TravelStream™ news feed for member hgkmrer on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/hgkmrer en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:29:41 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hgkmrer/3/1205668800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hgkmrer/3/1205668800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hgkmrer/3/1205668800/tpod.html Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:29:41 -0400 To Egypt and Jordan - escape cold for warmth in Middle East desert

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Abu Simbel, Egypt

Quick flight over the High Dam from Aswan past the huge lake.
Good thing it´s only 30 minutes, big shuttle plane
Has extra row of seats by shrinking knee space.
Quickly we are in the presence of the huge monument.

Ramses II, the great egotist:
Temples, statues, hieroglyphs, glorify his stature.
Particularly they show his battle prowess
(Which were not really that great).

Scenes on temple walls try to show his successes:
Bop the vanquished on the head,
Step on their backs, show enemy smaller,
But history books declare his battles a draw!

As with Petra, the statues and temples
Had been hewn from living rock.
The modern challenge to raise them above dam water
Was well met, reconstruction looks natural.

Now Ramses II looks out on a huge lake
Named for Nasser, not Ramses.
Ramses 4000 years of greatness is now reduced.
Modern Egypt has its own heros.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hgkmrer/3/1205416800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hgkmrer/3/1205416800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hgkmrer/3/1205416800/tpod.html Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:26:12 -0400 To Egypt and Jordan - escape cold for warmth in Middle East desert

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Aswan, Egypt

Our small ship, only 32 passengers,
Yet with a staff of 50!
Constant attention, personal service,
But we only get 3 days of this luxury.

Gazing at scenery along the shore
Drives home the point -
Without the Nile to nourish it,
Egypt would just be more Sahara.

Sometimes greenery extends just a few feet,
Even when green goes out for a mile, still
Brown, sandy, barren, hills loom on horizon.
Only the Nile provides life here.

We learned how monastic Christian life started in Egypt:
Desert beckoning those escaping crowded, solied, life.
St. Simeon´s monastery attracted pious basket makers
Until Saracens obliterated them for supporting Crusaders.

Now the ruins are a destination for our camel trek.
Hang on tight as his rump rises, tips me forward.
Then grip even tighter as he un-kneels,
Did they really need such long legs?

Under way, his gait seems more sideways than forward.
Hold saddle horn tight, grip camera as we climb a sand dune.
Now only wind, dust and fellow OATers around us.
An interlude reliving caravan travel thru the sands.

Temples along the Nile show us the changing politics of the ancients:
With Greeks and Romans in control, they did not just enslave,
They encouraged Egyptians to build new temples,
Egyptian themes and gods, but Greek / Roman touches.

So here are temples "only" 300 BC to 100 AD
Still Egyptian: walls of hieroglyphic stories,
Hypostyles - rooms with close spaced massive columns
Look close, those columns have Corinthian capitals!

Edfu - one of those temples Macedonians and Greeks
Had built to show their respect for Egyptian gods
Here it was Horus, the falcon headed god,
The falcon was strong, a fearless fighter, how appropriate for Alexander.

Edfu & Kom Ombo: well preserved by 1800 years of Nile flood!
Never thought of that advantage, how fortunate
Thirty feet of Nile mud and sand
Sealed walls, columns, color, statues, those long 1800 years
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hgkmrer/3/1205175600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hgkmrer/3/1205175600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hgkmrer/3/1205175600/tpod.html Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:17:44 -0400 To Egypt and Jordan - escape cold for warmth in Middle East desert

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Luxor, Egypt

Luxor was Thebes was Weset
Names that evoke thoughts of ancients
A city built on history,
With temples that extend for acres.

What can I do to comprehend
A city in business for 3000 years?
I have trouble imagining back 150 years to be
Alongside great-great-grandpa Conrad as he landed in NYC.

Here we have Karnak, centerpiece of Johnny Carson´s shtick:
His turbaned answer / question routine.
Karnak´s reality is so much more
Home of the prime god: Amun-Re.

Priests and pharaoh in constant attendance,
Ready to take Amun-Re the mile upstream
To Luxor Temple, home of Amun-Re´s consort, cow headed goddess,
Sounds strange, but cows were mark of fertility and plenty.

Now Karnak is a huge expanse,
A line of sphinx, literally for a mile.
Obelisks, some taken to Europe,
How did they erect it without a tower crane?

Could they really tip it up straight and true?
Just sliding it down a huge mound of sand
Aim the base of obelisk to stop sliding when,
Now upright, it lands squarely on the base they laid down!

Our tour guide Dahlia, explained all those details.
She kept us together, until -
Grace and I went straight along souk (market)
When she took everyone out with aright turn.

There we were, on a corner,
No Westerners in sight, chaos surrounding!
Our savior: the tourist policeman assigned to group,
Appeared at our side, guided us to our bus.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hgkmrer/3/1205078400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hgkmrer/3/1205078400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hgkmrer/3/1205078400/tpod.html Thu, 27 Mar 2008 11:45:08 -0400 To Egypt and Jordan - escape cold for warmth in Middle East desert

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Jarash, Jordan

Jarash: Macedonian, Greek, Roman, city buildings
Impressive row on row of columns
Laid low by earthquake,
Raised again to show the scale of the ancient world.

Oval and circular plazas, temple to Zeus,
More columns aligned than Washington DC.
And yet even more are jumbled in pieces
With broken pediments, all along the sides.

Having seen cart and chariot tracks
Worn in the stones along Cardo Maximus
Do I need to see the Apian Way?
This, a fitting tribute to Roman influence in the Middle East.

Move forward 900 years: Saracens under Saladen
Gather strength, counter the Crusades,
Build Aljun to isolate, defeat Crusaders.
Exacting tolls from caravans to support their huge hilltop castle.

Then forward another 900 years to
Modern Christian mission, orphanage, school.
Our Lady of the Mountain in Gilead
Argentine priests and sisters serving all.

Those priests and sisters working hard
Supporting Christianity, ideals of brotherhood,
Reinforcing a small Christian minority,
In a region striving in other directions.

Jordan, a crossroads for centuries,
A panorama of past to present in each day,
Suffering in so many ways
From the Middle East problems swirling over its borders.

Jordan, poor in natural resources,
We find it rich in people resources,
Preserving, highlighting its rich past,
Hoping for a bright future.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hgkmrer/3/1204898400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hgkmrer/3/1204898400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hgkmrer/3/1204898400/tpod.html Thu, 27 Mar 2008 11:35:24 -0400 To Egypt and Jordan - escape cold for warmth in Middle East desert

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Petra, Jordan

Petra

Petra: you can see the postcards,
You can read the archaeology books,
You can even see Indiana Jones,
None prepares you for the wonder of the real thing.

Some icons, statues, details may be worn away,
The message of the memorial structures still overwhelms,
Nabataeans wanted the importance of their leaders to live on,
That they certainly achieved.

Featureless rock, first colored and streaked by Mother Nature,
Then formed and rough shaped by wind and water.
Brought to life as monuments and facades by early civilizations,
Now a magnet drawing we modern travelers to behold the miracle.

Petra spreads for countless acres,
Beduoins still live in outlying monuments,
Clothes hanging to dry on stelae
Crypts used as bathrooms.

Those streaked and swirled colors provided by Mother Nature,
Represent wind and water ripples formed a billion years ago.
How fascinating the Nabataeans could use those patterns so effectively
Making cold, hard, stone come alive with vibrant color.

Illiterate children, fluent in: 10 postcards for a dollar!
Camels with tasseled tack, provide us native (?) color
Bedouins with the prized registry number for their horse
That horse took over when the hike back became oppressive.

And so: Petra, a poem of the Rose City (thanks Brett)
Old sketches by David Roberts,
200 photos in my trusty Nikon,
More than those, it will be memories we treasure.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hgkmrer/3/1204832400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hgkmrer/3/1204832400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hgkmrer/3/1204832400/tpod.html Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:39:38 -0400 To Egypt and Jordan - escape cold for warmth in Middle East desert

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Amman, Jordan

Amman and the Dead Sea

The Dead Sea, a special place
1300 feet below sea level,
Now slowly dropping more as
Israel, Jordan take more from the Jordan River.

So we walk farther down the "beach" to find water,
No sand, the gravel whitened by salt crystals.
Mud, precious mud, waiting to slather on,
It cures every ill they say, can anything so ugly be good?

Finally in the Sea, floating up high,
We may be deep in the Rift Valley
The salt keeps us floating high,
Don't swim, don't try to push down, just float.

Keep the salt out of my eyes, my mouth;
Luckily no cuts or sores to sting,
No cracked toes to burn, smear on the mud,
Wash it off in clean, fresh water.

Amman: minarets on every mosque,
Calls to prayer spread over the hills,
Sounds of reverence, unfamiliar to our Western ears,
Spill across a crowded city with a past.

Named for Ammonites, its rulers in 1200 BC.
Amman had already been settled in 2000 BC bronze age.
Then Greek / Egyptian Ptolemys and Romans added their history.
Finally mosque over Byzantine church over Roman temple.

A jumble of history, a clutter of past,
A nightmare for the archaeologist making neat chronologies.
Think of my peaceful Grand Island, with only:
500 years native Americans, 200 years US settlers; period.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hgkmrer/3/1203986280/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hgkmrer/3/1203986280/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hgkmrer/3/1203986280/tpod.html Mon, 25 Feb 2008 19:42:35 -0500 To Egypt and Jordan - escape cold for warmth in Middle East desert

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Buffalo, New York, United States

Egypt - Greeks and Romans wanted to see the pyramids,
Then it was part of the Grand Tour in the 19th Century,
Can't claim to be a world traveler if we don't get there.
Going in March, can we miss the tourists and heat?

We are tourists, can't expect no-one else to be there,
But at least we can miss the heat.
So much to see, beyond the pyramids and Sphinx,
Our schedule shows full days, early mornings.

We're old enough to remember the Johnny Carson line about Karnak,
We know who the Aga Kahn was, and remember
The big deal about the Aswan Dam as it flooded temples,
Does this get us ready to see really old?

Our granddaughters think we are as old as the pyramids,
Can we explain what really old means?
Now the Alexandria Library is only as old as our age 6 granddaughter,
How can we explain about papyrus and scrolls?

Jordan - never heard of anything but Petra and Dead Sea,
So the Romans were there, as the Romans were everywhere:
Pont du Gard, street paving in Cologne, the baths at Bath,
And we have never been to Rome!

Will the Dead Sea be swim-able?
Too salty to drink - don't get it in your eyes!
Then Jerusalem had snow last week, don't tell me
It may be too cool to enter - we must have pictures 'floating'!

How much sand and dust will get in our mouth at Petra?
We must see what has been dug out of the sand,
Can we imagine what living was like in that sandy valley?
Still the pool in the old central garden is full of sand.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hgkmrer/2/1201964400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hgkmrer/2/1201964400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hgkmrer/2/1201964400/tpod.html Sun, 03 Feb 2008 16:38:03 -0500 No snow in Buffalo, to Wisconsin for snowshoeing

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Eagle river, Wisconsin, United States

Candlelight ski - flickering candles in the cold,
Ice chambers, pour out the water after rim freezes,
Candles inside make an icy glow, just what we need,
To match the icy feel of the tour thru the woods.

A mile of candles, a mile of set track, a string of us,
Absorbing the surroundings, with its flickering shadows.
Magical trees taking shape in the gloom,
Setting a mood that glorified the evening.

Then a day with sled dogs, talks on their care,
Their feeding, lots of feeding, as they run and run.
Booties for crusty ice days, harness for pulling,
They truly like to pull; it's not work, it's fun.

Then came skijoring, a bonding of dog with man,
A natural outgrowth of sledding, again they want to pull.
A pair of huskies, X harnesses, heavy belt on me,
Quick release buckle, but DON'T USE, don't let dogs free!

Pole to get us started, then they run,
Lots of strength, great teaming, go like the wind.
Dogs make the turn, they know the trail,
I start to slide, plant my pole hard, trying for control.

Plant the pole harder, they pull more,
They made the turn, why aren't we flying?
What's with the pole, why so bent?
I'm on the ground, their challenge: pull harder!

No harm done: no bruises, no breaks,
Elderhostel promises memorable experiences,
That's what I've had.
New poles available when we reach Hayward.

A final ski, Raven trails in American Legion forest,
Three km, then a reading, several more, another reading:
From the Earth Speaks, by Steve VanMatre,
Passages to start one thinking about nature.

To see the fire that warms you, better yet:
To cut the wood that feeds the fire that warms you.
To quest for wild berries; more satisfying than a gift of tropic fruit.
These are the rewards of the simple life.


Tree Death: Alone among living things, it retains dignity after death.
Even when life has abandoned, it remains a majestic thing.
At its final moments, massive trunk prone and moldered, covered with moss,
It arrives at a fitting and noble end.

And so we arrived at a fitting, but probably not noble, finish.
A week of outdoor training and fun,
A week of great teachers and companions,
A week to appreciate the north woods of Wisconsin.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hgkmrer/2/1201712400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hgkmrer/2/1201712400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hgkmrer/2/1201712400/tpod.html Thu, 31 Jan 2008 11:40:09 -0500 No snow in Buffalo, to Wisconsin for snowshoeing

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Eagle river, Wisconsin, United States

Skiing in the Deep Freeze

What have we gotten into?
Yes, we wanted more snow,
Did we have to take sub-zero temps,
To get the better snow depth?

Snow ice cream - a northern treat,
First ingredient - a responsible person to collect the snow.
Hope he doesn't have lack of yellow sensitivity color blindness,
A bit crunchy, but plenty of sugar makes it great.

We had plenty of warning, maybe too much,
Leaders huddled over Internet, getting forecasts,
Worrying us about frostbite, no feeling in our toes,
Changing plans: outdoors, No! Indoors - too tame!

Its 40 below wind chill; let's have that talk:
Skulls, Skins, Skeletons: but not just talk,
Look at it: Did the scat contain moose or deer hair?
Were wing feather edges fuzzy enough for a silent hawk?

After lunch: up to 5 below air temp, 20 below wind chill!
Let's get out there, folks: the sun is out, snow sparkling.
How many layers do we put on?
Two: tough it out? Four: too namby pamby?

Out to the Norge Trails, on outskirts of Eagle River,
Four miles of crunchy, slow, snow,
Luckily the woods cut the wind, but even without wind,
The air was still bitter, bitter, cold.

Well, we came here for skiing, we must go around,
The reward: Satisfaction? Maybe, but really just:
Get back in good enough shape to enjoy a glass of wine,
That's the real reward: a hot shower and a glass of wine.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hgkmrer/2/1201645020/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hgkmrer/2/1201645020/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/hgkmrer/2/1201645020/tpod.html Tue, 29 Jan 2008 17:21:18 -0500 No snow in Buffalo, to Wisconsin for snowshoeing

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Eagle river, Wisconsin, United States

Finally enough snow for skiing / snowshoeing

Trees for Tomorrow, originally a center for reforesting,
Now a teaching center for ecology.
Some buildings from CCC era, now updated a bit.
Most important - kitchen is fully modern.

We are here to both play and learn,
Skiing and snowshoeing, nature viewing, ID of trees,
Will the play outwit the learn?
They seem to have a reasonable plan for us.

Cross country ski lessons: why do I need that?
I've skied for almost thirty years!
Flex your ankles, bend your knees, keep the poles back,
I probably heard that before, but now maybe I will heed.

A wilderness evidently is different if it has a capital W,
No motors, no privies, not even blazes on any trail,
Virgin trees, never an ax, never a saw,
It does have one feature - not a sound beyond the wind.

Skiied in the Nicolet Forest, the Anvil trail
Just a few miles from Eagle River, but away from the sleds.
Gentle hills, try not to snow plow,
Should just step around the curves (sure - ha).

Chickadees, nuthatches, patiently wait for us.
They worried where their next meal was coming from,
Now we are there, scoop sunflower seeds into hand
Hold it out, they land on my fingers, sort for best seed.

Should we encourage such freeloading?
They are not really nature's creatures any more.
Wisconsin 'badgers' have been feeding them for 50 years,
If we don't hold out hands full of seeds, they will starve!
]]>