The Trek Back to Amman

Travel from Aqaba to Amman, Jordan
Friday, January 3rd, 2014

Today was a pretty leisurely morning. We didn't start out too early and there wasn't much on the schedule. We were making the trip back to Amman from Aqaba which was to take about 4 hours via the Desert Highway. Unlike the Kings Highway, the Desert Highway is a lot straighter, a lot quicker and there is a bit more traffic. We made pretty good time though with a couple little stops for food and shopping.

The scene as we left Aqaba and headed back into the heart of the desert.

Camels, camels everywhere. This one, like most we drove past, was hobbled (front or back legs tied so they can't wander too far). That gives you an idea that these are not wild camels but belong to someone in the area.

Through the haze you can see Israel. It really is that close. We would travel along this close for most of the 4 hours. Security towers and fences are a common sight along this stretch of the highway.

One of the security posts along the way. I like the laundry drying on the roof.

One of the many UNHCR tents you will find along the road. You will find thousands of UNHCR tents in the area belonging to refugees from Syria. I think I mentioned that nearly 2 million refugees have crossed into Jordan from Syria to escape the fighting there. So amazing because Jordan is a small country with very few resources but they are doing everything they can to help their neighbours.

They are growing vegetables under those little greenhouse domes. You will see field after field of these. They do a great job of turning otherwise useless land into fields of tomatoes and watermelons and other such things.

These tents most likely belong to gypsies.....nomadic Jordanians. You will find a large number of gypsy camps in this area. Funny thing.....they all have satellite dishes.

Now I cannot find the name of these rock formations but there is a long story about a father and his 2 daughters (pretty sure it's in the bible). Not a lot of other tourist stops along the highway.

The sun over the Dead Sea. A little bit more sun today than the day we went floating.

The water looks pretty and inviting today.....but there would be no swimming this time around. This was basically a travel day.

If you zoom in on this picture you can make out a trickle of water flowing here. Normally there would be more but the dam is closed and not controlled by Jordan.

Eventually we made it back to the hotel. We said goodbye to a few people who were travelling on and then the rest of us headed out for dinner. After dinner we hit the clubs. Final night in Amman so the whole group of us went dancing. Dancing lasted well into the morning, finally heading back to the hotel about 2am.

Saturday my tour of Jordan officially ended.  Before my flight I managed to run a few errands including shawarma and mailing postcards (sorry no one actually got them, but I did write them I promise). It was a really amazing week. Met some wonderful people, experienced some great history and just had an all-round good time. It's a quick trip to Jordan so I can easily pop over for another visit to see anything I didn't get to see this time around.

Julie

From Desert to Sea

Travel to Aqaba, Jordan,
Thursday, January 2nd, 2014

This morning we had a pretty early wake-up call......but this time it came with camels. And what could be better than a wake-up call with camels.

It was not a warm morning but so worth it. I love camels. They're awesome.

My view from my camel. I don't think he had a name. I just called him " Cutie".

Early morning sky.

A little video of that camel ride. I'm not saying they are the most comfortable thing to ride, but you make it work. Over the years of camel rides (I've had a couple) the locals have taught me some tricks.

A little chilly on those camels but still smiling.

The sun is up now. Made it a little bit warmer.

Look no hands. No I would not have tried this while they were moving. It's not a smooth ride.

Oh look at Cutie.......how cute is he?

Resting after his morning trek.....and still smiling.

Eventually we transferred from the camels to the jeeps and then back to our van and started the trek to Aqaba. It was only about an hour drive from Wadi Rum to Aqaba and I mostly used the time to nap. Once in Aqaba we had a totally free day so people did all kinds of different things. Chisoto, Sarah and I decided we would do some shopping, but not before a shower and some food. Turns out the best shawarma place in town was like a minute down the street from our hotel.......it was so good.

The view from my hotel room. A nice little city right on the Red Sea. If I had more time....and energy I would have gone to the beach.....but shopping was just about the pace I needed.

Found in one of the parks in the city. Lots of families around enjoying the day.

Later that night we headed out for dinner as a group at a really great restaurant in Aqaba. Obviously being on the Red Sea, seafood was on the menu. It was really good seafood too. I think I've mentioned that the food in Jordan is pretty top notch. Really enjoyed it. After dinner we headed to a local Irish Pub for a few drinks and to relax.

That's Steve presenting Ayman with a little gift from the group. He was a really great tour guide who made sure we enjoyed all that Jordan has to offer. Ayman's mother is Croatian so he also does tours in Croatia. Having visited Croatia, I can imagine Ayman would be a great tour guide there too.

Hard to believe that my trip to Jordan is almost over as we will head back to Amman tomorrow.

Julie

We All Went On Safari

Tanzania, Africa
Thursday, February 21, 2013

Today, part two of my African adventure started. This was certainly to be a more relaxed part of the trip. Today we would be heading out into the wilds to see what animals we could find. Lola and I have booked a 13 day package with Zara Adventures that included the Kilimanjaro climb and then 5 days on Safari. We were not sure how it would work, if you would be put together with another group or what. We were very happy when this morning arrived and we found ourselves loading up into a 4x4 with just ourselves and our driver Hassan.

Once we were all loaded up, we headed out of town. Well ok at 0940 we headed out of the hotel and once again headed to the bank machines. It took another 20 minutes to find one that would give us money.....and the amount of money we wanted, but at 1000 we finally headed out of town.

Hassan of course was not just our driver, he was also our guide. I have been known to ask a lot of questions about things and people and places and Hassan always had an answer for me. It was roughly a 4 hour drive from Moshi to Lake Manyara National Park, which was to be our first chance to start checking the "Top Five" off our list. We got to see more than a few other things as well.

There is obviously a lot of farm land that we traveled through, but what crops are grown totally depends on the irrigation in the area. Many of the fields had already been cultivated and now just waiting for the rains. When the rains come the fields will be planted with mostly maize, soy beans and sunflowers. Closer to Moshi we saw a lot of millet (yes like the porridge on the mountain). They had it lined out on the ground on tarps drying in the sun. Although millet can be used for flour to make all kinds of things, most of this millet was destined to be turned into the local beer.

We made a quick stop in Arusha for some water and other provisions. Arusha is Tanzania's 2nd largest city with a population of about 1.8 to 2 million people. It is a very colourful city....as one would expect. Lots of cars and people on the street but mostly I enjoyed the small vans that run as buses. Mostly they are privately owned so people decorate them up how they want. A cheaper option for transportation are the motorcycle taxis.....lined up all over the place. For a couple dollars they will take you almost anywhere.

As we got closer to Lake Manyara National Park, we got a look at the Rift Valley. It runs from Ethiopia to Mozambique and is caused by the movement of the earth. Kind of looks like a giant rock wall as you approach it......just goes on forever.

Looking down at Lake Manyara National Park

Another things that stood out along the way was the first sighting of the Maasai tribe. One of about 126 different tribes in Tanzania (who all have their own traditions and languages), they still call the area home. Along the way we passed some Maasai all dressed in black with faces painted black and white. Hassan explained that these boys, between the ages of 18 and 24 would have recently been circumcised. They will walk around town like this for about 2 to 3 months, to show everyone that they are now men. If the shed a tear during the circumcision, they will never be considered men. The tribe waits until the boys are older to perform the circumcision so that they will remember the pain.

I cannot take credit for this photo as I did not take it, but I needed to find one to share. I didn't take a lot of photos while driving so I have done a little Internet searching to find some to share.

And all that was before lunch. Eventually we made it to Lake Manyara where we enjoyed a picnic lunch, before popping the top and heading inside to see some animals. Didn't take long either.

Take a look at some Olive Baboons. The little ones are just so cute. I love their little ears. We spotted these guys while having lunch.

What I meant when I said "popping the top". Great for spotting animals, but I assure you, Hassan is an expert at that.

The Sausage Tree....so named for the fruit that hangs from the tree. They are used in beer production along with millet.

Looking out from underneath the popped top.

Little baboon......just hanging out and eating. So cute.

A look at the baboon family blocking the road. Of course in these parks, there are roads that we can travel on....and must stay on, but the animals still have the right of way so no moving them to get on our way.

And that would be my first elephant of the trip. He was a little camera shy but I knew he would not be my only elephant so I wasn't too worried.

One of the many birds in the park. I believe this is a Southern Ground Hornbill.

The one place we were allowed to get out of the vehicle.....but we couldn't get too close to anything.

As the song says..."I want a hippopotamus for Christmas, only a hippopotamus will do......no crocodiles, or rhinoceroses, I only like hippopotamuses.....and hippopotamuses like me too". These hippos weren't up to much, but I guess that is the life of a hippo.

Zebra!!! and little zebra.

Another elephant.....

......and a baby elephant!!!!! Check and check!

I was really waiting for this elephant to spray water at the people in that vehicle....but he didn't. Kind of strange to just see them standing there. The vehicles don't seem to bother them at all.

Another hornbill.....just like Zazu in The Lion King. Yes, I can identify many African animals by their character in The Lion King.

After a few hours traveling through Lake Manyara National Park, we headed to our accommodation for the night. We were not sure where we would be staying but we were told they were all nice places. Kudu Lodge was certainly nice. No complaints from me. http://h-rsv.com/a386502/index.htm

Our room.....after our little tent on the mountain, this was a very welcome change.

The bathroom (well there is another room with a giant shower in it but I had to show off the stone sink and counter).

So after a wonderful day of animal spying, Lola and I were able to have a nice relaxing evening at the hotel with some great food (again, some of the most amazing soup I've ever had) and some great wine.

Day #1 of the Safari done. Way more animals to see tomorrow.

Julie

Four Weeks........Few Pictures....Sorry I was Busy

CANADA!!!!!
Saturday, October 6th to Sunday, November 5th, 2012

After 10 months in the sand pit (I assure you we refer to Riyadh in that way with nothing but love) it was time to head home to Canada for a visit. Why October you might ask......well it contains my 3 favourite holidays, Canadian Thanksgiving, Halloween and the World Series. Now I know what you are all saying, the World Series isn't a holiday, but trust me, the way Dad and I do it, trust me it is.

Anyway, my first stop (after Heathrow Airport in London) was Toronto for some time with Heather and to meet sweet Little Olivia for the first time. Basically I just hung out with them for nine days, enjoyed a Thanksgiving dinner (turkey is so good), made some time for dinner and a movie with a friend in Toronto and some shopping.

How cute is she????? And so happy....at least when I was holding her. Of course when she was unhappy I simply gave her back. Oh I love being an Aunty!!!!

Look at those big eyes. So beautiful.

Yes one of my big purchases was Olivia's first Blue Jays jersey. They don't make jerseys any smaller than for a 2 year old so this one should fit her for a couple seasons.

 

My 9 days went very quickly and eventually I had to move on. It was a lot harder than I thought but the rest of my trip would be spent in Western Canada (in Vernon and Calgary).

The flowers that greeted me in my bedroom.

My time in Vernon was split between watching baseball, Doctors appointments, a couple marathon dentist appointments, shopping and of course carving a few pumpkins.

 

In the Eye of the Beholder.Turned out very nice I think.

 

Cat got your tongue. Another success. I had a third one planned but I ran out of time (I ended up in the dentist chair for like 3 hours on Halloween). But not to worry Dad stepped in and completed the trio for me.



The Bodden's Sweet Ass pumpkins. Halloween once again.......a total success.

How cute is Lady Bug Olivia? Heather almost didn't buy a costume but we found this one at Costco for like $10 and had to buy it. She looks so happy to be a little Lady Bug too.

 

I also made a quick side trip to Calgary where I managed to see almost everyone (so many breakfasts and lunches and dinners and drinks) and attend a baby shower (I won a game)......and go shopping (do you see a pattern forming).

I actually miss the cold weather drives through the mountains. And the roads were pretty bare so it was nice and enjoyable.

Oh look, stopped traffic. That almost never happens on the drive through the mountains (that's some severe sarcasm). For once I would love to make this drive without any construction.

 

I also did a little diving while in Canada. Yes that's right I did some fabulous cold water, dry suit scuba diving. I wanted to get my Advanced Open Water before I got back to Saudi and they actually do a lot of diving in the Vernon area (who knew?). Now I must say, cold water diving in a dry suit is a whole lot harder than the diving I've been doing in Saudi. Much more technical. I 'm so glad I did it. I can't say it's what I want to be doing that all the time (I really like the warm water) but I'm sure I will try it again some time. Sorry no pictures from this dive trip. I didn't pack the camera plus I was far too busy drying to stay afloat to take pictures.

 

My four weeks went very, very quick so it wasn't long before I had to take on that ever daunting task of packing my bags. Always so much harder than I expect.....and we still had to mail a box full of stuff, but eventually everything got here.



My new suitcase didn't last very long but since I paid 80% off for it at the local closing Zellers, it's not much of a loss.

 

And that in a nutshell was my four weeks in Canada. Of course as usual, the trip wasn't long enough and I didn't get to see everyone I would have liked to have seen but it is always great to be home.

 

Until next time.

 

Julie