Sunday 11/14 - Abu Dhabi
Cassie drove Susan and I to Abu Dhabi Sunday afternoon. She finally has her car and she is a wonderful driver! We arrived safely and had a great French lunch with Kisha. After lunch we walked around some ane enjoyed the sights. It was so much more pleasant than it was in August. On our walk we saw some interesting signs, what exactly is 1/2 an executive bachelor??? We also some fish, shrimp, and lobster flavored chips in one store. I was not brave enough to try those, but Cassie got some shrimp flavored ones. I'll let you know her thoughts later.
I went back to Kisha's place, so Susan could get her luggage, while Cassie and Kisha went to do some errands. While I was waiting for them to return I called Mary and ended up having a wonderful dinner with Mary, Kate, Jennifer, and Tom whom I haven't seen since I left for Al Ain in Sept. Great food and great friends, but the night had to end too soon so I could get up at 3:30 the next morning for my 8am flight.
Monday 11/15
Susan and I arrived at the airport at 5:15 which was way too early. The Etihad check-in desk wasn't even open. We had to wait until 6am. A lot of waiting this morning. Check-in and security were smooth processes. I got my first exit stamp in my passport!! The 3 hour flight was very smooth and comfortable. I had asked for exit row and actually got it!
We arrived in Jordan at 9:30am. Customs and immigration were very quick processes other than waiting in line. Absolutely no hassels! I paid 10JD (Jordanian Dinars) for my visitors visa and got a new stamp in my passport. When we got to baggage claim my suitcase was waiting for me. It was nice not having to watch for it on the luggage thing and then fight the crowds to pull it off.
With luggage in hand we headed to Avis to rent a car. We paid 600JD (about 3,000 dirhams; very expensive) for a 4 wheel drive car that I thought we didn't need. Turns out that it was a very good thing that we got the car that we did. After 2 1/2 months of not driving it was nice to be behind the wheel! At least until we got to the downtown area. Chaos, absolute chaos. No lines on the road, no turn signals, lots of honking, lots of merging, street signs in just Arabic (I surprised myself and Susan by actually reading one; my instructor would be proud:), packed streets, pedestrians crossing whenever and wherever and roads blocked for Eid. It was like cattle crossing. Terrible. Drivers doing whatever they wanted whenever they wanted to. Not a good idea to get behind the wheel in a foreign country!
The hotel is about 30-40 minutes from the airport, but it took us about 3 hours!!!! I was so frustrated and sick of driving past the same things 10 times and not being able to find the hotel. So we found a place to park and took a taxi to the hotel. At the hotel we begged for help; pleading lost tourists. The owner's son walked me back to the car and drove it to the hotel. What great service!
The Hotel - Arab Tower Hotel (Burj al Arab)
Very nice staff, but very small. It's actually a hostel not a hotel. There were 2 twin beds in the room and a table. The bathroom was a toilet and water hose. I can't really call it a shower because it was totally open and it was just a hose with a head to it. That was a new experience for me. I had to be very careful where I put my towel and clothes because I didn't want them to get too wet. The room was only $40 so I guess I shouldn't complain. Breakfast was included as well. Breakfast consisted of toast, hard boiled eggs, and cucumbers and tomatoes. Different.
After we got settled into our tiny room and got somewhat cleaned up we went out to a delicious restaurant for dinner and had some authentic Arabic food. Wonderful salad (fatoosh) and hommus. There was this cute little boy there who kept looking at us and smiling and waving. He was practicing his English as well. At one point he came over and shook my hand and introduced himself to us. Very cute!!
After dinner we walked the streets. Everything in downtown Amman was open 24 hours due to Eid. So it was really a party type atmosphere. The people are so friendly. Just about everyone said "Welcome" or "Welcome to Jordan" as we walked past. I, of course, got lots of stares and wows and laughs and pointing due to my height. Then there's the fact that there aren't many Westerners here so I'm very different. We did some shopping and talked to some nice local people. I had to turn in early because of all the cigarette smoke. It was really hurtning my throat. I did get some gifts and souveniors, but it was time to go.
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| view of Amman from the Citadel |
Monday Night
Then there was the wakeup call at 5ish; call to prayer followed by loud constant repetition of a verse from the Quran. Very loud, annoying, repetitive, and monotone. I was ready to scream "KHALLAS"
خلاص(enough, finish, quit, stop, done) out of the window. I eventually had enough and got out of bed to brave the "shower" at 6.
Tuesday 11/16
The day started with us trying to find The King Abdullah Mosque. We had seen it on our travels on Monday, but couldn't remember where it was. We asked at the hotel and it sounded easy enough and looked close enough on the map, plus I have a Garmin so we could find it. Yeah right! We got so lost. But we did end up seeing the sheep market. Not something I want to see again. People buying and slaughtering sheep for the sacrifice. Slaughtering on the side of the road. Not a pleasant sight. Poor sheep. After driving around for a while we decided to give up on the Mosque. Good thing because we found out later that it was closed due to Eid.
So, we headed to the Citadel. Awesome views of Amman! Great archeological sites. Amazing that this was built out of stone and it is still standing. Lots of history in this country. We could not enter the main portion of the site due to Eid but I still got some good pictures anyway. I was a little upset because I couldn't really see the Roman theater from the Citadel. I did get to see it from street level, but I couldn't go in due to construction. It would have been great to see it from on top of the city at the Citadel.
Our journey to the Dead Sea began at the InterCon. We just had to stop at our home away from home. We had a nice lunch and then we were on our way. Amazingly it wasn't too difficult to find! There were actually a few signs in English pointing us to the Dead Sea.
What an experience! Everything was so peaceful and calm at Zara Spa and Resort, the resort we chose to spend the day at for 40JD. We went to the spa but couldn't get any treatments because they were booked. Susan scheduled something for Thursday. So, we changed into our suits and headed down to the Dead Sea. Unfortunately the escalator was broken so we had to walk. The Dead Sea is so weird. It is 420 meters (1,377 ft) below sea level and 33.7% saline. The bottom is very rocky and then muddy. After I got off the rocky part I plunged in and immediately floated to the surface. Everyone looked so funny laying on top of the water. It was a very weird feeling. There were people covering themselves in Dead Sea mud, but Susan and I didn't. I don't like getting messy. I know I probably should have because it's the Dead Sea mud, but... After we showered to remove the slimy salty feeling we had dinner and watched the sun set over the Dead Sea and Israel. One day I will get to Israel.
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| floating on the Dead Sea |
When we finally found our hotel we found out that our reserved room was given away because we were late. They didn't care that we traveled the King's Highway (name of the awful road; eveidently it's no big deal to the locals they think it's beautiful). They tried to give us another room, but there was just one tiny double bed and Susan and I couldn't share that. So we left. We tried to find another room, but the entire town was booked. I have never heard of that happening. We ended up at a 5 star resort that had 1 room left for 1 night. We were planning on spending 2 nights in Petra. So we took the last room in the entire city! What a contrast to the hotel in Amman. We had a junior suite. Two twin beds plus a living area. Very nice bathroom with an actual shower! I had a great night's sleep! We even kept the windows open; no loud partying or horns honking or repetitive Quran verses early in the morning! Breakfast was fabulous as well. I could live like this! Wait, didn't I do that when I was staying at the InterCon?! I can't beleive I was so ready to get out of the hotel!!
Wednesday 11/17 - Petra
Amazing! Absolutely beautiful! What a sight! Not sure words or pictures can describe what I saw, but I'll try. The rock formations were beautiful. Rock layers of different colors lined the entire walk from Wadi-Musa to Petra. Then there were the buildings from the ancient city of Petra. It's amazing that they built an entire city out of rock and sand and into a mountain. The columns and architecture were fabulous. Everywhere you looked there was evidence of the people that lived there. Holes in the rock to show their houses, theaters, paved roads, carvings... Lots to see and a lot more to learn. I wish I had a tour guide, but Susan didn't want to get one so we explored on our own. I tried to listen while some of the tour guides were explaining, but I didn't get much. Even without a guide it was fabulous to see, but I would have enjoyed it with a guide. We walked for quite a while taking in the sights. I actually walked more than Susan and would have continued but I knew it was getting late and we had to leave for Amman. So I reluctantly turned around and experienced all of Petra in reverse. It was still beautiful to see as I was walking out of the ancient city. We eventually got a horse drawn carriage to take us the last bit of the way, the part that was uphill and most difficult for Susan. It was a nice, albeit bumpy, ride.
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| the treasurery in the Anicent City of Petra |
We explored a little bit of Wadi-Musa, ate lunch, and then got back in the car to head back to Amman. We did not take the King's Highway back. I was not going to drive that again. There is a different route, it's longer but it's safer. It's called the Desert Highway and it goes through the desert. The views were amazing. Vast expanses of nothing. I didn't think "nothing" could be so beautiful. The desert hills and flat lands were astonishing. Lots of colors due to the sunset! I would love to drive this highway again! We drove back to our little hostel where a different room was waiting for us.
Thursday 11/18
Susan had made an appointment at Movenpick, the resort on the Dead Sea, so we headed back there. We spent the day relaxing at the various pools the spa had available. I did not go back in the Dead Sea. Once was enough. I just enjoyed the relaxation and sunshine. Evidently the sun at the Dead Sea is not dangerous. Not sure why or how, I just enjoyed sunbathing! It was actually relatively cool. Well, cool for me! It was just nice to be able to sit outside and not sweat! What a perfect way to end our vacation!
Friday 11/19
Back home! We left Jordan at 11:30am (our flight was supposed to be 10:20, but it was delayed) and arrived back to Hili at 8:30pm. A long day of travel.
Overall I had a very good time. I saw a lot of interesting things that I never thought I would be able to experience. I think I could have seen a lot more if I didn't have a car and relied on public transportation and tours provided by the hotels. I learned a lot about international travel. I need to get an international plan for my phone if I'm going to be doing anymore traveling. It was scary not being able to use the phone if necessary. I realized this while driving the King's Highway (not that I would have had reception, but just to be able to have a phone would have been nice). My phone only works in the UAE. Book tours, call ahead for reservations to make sure the room is still available, and don't drive.
Now it is time for bed. The weekend is going to go so fast. Lots to do tomorrow and then back to work on Sunday.
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