The Pyramids of Giza

On Tuesday we ventured to the outskirts of Cairo to Giza for a visit to the Great Pyramids, another World Heritage Site and another of the new7wonders (the only ancient one remaining on the list). We conferred with a friend who resides here and were given a heads up for costs and what to expect en-route, which incidentally ended up probably saving us a few headaches, as well as a good deal of money. Getting to Giza is an adventure in and of itself. The trip begins with a rather lengthy taxi ride through the belly of the beast (Downtown Cairo), in one of the largest and most populated cities in the world (20+ million). After fighting through traffic for about an hour, we reached the suburb of Giza and saw the Great Pyramid off in the distance behind the surrounding buildings and street signs. As we approached the entrance, a number of excited Egyptian peddlers attempted to join us in our taxi in hopes of becoming a tour guide or assisting us with commandeering an air conditioned taxi (in the form of a horse or camel ride). We politely declined many of their offers, sometimes over and over again (they can be very persistent).Some even went as far as telling us that the entrance was closed and that it was required that we rent a horse or camel because there was absolutely no walking allowed. (J) We both got a good chuckle out of this, Anthony even went as far as saying that he would love to have the opportunity to ride a camel, but unfortunately he just was not able to. Finally we were left alone for a few minutes, as time went by though, more people attempted to lure us in with different offers, this time our driver had had enough and he began sending them away in loud and firm Arabic which was quite helpful.

We reached the entrance finally and many people circled around looking to assist us in any way they could in order to earn Baksheesh (a tip). We purchased our tickets, proceeded through the gate, and began our walk into the complex. A few minutes later we realized that we had forgotten to pick up our change at the entrance booth and worried we would never get it back since we had already passed through. Fortunately, when Anthony returned to the window the woman smiled and said, “Oh, yes, here is your change sir, no problem.” It was at this moment that we both realized how thankful we were that we were visiting a country where people are very honest.

The first relics that come into view as one enters the complex in Giza are The Sphinx and The Pyramid of Khafre (Chefphren) (one of the 3 largest of 9). The area is home to a number of structures with the three largest being (The Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops), the Pyramid of Kahfre (Chephren, built by Khufu’s son and smaller in size but on a hill to appear taller), and the Pyramid of Menkaure (Mycerinus). The 1^st built with stone carried from the present day Cairo area, the great Pyramid made of stone from Asuan, and the final larger structure with stones from Luxor. Other structures in the complex include a number of smaller tombs and remains of residential and/or farming areas. We spent the better part of the day exploring each in great detail, taking a number of silly photos, and finishing things off with a camel ride on a middle-aged beast named Michael Jordan. This was something that we found quite entertaining as we traveled around the different structures and were offered rides on various taxis whose names coincidentally referred to both fictional and real people. In fact, to try to allay some hassles we began speaking only in Spanish, but sometimes a peddler would be able to haggle in Spanish, too, or a version of Spanglish and Italian words. We met a very nice camel driver with a famous Giza camel named Charlie Brown who spoke Spanish fairly well, that led to a long conversation and us having to decline helping some university students with a survey since it was in English and Charlie Brown’s owner was still with us. Ginnie felt she should have earned some money when she caught a boy and a man taking her photo and then was asked by a young Egyptian girl and boy to take her picture with each of them. If we took pictures of Egyptians we’d be asked for Baksheesh, so it seems only fair to do the same! All in all we met quite a few Egyptians attempting to get us to take a ride or buy cheesy pyramid statues, and actually had some great conversation with a few along the way. Considering the steep decline in tourism since the revolution, competition is more cut throat for the limited number of tourists visiting. This decline made for a great opportunity for us as there were far fewer people around to get into our photos!

As we made our way around the complex, we eventually opted for a camel ride because, well, Anthony had really wanted to ride a camel around the desert in Egypt and what better place than at the Pyramids. The ride offered great views from atop the camel and also allowed for us to take in some great vistas across the desert on one side and the entire Giza complex on the other. Not to mention that it gave us time to reflect on where we were and consider how we were traveling through the same place as ancient pharaohs from over 4000 years ago.

After about four hours or so we headed out, secured a great deal on a taxi by pitting a couple of drivers against each other and causing them to negotiate with us for the fare. We returned to Cairo via a somewhat wild taxi ride (lots of tight squeezes, hairpin turns, near misses, and a great deal of traffic while waiting to go through the now- famed Tahrir Square). Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the ride was a stop at the gas station where the driver purchased 8.5 liters of gas for 3.6 Egyptian Pounds – the equivalent of about $0.30 per gallon. Shocking, but true!Now, if everyone could just officially get on board and start boycotting the huge oil companies in The United States, maybe we could get a decrease. No matter how you slice it, $0.30 per gallon at the pump in Cairo, adding in transport costs to North America, still does not equate to nearly $4 a gallon. Well, that’s it from here, time to get off the soap box and head out on our next adventure.

Al Hub as-Salam!

A visit to the city of Kerak and an RPCV friend from Belize followed our time in Petra. The weekend begins on Friday in Jordan and we suddenly found ourselves scrambling for transportation since Friday is comparable to a Sunday in Belize. Very few buses run so we were concerned we would not be able to visit our friend Laura who has begun a second Peace Corps tour here in Jordan just after completing her time in Belize. We got lucky and found a couple who was also trying to leave Petra and would share a taxi with us – cutting costs tremendously. We had a great conversation with our fellow travelers who have been on the road for 7 months now and recommended some great activities for future destinations. When we arrived in Kerak, we saw Laura come around the corner as we removed our bags from the taxi. It was great to see her and we walked through the Kerak Castle while we caught up. After touring the castle, we attempted to get a falafel sandwich, but the sandwich shop was closed for Friday. So, we traveled onto the home of a PCV couple who graciously offered to have us stay with them for the night since a woman in Jordan cannot invite a man into her home. We had a great night chatting with Dan and Andrea, who also made us the most wonderful dinner of spaghetti with fresh vegetables; thank you both for such a wonderful visit! Earlier in the week we walked through the produce market in Amman and immediately fell in love with the deep purple eggplants and the zucchini and squash and bright tomatoes, so having dinner with these fresh veggies was great. Eating a home cooked meal with such flavorful vegetables was a welcome change from dips (not to say we don’t enjoy them).

On our final day, we returned to Amman and then visited the nearby town of Salt where we heard there was lovely Ottoman architecture to be explored. Perhaps we are not as into architecture, because we were a bit disappointed, but still glad to see a new place and take a nice walk.

It is now time for us to move along to another Arab country and see some more ancient structures, like the Great Pyramid. “If we have time, maybe we’ll see the Sphinx” (this reference is continually lost on ginnie, but Ant likes to quote it from a song).

Al Hub as-Salam!

"A Rose-Red City Half as Old as Time"

Our journey through time took us to the ancient city of Petra, a World Heritage Site and one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. This site is beyond description, so pictures will show you the beauty and majesty of structures built and carved right into rock. The colors of the red sandstone are gorgeous and change with the sunlight; we did our best to show them in photos, but nothing can truly compare to standing before them and exploring their beauty with your own eyes. If there is a site we recommend everyone taking the opportunity to experience, this is certainly one. Petra served as the capital city of the Nabateans and became a major trade route during the Hellenistic and Roman Times. Caravans transported such goods as the incense of Arabia, the silks of China and the spices of India. It also shows a remarkable water management system which enabled these civilizations to flourish. The tombs carved into the rock face are marvels of craftsmanship.The elaborate detail in the carvings and the similar style of columns to later groups in distant lands really stood out for us as well.

The Treasury

First glimpse of the Treasury when walking into Petra through the Siq

We spent a total of 14 hours hiking through the site. We honestly could have done more. There are several trails that take you away from the city center and to more spectacular views and carved structures that you cannot see if you simply take a quick tour through the main thoroughfare. We climbed several hundred stairs and withstood some intense winds at the top of high cliffs but were rewarded with views of the surrounding valleys and the rock mountains surrounding the city. We had plenty of opportunities to enjoy the site in peace as we were there well beyond the day tour hours and took trails when others were exploring the city center. Our final hike took us to the back of the tombs on the side of the Roman Theatre and we were alone about 10 feet behind one other fellow taking this path. This was one of the best walks of the site as we had it to ourselves and we saw more tombs and a garden area that employed the irrigation strategies the Nabateans used to hydrate their community. Another great trek was up through a high trail behind the main city which led to a beautiful overlook of the famed treasury building. We reached this spot and it was like we had the entire site to ourselves. Petra is absolutely amazing!

Many of the tombs and structures in and around the City

Theatre - completely carved out of existing rock; seating capacity 8000

The Monastery

We hope you enjoy the preview of Petra and are inspired to journey to this incredible place! By the way, for any fellow Indiana Jones fans out there, you will likely recognize the Treasury from The Last Crusade movie – a scene which Anthony tried in vain to reenact but was unable to coax a camel driver to lend him his camels for a few hours…maybe next time. Cool stuff!

Various air-conditioned taxi options

Petra's Landscapes

Tombs carved into the rock

Items for sale; always at a special price - "happy hour," "morning price," "you were here yesterday," etc.

Al Hub as-Salam!

"Standing in the Place Where Moses Stood"

Madaba and Mount Nebo were next on our itinerary; well, actually they weren’t. We thought we would not be able to make it to see the Dead Sea due to the expense of private transport and the limitation of no public transport and the fact that we would have to go to a private beach since ginnie does not have culturally-appropriate bathing attire for a public beach in an Arab country. The morning we went to Mt. Nebo, ginnie learned from a fellow traveler that we could see the Dead Sea from various sites outside the town of Madaba (a place we’d decided we would not have time to visit). So, when we reached the bus station where we could catch either a bus to al-Salt (our planned destination) or to Madaba, we just went ahead to Madaba.

Madaba is a quaint town whose main attraction involves mosaics that date back several thousands of years; in fact it is called The City of Mosaics as nearly every building has one tucked somewhere under the floors. We saw the archaeological museum and the mosaic school where people still learn to make these artistic tile pieces. We got directions to take a service taxi to the village just below the site on Mount Nebo and took a lovely stroll through the main area of town. Our driver misunderstood something about our request to stop wherever the service taxis stop so we could walk up to the view area and ended up driving all the way up! A tourist police officer came over and translated and we all had a chuckle and the cost was just a little more than if we’d exited at the actual stop (and far less than if we’d hired a taxi to the top). We were impressed by the views all around us of the desert valley and ginnie believes we saw Amman from there because she spotted what appear to be the Jordanian towers (tall sky-scrapers on the outskirts of the city). We know we were looking at several Biblical sites as a marker pointed out such places as Jerusalem and Bethlehem. We were both excited when we had our first glimpse of the water’s edge and before us appeared the Dead Sea; now we have seen both the highest body of water (Lake Titicaca) and the lowest body of water on Earth in just over a month.

Mosaic floor of the Byzantine Church

Views of Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Jericho and more!

Mount Nebo is believed to be the site where Moses is buried, so it is considered one of the most revered holy sites in Jordan. The site is also at a point where it is said that the Promised Land lay in great view across the plains. It was yet another really interesting historic place to explore and we had a great walk back down to Fasillayah to meet the service taxi. A couple of tourist police called Anthony over to speak to him in Arabic because they thought he was Arabic and all had a good laugh when finally he just smiled and shrugged! We also had a goat-herder bring his herd across the street right near us – so now we have been in a sheep-herd, a cow-herd and a goat-herd on different trips.

The Dead Sea

Al Hub as-Salam!

The Ancient City of Jerash

The ancient city of Jerash, just north of Amman, was our second site tour. We fought the jet lag after our first day and just got up to the alarm in order to be sure we had full days for the rest of our sight-seeing.This link provides more information on the city if you are interested. We read about the city as we walked through the stunning arches, impressive columns (both Ionic and Corinthian; you can tell the difference by the smoother lines of the Ionic and more curved center of the Corinthian). This is another site inhabited at different times by ancient Romans and then Umayyads. The varying architectural styles and different structures inform you of who built what. There are remains of a few Byzantine churches; some even have sections of detailed mosaic floors intact. We spent several hours walking through the site and exploring the history.

ginnie stood on that center divot in the theatre to take the photo of Anthony and had a Physics-geek moment when she spoke and heard the perfect acoustical amplification of her voice! once she moved just centimeters away the amplification was not as intense - the ability to utilize knowledge of sound waves to make this possible is incredibly amazing!!

Al Hub As-Salam!

A Whole New World!

**Disclaimer: ginnie chose the title; Anthony consented with the condition of this disclaimer J

“Welcome to Jordan!” is the phrase we hear from every single person we meet – from our hotel staff to taxi and bus drivers to everyone on the street. This is the friendliest and most welcoming country we have visited and is absolutely incredible. If it weren’t so expensive for we budget travelers (the Jordanian Dinar is worth the same as the Euro!) we would definitely want to extend our time here (we are certain we will return to this amazing country and see even more than we could this time).

Despite having 11.5 hours to sleep on our flight and arriving here at 4pm local time, we still had crazy jet lag and somehow slept until after 11am on our first morning! Considering that is only 5am in Massachusetts, we guess it wasn’t too late… it actually took ginnie longer to adapt (which is weird since she usually is the easier sleeper) but walking in Petra by the middle of the week cleared that up and now we are on schedule with the local time J

Our week in Jordan has been super full (hence the late blog entries) and we have been able to add another continent to our travel, visit quite a number of stunning places and encounter several interesting language challenges. There have been several times when we just wished we could at least read Arabic and we’d solve half our confusion, but for the most part simple phrases, head nods, and a lot of repetition between both us and those to whom we communicate have led to success in reaching all our destinations. We have really enjoyed visiting places that are far older than anything else we have ever seen (excavations show some homes and towers were built in the Stone Age!); it truly is a whole new world!

First stop: Amman, the capital city and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. We spent our first afternoon exploring the city center (where we are staying) and visiting the ancient Roman Theatre and Citadel that are just a short walk away from our hotel. These were our first glimpses that far into the past and they were stunning to walk through and imagine the ancient Romans and later Umayyads. The museum at the site even holds parchments of the Dead Sea Scrolls – how amazing is that? The history of all these sites is simply incredible and we spent a long time just enjoying being in the same space as these ancient civilizations and imaging it bustling with activity of a much different sort than awe-struck travelers.

In addition to our walks through history this week, we have enjoyed the tradition Jordanian mezze at nearly every dinner. We have had hummus, falafel (even at breakfast!), baba ghanouj (an eggplant-based dip), mutabal (an aubergine & tahini dip), khatoun (aubergine stuffed with chili pepper), and more pita than we can count! Pita is served at every meal – rather than use utensils, pita is used to pick up the food and eat it (much like using tortillas in Belize, particularly still in the villages). We tested it out and it is possible to get tired of pita, but we will eat it again! One image that will stay with each of us is the people carrying bags filled with pita through the streets. Good times J

Al Hub As-salam!