TravelStream™ news feed for member zerns01 on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/zerns01 en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Tue, 07 Jul 2009 03:20:29 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zerns01/1/1223720280/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zerns01/1/1223720280/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zerns01/1/1223720280/tpod.html Tue, 07 Jul 2009 03:20:29 -0400 Turkey, Syria, Jordan and Egypt

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Damascus, Syria

Today was a long hot day!!! Our day was supposed to consist of going to the museum (around the corner from our hotel), the Umayyad Mosque in the old city and then Azem Palace also in the old city and then we would have free time to shop before dinner. As it turned out, when we got to the museum a heap of tour buses had arrived just before us so we decided to turn around and go to the mosque first. However, when we got to the mosque there were too many people waiting for it to open so we went to Azem Palace instead. Azem Palace was built in the mid 1700s by an Ottoman governor of Damascus and is now the museum of popular arts and culture. The palace is quite spectacular with the amount of woodwork in the rooms even though some of the scenes that were depicting daily life during that time were a little corny. One of the most beautiful scenes was a lounge set made from dark wood and inlaid mother of pearl. There was so much mother of pearl that it shined like silver. After the palace we went to the Umayyad Mosque and battled the crowds. I think this was a highlight of my trip though.
Before we could enter though all the women had to get this horrible grey cloak with a hood to wear, I didn't use the hood though because I had my scarf. We all looked like monks and the outfits were boiling. Once we were appropriately dressed we visited the resting place of Salah al-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyud - or Saladin. The other tomb in the room was a replica donated by a German Emperor. This was not the highlight though, even though it was pretty cool to see the tomb of Saladin. We joined the cue walking into the Mosque's court and struggled to take off our shoes amongst the crowds. As soon as we walked into the court though I think once again there was a collective "wow". The courtyard of the mosque is massive and beautifully decorated. It was interesting to see individuals, couples, groups and families all gathering at the mosque for lunch or to just sit and reflect. We were even more awestruck upon entering the prayer hall though. It was great to have Bish show us the ritual that a Muslim performs during their prayers. Inside, a huge LED board tells you when all the call to prayers will be for that day and another board tells you what the time and temperature is. We sat down and Bish explained to us the difference between Sunni and Shī‘ah Muslims and the only main difference is the ritual performed while praying. It was also interesting because you always hear the conflicts between sunni and Shī‘ah but in the mosque they were all praying together. This is also the image that Syria want portrayed to the world, that everyone lives in harmony - Sunni and Shi'ite, Muslims and Christians and Muslims, Christians and Jews. Also inside the mosque is a shrine which is said to contain the head of St. John the Baptist (him again!!). When we went out of the mosque the call to prayer was just about to start and Bish had told us that the Umayyad Mosque has the most beautiful call to prayer in the world and it is unique as well. He was right. The call is unique as it is performed in a group, one person does the main call and the rest back him up. It was very nice.
After the mosque we were all quite hungry so we went for lunch. On the way Bish wanted to show us his favourite place in Damascus - it was called Maktab Anbar or Anbar's Office now it is called the Palace of Culture. The house was beautiful and the gardens were stunning. We had only walked a small way into the garden when Bish asked us to hold hands and close our eyes. We were all a bit curious as to why we had to do this but after a minute he told us to open our eyes and it was worth it. The view when we opened our eyes was of a stunning garden! It was a great way to see it. After that we went for lunch and as Terry and I still weren't feeling great we stopped and got some anti-biotics as well. More of the group are dropping off with only 3 people now who haven't been sick and that includes Bish. We were then given free time so Terry and I went SHOPPING!!!
We were both looking for a nice cotton top to wear in Egypt and we soon found a shop that had really nice ones. At this shop I bought a scarf and a top for really good prices. I then wanted to find a turban scarf and a bag for all my shopping. I didn't find the bag but I did get a nice blue turban scarf. The place we bought our scarves from had a really nice old man working there - he would have been late 60s, he asked what we both did for a living and when Terry said she worked for the police he said he could tell because she was very stern and would be saying do this do that all the time. When I said that I worked in a shop like him he said again he could tell because I was happier and nicer. He also said that if he wasn't married he would marry the both of us. He then went into a story about how all Syrians get along. I told him that I wanted an I Heart Syria t-shirt and he said that I didn't need one as long as I felt that in my heart. The man was very pleased when we said that we loved Syria and Damascus and he kept wanting to talk to us but we were in a hurry so we had to move. After the souq we went to our chocolate shop and we bought a present for Bashar as well as a 1kg mixed box for us to share. It is great chocolate!!!! After chocolate we quickly raced back to the hotel because I had spent the whole day without sunnies (i know ahhhh). After that we walked to the museum and waited for Bish to arrive cos he is always late. The museum was really good, pity we couldn't take photos though. The entrance to the museum is a reconstruction (part old and part original) of a fortress called Qasr al-Heir al Gharbi and was beauitfully done. The most impressive part was a reconstructed but fully original Synagogue which dates from 2nd C AD. We had to bribe a museum staff member to let us in but it was beautiful. Lots of completed scenes showing everything from Moses parting the Red Sea to frescoes of Abraham and Esther. After the museum we went back to the hotel and got ready for our final dinner.
For dinner we were supposed to go to a place where we would also see a whirling dervish but the place had been booked for a while so we ended up going to a French restaurant in the old city called Elissar. On the way to the restaurant I stopped at a shop and bought some more things and once again the guy really wanted to tell us about Syria. He was telling us how nice the people of Syria are and then told us a story of how the American media blame everything on Syria. Here is the story:
2 American journalists had been in Lebanon and decided they wanted to cross the border into Syria (illegally and journalists aren't allowed to enter Syria). People knew that they had gone to Syria but that was it. After a few days no one had heard from them and one of their parents called a newspaper and said that they child was missing in Syria. Every 5 minutes the news in America was saying how 2 journalists were missing in Syria and how it was Syria's fault. The Syrians eventually found the journalists, found out they had entered the country illegally and so detained them. After 2 days of questioning the reporters were set free with no harm done.
The man in the shop then said how this wouldn't happen in America. A Syrian man would be sent to Guantanamo and not be heard from for 6 years. He agreed that there were some bad people in Syria but you get that everywhere. It is amazing how passionate Syrians are when you get to have a chat to them.
We finally arrived for dinner and it was a nice setting and nice food but it was very slow service. Conner only got his meal after most of us were almost done. I was supposed to go to a club with some of the group that night but I still wasn't feeling well so I didn't bother in the end. I did end up buying an I heart Syria magnet though. Tomorrow we cross into Jordan so I think it will be a long day. Bye
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zerns01/1/1258362060/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zerns01/1/1258362060/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zerns01/1/1258362060/tpod.html Mon, 01 Jun 2009 05:07:24 -0400 Turkey, Syria, Jordan and Egypt

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Luxor, Nile River Valley, Egypt

Today was another good day. After breakfast we went downstairs and got our calesh to Karnak Temple. I had messaged Lanie in the morning to tell her to call me after the temple if she needs help with what to pack because I had an e-mail from her where she sounded quite stressed about what to bring. On the way to Karnak though I kept thinking of things that I wanted her to bring for me. We got to Karnak and met Mohammed again and we started our tour. Again he was a good tour guide because he showed us different things than when he last toured me around and for that I am thankful. There wasn't much more of Karnak that I wanted to see especially since it was the first thing on my list to do with Lanie so I tried to get a photo of the obelisk from a few different positions and then I was done. Willy and Maureen were also finished looking around (I can't see how they finished looking at Karnakl so quickly when it was their first time) and we headed back to the 'Coffeee Shop' (actual spelling) where we were to meet Mohamed. Patricia met us on the way back and we all sat down and had something cold to drink. Just before the rest of the group arrived Lanie rang and she was at Mum and Dad's so I got speak to them as well. While we were talking we had to go back to the hotel, so we went and found our calesh again and headed back. Once we got back to the hotel I was supposed to go and get my visa extension with Mohamed but he had vanished. Everyone was trying to work out what they were doing before their felucca ride and I wanted to join them but I had to wait for Mohamed. Lex and Heather were leaving the group at 3pm so I wanted to find out what they were doing so that I could say goodbye. Lex and Heather needed to speak to Mohamed before they left so while we waited they said that I should take their room so I didn't get woke up when Patricia left for the airport early the next morning. That sounded like a good idea to me and they had a huge bed!! Mohamed finally arrived and sorted out what he had to with Lex and Heather and I told them I would see them before they left so that I could get their key.
Before we went to get my visa extension we went and got my passport photocopied which Mohamed paid for, then we got a taxi to the passport office (again Mohamed paid). The lady told Mohamed that I would have to get a passport sized photo and fill out some forms and then come back. We went to a place around the corner and they took my photo and then while it processed Mohamed and I went to a coffee shop and had a drink while I filled out the forms. The place we went to was pretty funky with pool tables and a wide screen tv and lots of guys playing backgammon. Again Mohamed wouldn't let me pay for my drink and when I got angry a him he said it was because in Egypt men are expected to pay when with a woman. We went and picked up the photos and went back to the passport office. The lady said it would take an hour to process but Mohamed definitely sweet talked her into making it take less than half an hour. We went and had another drink at a different place and we sat and chatted about our plans for the future and what we wanted out of life. It was an interesting and definitely a nice way to spend an afternoon. We went back to the passport office and picked up my new visa extension and then we caught a taxi back to the hotel which I was allowed to pay for this time. Once back at the hotel I saw Patricia and she said she was heading up to the roof for lunch. I still had to finish packing for my room change and I wanted my laundry back so I went downstairs to wait for that. I eventually made it to the roof after waiting 45mins for my laundry. My plan was to write in my journal and catch up but lunch took a while and after a couple of wines I wasn't really in the mood to write. It was time for the group to go on the felucca cruise so I went downstairs to meet Lex and Heather and to change rooms. It was then time to say goodbye to them as they headed off for Israel. The whole time I was saying goodbye to them I couldn't stop thinking Hex and Leather - so thanks for that Peter. Once they were gone I went back to writing in my journal. It started to get dark on the roof so I went back to my new room and had a shower before our last group dinner. We were supposed to meet on the roof and we still needed to organise our tip for Mohamed, I was supposed to write on the envelope but I couldn't think of anything clever so I decided to wait and ask Mark and Willy. I was upstairs waiting and Mohamed arrived but the rest of the group was really late. Once they had finally made it we had our last group meeting and Mohamed told us we were his 2nd favourite group and we told him that he was our favourite tour leader. Mohamed went downstairs and we all stayed up to organise our tip - not many people wanted to contribute which surprised me - some said they wanted to do it in person but I didn't believe them. It wasn't much of a tip in the end considering how much I put in which was annoying because he did so much for us. Once that was done we went downstairs and Kelvin finally came up with something clever for the envelope which I annoyingly can't remember now. We then went to the docks and caught a boat over to the West Bank and we went to the restaurant in the Nile Valley Hotel. It was a beautiful setting because we were on the roof and the tables were lit with candles and it was beautiful looking over at the lights of the East Bank. It was a buffet style dinner and I unfortunately wasn't very hungy. After dinner some musicians came out and then came the belly dancer. The 3 Explore tour leaders that were there got up and danced with her and then each leader tried to get members of their group to dance and we were all pulled up but she didn't really include anyone she sort of danced as we all stood there. Suffice to say we all sat down pretty quickly. After that a man came out dressed in
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zerns01/1/1226736360/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zerns01/1/1226736360/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zerns01/1/1226736360/tpod.html Mon, 01 Jun 2009 03:59:29 -0400 Turkey, Syria, Jordan and Egypt

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Luxor, Nile River Valley, Egypt

This morning I got up relatively early - not as early as those doing the hot air balloon but early enough. Robert and Vikki also weren't doing the hot air balloon so we got a boat over to the West Bank and then we got a taxi (the same driver from when I was with Tarek) and our tour guide (Mohammed from the Tarek tour). We got to the Valley of the Kings and had to wait for the ballooners to arrive and so while I waited I ate my breakfast box. Once the group arrived we entered the valley. I was so excited because I missed out on this part last time. The three tombs we went into were Tuthmosis III (KV 34), Ramses IV (KV 2) and Ramses I (KV 16). There were all great tombs. The tomb of Tuthmosis III took a bit of effort to get to though, it is cut high up into the rock at the southern most end of the valley so there are a few stairs to climb to get to the entrance and then you have to work your way down to get to the chambers. The tombs were all boiling hot inside as well so it was always a relief to get out into the shade. I tried to stay in each tomb as long as possible and to take in as much as I could - I wish I could film inside them! We met back with our guide and caught the stupid little trolley car thing back to the visitors centre. We finished at the valley and then headed off for the temple of Hatshepsut.
I didn't really want to go back to Hatshepsut because I had only been here two weeks ago and it is now too reconstructed to feel authentic. I listened to the guide Mohammed and he tried to give us some different information so it wouldn't be too repetitive for me but once he had finished I was quite happy to head back to the taxi with him. It was actually nice walking back with Mohammed I got to ask him a few questions and I asked about Sennenmut's tomb which I have always wanted to go to. We got back to the meeting point and since everyone was still at the temple I went and sat in the taxi with Mohamed. Eventually Maureen came back and I went and stood with her while we waited for the others. Once everyone got back we went to find our donkeys.
I had a great donkey who wasn't slow and didn't make me feel like I was going to fall off so all round it was better than any of the camels I have been on. We got back to the hotel where we were meeting the group members who didn't ride the donkey and we tried to pretend that Mark had fallen off and broken his arm but no one believed us. We then got the boat back across to the East Bank.
We got back to the hotel and decided to go for lunch before our Calesh ride, we didn't have long so I told them about the Oasis cafe which Jaymie had recommended. I was really excited because Oasis cafe is one of the only places in Luxor that uses proper bacon so I ordered a bacon cheeseburger and coleslaw and I didn't even eat half of it because we were going to be late and I hate keeping people waiting. Mark and I went back to the hotel to tell Mohamed that the others were coming but were just trying to finish their lunch. The others arrived not long after and we started our calesh ride. It was quite nice but we didn't go through the farming area like I did 8 years ago but it was nice all the same. We started working our way through the locals bazaar which was interesting but then we got stuck when another calesh started coming the other way. Our driver got very angry at the other calesh drivers for not letting us past and he kept having to try and move the calesh over so that the others could fit past. The driver ended up having to get out of the calesh and lift the carriage up and move it over so that were out of the way enough. As the 20 or so other calesh went past our driver yelled and abused the other drivers. We did make it back safely to the hotel eventually and Mohamed was pretty angry that the driver had acted as he did. Not long after we got back it was time to go to the Jamboree for dinner.
After dinner Mohamed took us for a walk through the bazaar and pointed out a couple of places that people were interested in even though he doesn't like telling people where to shop. Mohamed told the group that he would be waiting at the coffee shop with the coke umbrellas and that we should meet him there when we were done. I walked with Cindy because she was trying to find a zipper to fix a pair of pants and I didn't want her to be alone. Once we had the zipper we started walking to the coffee shop and I was telling Cindy about how I wanted to find Deb and his scarf shop. Someone heard what I was saying and said 'you looking for Deb I show you' and it was about three shops back from where we had come from and I couldn't believe I had missed it the whole time. We walked in and I met Deb and he was really nice and asked us to sit and I told him how Jaymie had recommended him to me and he seemed really pleased that I had brought someone with me. He told us about his different scarves and the quality of them and Cindy ended up buying a shawl and so did I so he was very happy with that. He also gave both of us a free scarf that he said costs about 5LE and it is the same kind of scarf that Josh made me pay 70LE for. AH!! After that Cindy and I caught up with the rest of the group at the coffee shop. We stayed and had a cuppa and then everyone started heading back to the hotel. Mark and I stayed for a little while but then Mohamed's room mate (another tour leader) whose name is Arafa joined us and it looked like they were in for a long one so Mark and I went back to the hotel. Tomorrow we got to Karnak and I am determined to get my photo and then I have the fun task of getting a visa extension - hopefully with Mohamed there I won't have any trouble.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zerns01/1/1226649120/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zerns01/1/1226649120/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zerns01/1/1226649120/tpod.html Mon, 01 Jun 2009 03:06:16 -0400 Turkey, Syria, Jordan and Egypt

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Luxor, Nile River Valley, Egypt

Unfortunately nothing much happened today except for a long drive!! We had breakfast and then packed our stuff back into the back of the ute and then we all climbed in again to head back to the bus - not quite as rough this time. We got back on the bus and started on our way to Kharga. We had a couple of stops along the way including at a sign that pointed to an Egyptian town called Baghdad as well as at the Hibis Temple for a couple of photos. We arrived in Kharga and stopped to get some things to eat on the drive because we didn't have time to make a proper stop. We then stopped for people to use a proper bathroom and to have a drink.
For most of the ride I listened to my ipod until we got to a petrol station. Mohamed and the driver were worried that we would run out of petrol. While we stopped Mohamed stopped to pray and I can't help myself from watching. I know that it is a private moment but there is something about Muslim prayer time that I can't turn away from. We kept on driving and we finally made it to Luxor. When we got to the hotel some of the group had to stay and talk to the man that would take them on the hot balloon ride in the morning but I went and enjoed a nice hot shower!!! It is so good to be back at the Emilio. I took out all the clothes that I needed to be washed and then took out everything from my suitcase and shook out all of the sand - I made a nice little pile on the floor!! I also noticed just how damaged my suitcase is. One of the zips is broken and has left a huge hole in the case and now the handle is broken!! I will have to buy a new one in the bazaar. Once the meeting was finished with balloon man the group went out for dinner. We went to El-Kebabgy which is right on the Nile and had a really good dinner. after that we went back to the hotel as the group has to be up at 4am or something insane like that for they balloon flight. I'm looking forward to finally getting to ride a donkey tomorrow though.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zerns01/1/1226560140/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zerns01/1/1226560140/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zerns01/1/1226560140/tpod.html Mon, 01 Jun 2009 02:51:39 -0400 Turkey, Syria, Jordan and Egypt

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Dakhla, Egypt

Well today was a fun day! I finally had a decent night sleep and then after breakfast we went for our usual morning walk. We walked through the White Desert looking at what must be called mushroom field cos all the rock structures looked like mushrooms. Our jeeps caught up with us and drove us to the road where our bus was waiting. It was sad to say goodbye to our drivers because they had all been so nice, so a big thank you to Tash Tash, Lutfi, Mr. Quality, Amora and Elawa. They packed our bags on to the bus and then it was time to start our drive to Dakhla. On the way we stopped at a local market to buy some food for a picnic lunch. The market was absolutely amazing with lots of people and huge amounts of fruit and vegetables. The cauliflower and cabbages in this market must have been grown using steroids because they were huge! We drove a bit further and stopped at a coffee shop to make our sandwiches, it was a nice place to sit and eat but there were cats everywhere. We washed all the veggies and then had a tiny water fight and then we ate. It was a really good lunch. We got back on the bus and I had to change seats, I had been sitting on the seat over the wheel hub which meant my knees were up under my chin. Unfortunately the only free seat was next to Colin but Mohamed kept trying to take my mind off that.
We arrived in Dakhla and went to the mud brick citadel at Al-Qasr. It is a pretty old town which still looks like some people live there. There are small winding alleyways to walk around as well as interesting old buildings with beautiful ancient architecture. There are cedar and acacia lintels above the doorways into some of the old houses and these are beautifully decorated as well. My aim was to take photos of the small city without anyone in them but people kept standing right in my way and at one stage I had fallen behind waiting for people to get out of my shot. We finished at Al-Qasr and then started our drive to our awaiting camels. Our new bus driver is really bad though so for most of the bus ride we weren't feeling very safe. He talks to Mohamed and our new police escort too much and he isn't paying attention to the road. He took a corner too fast and we almost skidded off the road, he blamed it on sand on the road but he seemed to pay a bit more attention after that.
We arrived at a spot just outside Dakhla and the bus pulled over. We got out and those that wanted to access their bags could, those that had already packed what they needed just had to put our packs in the back of a ute. I had to go to the toilet so wandered off into the bushes and came across one of the many hazards of not having a toilet, I stepped on a huge thorn from one of the bushes and it went straight through one of my thongs and into my foot - OW!! I realised we weren't where the camels were meeting us and that we had to pile into the back of the jeep to get to the desert. It was a pretty rough drive and we kept having to duck for low lying branches except those that could see the branches coming were not very helpful in warning those of us who couldn't. I also didn't have much to hold on to as we drove over the rough terrain. We arrived at a small clearing and after a short walk we came across our camel herd. Our bags were taken to the campsite in the back of the jeep and the rest of us were assigned to our camels. It seemed like my camel had a sore leg or something because it kept stamping its foot and on the walk it was by far the slowest camel, on a small sand dune we had to go over, I actually thought the camel would start going backwards it was struggling that badly. Everyone was clear out in front of us and it actually made the camel ride quite boring. Mohamed at one stage got off his camel because it was too painful and his walking was about the same pace as my camel so he kept me company most of the way - and then stole my jumper because he was cold!! On the camel ride we missed the sunset - the first for a while, but we were treated with the full moon creeping over the dunes. We got off our camels, which is always the part I hate the most because it feels like you are going to fall. We then had a short walk to our campsite.
Once at the campsite it was the usual process of taking a mat and finding your spot, it was then toilet time and I don't think Mohamed could have chosen a steeper sand dune to be the ladies toilet - it was definitely an effort. I got dressed in my pjs again because it is so much more comfortable and then we all sat around the fire. We had dinner and I think this chicken was even better than Mr. Quality's - it's a big call but the dinner tonight was fantastic! After dinner the entertainment started!! The camp guys started singing and playing music and then one of the camp guys started dancing. I tried to look like I was filming so I wouldn't get called up but it didn't work. While I dance Mohamed filmed me and thankfully it is almost too dark to see clearly. After a fair bit of singing and dancing a few people started going to bed. At this stage I think Willy was on about his 6th beer and was getting louder and louder. The music did start again and even though Mohamed refuses to sing because he sounds bad, he actually led one of the songs and it sounded really good. Almost everyone had gone to bed again with the exception of me, Patricia, Mark, Willy and Mohamed and we all sat around talking. The desert has been amazing and while it will be good to be back in Luxor, I will miss the peacefulness of the desert.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zerns01/1/1226541900/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zerns01/1/1226541900/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zerns01/1/1226541900/tpod.html Sun, 31 May 2009 21:45:42 -0400 Turkey, Syria, Jordan and Egypt

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Farafra, Egypt

Well today was a great day!!! I finally had an ok sleep even though I was still freezing. We got ourselves ready and after breakfast I went to clean my teeth and noticed that my toiletries bag was missing. It could only be one person . . . Mohamed. I went and got it back and then as soon as he went to the toilet Willy and I decided to hide his backpack. We hid it under all the other backpacks and as soon as he came back he was looking everywhere for it, I tried to keep a straight face when he asked me if I'd seen it and he knew that I had done it but he kept looking and eventually found it just before it was time to go. We set off for our usual walk and Mohamed finally told me the jokes he wouldn't say in the jeep yesterday and they were quite funny!! We were assigned our new jeeps and we set off for Farafra Oasis and I was very excited because we would be going to Badr's museum and then into the White Desert - two of my favourite places in Egypt.
We finally got to Badr's museum and it was even better than I had remembered it. I wanted to buy a couple of paintings that he had on display but they were quite expensive and I knew I was running out of money so I had to pass on them. Two of my favourite pieces from the museum are an engraving he has on one of the walls of a man's hand placing a ring on a woman's finger and a piece of timber that Badr found that is the exact shape of the spelling of Allah in Arabic.
After the museum we were heading to a hot spring that Mohamed knew of but had never been to. I was really looking forward to being in water again. I was expecting it to be like a hot spring we went to last time where it is a hole in the ground, surrounded by palm trees. When we next stopped we were all trying to work out where the hot spring was because all we could see was a large drain pipe spewing water out into what looked like a trough. It wasn't until Mohamed and the drivers stripped off and jumped into the trough that we realised this was the hot spring. There wasn't really anywhere to get changed in private but I really wanted a soak so I borrowed Mohamed's excessively big Galabiya and dressed underneath that. I climbed into the trough and the water was very nice and warm. I had Cindy braid my hair because it had been starting to annoy me and then the drivers brought out a bar of soap. Now that I think about, 6 or so guys and one bar of soap was a bit gross, but it was nice to have a wash. I didn't spend long in the water because people seemed to be turning orange from the sides of the trough. We dried off and got changed in a very see through straw shelter in some guys field and a typical Mohamed asked if he could hold the towel while we all got changed - nice try! After the swim we had lunch and this time the main offering was sardines - the lunches get better and better! I wasn't in the best mood looking at the sardines and smelling them and my toe was really starting to hurt so I didn't have much to eat. After we had all finished we got back in the jeeps and headed for the White Desert.
Once we reached the desert we stopped a couple of times to take photos and it was strange to see other tourists again. Someone in our group said they even saw one woman carrying her handbag. These other groups all had camping chairs and large tents - how weak, I would actually have liked a tent though to keep the cold out. We went to the field of table tops which is where all the stone structures look like table tops. The sun was almost setting so we all thought this was where we would be watching sunset from. It is so peaceful and interesting in this part of the desert so I didn't wander around much but I just sat to take it all in. Mohamed finally called out that it was time to go because we weren't watching sunset from there. We got back into our jeeps and they had to race to try and beat the sunset - this was actually the most exciting jeep drive we had. We got to a small mountain and climbed up to the top just in time to watch the sun go down. It was even more peaceful on top of the mountain and I started to realised how tired I was. Everyone stayed on the mountain for a short while just enjoying the silence and I laid down with my head on my bag and watched the moon, I was soooooo comfortable that I could easily have fallen asleep. After a while I thought I had better head to the camp cos it was getting dark quite quickly and I didn't want to damage another toe. When I got back to camp Maureen and Patricia said they had found a good spot for us to sleep so I dragged all my stuff over. I got changed into my pjs straight away cos it is too annoying to do it just before going to bed in the complete darkness and my pjs are really warm. I then went and sat by the fire. It was long before dinner was ready and it was great, again!! Mr. Quality certainly deserves his name!! A few of the group went for a walk but my toe was really hurting so I stayed and chatted with Mark, Brendan and Mohamed. The walkers came back and then headed off for bed, we do nothing but sit in a jeep all day and they all go to bed so early, I can't understand it. Patricia and I stayed up and we were talking to Dash Dash and he was telling us how he is related to the other drivers. The other drivers came in to set up their beds so we realised it was time for us to go to bed. Tomorrow is our last night in the desert which is sad because I do find the desert very peaceful but it will be nice to have a proper toilet and shower.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zerns01/1/1226393280/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zerns01/1/1226393280/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zerns01/1/1226393280/tpod.html Wed, 21 Jan 2009 00:54:33 -0500 Turkey, Syria, Jordan and Egypt

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Ain Della, Egypt

Last night was ridiculous! One, I barely slept! It is uncomfortable, I don't have a pillow, it's cold and you can't sleep on your side in a sleeping bag! Lastly, in the morning (early morning) I heard people talking but I thought it would stop. It didn't!!!!! Two people from the group were talking quite loudly about stars and goodness know what else (obviously something that could only be discussed before sunrise!). I kept looking over at them and sighing loudly to try and give them a subtle hint that they were disturbing people but they didn't seem to get the point. I was eventually so annoyed that I sat up and said "guys some people are still trying to sleep" which even got a giggle from Patricia who was obviously also annoyed. Instead of making themselves quieter they came closer to have a louder conversation with Willy. I was so angry cos I'm not a morning person especially when I am forced to be awake by other people. Anyway, it was time to get ready for the new day so I had my wash with my wet wipes (they surprisingly do a good job) and very awkwardly got changed in my sleeping bag then repacked my bag and got ready for breakfast. Bread was good with bread, jam, cheese, fruit and good black tea. We then did a walk around of the campsite to make sure nothing was left behind - Mohamed is very particular on this part, I think people on his previous groups have lost some stuff. It takes a while to warm the jeeps up and the drivers need to have their breakfast so instead of waiting we set off on a desert walk. It's nice walking through the desert and thankfully not too hot. Mohamed points out different animal tracks along the way but we mainly see fox or bird prints. We had a couple of treks up and down sand dunes and then when we were on top of one particularly high dune we heard the jeeps arriving. The jeeps parked at the top of the dune and we were all assigned to our new jeep. I was really happy with my group because I had Willy again and he cracks me up and Mohamed who is also quite funny. Once we got into our jeeps we realised that we were going to go straight over the edge of the dune in the jeep. That was scary because the front of the jeep tips over the edge and you have to hold on to the seat in front so you don't fly through the windscreen (no seat belts). Unfortunately that was probably the most exciting dune we went over all day. The jeep ride was fun, we talked and told jokes and then after driving for a while we came to an abandoned campsite. It was a strange sight as there was rubbish strewn across half the desert. The Siwan drivers who are very protective of their desert, the military officer and Mohamed all got out of the jeeps to inspect the problem. After a while one of the drivers went to a jeep and took out a huge garbage bag. They started collecting the rubbish and we all joined in picking up pieces of clothing, vegetable scraps, animal bones, worn tyres, cardboard boxes, planks of wood, tins of fuel and drink cans. It was a very strange collection of objects. After everything had been collected a fire was lit and all the rubbish piled on top. Anything that couldn't be burnt, the Siwans will take away and throw in the garbage dump once the tour is over. After the curious stop we drove for a bit more until we stopped on top of a dune for lunch and toilet stop. Lunch today was pretty much the same as yesterday, except instead of tuna we had fava beans (pretty much the same grossness if you ask me). After lunch it was time to do the dishes and I volunteered to help today and to wash you have to put the plates in the sand and scrub them with the sand and then rinse them off with water - it is surprising how clean they get after being washed in sand. After lunch we kept driving and telling jokes and since I was sitting in the middle in the back the two boys surrounding me - Willy and Mohamed, decided to fall asleep! It was a fun ride that afternoon. The ride this afternoon got a bit more bumpy as there was more rock than sand and it got to the point where the drivers couldn't find a way down to the bottom to get back to the sand. They drove around this one area looking for a way down for about half an hour. A jeep would think they had found a good spot and we would start to follow but once they got to the edge they would realise it was too steep and we would all have to back out of the way and try again. We ended up going down a pretty steep section which was fun and then we were finally back to driving along the soft sand. We reached Ain Della and our camp is set up at the edge of a small rock hill and opposite the hill is a slightly larger hill which we headed to for sunset. It was one of the nicest sunsets I have seen with the beautiful rays of the sun peeking through the clouds as well as the beautiful colour changes. Most people had headed back to camp and Mohamed, Mark, Patricia and myself decided to take our time and then decided to have a sprint to camp which I quickly pulled out of as running through soft sand isn't very fun in thongs I realised. We got back to camp and Patricia and I decided to find a place to sleep away from everyone else in case people decided to have an early morning chat like this morning. We put our mats down and I realised I couldn't find my sleeping bag so went off in search of it. Mohamed saw me looking and thought he had seen some in one of the jeeps so he climbed in and pulled a stack of sleeping bags out. He passed them all to me and as I took a step to put them on the ground, I stubbed my toe on an unseen rock and it hurt like hell. I was very proud of myself for not swearing as I was very close ot it and when I looked down I saw the top of my second toe bleeding with a flap of skin hanging loose. People were asking if I was ok and I said that I was fine and I had stuff to put on it but I needed to go to the toilet first. I threw my sleeping bag on my mat and headed off for the ladies' toilets trying to keep my bleeding toe out of the sand. On the way to the toilet I noticed Colin had set up his bed right at the edge of the ladies' toliets and when I informed him of this fact he didn't really seem to care which I thought was a bit weird. I got back to my mat and sat down to clean my toe. I took out my medical kit and realised that I didn't really have anything to clean the wound with. Mohamed and Cindy then came over with their massive first aid kits and said that they would clean my toe for me. First Mohamed was going to cut the flap of skin off but as he was trying to cut it off he was scraping the scissors against the wound and I was groaning and cursing at how bad he was at first aid. We put my betadine on and then they wrapped two bandaids around it and I added some of my tape as we were going swimming tomorrow and I didn't want it to get infected. Mohamed acted as if he had just performed surgery and tried to take my pulse and complained that it had been a hard task but he didn't think I would lose the toe. My toe was hurting like hell but I went and sat by the fire. We got a bit bored and someone said that if we had some cards we could play 'wink murder'. I said that I had playing cards and when I got back we sat close to the fire with two headlamps in the centre for a bit more light and played wink murder. Some people had never played before and found the rules a bit confusing. Also because we were playing by fire light it was hard to see people winking and you often had to wink at them 6 times beofe they noticed. The first couple of games didn't go that well, I was the murderer and at one stage I had winked at Vikki and she pointed at me and said ahhhh before dying. I thought for sure she had given my away but no one had noticed. My next victim was Maureen and when I winked at her she yelled - "ahhh it's you Claire" and w all shouted yes but you are dead you can't call the murderer when You have been killed. A few games later and we all started comitting suicide by naming the wrong murderer. I thought I saw Patricia wink at Willy and not long after Willy died. I named Patricia as the murderer and she denied it and Willy said that he had thought she murdered him. So we were both dead. People kept naming new murders and eveyone was denying it to the point where there were only two people left. We said that one of them had to be the murderer and they both claimed they weren't. We looked back through the cards and it turned out that Maureen had been the murderer but had read her card wrong. We finished playing and started to get ready for dinner. Someone winked at me while we were waiting so I pretended to die and Mohamed took it as a cue that he needed to resuscitate me thinking I had passed out from the pain in my toe. He tried to tickle me instead as pay back for Willy and I finding out in the jeep that he is excessively ticklish. After dinner we had a bit of a chat about arranged marriages which seems to be a popular subject for the tour leaders to be asked about and then most people went off to bed. Patricia, Mark, Mohamed, the military officer and I decided to stay up and play cards. Mohamed and the military officer taught us a game where if you lost all the other players gave you punishments. Patricia lost the first game and was given fairly easy punishments. I really didn't want to lose cos I knew Mohamed would give me a horrible punishment. Anyway, I lost the third game and to know how many punishments to give you, the loser has to draw a card out of the pack and that card corresponds to how many punishments you get from that person. I wanted to draw a really low card for Mohamed and I instead drew 10. He was going to make me run around the mountain but I said I couldn't with my toe, so instead he made me walk over to the far hill and bring back 5 rocks. Once I had done that I had to wake up Mr. Quality and tell him that I loved him and his cooking and when that wasn't enough I had to ask him if there were any oranges left. It had taken me so long to walk over to the hill with my sore toe that after I finished all my punishments we called it a night. Tomorrow we get to have a swim in a hot spring which I am really looking forward to and I can't wait to get into the white desert again.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zerns01/1/1226298540/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zerns01/1/1226298540/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zerns01/1/1226298540/tpod.html Wed, 14 Jan 2009 03:42:46 -0500 Turkey, Syria, Jordan and Egypt

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Bahrein Oasis, Egypt

Well today we left the comfort of Siwa and started our jeep safari into the Great Sand Sea. I'm a little concerned about how this whole camping in the desert thing will turn out because like most people, I'm not a fan of squatting to go to the toilet and you never know when the next stop will be so I think I made myself a bit dehydrated today. It wasn't long before we had our first stop as we had to pick up our military officer who will accompany us in the desert to make sure we don't leave any rubbish and to ensure we don't take any fossils. We had a bit of a joke about this process as the way Mohamed explained it to us was that we would be going to choose our military man. So we all had this image of all the military men lined up while we chose which would be the best for us. For our first day in the desert our driver is Lutfi and in the jeep apart from myself is Heather, Lex and Willy. After we picked up the military officer we drove another short distance before stopping again this time at the edge of a massive salt lake. The lake was perfectly still and the surrounding palms and hills were beautifully reflected in the water. We then drove another short distance to our first military checkpoint who are supposed to call where we have just come from to make sure we are staying on track and that Mohamed hasn't lost anyone - we felt very safe!! After the checkpoint we were soon driving through the dunes on our way to Areg Oasis. I thought it would be warmer in the desert but thankfully there is actually a really nice breeze that blows through. Before we got to our lunch stop we stopped at the top of a sand dune where we got out to look out over the desert. When we got out of the jeeps we noticed the ground was covered in chalk fossils. The fossils looked exactly like coins as they were all the same shape and size, they covered the entire desert floor and were often found protruding from rocks. The sand dune that we were on had quite a steep drop over the other side so we were all a bit shocked and slightly scared when we got back into the jeeps and found out that was the way were going to head down to the Oasis. Very slowly, our jeep slid down the dune until close to the bottom when it sped up and roared off. We arrived at Areg Oasis and while Mr Quality (our Siwan chef) prepared our lunch we set off to explore the rock cut tombs left by ancient Roman travellers. Most of the tombs that have been discovered in this area are cut into cliff face. Mohamed pointed out which one had the best decorations and after a short climb and squeezing into a hole you look up and the first thing you see is a small skull surrounded with remnants of hieroglyphics. It was quite surreal to look up and see the skull and I thought Josh (budding Indiana Jones) would have been disappointed not to see that. After the tomb I had small wander around the area and there were quite a few bone fragments scattered around as well as remnants of pottery and more coin-like fossils. We sat down for lunch and to my delight it was tuna (anyone who knows me, knows I hate fish). We had a make your own sandwich kind of thing going on with bread, the tuna, a salty cheese mix with tomato and cucumber, chips and oranges for desert. I ended up making myself a chip sandwich followed by a couple of oranges. After lunch we continued on to Bahrein Oasis where we eventually stopped to look at the remains of a 13th dynasty temple. There wasn't much to see and the mossies were out in force so we quickly moved away from the oasis up to a cliff where there are more tombs. A few people explored the tombs but it was a nice spot to sit and watch the dropping sun which is what I did. The mossies were still biting so we drove on to find our camp spot. We ended up in a completely isolated spot in between rolling sand dunes. As soon as we arrived we had to set off up a sand dune to watch the sunset. The sand dune Mohamed had chosen went completely straight up in the air and I thought there was no way I was going to get up that so a few of us chose an "easier" path that wasn't quite as steep. The hard thing about climbing a sand dune is that you take one step forward and you slide three steps back. We made it to the top of the sand dune and I was then informed that we had to keep going until we were at the highest spot. I walked right on top of the dune and it was actually easier. We made it to the top panting and with sore legs and we realised that we were actually higher than the others who had chosen to climb straight up. The others eventually caught on to that fact and came over to join us. Sunset was amazing and it is always the best time of day in the desert and the desert takes on so many different colours. It was beautiful and peaceful. It was then time to go back down and we all laughed as Brendan rolled, ran and flipped himself down the dune. After my experience in Jordan, I don't think I will be running down dunes any time soon. We got to the camp and it was time to set up our beds. We don't sleep in tents so you basically choose wherever you want to lie down. Sleeping alone in the desert didn't interest me so I chose a spot near Willy and Patricia and then everyone else decided that was place to be.It was time to go to the toilet again and Mohamed had designated the mens' and the ladies' and unfortunately our toilet was down a sand dune which was fine until it was time to get back to the top. There isn't much to do at the camp once the sun has gone down so we sit around the fire and wait for dinner and then most people go to bed. We sat down for tea and I have to say that Mr. Quality definitely lives up to his name as the food was delicious! Dinner consisted of beautifully cooked chicken straight off the fire, vegetables and my favourite rice with vermicelli. After dinner some of us stayed up for a chat and then it was time for bed which I am hoping will be comfortable!! Here's to a good sleep . . .
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zerns01/1/1226208840/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zerns01/1/1226208840/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zerns01/1/1226208840/tpod.html Wed, 14 Jan 2009 01:22:52 -0500 Turkey, Syria, Jordan and Egypt

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Siwa, Egypt

Today was a great day even if I didn't have a swim. We were supposed to cycle around town and I definitely wasn't going to be doing that so Patricia and I had a donkey calesh ride which is pretty much a donkey pulling a small cart that you can sit in. We weren't the only lazy ones though - Willy and Kelvin and Lex and Heather took the calesh as well. Our first stop for the day was the Gebel al Mawta or Mountain of the Dead which is Roman era necropolis featuring dozens of rock cut tombs. We went inside 4 of the tombs and the first was the best by far which we later complained to Mohamed about and explained to him the theory of saving the best til last. The first tomb was the best decorated but the paintings were a bit off and you could tell that they were from a different time compared to the great periods of Ancient Egypt. After the tombs Mohamed convinced us to climb to the top of the mountain even though he had told us that wearing thongs would be fine for this day. I tried climbing up and kept slipping back down so a few of us hunted for a safer way up and we eventually made it and marveled at the amazing view of Siwa. There is a lot of greenery here which is a huge contrast to the absolute desert landscape that surrounds it. There are seriously palm trees as far as the eye can see though. After the tombs we took our calesh to the Oracle Temple of Amun. The Oracle Temple is most famous for a visit paid to it by Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great went to the Oracle Temple to prove that he was the son of Amun and therefore the legitimate ruler of Egypt. The temple was greatly destroyed and not too much remains but it did have a great view of the oasis. Our donkey calesh driver was great for the whole day, he was only 15/16 years old but he was nice the donkey and kept pointing out bits and pieces for us. The other two drivers were a bit younger and they whipped their donkeys way too much so I was happy with our little guy. Our calesh driver then took us to Cleopatra's Bath and along the way we stopped at another temple of Amun and this one was in an even worse state than the oracle temple. We arrived at the bath and it wasn't the hot spring I had been expecting. I thought it would be a small spot in the ground surrounded by shrubs and palm trees but this looked more like an unclean in-ground swimming pool. I had planned on going for a swim but once I saw the condition of the pool with the moss and who knows what else floating on top as well as the fact that I wouldn't be able to touch the bottom I decided I would much rather have a drink of lemon with mint and sit and watch the donkey kids have some fun. The bar at the bath was really cool and served lots of different juice combinations. The donkey drivers, Mohamed and Brendan had a lot of fun doing running dives and flips into the water so they kept us entertained. After everyone had dried off we took our donkey calesh back into town and stopped for lunch. After lunch a few of us went to a small cafe for a drink and a sheesha and then we went back to the hotel. We weren't at the hotel for long because we had to head to the ruined mud-brick city of Shali for sunset. Shali was still inhabited until around 1926 when heavy rain destroyed it. After sunset some of the group bought some dates as Siwan dates are supposed to be the best in the world and after that we went back to the hotel for dinner. I was really tired after dinner and decided that I would go to bed. Tomorrow we start our jeep safari and I am really excited because we found out that we will have access to our bags in the morning and at night so no packing 5 days of clothes in the one bag. Can't wait to hit the desert tomorrow!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zerns01/1/1226206140/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zerns01/1/1226206140/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/zerns01/1/1226206140/tpod.html Wed, 14 Jan 2009 00:29:09 -0500 Turkey, Syria, Jordan and Egypt

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Siwa, Egypt

Today was a long day even though we didn't do much. We had a later start than usual and before we started our drive to Siwa we stopped off at Cleopatra's Beach. We walked across some slippery rocks, I almost stacked it but managed to stay out of the water, to a small rock formation where we climbed through a hole to stand inside a cave. There was a small tunnel in the cave which you could walk to the end of and stand as the waves came crashing up to you. Patricia walked through and I followed behind, as she got closer to the end she was getting a bit too wet for my liking so I headed back out again - didn't particularly want to sit on a bus in wet clothes for the rest of the day. On the way back across the slippery rocks Kelvin slipped and smacked his head. It was bleeding and looked quite gross but they managed to stop the bleeding and all he ended up with was a bad headache, so that was good. After the beach we drove a small distance to Rommel's Cave which has been turned into a small museum. Rommel's Cave is where the German WWII commander would retreat to at the end of each day to draw up his plans. The museum now contains his famous coat, his original maps of the area as well as field files. It was a strange experience for me as the day befor I had visited my deceased Great Uncle and now I was looking at the belongings of the man who organised his death. I think I was actually angry while walking through looking at Rommel's things as well as interested, it was confusing. After the cave we drove back into Mersa Matrouh where we stopped to buy fruits and vegetables and snacks for our picnic lunch. Before setting off again we stopped for a drink and waited for Mohamed to pray before starting our drive to Siwa. We stopped by the side of the road and unpacked our fruits and vegetable and ate our lunch and then we started our drive again. Along the way our bus blew a tyre (which always seems to happen at some stage on my tours) and we were stopped for close to 2 hours while they fixed it. While the tyre was being fixed we went for a walk through the desert and Heather and I tried to spot animal tracks - I don't think we had much luck. It was quite a nice walk except that I really needed a toilet and it was starting to get cold. The group started to get bored and so we started playing games. The boys started to see who could knock over a bottle with a stone and then we started a standing on one foot competition. It came down to me and Mohamed and if had been wearing any other shoes other than thongs I probably could have lasted longer but my foot was cramping so I 'let him win'. As soon as eveyone started to say they were cold we started the walk back to the bus. We should have been in Siwa at this stage watching the sunset from the ruins of Shali and so some people decided that they didn't want to miss out on seeing sunset so they stayed and watched while the rest of us walked back. I got to the point where I couldn't hold it an longer so I decided I had to find a rock so I could go to the toilet. This was made more difficult by the fact that some of the group was in front of me on the way back to the bus and some were behind me watching sunset and starting their walk back to the bus. I didn't care though, we still had a long drive to Siwa and I couldn't hold on. Not far from the bus it started to head towards us as they had finally fixed the tyre. We got back on and warmed up and snacked on our fruit and chips and continued on into Siwa. We finally got to our hotel around 7pm and it is really nice, it look like a funky beach resort with bungalow accommodation as well as the usually rooms. There was also a nice looking spring but we never got a chance to use it. Because we were going to have to pay for one of our lunches in the desert which was supposed to be included Explore paid for our dinner at the hotel and it was quite a nice buffet spread. After dinner I felt that it was definitely bedtime. Can't wait to explore Siwa tomorrow!
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