For the first time in 10 years I must admit that I have become a tourist. Why you might ask?
Well Jordan is, how can I say... touristic?? We drove from Amman to Wadi Musa in one day and have met more tourist groups then in one week Syria. The first roadrestaurant shops with camels occur and busses full of middle aged people are on their way to the point where mozes looked over the holy land.
Jordan is beautiful. Although in Syria the inhabitants and arabian culture make the scene, in Jordan it is the landscapes. Canyons, dry raw dessert and rocky red mountains. The road down to Petra is the most perfect way to reach the old city. From Mount Nebo you normally see Jericho and the holy land but like most days the day we visited the air was filled with dust and low hanging clouds. Nontheless the view was great. When going further down to Petra the landscape becomes more impressive each minute. We entered Petra by foot on 6.45 in the morning and walked/ climbed the whole day. 850 steps up to the monestary, 650 to the high places of sacrifice and finally the regular walk in the old city itself and to the treasury. Nobody ever said a word to many about Petra. It is unbelievable.
The wadi rum dessert is just as fine. We did not enter deep into to it but did get a good idea of the beauty. We slept in a dessert camp (and indeed with toillet and small beds ?!) and as a surprise got rainfall at 18.00 in the afternoon. Always a weird experience in the dessert.
Today I am sitting behind a computer in Aqaba. A coastal town which has not yet prospered of tourism, but is rather nice and quiet. I like it that way. A lot of locals, hanging out because it is tax free and old shabby beachside restaurants. We will stay here for 2 days before heading home. Reading books and resting from the trip.
woensdag 29 oktober 2008
zaterdag 25 oktober 2008
I feel old!
Why not get sick? Because you become weak, grumpy and so not interested in the rest of the group! I lost about 2 k in 2 days and with abit of running after the trip I will be back in bikini shape (unfortunatly in the middle of winter :-( ). After a good night sleep we went to the old roman cityof Jerash. A site with a lot of details still well kept. As I am more a people person then a nature and history one by now I would like to sit in a bedouin tent or sleep over at the house of a serian family. The sites are beautifull but I miss the contact. Being in a group makes it harder to meet people or have deeper contact when you are walking around town. A good lesson for the next time.
Second important message of the day "I feel old" !! When I travel, I get tired. When I travel I want to live the culture and breath it. I want to be there. Although I think this is the most incredible nice group I ever had (no Gwen,you are still the best travelmate I ever met, when you start loving markets you would score so high ;-) !) they do not make me feel like I am traveling. I can not yet explain, but it just not does. I like every single person in the group so that can not be it. Maybe later I will be able to explain. For one I can not keep up with their bedtime pace. I feel old!
Tomorrow we will travel along the route of the holy land. The scenery is said to be magnificent.
I will enjoy my night alone in the lobby where I just met a very nice Canadian woman who is travelling through Turkey, Egypt and Jordan. Always nice to exchange stories.
Cheers
Second important message of the day "I feel old" !! When I travel, I get tired. When I travel I want to live the culture and breath it. I want to be there. Although I think this is the most incredible nice group I ever had (no Gwen,you are still the best travelmate I ever met, when you start loving markets you would score so high ;-) !) they do not make me feel like I am traveling. I can not yet explain, but it just not does. I like every single person in the group so that can not be it. Maybe later I will be able to explain. For one I can not keep up with their bedtime pace. I feel old!
Tomorrow we will travel along the route of the holy land. The scenery is said to be magnificent.
I will enjoy my night alone in the lobby where I just met a very nice Canadian woman who is travelling through Turkey, Egypt and Jordan. Always nice to exchange stories.
Cheers
vrijdag 24 oktober 2008
Aleppo, a city with 2 faces
In the early morning after a good night sleep in the dessert town of Palmyra, we head out to Aleppo. Because Thursday is a holiday we had to take a detour to see Cracs des Chevaliers. If you are a crusaders fan and you like history, this should be it. Well, .... it almost is. The Crac lies on the top of a hill (defence fort) in the middle of a incredible not interesting town. The old fort is embedded in new houses, which are (like in southern europe) not finished or just square blocks. In this area, in Syria overall by the way, the people are Christian or Muslim and do not have much trouble with eachothers faith. Of course you can find more mosques then churches but non the less there are numerous churches to be found.
I will not waist many words on the fort because it is like being in a French castle in the east part of the country. No surprises there. Most of us were a little bit dissapointed and where looking around for nice old details. Unfortunatly they could not be found. We had more faith in Aleppo. And indeed Aleppo made the visit worthwile. Although I have been to many places in the middle east and no city is the same nor comparable Aleppo is a good old , traders city. The atmosphere is very relaxed and the people over friendly. Even here the women dress in all possible ways. Complete Burka, just a veil or in tight jeans, all is possible! The men are not at all busy with western women (nice for a change) and are always prepared to help you out.
The old city is like a small village with overhanging wooden balconies and small alley's everywhere. Because we did not have a lot of time on our first day in Aleppo some people including me decided to skip the St Simeon convent and wonder around town. I spend the morning with Ingrid (spend most of her life in Haarlem) and we took all the time to sneak in to little caravansarai and drink juice on the market. The sent of spices, kebab, soap and fresh meat are overwhelming. Ingrid is as curious as me so when we spotted a group of policemen running into the souk we thought it just might be a good idea to follow. Near a small bakery (one of the policemen offered us a piece of fresh warm bread) we waited, and waited, saw people going up and down that alley, a little bit angry .... but knowone came out, handcuffed, no shooting could be heard, no screaming. A bit dissapointed (??) we walked back into the souk, to the central mosque. I was (in my eyes) properly dressed, but after taking some pictures and sitting down on a the pavement a women came to me, furious. What was I thinkin, sitting in a mosques, the house of god, and letting my arms show (including a small piece of my shoulder). Harram and so not right. She looked at me with the eyes of an evil which and put my overdress straigt. mumbling things, she left me in the courtyard, ashamed of myself!!
Aleppo also has a hip part! New stores (monobrands of Kookai, Stefanel etc) are situated next to coffee houses where the hipcrowd drinks tea and smokes a waterpipe. A city with two faces!!
Following day we drove back to damascus with stopovers at Maloula and Saidnaya. Two mainly Christian towns with old aramees convents and the tombs of St. Takla and St. Naya. Somehow it fits in the picture. In this dry area of Syria a convent with nons,still speaking the aramic language is where the history of this area begins. The nons were in prayer when we arrived. A language which is spoken in a very small part of the world made its way to our eares. Enchanting.
Returning to Damascus we found ourselves rather tired, we are at half of our trip and traveling is not relaxing. If I wanted to relax I should have taken a plain to Sharm al Sheik! Early bedtime and a long night sleep should help. Four women and two men of the group decided to go to a Hammam. The stories with which we came back where just a little bit different. The men were pampered! The women almost pushed out of the Hammam after 45 minutes. The local women felt being looked at and were not giving us a warm welcome. The men however, had time to drink some tea and cool down a little bit. For me that meant, boom hit by a hammer. I got sick in the Hammam and went to bed at 15.00 with nothing in my stomic left. Today on our trip to Bosra and Amman I managed to stay on my feet, but it were not stable feet. In short, Amman is a modern city, beggars, to many cars and historical sites in the middle of the street. I like it, but after one day you are rather done with it. It is my second time in Amman and although this time the sun is shining I do not enjoy it more then the first time.
Going back to the hotel to play some cards and get a feeling of the nightlife of Amman.
Cheers
I will not waist many words on the fort because it is like being in a French castle in the east part of the country. No surprises there. Most of us were a little bit dissapointed and where looking around for nice old details. Unfortunatly they could not be found. We had more faith in Aleppo. And indeed Aleppo made the visit worthwile. Although I have been to many places in the middle east and no city is the same nor comparable Aleppo is a good old , traders city. The atmosphere is very relaxed and the people over friendly. Even here the women dress in all possible ways. Complete Burka, just a veil or in tight jeans, all is possible! The men are not at all busy with western women (nice for a change) and are always prepared to help you out.
The old city is like a small village with overhanging wooden balconies and small alley's everywhere. Because we did not have a lot of time on our first day in Aleppo some people including me decided to skip the St Simeon convent and wonder around town. I spend the morning with Ingrid (spend most of her life in Haarlem) and we took all the time to sneak in to little caravansarai and drink juice on the market. The sent of spices, kebab, soap and fresh meat are overwhelming. Ingrid is as curious as me so when we spotted a group of policemen running into the souk we thought it just might be a good idea to follow. Near a small bakery (one of the policemen offered us a piece of fresh warm bread) we waited, and waited, saw people going up and down that alley, a little bit angry .... but knowone came out, handcuffed, no shooting could be heard, no screaming. A bit dissapointed (??) we walked back into the souk, to the central mosque. I was (in my eyes) properly dressed, but after taking some pictures and sitting down on a the pavement a women came to me, furious. What was I thinkin, sitting in a mosques, the house of god, and letting my arms show (including a small piece of my shoulder). Harram and so not right. She looked at me with the eyes of an evil which and put my overdress straigt. mumbling things, she left me in the courtyard, ashamed of myself!!
Aleppo also has a hip part! New stores (monobrands of Kookai, Stefanel etc) are situated next to coffee houses where the hipcrowd drinks tea and smokes a waterpipe. A city with two faces!!
Following day we drove back to damascus with stopovers at Maloula and Saidnaya. Two mainly Christian towns with old aramees convents and the tombs of St. Takla and St. Naya. Somehow it fits in the picture. In this dry area of Syria a convent with nons,still speaking the aramic language is where the history of this area begins. The nons were in prayer when we arrived. A language which is spoken in a very small part of the world made its way to our eares. Enchanting.
Returning to Damascus we found ourselves rather tired, we are at half of our trip and traveling is not relaxing. If I wanted to relax I should have taken a plain to Sharm al Sheik! Early bedtime and a long night sleep should help. Four women and two men of the group decided to go to a Hammam. The stories with which we came back where just a little bit different. The men were pampered! The women almost pushed out of the Hammam after 45 minutes. The local women felt being looked at and were not giving us a warm welcome. The men however, had time to drink some tea and cool down a little bit. For me that meant, boom hit by a hammer. I got sick in the Hammam and went to bed at 15.00 with nothing in my stomic left. Today on our trip to Bosra and Amman I managed to stay on my feet, but it were not stable feet. In short, Amman is a modern city, beggars, to many cars and historical sites in the middle of the street. I like it, but after one day you are rather done with it. It is my second time in Amman and although this time the sun is shining I do not enjoy it more then the first time.
Going back to the hotel to play some cards and get a feeling of the nightlife of Amman.
Cheers
zondag 19 oktober 2008
A group of strangers becomes a clan!
How small can this world be! When walking through the plane towards our seats we suddenly saw a familiar face. In the midst of all the passengers was one of my nephews (well a bit further away, sun of sister of grandmother :-S) preparing himself for the flight. He was heading for Nepal for a Annapurna trekking and was on his way to heathrow for a stopover. Amazed, but somehow not surprised, we said hello. These things are never a coincidence. After taking pictures (you need to have proof for stories like this) we went our seperate ways in London.
On the airport of Damascus the group finally came together. 3 of them arrived earlier and the other 19 were standing around us. Why does everybody feel so uncomfortable, eager to say hello but too afraid to be the first one. We know we have to take that step, we are set up to do a trip around 2 countries together. Yet deep in our hearts we would like to do the trip alone, as a real globetrekker, without a tourguide, just a backpack and money for a gab. But here we all are. 19 grown up people waiting for the guide to come back with our passports with the visa stamp.
The first day a tour was planned in down town damascus. Next weekend we will visit the city again and have some extra time. And I need that time. The old city has not lost its charm. The entrance gates are intact, the old houses and small streets although not well kept still enchanting and the mosques and churches serene. The full glory is gone, foremost because there is to many tourists wondering around like me.
In the evening we were broken. After a night of almost no sleep we ate around "non Damascus dinner time " (way to early) and went to bed. The guide does not have a very clear view of the routing so we helped him out a little bit. Palmyra was planned for day two and so it happened.
We left too late, we had no lunch and were just 152 km from the Iraqi border. Almost yelling that we wanted to go that way. (from secretly wanna be backpacker to war fanatic??) Palmyra is an old oasis town, that got its wealth from the caravan routes that ran through the country for trade. The old ruines are in good shape. The weather did help (blue sky everywhere we looked) us, but the sight itself did all the work. Most impressive was the old road and city wall. From the fort on top of the hill a splendid view over the value gave us an impression of the old days. Days in which the traders shouted around the square what was on offer and camels and donkeys were arguing about a place to rest. Hm?? Did anything change at all on the middle east markets since 400 AD?
We will see soon enough, tomorrow we will set of for Aleppo. Crossing the dessert again to Crac des Chevaliers (old crusaders castle) on the way over. Aleppo is said to be to most atmospheric city of this part of the middle east. With a lively souk and a beautiful citadel.
And not to forget, plenty of good teahouses were you can smoke nargileh in a historical setting.
On the airport of Damascus the group finally came together. 3 of them arrived earlier and the other 19 were standing around us. Why does everybody feel so uncomfortable, eager to say hello but too afraid to be the first one. We know we have to take that step, we are set up to do a trip around 2 countries together. Yet deep in our hearts we would like to do the trip alone, as a real globetrekker, without a tourguide, just a backpack and money for a gab. But here we all are. 19 grown up people waiting for the guide to come back with our passports with the visa stamp.
The first day a tour was planned in down town damascus. Next weekend we will visit the city again and have some extra time. And I need that time. The old city has not lost its charm. The entrance gates are intact, the old houses and small streets although not well kept still enchanting and the mosques and churches serene. The full glory is gone, foremost because there is to many tourists wondering around like me.
In the evening we were broken. After a night of almost no sleep we ate around "non Damascus dinner time " (way to early) and went to bed. The guide does not have a very clear view of the routing so we helped him out a little bit. Palmyra was planned for day two and so it happened.
We left too late, we had no lunch and were just 152 km from the Iraqi border. Almost yelling that we wanted to go that way. (from secretly wanna be backpacker to war fanatic??) Palmyra is an old oasis town, that got its wealth from the caravan routes that ran through the country for trade. The old ruines are in good shape. The weather did help (blue sky everywhere we looked) us, but the sight itself did all the work. Most impressive was the old road and city wall. From the fort on top of the hill a splendid view over the value gave us an impression of the old days. Days in which the traders shouted around the square what was on offer and camels and donkeys were arguing about a place to rest. Hm?? Did anything change at all on the middle east markets since 400 AD?
We will see soon enough, tomorrow we will set of for Aleppo. Crossing the dessert again to Crac des Chevaliers (old crusaders castle) on the way over. Aleppo is said to be to most atmospheric city of this part of the middle east. With a lively souk and a beautiful citadel.
And not to forget, plenty of good teahouses were you can smoke nargileh in a historical setting.
dinsdag 14 oktober 2008
geen enkele voorbereiding :-( / no preparation at all!
Dit is niet goed! Voor het eerst sinds jaren ga ik heel slecht voorbereid op reis. Moi, de planner, de controle freak heeft nog geen pagina gelezen in reisboeken! In de historie van de regio ben ik inmiddels wel gedoken, maar ook daarin ben ik niet verder gekomen dan hoofdstuk 3. En laat ik nu net met de historie uit hoofdstuk 1 tot en met 3 al bekend zijn.
Volgens mij is dit een les voor me! Het kan, onvoorbereid op reis. Loslaten al voordat je weggaat en je laten leiden door wat je tegenkomt, wie je ontmoet en hoe je je voelt. Dat kan ik best en dat weet ik ook wel. Ik heb alleen even bevestiging nodig. Donderdag tas inpakken en gaan vrijdag!
Ik houd jullie de komende 2 weken op de hoogte!
groetjes Mariella
As I wrote this email it occured to me that some people do not read Dutch! Sorry I forgot you guys! From now on the Blog will be in English.
This is not ok! For the first time in many years I am going on holiday without any preparation. Me the planner, the control freak has not read one page in a travelguide! I did start on the history of the region but I did not come any further than chapter 3! Unfortunatly I already new about the history in the previous chapters!
This must be a lesson! It is possible, going on a trip unprepared! Letting go before you leave and just go with the flow, what you encounter, who you meet and how you feel. I know I can do it, I know I can. I just need some encouragement and confirmation. I will pack my back on thursday and leave on friday!
I will keep you posted in the upcoming 2 weeks!
Greetings Mariella
Volgens mij is dit een les voor me! Het kan, onvoorbereid op reis. Loslaten al voordat je weggaat en je laten leiden door wat je tegenkomt, wie je ontmoet en hoe je je voelt. Dat kan ik best en dat weet ik ook wel. Ik heb alleen even bevestiging nodig. Donderdag tas inpakken en gaan vrijdag!
Ik houd jullie de komende 2 weken op de hoogte!
groetjes Mariella
As I wrote this email it occured to me that some people do not read Dutch! Sorry I forgot you guys! From now on the Blog will be in English.
This is not ok! For the first time in many years I am going on holiday without any preparation. Me the planner, the control freak has not read one page in a travelguide! I did start on the history of the region but I did not come any further than chapter 3! Unfortunatly I already new about the history in the previous chapters!
This must be a lesson! It is possible, going on a trip unprepared! Letting go before you leave and just go with the flow, what you encounter, who you meet and how you feel. I know I can do it, I know I can. I just need some encouragement and confirmation. I will pack my back on thursday and leave on friday!
I will keep you posted in the upcoming 2 weeks!
Greetings Mariella
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