New blog…New address
So I started a new blog- I think I’m going to like it more than tumblr- which I feel is a bit more oriented toward media (which must be a necessity for me, look how many videos, and chats I’ve uploaded!) and less flexible in terms of writing/editing, so I’m now using blogspot. Check it out at nowshesoff.blogspot.com
http://www.momondo.com/
My most recent favorite find. I’ll never look back.
The Urn Tomb.
Part of the Monastery.
Close-up of the Sandstone in one of the tombs.
Petra!
Yesterday we went to Petra. Getting into Petra was the single most expensive thing that I have done in the middle east (excluding buying a round trip ticket to Cairo from Amman), and it was worth every penny of those $94. To an anthropology/archeology geek such as myself, seeing the ruins at Petra was bliss. It’s considered one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, though it’s not new- it was built between 300 BC and 100 AD. It’s an astounding feat, and I can’t begin to describe its magnificence. It was the Nabataean capital, at one time home to 30,000 people. Being built in a desert valley into cliff sides, Petra is not only an incredible architectural feat, but a hydraulic one as well- there were damns, cisterns, and water channels that allowed the city to flourish. Because my words certainly can not do Petra justice, here are a [very] few pictures.
The Palace of Tombs
The first view of the Treasury after walking down the siq-
The Dead Sea and the West Bank.
![This is what it looks like when you [try to] swim in the dead sea.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ly791dVfiZ1r4qhwto1_1280.jpg)
This is what it looks like when you [try to] swim in the dead sea.
This is what the Dead Sea floor looks like.
The Dead Sea and Castles in the Sand- A fantastic Misadventure
The Dead Sea? Dead and Salty baby. It’s the lowest point on earth, and it is unreal how salty it is. It has a salinity nine times greater than that of the ocean (thanks lonely planet), creating an intolerable environment for almost all life. For some reason, when I pictured the Dead Sea I didn’t picture translucent turquoise water and I certainly didn’t picture the sea floor- which is straight hardened white salt. It’s a totally rippled white sea floor that is a bit painful to walk on actually.
Just as well really, seeing as once you are out far enough you can’t walk anyway, the salt makes you float like none other. It’s unreal. You can’t swim at all, it’s more like you just kind of bob around and doggy paddle if you’re lucky. It’s difficult to keep your feet down at all, and if you are on your stomach the water pushes from your knees down above the water entirely. It’s a crazy sensation- scrap that, it’s hilarious. Equally hilarious to me was the idea of trying to baptize people in the dead sea. “No really, this time I’m going to dunk you in the name of the holy spirit!”
Castles in the Sand? Yesterday, we did a day road trip to Eastern Jordan. Some might call it disappointment after disappointment, but I prefer to think of it is one big hilarious misadventure. We rented a car with 4 other people that are here, and the original plan was to see Shaumari Wildlife Reserve and then the Azraq Wetland Reserve.
Side Note: Driving a car here may or may not be one the stupidest things a tourist could do. Also, our group was composed of 5 Americans and one guy from Saudi who lived in Portland for 5 years (but is now back in Saudi). 2 American guys were in the front, and the guy from Saudi was SQUISHED into the back with the 3 women. He was great, and didn’t mind at all, it’s just funny because that is so horribly culturally inappropriate. In Saudi, women can’t even sit in the front- much less drive. And men do NOT sit in the back with women.
This plan lasted until we got to Azraq, where we were informed by a lovely little sign post that the wildlife reserve was closed and undergoing renovation and restoration. Our lonely planet guide also told us that it was closed at the time of research- which was 4 years ago. Funny how things work in the Middle East. Anyway, so after realizing that we would not, in fact, be seeing the highly endangered Arabian Oryx, we skipped ahead to see the wetland reserve.
The Azraq Wetland Reserve was, well a bit lacking in the wetlands. It was actually quite depressing. The Azraq basin was for several thousand years an incredibly important oasis town and declared internationally important by the Jordanian government in 1977- but little good it did. The wetlands were gone- entirely dry by 1991, used to provide water to Amman and Irbid. The small amount of water that is there now has been pumped in. It didn’t take long to see [or rather…not see] the wetlands.
Anyway, after our wetland and wildlife reserve adventures, we decided to see the desert castles in Eastern Jordan, and this is what ensued:
1. We drove by the first dessert castle we came upon. This should give you an idea of what a castle like structure it was.
2. We went to Qasr Al-Azraq, which was quite an imposing fort, and it happens to be where TE Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) holed up with his men in the winter of 1917-18 during the Arab revolt against the Turks.
Side Note: I have watched, or more accurately been in the vicinity while this movie was playing three times. I still have no idea what happens in it.
3. We took a wrong turn while looking for the next dessert castle and didn’t realize it until we were almost at the Saudi border. Needless to say, I’m glad we only saw Saudi and didn’t actually try to enter it. (Not that we ever would have gotten through the border crossing anyway.)
4. We went into another castle which was amazing, but apparently the gate that we pushed open to get in was supposed to signify that we weren’t supposed to get in. We climbed around the castle for a good while though (which was great) before being told that it was unstable and we needed to get out. Worth it though.
