From the desert to the sea

The Red Sea that is! I'm now in Aqaba, located at the tip of the Red Sea, where Egypt, Israel and Jordan meet. Aqaba is not a place I'd stay very long and if I had known better I probably would have just passed through here.

Reading the guidebook I thought that there would be some interesting ruins and beaches here. The ruins are in very poor shape. Mostly they're just holes in the ground. There is also a small Malmuk fort (originally built by the Crusaders). It's not a sight worth going out of the way for, 95% of it seems recently reconstructed.

The beaches were a bit of a let down too. This is Jordan's only coastline. It used to be smaller too, until they gave the Saudis 6,000 sq meters of desert for 12 kms of coast line. The problem with such a tiny coast line is that everything is crammed together, Navy docks, Commercial docks, Recreational docks, etc. There really isn't much of a beach and what is accessible to the public is pretty dirty. Broken glass covers the sand, among other things.

On the positive side, the weather is amazing and it's quite a laid back place. The lack of sights is probably a good thing, as I wouldn't take much rest otherwise. It's a little cheaper too and I took the opportunity to pig out a little. Aqaba is also 10 km from Israel. Tomorrow I will see about going across the border and taking a bus to Jerusalem.

Streets of Aqaba:

Mamluk fort:

Remains of Mamluk fort:

Beaches:

Sunset over the Red Sea:

Petra - Day 2

Even if these ruins were taken away, the landscape itself is on par if not better than places like Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce Canyon, etc. This place has been the highlight of my trip. I decided today I would do a lot of hiking and I'm pretty sure I walked more than I did yesterday. My legs are killing me! It's a good pain though.

Once again I was the first one to the Treasury, where I took some more photos and then hurried to do my first hike (to the top of the mountain that overlooks the Treasury). I was in a hurry because I wanted to catch the light at just the right angle. I followed the guidebook instructions, made my way to the top of the mountain and got terribly lost.

The top of the mountain is a large flat area which is dotted with dome like rocks. It's hard to get your bearings without getting really high up on one of them or finding the edge. I couldn't find the right spot to look down on the Treasury and was getting pretty frustrated. I decided to retrace my steps and start again. When I got back to the beginning I noticed a very obvious and well used trail and felt quite sheepish that I missed it. I also missed the light. Ah well, it was quite an adventure with some really good scrambling. On the downside I came across a few dead donkeys which was a disturbing sight. The smell was just awful!

Coming back down into the valley, I did a giant circle, exploring the Royal Tombs, the Christian Tombs (identified as such for bearing a cross), and some tombs at the base of Jabal Madbah. On the outside they have some slight differences, on the inside they're pretty much the same. There's thousands of tombs in this place and archeologists originally thought it was simply a necropolis.

By this time the sun was starting to feel quite hot and I was running out of water. I found that whenever I walk past the Bedouin, they offer tea. So I started seeking them out in order to quench my thirst and spend some time with the locals. While sitting down with one of them, I asked them about the dead donkeys and was told that they just died of old age. I wasn't entirely convinced. I was wearing my keffiyeh and while I was trying to make conversation with the Bedouin, a couple of tourists took photos of me. This happened a couple of other times since I bought it, it's quite funny. Sometimes when I approach other tourists to find out where they from, they respond harshly and walk away, thinking that I'm a local trying to sell them something.

The second hike I did was to the High Place of Sacrifice (another peak). At the top are some interesting channel carvings, thought to be for channeling the flow of blood following animal sacrifices. I didn't quite figure out where the blood was being channeled or why. The peak offered some more amazing views of the area.

I didn't take that many photos today, the places I went to weren't the most picturesque in comparison to the Treasury and Monastery, but they were quite interesting and it was great exercise doing all the walking/hiking. At sunset, I did the hike that I attempted in the morning and this time I got the photo I wanted. By the time I was half way down the peak, the sun had set and I was walking back to town in the dark. That was quite an experience in itself, being along among these great ruins.

Me on Jabal Madbah:

Theatre:

Bedouin woman, note the tea cup on the left:

Jabal Madbah:

Street of Facades:

Inside one of the many tombs. Most are just plain, this one had some columns:

Tomb of the soldier:

Natural arch with stairs that seem to lead to nowhere:

One of the Royal Tombs:

Ancient wardrobe malfunction depicted in a mosaic:

Petra - Day 1

A good day for burning calories! I walked almost 40 km and still didn't see that much of Petra. I got up super early (4:30am) and was at the ruins at 6:00am. I wanted to be there before any tourists to get photos of the jewels of Petra, The Treasury and Monastery, without any people. I was surprised to find six other people walking to these sights ahead of me. It's a bit of a walk to the main sights so I booked it, passed them and was the first one there.

A lot of these ruins were carved out of the soft rock by the Nabataeans. There is Greek, Roman and Egyptian influence in the architecture. The Nabataeans had a big sphere of influence, but not through might. They repelled armies by paying them off and they earned much of their money by controlling trade routes.

The Treasury is the most intact and best preserved among these ruins. It's mid-way through a canyon that leads to Petra's city centre. Walking through the canyon is incredible. The colours of the surrounding rock are beautiful and there are a few tombs to see on the way, but I decided to leave those for later. I got to the Treasury first and took photos like mad then made my way to the Monastery. It's about three kilometers away and it involved some elevation gain. I got some photos without people there too, then I took it easy and started to enjoy the area.

The place is huge and there's lots of opportunity for exploration and hiking. I checked out the city center ruins and then Petra Church, which has the best intact mosaics I've seen so far. Two giant floor panels that are covered in all sorts of depictions. Then decided to climb up a 1,000+ meter peak to get a birds eye view of the area. Considering I go to the Rockies every weekend, I didn't think I would tire out. But with the desert sun, I quickly ran out of water and was soon feeling quite dehydrated. At the top of the peak, I was treated to amazing views of the area. Then I searched out some shade and sat for a while, waiting for the sun to ease up and regaining my energy. It's really neat how cold it gets in the shade. The temperature changed by 15 degrees or more.

Back down I was invited for some tea by the Bedouin. They offered me the tea for free but then tried to sell me some of their wares. It was good to quench my thirst and enjoy some local hospitality. I told them that I wasn't interested in buying anything and gave them some money for the tea. They refused at first but I insisted and they accepted. I asked them for a photo, but they refused.

The sun was setting as I made my way back to town. I had a whole bunch of water and ate some schwarmas and tomorrow I will explore Petra some more.

Treasury:

City centre ruins:

Tenemos Gateway:

Monastery:

View near the Monastery:

Lion's Tomb:

Bedouin Camels:

Silk Tomb:

More tombs:

Air-conditioned taxi:

In Jordan

I left Damascus this morning and crossed the border to Jordan. Right away I have to say that Jordan did not meet my expectations. Reading about it I noticed it had a more moderate government and it seemed to be more modernized. It was more expensive and I figured that would mean better service. Really Jordans buses are terrible compared to Syria and I believe Syria has more to offer.

In Syria I've found the people friendlier too. Here I have yet to meet someone who hasn't tried to rip me off. It happened in Syria too, but there they'd take you for a dollar or two max, here they try to take you for a lot more. Perhaps it's because there's more tourists here.

Crossing the border I went to Amman, Jordan. I've been hearing that it's not a place worth spending time in so right away I transfered to a bus to Petra. On the way to Petra the bus driver tried to ask for $10 more for the ticket. The person beside me pretended to pay the same price to make it seem like I wasn't being tricked. This seemed to get some objections from the people behind me and I got some of my money back. I wasn't in a mood to argue. However the objections didn't stop from the people in the back and pretty soon the bus driver was in a heated argument, waving hands, turning the bus around threatening to go back to Amman and swearing on the Quran that he wasn't ripping anyone off. Pretty crazy for my first day.

Things worked out though and I arrived in Petra. Unfortunately I arrived too late in the day to see much. I'm in a village next to the Petra ruins called Wadi Musa (Valley of Moses). Indiana Jones - The Last Crusade was filmed here, and you can buy an Indiana Jones whip and hat at almost every store. I think the ruins are vast and there seem to be some hiking possibilities. I may stay three days here then figure out what to do next.

Wadi Musa:

A gloomy day in Damascus

I have to take a paragraph out of todays post to wish Jenn (my girlfriend) a happy birthday! The photo is not from Damascus, but I was thinking ahead. Hope you're having a good time! Now back to the regularly scheduled blog...

Feeling gross today. I'm pretty sure that it's something I ate, perhaps I've been too adventurous trying food on the street. It's hard to resist trying stuff, there's so many things I've never seen before. There's a 1000 versions of baklava. But it came back to haunt me. It was really difficult to explore Damascus with the same vigor that I've had since the beginning of my trip. To top it off, it rained all day! It made photography really difficult and the temperature uncomfortably chilly.

I was afraid of coming to Damascus. It's the biggest city in Syria and I dread big cities. Surprisingly, it doesn't feel that big. Out of all the places I've been, here I've felt most comfortable with the orientation of the place. It's the first place I've gone out and walked for quite a while without a map or GPS.

Damascus is one of the oldest (if not the oldest) places still inhabited. That was quite apparent when I walked through the "Old Damascus" area. There's ruins on top of ruins on top of ruins with modern buildings built next to them. Some ruins are still being used as modern structures. The biggest mosque here, the Umayyad Mosque, is thought to have been built on a place of worship since 3,000 BC. It's a magnificent mosque, considered the third most important after Mecca and Medina.

The mosque is surrounded by a market or "souq" that makes West Edmonton Mall look tiny. Whoever said it was the biggest mall in the world has never been to the middle east. The market in Damascus has been my favorite so far, more so than Istanbul's. I think part of that is that it's easier to navigate. It's surrounded by fortifications.

The old city is interesting in terms of religion too. Long ago it was split into quarters; Christian, Muslim, Jewish. It used to have walls dividing each quarter and the gates used to close at sunset. There's quite a difference in the architecture as you walk among the different quarters. Orthodox churches with towers bearing the cross and Islamic minarets decorated with the crescent moon; it's quite the sight. The fourth quarter is the Citadel (which is closed for restoration) and a palace.

I really wish I could have seen more of Damascus. I just really lacked the energy today. Tomorrow my plan is to get a bus to Amman, Jordan. I may stay longer in Damascus if I don't feel better tomorrow.

Walking towards the marketplace:

Statue of Saladin on a horse, note the placement of King Richard "the Lionheart":

Inside the souq:

Roman ruins next to the marketplace, Umayyad Mosque in the background:

Umayyad Mosque:

Umayyad Mosque:

Azem Palace:

Azem Palace:

Roman ruins in the old Damascus area:

Palmyra's desert

Today I spent most of the time exploring the desert sights around Palmyra. Specifically the Valley of the Tombs, where the rich and royal were buried, and the Qala'at ibn Maan (an Arab built castle), a more recent addition to the area.

I woke up very early and tried to get to the ruins before the sunrise, but was a little late. It seems the sun rises much earlier here than it does in Turkey. I still managed to get good light and some good photos.

The main ruins are very close to the town site, at most a five minute walk. The rest are a little further but still walkable. I spent a good portion of the day walking and got some pretty good exercise. The first on my list was exploring the Valley of the Tombs. Most of the tombs are in pretty poor condition and the decoration and loot has been either sold or put in museums. The tombs are generally free standing towers with multiple levels, but there were also some cave like tombs. The best tomb contained amazing frescoes including one portraying a scene with Achilles and Ulysses. Unfortunately photography was not allowed.

Overlooking the Valley of the Tombs and the main ruins is the Qala'at ibn Maan. The hike to it was steep and I was really starting to feel the desert sun. I decided to keffiyeh from the many Bedouin selling wares near the ruins. It really helped and it made me look more Arabic which made for less hassle during my exploration. The castle was nice, but it paled in comparison to the castles I've seen up to this point. The best thing about it was the view of the surrounding area.

When I returned to the town, I sat down in the hotel lobby to look through photos, when a man who was driving a couple from France around Syria asked me if I'm going to Damascus. I told him I was and he told me I could join them for free if I packed now. I quickly packed my stuff and jumped in the car. To my surprise he recruited another person and there were five of us in the vehicle. Another surprise was that the French couple were looking to split the cost of the trip. It was more money than I was planning to spend, but they could have asked for more too. The couple was extremely nice and it was a pleasant way of getting to Damascus. Tomorrow I'll explore the capital of Syria.

Early morning light over the ruins:

Light creating depth over the ruins:

Bedouin woman:

Valley of the Tombs:

Castle overlooking the tombs:

Inside the castle:

Overlooking the main ruins:

Friendly locals met on the way up to the castle:

Palmyra locals:

Driving to Damascus: