Pics of Salt

The Return to Aqaba and my Trip to Salt

Hey folks, I hope some of you are still reading, I haven't been giving my blog enough love recently. Last weekend was a three day weekend for Easter, and I decided to spend it in two of my favorite places: Petra and Aqaba. I saw many of the same things I saw the past two times in Petra, but I did get to see Petra at night for the first time. The Siq (pathway through the gorge to the treasury) and the large area in front of the treasury were dimly lit with candles. The cobblestones were particularly difficult with the lighting, but we all made it through without any twisted ankles (Al-hamdililah!) We were greeted my flute music and a man playing a Rabab (an ancient string instrument still heard often in modern Arabic music). The whole event was breathtakingly beautiful and made me step back and clear my mind for a very enjoyable hour. Aqaba is always relaxing, despite the flood of tourists. We stayed at a hostel called The Bedouin Gardens and it was quite adorable with flowers everywhere and two resident friendly cats. I left with a wonderful tan/ slightly painful burn and a fully relaxed mind.

As soon as I was back in Amman the stress returned when I remembered my two research papers, fortunately I'm currently halfway through one and (in sha-allah) will turn in two somewhat coherent essays on time. I spent the day today procrastinating in the best way possible in the city of Salt. Salt is an old Ottoman town built mostly in the 19th century. Unlike Amman, they've managed to keep and restore most of the old architecture (thanks to a very generous grant) and, as a result, is one of the most beautiful cities in Jordan. Most of the walking involved stairs (a few of which I managed to slide down *oops*) so at the moment I'm a little worn out. Unfortunately, since it the Muslim holy day, most things were closed down. We did manage to find an open Orthodox church, however, that apparently dates back to the 17th century. A lot of the city was built into a hill so the views at the top were astounding and quite unique because of the many beautiful minarets mixed with a half dozen church steeples. We finished of the day with a wonderful meal of hummus, baba ganoush, and lamb kebab at a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant. I plan to return very soon when more things are open and hopefully explore more of the wonderful buildings!

Petra pics

Petra! and more Petra!

Hey guys, sorry for the long absence, I've been pretty busy lately. Midterms are done and passed (al-hamdalilah!) and there's only 6 weeks left in the semester! Unfortunately, 6 weeks is hardly enough time to see everything there is to see and write two papers at the same time. But on the bright side, I saw so much over the past two weeks. Last Saturday mom and dad came to this great land to visit. We started out with a day trip to Jerash, and ancient Roman town north of Amman. We saw lots of beautiful ruins and some really cheesy sword fights and chariot races. Next on the itinerary was Petra. I had already gone to Petra the previous week with CIEE but I was so excited to go back and be a tour guide for my parents. The place is so expansive that I still didn't see everything in the two trips, and I think it would take at least 4 days to truly explore it completely. Both parents had a great time especially after we reached the high place of sacrifice after a grueling 45 minute walk up steps. The view was breathtaking and something I hope to see again.

We spent the end of the trip in Aqaba to warm up after a chilly Petra. The beach was absolutely beautiful and the hotel was fantastic (I was ecstatic when I found bacon in the executive lounge!). We all got a healthy dose of sun and felt pretty content after our three days there.

I was sad to see my parents leave, but glad I'll be seeing them again soon! I'm glad they made the trip out to see me, and even more glad that they had a good time!

The Ghost of Dawar Waha

This past week has been somewhat uneventful except for the mystical creature that's trying to kick us out of the apartment. At the beginning of the week, the boiler in the bathroom, quite literally, exploded as I was about to shower. The water was extremely hot, my roommate was quite worried when I yelped as the water hit me. Everyone had a good laugh about it, except me because I just wanted a warm shower. The next following days the hot water decided to work every other day, on the days that I didn't take a shower. On the bright side, I had some really shiny hair from all the cold water, but I was very happy when our guard Mahmoud finally fixed it. On Thursday night the power went out, so six of sat around a bunch of candles seance style convinced that the power would never come back because, well, this is Jordan. The next day, as Clare and I were making mac and cheese on the one burner we have that work the dial shot off the front of the stove and we're too embarrassed/afraid to call Mahmoud again because he doesn't really speak english, and every time he fixes something another thing decides to break. Fortunately, we've gone a few days without any problems and, in sha allah, the ghost has decided to take a break for awhile. The weather's getting warm, and the forecast is calling for 81 next week, which should make me feel a little better about the hell midterms that we're about to face. The Petra trip is next weekend, and spring break is coming up right after, al-hamdalilah. I very much need a break

Pics of Madaba (commentary located in the post below)

Biblical Jordan and Tea with the Bedouins

This weekend a group of about ten of us apartment kids ventured out to Madaba to see the biblical sites, and visit the hot springs. We left Amman around 5 on Thursday evening and, due to the ridiculous traffic and multiple random stops, we arrived in Madaba around 6:45. We arrived to a mostly quiet city that apparently closes down around dark. Regardless, we found a cute hotel and a wonderful restaurant downtown. If there was one thing I'd miss most about Jordan its the delicious family style meals with endless buckets of cheese, bread, hummus, and kebabs. Naturally, we went in search of some hubbly bubbly afterwards, and found a tiny shisha place with a very sweet owner. We called it quits early because the nightlife in Madaba is non-existant and we had to prepare for our long day ahead.

On Friday my roomies and I woke up around 8, grabbed a free breakfast, and headed out to see the famous Greek Orthodox church in Madaba where the oldest map (yet to be found) is located. The church was filled with a mixture of Canadian, Chinese, French, and German tourists. But, despite this tourist bubble, I absolutely loved this little gem in the middle of a small town. Next on the agenda was Mount Nebo at 2680 feet above sea level where Moses allegedly traveled to gain a view of the promised land that God had granted to the Israelites. God asked Moses to stay and this mountain until his death and so is rumored to be the burial site of Moses. We were fortunate enough to go up on a clear day because we were able to see for miles. The West Bank, Jericho, and the Dead Sea were all in clear view from the top point.

After Mount Nebo we traveled another 30 minutes to the Mai'n hot springs. The beauty of this natural phenomenon is overwhelming. Unfortunately the site was slightly tainted in my eyes because of the obvious gender discrimination. I decided that I won't wear a bathing suit again in public in Jordan unless I'm on a private resort. I understand that when traveling to a different culture, especially one so separate as Jordan, you must accept the differences in what's considered rude or inappropriate, but the staring is something I have trouble getting used to. Being the annoying feminist that I am, I couldn't stand the obvious discrimination. All the men were shirtless and in shorts, but if the women weren't completely covered (We didn't see any women over the age of 18 without a hijab) you got ogled or tisked at. But we all powered through it and enjoyed the healing waters anyway and walked away feeling refreshed.

On the ride back to Madaba the van we rented for the day overheated in the middle of a Bedouin farmland. When this happened I groaned and prepped myself to sit around until we got it fixed, but I was very pleasantly surprised when a nearby Bedouin farmer came over and offered us his home. We sat around on cushions on the floor in a room designated specifically for entertaining in a very small home. The man brought us tea and we all attempted to converse with him in our clumsy Arabic. In the end, I was very glad our car broke down just for this little piece of rural culture. It was the kind of hospitality that you would rarely find in the states, and it was a refreshing thing to see after leaving the hot springs.