works in progres....people living in the lower floors while the re-bar sprouts from the roofs, ready to resume growth upwards.  It may be a really sensible idea...but certainly different.

Arrival in Jordan

We were going to Egypt.  We had always wanted to see Petra in Jordan.  So we went to Jordan without any pre-conceived notions or expectations about what we would experience.

What we got was 4 days of some of the most intense travel experience we've ever had - Petra, Little Petra, John the Baptist's Pool, incredible modern architecture, camel rides, a donkey ascent up 800 stone steps, a manic drive through the desert to Lawrence of Arabia's encampment, incredible Roman ruins, Crusader fortresses, and a cultural lesson we're still digesting - all delivered by two of the most interesting personalities we've ever traveled with.

We came to see a dead city.  We ended up laughing constantly in between arguing about Mid East politics, plate tectonics and why a cat's eyes shine in the night.  We had an incredibly good time for 4 rollicking days.

Firstly there was Bashar Herzalla - our driver/escort - Palestinian, raised in the Gulf states, Muslim, married father of two, calm, unflappable, kind and possessed of a sense of humour drier than the desert.



Then there was one of those personalities you meet few times in your life - our guide Osamah Twal.  34 years old, single, Christian, a lineage in Jordan going back to forever, relatives all over the world, an ever mutating story of where he lived and what other business ventures he was involved in, a seeemingly intimate acquaintance with every camel driver, shopkeeper, restauranteur and hotelier in Jordan, deep knowledge of ancient and modern history and a frequent laugh so infectious that we were constantly in danger of abdominal damage.

Of course he can toss his scarf in 50 different variants that would have a Roman Boulevardier green with envy



We'll take an incident out of time sequence to characterize a tour with Osamah.  We're at Wadi Rum in southern Jordan.  This is real desert - sandstorms, virtually no plant life and a glimpse of Saudi Arabia beyond the next mountain range.  It's also where Lawrence of Arabia actually camped and appropriately so did Peter O'Toole when David Lean shot the movie.

Our 4WD rental is from friends of Osamah's (everyone is a friend of Osamah).  Our driver - Omar - is around 20 years old, friendly and has no idea what he is in for.

The landscape is gorgeous.  Great stone crags spring out of the moving sand.  As Liz described it ....."open the truck window and you can get a $200 dermabrasion job for free"










Then - what should be Omar's first clue - much Osamah conversing in Arabic and suddenly we're off the trail and driving up a dune to one of Osamah's "favourite places".  It is worth it.  Ancient Bedouin glyphs on the cliff face, a distant view towards Saudi, elegant silver bushes and the beginnings of the sandstorm that is blowing in















More glyphs follow.  Osamah does his mercurial shift from amusing to instructor and explains the history and meaning of the glyphs at an academic level









Then on to Lawrence's encampment.  It is a haunting place with a great natural stone face peering down over the campsite cliff in the rocks.  A small engraving in a stone outcrop bears witness to history







We continue to explore - taking the 4WD along a shelf with a significant cliff face 




We come across the Movenpick encampment where tourists go to spend a night in the desert.  Liz and Dick's fondness for facilities made of porcelain dampens our interest in this level of experience authenticity



The encampment is at the foot of a large dune.  We are at the top.  Omar gets out of the driver's seat and stares down the dune face with dubious confidence.  Osamah is now in the driver's seat, Liz yelps "Holy Shit", and we're off over the face of the dune.  It's the first drop on a roller coaster - over before you realize it and Osamah is grinning fiendishly.

(a later Google check reveals that the rest angle of a dune is 34 degrees - not your average expressway off ramp)









We then drive back to meet Bashar as the storm swirls in.   Travel with Osamah is never boring. 





And a favourite road sign......

 

Dead Sea; Bethany Beyond the Jordan and an amazing Hotel!

Back to real time after our Osamah diversion!

Bashar meets us at the Amman airport (behind security as was the case in Cairo and he arranges our visa).  It's early and our hotel room is not yet available so he wisely suggests we stop at "Bethany Beyond the Jordan" on the way to the Dead Sea (we had planned to visit it the next day but he felt it would make that day less crowded - good plan!).

We drive down to the Dead Sea - 1,300 feet below sea level.  The Jordanian soldiers at the checkpoints have a more efficient edge.  We won't be offering them any bribes.  Passports are shown as Bashar performs a ritual that will be common over the coming days.  The Humvee's with 30 and 50 cal machine guns do set a tone that we're not used to. 

The roadside merchants' offerings are a wonderful palette of hues.  It is very windy and cold with snow in the forecast.  Welcome to the torrid desert!













Bethany Beyond the Jordan is where John the Baptist baptized Jesus.  The site was discovered in the mid 90s after Jordan's peace treaty with Israel caused the areas along the river to be cleared of mines. 

Long filed Sunday School learning is accessed.  The Jordan River turns out to be just a tiny stream.  Much to our surprise we find ourselves 20 feet from Israel across this narrow divider.  There is a small contingent of other tourists but we expected there would be some devoted Christians incredibly moved by standing at this significant location.  But, no overt praying or apparent awe.  We buy some bottles of Jordan water for our religious friends and wander through the small church at the site.  Armed guards are everywhere.  Love the shot of the priest with the cell phone




















We both found this site very moving - despite our lack of religious orientation - highly recommend visiting it if you're in Jordan.

Then off to the Dead Sea Kempinski Hotel - part of a phalanx of new  developments on the Dead Sea.  Again heavy entry security at the gate and metal detectors/hand luggage searches at the door.

The hotel is out of Architectural Digest - incredible design with infinity pools, structured reveals, delicious appointments.  We sit on the terrace staring across the Dead Sea at the West Bank/Palestine/Israel/Occupied Territories - the nomenclature here is very complex.

(lots of hotel photos follow!)



































Our room continues the design elegance.  There is a chair that we consider hiding in our suitcase.  Light fixtures are high tech and the bathroom is a triumph of chrome, tile and marble.  We're like rubes from the country - playing with knobs, switches and buttons







The view from our balcony over the infinity pool and the Dead Sea is Travelogue quality.  We seem to be two of very few guests, but then it's cold.  No great desire to do a few laps in the pool and we (perhaps foolishly) decide not to strip down for a float on the saline Dead Sea









The only thing missing was an in pool bar!

A few more pics - breakfast the next morning was delightful overkill - an omelet bar, mid east bar (should have had that - drats it was missing the next morning) and an incredible array of sweets, fruit, honey, meat, etc etc)

OK! Back to travel discussions!!!

Jerash

We lived in Rome.  They have ruins that are the envy of the world.  Jordan has bigger and better Roman ruins (not even fully excavated yet either).

Suffice to say that we are again reminded what a huge entity the Roman Empire was.  Osamah leads us through with his unique blend of academic information, constant humour and a solicitous caring for our comfort and satisfaction. 

We start with the entry gates and some panoramic shots to set the scale.  Since the world has not discovered Jordan we are delightfully alone.
















Like most Roman cities Jerash had a wonderful theatre.  We've seen a lot of Roman theatres - Jerash was the best.  Some amazing features - if you stand in the centre of the theatre and speak in a normal voice you can be heard everywhere. We tried it.  A pox on you sound designers of the Roy Thompson Hall in Toronto








More fascinating - and our photos don't illustrate this well - around the lower rim of theatre (in the shot below) are circular depressions (5 are visible between the lower left pillar and the centre stairway)

If you crouch down and whisper - yes just whisper - into the depression on the left, someone with their ear to the corresponding depression on the right (unseen in the photo) will hear you perfectly.  The acoustics are amazing. Did the Romans plan this?  How did archeologists discover this 2,000 years later?  Osamah is a proud father as he unveils these mysteries to us

We're awed by the acoustics, but the surprises just keep coming.  What is the most bizarre thing that could happen next in the middle of this theatre in the middle of a Roman ruin in the middle of the Middle East?.....why, of course, a bag piper!

Because the Jordanian army was trained by the Brits, there are Jordanian bagpipers.  The Romans never planned it this way, but the performance would bring tears to the eyes of any Gael!

The theatre is next to the Arena/Hippodrome.  It's started to rain.  Some quick shots of the end turn, the ancient horses' stalls and a long shot of the Roman Legionnaire actors who perform in the re-enactment which was canceled for rain.  Behind the Legionnaires are the chariots for the chariot races......didn't see them due to rain - rats.

Jerash is huge and only partially excavated.  The mound we're climbing up probably contains more ruins

There is a lovely temple which prompted wonderment about how it must have looked in its prime.  And of course a favourite thing, ladies who explore ruins in high heels....and this one was a Brit, not a Russian....and of course the ubiquitous tea/coffee vendor with his lovely urns

Then Osamah showed us something that still has us wondering. Are we victims of a Uri Geller scam?  The deal is that some of the pillars (supposedly) rock in the wind.  To show this - one jams a spoon into the crack at the base of the pillar (Uri Geller - spoons - you appreciated our skepticism).  You watch closely.  The spoon slowly waves up and down.  Osamah is 9 feet away.

It seems unbelievable that these monstrous columns are actually rocking in the wind.  He does it again at another pillar with a set of keys.  Corroded spoons, twigs, nails are stuck in pillars everywhere.  If it is a scam it is widespread.  If it's real, it is amazing.  We're skeptical bu tending to the real side.  Osamah is, of course, delighted with our confusion.

Dickie is fascinated by the capitals of the columns - lots of pics follow

An early Christian church erected in Jerash after the Empire adopted Christianity has some wonderful mosaics.  The Jordanian government's dilemma is highlighted - remove the mosaics to the protection of a museum or leave them where they are and accept the attack of the elements?  Or build a protective dome over the whole installation?  No easy answers

And in closing some miscellaneous photos and our recommendation to put Jerash on your list of must sees.....and take Osamah!

Osamah and Bashar then ake us to lunch - a non descript cafe at the entry of Jerash delivers a wonderful lunch.  Cold beer is obtained.  We're still puzzling about the rocking pillars.  It's been a wonderful experience and the food is perfect

A note on "Osamah"

Live in the west and the name Osamah carries all the baggage of "Hitler"....and remember he's Christian.

He is wonderfully honest about the dilemma.  As he describes it - he tells American tourists his name is Sam - an Anglicization of a complex Arabic name.  The one time he admitted to his actual name on the last day of a tour they didn't give him a tip.  We get used to it quickly and by day two are talking about "Osamah" as if he was our best friend......which he was fast becoming.

Mt Nebo, Madaba and Kerak on the way to Petra

The next morning we leave the Kempinski - dragging Liz out by her fingernails (note from Liz - it was really a very small incident - nothing like reported in the Jordanian press ;) )

Off to Petra!

We pay a quick visit to Mt Nebo - the spot where God let Moses see the Promised Land while telling him that he could look, but not go there.  God, clearly, had a very dark sense of humour.  The view from Mt. Nebo is equally dark with mist obliterating everything


We stop at a lovely ancient church in Osamah's hometown of Madaba - notable for a charming mosaic of the Holy Land and some wonderful paintings

On to Kerak - a monstrous Crusader fortress that commands the valley below




Time has taken its tool, but we should all be in such great shape after 2,000 years.  It must have been an existence that we cannot conceive - a very short life span, filled with disease, hunger, filth, back breaking work and the constant threat of death in battle










Winding through the country we regularly encounter unvisited ruins that seem to slumber in the mists.  This land has been fought over for a long time.





Another Osamah moment

Bashar is carefully navigating his way to Petra (it is very foggy) - the road is winding, livestock and people are sharing the pavement with us.  Suddenly Osamah decided we need to see a nearby Crusader castle (Shobak) not on our itinerary.  Bashar responds in Arabic.....but the body language clearly says "which cliff do you want me to drive over?"

We wind up a mountain top.  The mists shroud us like a time machine and we're back almost 2,000 years.  There is a charming hot tea/coffee man at the gate.  Osamah guides us through the fortress.  The mist softens the ravages of time and you can imagine being there long ago.

Of course when we get back to the parking lot, another motive for our visit is revealed.  Osamah is buying items from the local vendors, including a porcelain bell, for his antique business.  He then delights us for the rest of the drive to Petra explaining the nuances of why these were good deals....especially the bell......until Dickie (in grumpy mode) assures Osamah that he needs no further proof that the bell can ring.

(note from Liz - I believe the whole thing was a smoke break!....but it was worth it!)

Petra! #1

Petra is simply awesome. 

To manage our recollections, we've divided them into sections:

• a brief history
• the entry gorge
• the Treasury and Upper Tombs
• the Roman Ruins
• Donkey ride to the Monastery
• Camel ride out

A brief history:

Petra was built by the Nabateans - an Arab people who settled the area in the 6th century BC (pre Roman).  They grew rich by first plundering the trade caravans (frankincense, myrrh, spices, etc) and later by levying transit taxes.  Inevitably the Romans arrived and added to Petra's architecture.  Osamah advised that virtually all the buildings/holes i the rock we see are tombs.  In many ways Petra is a "city of the dead".  The actual Nabateans' living structures have long since disappeared.

While the structures carved from the rock are in themselves amazng, the polychromatic sandstone adds to their beauty.  The Nabateans appear to have left no written records and we know very little about their civilization.

The Entry Gorge - the "Siq"

Not actually a water carved gorge - the Siq is a cleft where two tectonic plates have pulled apart. 1.2 kilometres long and as much as 200 metres deep it is around 5 metres wide - but narrows to as little as 2 metres.  The entry was once sealed with a wall and gate















You can walk down the Siq (we did) or take a horse cart - but it's rough ride over the original 2,500 year old pavement that was rediscovered when the desert sand was removed









Or you can rent horse from the wranglers at the head of the Siq.  We've seen them in New Zealand, Australia, Easter Island, Galapagos, the Grand Canyon, etc.....young men doing what all young men should do.....reliving the cavalry mythos



The Nabateans were admirable hydraulic engineers.  The Siq walls are lined with channels to collect rain water from the walls and funnel it to large cisterns











Along the walls are niches that once held statues





There are tombs along the Siq.  Many feature stairways carved into the living rock.  We are fascinated by the stairs - it is a lot of work carving out 6 stairs.  In 400 BC you might have gotten a better ROI on tending your goats.  The stairs replace our Egyptian Honey Bee Glyph - and reappear more dramatically at Little Petra ( a later post )





More Petra in the next post!

Petra #2 - The Treasury, Upper Tombs and Roman Ruins

No travelogue, no guidebook, no National Geographic....prepares you for the reveal of the Treasury. 

You turn a bend in the Siq and like a wraith it is there - peaking between the walls

 

 

Carved from the living rock, the Treasury justifies its rating as one of the new "7 Wonders of the World".  The cleft expands into a broader canyon, literally pockmarked with tombs.  Some just holes in the cliff face, others with carved porticos and inner structures.  And we're falling in love with the camels

One site bears a sad story.  Archaeologists had erected scaffolding to investigate a tomb and the week before a tourist climbed it and fell to his death

The upper part of Petra contains some elegant tombs which we do not climb to for time reasons.  They are elegant - even from a distance.

The Roman Ruins

The Romans built a theatre carved out of the riotously coloured sandstone.  Tomb interiors resemble Kandinsky abstracts

The rift continues to broaden and we move towards the Roman Ruins.  Osamah negotiates (we find out later) our return camel ride. 

He has another agenda most tourists probably don't experience.  It rained the day before so we hunt for revealed pottery shards on the exposed hillside.  Pieces of Roman glass, mosaic chips, and 2,000 year old glazed pottery are discovered.  He lights up as he discovers these finds.  His objective (sadly unfulfilled) is to find a coin.

The Roman Ruin is virtually unrestored and elegant in its decay.  We stand on a mound that Osamah bets contains another undiscovered temple.  The fallen columns resemble toppled Ritz crackers

Next - the donkey ride up to the Monastery!

Petra #3 - The Donkey Ride to the Monastery

We've ridden horses to the rim of volcanic craters n the Galapagos we've ridden elephants through the Lao jungle.....but inflicting 200 pounds of Dickie on a cute little donkey seems unfair.  Much assurances that they can carry 300 pounds+ and we're off.  Liz's feet dangle on the ground






The trail is gently inclined and sandy.  All is proceeding in a relaxed fashion.  As usual, Dickie's donkey is following Liz and Dickie is trying to simultaneously hold on to the donkey and take photos freehand.  We approach stone stairs carved out of the cliffside.  Dickie says "We must be going up another trail".  Wrongo. Up we go.  Any pretense of camera focus evaporates









We make it to the halfway point.  Muscles we didn't know our body had are hurting.  We have having a fabulous time.  Osamah does his "I told you so" look.  Our donkey wranglers are wonderful.









And we're off again.  Now, 2,000 year old stairs ge a little worn.  Dickie's donkey exhibits a preference to walk on the edge of the gorge.







We march along a shelf with an infinite crevasse on the left.  The American insurance industry would have 6 foot steel rails everywhere (after you sign a release!).  Our faithful steeds climb the last few staircases and we walk the last short climb - note the hikers ahead

The Monastery is worth the climb for us (no one asks the donkeys).  Another wonder carved from the sandstone

We then walk down - along the way vendors are offering their wares.  Liz buys a doll from the mother of our donkey wrangler (here's her pic - as you can see by her dress it's cold up here)



You get a sense of the climb looking down.  The little red dot at 10 o'clock halfway between the centre and the upper left corner is a hiker ahead of us



On the way down we meet our favourite new beast - a camel - auditioning for a Coke commercial and then have a very good lunch with Osamah including some cold beers to relax after our exertions.  These will come back to haunt us.



Osamah is not finished with us yet. We're on camels and back up through Petra to return to the Treasury



Now camels are very neat.  Getting up and down on one is an interesting experience, but camel riding was clearly never intended to be the follow up to a good lunch washed down with two beers!





We climb back up the Siq after a positively wonderful day

Little Petra and Lunch in Aqaba

Next day we visit Little Petra.  We are the only people there.  Osamah explains that this was where the Nabateans dealt with the caravans.  Travelers were not allowed into the Petra city proper.

On the way we catch a long range view of Big Petra from the highway.....Petra's back door.  There are some advocates for building a road in to handle tour buses and avoid the narrow Siq.  One instinctively rebels, but if you're a Jordan struggling for tourists?......who is right?

Note the tombs/temples on the unseen side of the valley we visited






Little Petra is .... little.  A very narrow opening, with a now missing gateway



Far fewer tombs/temples with less elaborate decoration



But lots of mysterious stairways that we've come to love.  Where did they go?  We should have climbed them, but since on a good day Liz and Dickie trip over a thick patch of air, we took a pass












There was also (as there were in Big Petra) numerous strange openings carved int he stone; in the case below associated with an idol alcove.  What were they for?  Does the pentagonal opening have a different meaning than the circular one?



But Little Petra was primarily a rest point for Caravans.  There were kitches, sleeping areas, dining rooms and - as Osamah delicately explained it - an area with dancing girls and couches







Leaving Little Petra we passed a wonderful skull sculpted into an outcrop and an eroded spire that Bashar called the "Elephant", and a Crusaders' Castle razed by Saladin







And finally a last glimpse of Petra.  Bashar stops the car at a high point where we can see the top of the Monastery (where we climbed via donkey) peaking between a gap in the mountains



The weather forecast is ugly - snow and sandstorms - we head off to Aqaba and enroute stop at Wadi Rum (previous covered in the blog - if you missed it here's a link)

Wadi Rum posting

Aqaba is a resort town in its off season.  Lots of bars, concept restaurants, hotels and construction everywhere as they upgrade to accommodate the influx of European and increasingly Russian sunseekers.  It is also a burgeoning port facilities and Israel is right next door

Osamah eschews the tourist restaurants and takes us to his favourite



He orders a lot - mezzes, grilled fish, spectacular large shrimps, a plate of crabs - it's wonderful, simple, flavourful food based on fresh ingredients.  We vacuum it down









He also orders a deep friend whole fish with Pita chips which is one of the best fish dishes we've had in a long time.  Simple to describe...."take one fish.....deep fry".....but very tough to do this well



We then drove back to the airport for our 3:00am flight - but there is a postscript.

The Last Night with Bashar and Osamah

We've driving back to Amman from Aqaba.  Our flight is at 3:00am - repeat "a" "m".  We have a lot of time.  But the weather forecast is for snow and strong winds and having see the volatility of desert weather our prime objective is to make it to the airport.

Bashar and Osamah are offering counter plans - stay at either of their homes and go to the airport later.  We are touched by the hospitality, but are reticent to impose on them/their families plus a desire to make it to the airport.

Bashar announces he has to stop to pick something up.  We presume it is cigarettes.  It's not.  He returns with a bottle of win (we may not have mentioned that Jordan makes some reasonable wines).  Our Muslim driver is buying us wine!  We love him even more.  (this is on top of the 4 giant packs of cashews and pistachios that Osamah has already bought as a going away gift for us - we love them both).

The airport experience is a disaster.  We get there at 8:30pm.  We can wave at the people in the Lufthansa Business Class lounge (we're flying Biz Class) but we can't get in because the Lufthansa check in counter doesn't open until who knows when (but all bets are well after midnight.

Bashar and Osamah refuse to leave us - offers to take us home are again proffered.  We finally convince them to leave us and go home to their families before the storm hits Amman.  Tears are shed.  Hugs are shared.  It's tough leaving them.

We finally get into the Biz lounge at 12:30am.  It's not the airport's fault - it's Lufthansa.  This once great airline has become a mirror of Air Canada, where customer service is non existent.

In the interim the Beeby's - sitting in a cold, drafty area outside security where seating and services are at a premium - get a little bad.  Bashar's bottle of wine is sneaked into a washroom and decanted into cups borrowed from the sole food outlet.  We settle in, read our books, sip our wine and giggle.

Our advice - do visit Jordan.  It's safe, clean, civilized, the people are wonderful and Petra, Little Petra, Jerash and the other sites are not to be missed.  Definitely hire Osamah and Bashar to maximize your enjoyment and if possible avoid Lufthansa.

We close our visit to Jordan with a visual of an outdoor board that captures our experience - do visit it - you won't regret it.

Finally - Barcelona! And Puppets!

We've arrived in Barcelona - actually we've been here for awhile but we've now blogged our way through Egypt and Jordan and will attempt to get the blog up to real time.

The apartment and the location are wonderful (more about this later), but of course the locals hold a celebration to welcome us!

Our square is constantly thronged with people, but one afternoon there is a change in the crowd noise rhythm. We peer over our balcony.  Wonderful things are happening so we rush downstairs.  You've seen it in National Geographic, how it's happening in front of us.

We are two feet away from one of the most amazing cultural displays ever.  For sake of clarity we'll call them "puppets".....giant figures 12 to 16 feet tall marching down the narrow streets, interspersed with bands and groups performing folk dances.

The "puppets' are marvelous - many symbolic of traditions we do not appreciate - historical, regal, trades (fisherman, lawyer, king, priest, etc).  Some samples follow.  We subsequently learn that it is the Festival of St Eulalia - the patron saint of Barcelona.

Unbeknown to us we will meet the horse and the dragon later that evening in the town square.

The dancers perform a paired baton clacking ritual.  For the youngest dancers it is charming.  For the older participants there is a lot of police night stick calibre wood moving around fast, that could hurt someone.  Most enchanting is the age spread of participants.  A lot of families spent a lot of time getting a lot of members up to this performance level.  They move by quickly - we attempt to capture the rhythm

The "puppets" swirl through the square.  It is impossible to describe the presence of these figures.  We've all viewed a Santa Claus parade.  This is far better.  It's simpler but more moving.  Perhaps it is the closeness, the intimacy.  There are people inside - not machines.