Oh Yeah Cairo

Ohhh what an amazing city Cairo is, well I'm not sure it's the city or just the crew of people I went with. I was off in Cairo this weekend with some fellow ADP'ers who were working in Nairobi on another ADP project. We had a blast, it is a very safe and easy city to get around by foot or taxi. So where to begin...we started on Friday morning by walking from the hotel to see the Citadel. I was apparently a celebrity and didn't know it because I had a bunch of teenage boys come up to me asking to take my picture with them. It was hilarious! After the boys left we went into this amazing mosque and I had to take off my shoes and wear a nice green cape to cover my shoulders (even thought i was in a tshirt) it seemed to be random about who they picked to wear the cape.Anyway when we came out a bunch of girls came up to me and wanted to take their picture with me so I let them, the one women even lifted up the front flap of her burka to take the picture. So I guess I have officially made celebrity status in Egypt!! Who knew they loved Blonds so much. hahaAfter that we headed to Islamic Cairo for some Lunch and to see some of the tourist stuff. There were tons of mosques around and these little tiny alleyways which contained a bunch of vendors selling stuff and at night it becomes this really hopping night market. It was really cool.Then sat we got up early and headed to the Giza Pyramids and the Sphinx. We got up really early so we were some of the first people there which was great for taking pictures b/c there were no tourists around. After we saw all three pyramids of Giza we went inside the Pyramids which was really crazy. It was super small tunnels that you had to take up to this really HOT room which is where the tombs were stored. Below is me inside the Pyramid at the opening.Then we continued on to the step pyramids and to see some local art work. The last day we spent walking around Cairo just stopping at shisha/coffee shops and hanging out and people watching. It was a great weekend and tons of fun, I laughed so hard on sunday that I literally cried so I figured that was a sign of a good weekend!

Aqaba

Went Aqaba two weekends ago which is on the southern part of Jordan. It is a beach resort which is located on the red sea/gulf of aqaba. Did a little snorkeling but mostly just sat by the pool and relaxed! I did get to meet some local Jordanians in the shuttle bus to downtown and they invited Tim and I to go to dinner with them. It was a good time and I managed to learn some new Arabic words and tried some new foods! ok more in a bit about my weekend in Cairo!!!

Jerash, Bethany-Beyond-The-Jordan

So last weekend was a busy one, I pretty much saw all of the northern part of Jordan. Let's see Friday started off with going to Jerash and seeing the ruins. It is an example of a Roman provincial city and one of the best in the middle east apparently. I did feel as if I was wondering around Europe at some points. After that we went to Ajloun city to see the Al Rabad Castles which was one of the castles from the 8th century and it has some amazing ruins of Jordan from the top of the castle.After that we went up to Umm Qais (or as Tim and I called it UMM Kayyyy) This was the furthest north in Jordan you can go without entering into Syria. Umm Qais is in the northwest corner of Jordan and have amazing views over the Golan Hights in Syria and the Sea of Galilee in Isreal & the Palestinian Territories. It took a bit longer then expected to get there but we managed to make it just as the sun was setting over the Sea of Galilee and it was beautiful. The area was actually closed to tourist but we managed to sweet talk the guard to let us enter after hours to see the sunset since we drove 1.5 -2 hours to get there.

So then on Sat. after we did a bit of work, we headed over to Mt. Nebo which is the site where Moses died and was buried, he was said to have seen the promised land from Mt.Nebo for those who aren't that religious. After that we headed to Bethany-Beyond-The-Jordan which is the site where Jesus was baptized by JohnIt was a pretty amazing site, we were right on the jordan river and at the location of the baptism we could actually throw a rock over to the West bank. This site was apparently validated by Pope John Paul II in 2000 when he performed an open air mass there. Oh the history, its pretty amazing!!!After that we head to the dead sea for some floating and mudd treatments (that we put on ourselves :) ). So it was a full and busy weekend, we managed to only get lost about 10 times throughout the two days which when all is said and done made for a fun experience.

Tanjung Lesung and Krakatoa

So I have now officially hiked an active volcano! I went to Tanjung Lesung which is on the western tip of the island of Java and hiked up Krakatoa volcano which last had an eruption in April. It was a great time, went on some bike rides, runs, learned to sail, and went snorkeling. I saw some pretty amazing fish and coral reefs and there wasn't anyone around for as far as the eye could see, it was great!

Visas and Taxis in Jordan

So apparently Jordan is updating their visa process; I arrived in Amman this afternoon and got in line to get my visa on arrival only to be have my picture taken and my fingerprint scanned as I got my visa. There was no reason for this and when I asked I was told its a new process and only happens for some people. Well apparently I must be a threat or something because I had to go through with it along with the Canadian who was in front of me in line.
So after that I got my bags and tried to find a taxi, like most airports a number of people come up to you and ask if you want a taxi. The way the system works in the Amman airport is that some guy comes up to you and asks if you want a taxi, he then takes a $1.50 JD cut and takes your bags and brings you over to this guy who is calling in all the taxis. There is no line, its just about who is more aggressive in terms of getting in front of this guys attention. So then they kind of decide to give you a taxi at some point, there is no process that is followed it just kind of everyone standing around this guy waiting to get his attention.

well I kind of sat backed an watched this whole thing happen to try and understand how to get a taxi myself. After about 15 minutes of standing around and not being able to get a taxi myself or get this guys attention, i noticed a cop standing on the side of the road watching it all. So i decided to go over to the cop and ask how i could get a taxi. Well he proceeded to flirt with me and tell me how I should take off my sun glasses so he could see my beautiful eyes. It was just classic. He said he would help, which he eventually did, he called over to the guy in charge and i got the next taxi to pull into the area. If only i had realized this at the start I could have avoided standing around the airport for 15 minutes. The funny part is that after the cop put me in a cab, he proceeded to follow my taxi and wave at me for a couple of feet and then eventually blow me a kiss as he took off. All I can say is only in Jordan do these things happen! Thought everyone might get a kick out of that story....

Petra

For those not familiar with Jordan, Amman is in the North East and Petra is about a 2.5 - 3hour drive south from Amman. It is past the dead sea but north of Aqaba (which is on the red sea/Gulf of Aqaba).So Petra was amazing; it's difficult to believe the city was built out of rock back in ~7000 BC. At one point it was home to approximately 20,000 people. Some other interesting facts are that only 5% has been excavated. Also Petra means 'rock' in Greek.

The pictures don't do it justice.Enjoy!

Time to float

I must say that I love Jordan; it is very pretty and the weather is perfect right now! Nice sunny mornings and a cool breeze at night; doesn't get much better weather wise. So I managed to sneak away for a day to the dead sea which is about 45 minutes from Amman. What a funny experience! First off Rhona and I got pulled over for speeding at which point the police officer did not speak any English so it was alot of pointing and eventually they just let us go. Then we were stopped twice at check points they have before you enter the dead sea area. Both times the cops asked us where we were from and said Welcome to Jordan very enthusiastic. People here are so welcoming and friendly; they really want people to experience Jordan.

So the sign above was all around right as you enter the hotel area of the dead sea. It is pretty classic and as you can imagine it is pretty impossible to drown in the dead sea given that you immediately float in the water. It is a strange experience to be standing in the water but not touching the bottom of the ocean, just kind of bobbing around. The only issue is if you move the slightest bit you legs automatically float to the surface; so it is pretty difficult to keep yourself from floating to the surface. That is dried up salt on the rocks near the shore of the dead sea.

Word to the wise; do not shave your legs prior to going into the dead sea or get the water anywhere near your eyes, it could be painful!! Rhona and I stayed at the dead sea for dinner and to watch the sun set over Israel which made for a great day!