A few slow days

A few slow days while working out some logistics. So just a couple of short notes.
First here is the local cat, Lucy. At least some people call her that - actually I am not sure if Lucy is a he or a she. Lucy likes to be petted and likes to snuggle, but some visitors don't like that so we have to keep her away from those visitors, since she is demanding.

Other stories. I've had several offers to help me settle in this valley. Offers include a tent and goats. Some offes included camels, and one offer included a wife as well.  I am waiting to see if I get a better offer :-) .

I was at the school the other day with one of the guides. He pointed out at least 2 pairs of boys about the same age, maybe 8, where one was the uncle of the other. Apparently people continue to have children even when very old. Some female visitor quoted that men are very lucky here.

Last few days have been slow, not many guests. However it sounds like high season might be starting. I heard 50+ over the weekend.

I am starting to know the chef. He wants me to cook a tagine for the staff.

Generally I have Arabic coffee, but every once in a while I ask for Turkish coffee without sugar. It's a treat.

Before coming here I got a lot of materials about culture shock, dealing with locals ect. So far I have not experienced that shock. Also, I have not really missed any foods, luxeries ect., not even a good latte. People make do with what they have and I have learned the same. It is simple and nice. It's a good way to learn to accept the world as it is.

A dedication to the readers

Thought

The remnants of thought stuck in the edges
Flood the river of consciousness
Deceiving the trails formed by well constructed logic
Forming a science void of reasoning

It has come to my mind
To write down the meaning that surrounds us
Clear like the sun, in a sky void of moisture
Beaming rays in deep darkness

But what is puzzling, is the foundation of thought
Derived in places foreign to my existence
Yet a solid part of my being
Dragging with weight unbearable

I ponder this, I think
But is the I an I or a we
Forming a thought passed down through generations
And whose thought?

Tales of Moroccans, treasures and jins

I am finally starting to get it, but it took a while. " What's your angle", or "What's in it for you" is what people wonder and so I've heard this bizzar theory that I did not fully understand the first few times, but now I know.
When I missed the bus or more correctly when the bus missed me and as I was waiting for the ride back to the lodge I had the following conversation with two guys sitting with me making sure I get my share of the morning nicotine that they are enjoying.
"Morrocans can find minerals" I don't quite understand the Arabic or the topic so I figure they are asking what minerals exist in Morocco. The word minerals here means gold, but I don't interpet it that way.
So I say, "Morocco produces phosphate"
They are not impressed and the other guy says "Morrocans are good at finding minerals ( meaning gold) but this is lost on me since I am thinking they mean minerals.
"I don't think there is any gold in Morocco, at least not a lot of it."
They move on and start asking if I paid for the ticket ect. Now I know where they are going. I have to concentrate on what they are saying so I forget about the significance of Morrocans and gold.
Next, while waiting for dinner with one of the locals out of the blue the father asks the same kind of question. And I reply "Phosphate." He is not satisfied and asks the question differently and the son who speaks some English says he means gold, but does not elaborate. There is that gold again. I start explaining that there is no gold in Morocco, but he says here, not in Morrocco. Now I am wondering who is really confused me or him. Finally he asks me in a somewhat clearer accent and words I can understand "Do you have a map that showes where to dig for gold."
"How in the world would I know where to dig for gold mines around here or even in Morocco." I am not sure why we are having this conversation but I kindly reply laughingly " No I have no maps that show gold locations" and then add "if I did I would go get the gold myself" - later as I understand things better I wonder if that might have been interpreted incorrecty.
A few days later one of the staff wants to sit down and chat. We are conversing in Arabic. As we chat he brings up the subject of Moroccans and gold. I just stay quite. I know by now that phosphate is the wrong answer. He tells me that Moroccans are known for being able to find gold. I find this to be a strange statement. So I ask " how is that." I figure this will also assure him that I don't have that ability. He is exited now and speaking faster in the bedou dialog, so it's a bit harder to understand. He explains that there used to be Moroccans passing through the area and since they could not carry the gold, they burried it and made a map of the location. So now I am starting to get the picture. Some people are thinking that I have a map ponting to some treasures. But this does not make sense because Moroccans did not venture this far in large numbers.
A few days latter another staff member asks me if I want to go for a walk. We are going to walk up Wadi Dana. The sun will be setting in less than 2 hours. It's still quite hot. The evening is starting to sip the brightness out of the scenery. The mountains are surrendering to the night. Soon the cool air will carry with it the heat burried in the ornamental rocks pinned to the surface of the mountains.
Rather than taking the river bed which is what most visitors do we head up away from the river bed. We get to a rugged path. This is easier to walk on instead of the sandy river bed. This is what the locals use. The path is also wide enough for a 4x4.
We pass a collection of bedou tents. There are many goats everywhere. There are a couple of dogs, one sitting right in the middle of of the path. I am told that the dogs will only chase other wild animals and don't bother people. It's time to test the theory. I pass close to the dog, almost stepping over him. He just sits there lazily yawning. We move on and pass a few more collection of tents. There are many goats. There are many tiny new born goats. It's a party. The young are calling their mothers, the mothers are answering, they are running towards each other, some are sucklin, some are eating, and there are the loners.
We are past the tents. In two seperate places there are the remains of big cement sewage pipes. Someone built bridges, that were quickly removed by flash floods. Now they look out of place. We are headed to the spring that supplies the water for the lodge. This is about a mile and a half from the lodge, about two and a half km. In this heat it is a treck. The guy says, we made a mistake, going out without water. I agree. We make it to the spring . it is covered. We chat for a while and then turn back.
There are some holes dug up in the ground. He stops and asks "you know what these are." I say "No."
"People digging for gold."
Sure enough the connection of Moroccans to gold comes up. So here is the story, at least the latest story.

Apparently there are believed to be treasures buried here. After all this area has seen armies and settlers for thousands of years, and there are graves from ancient times. Also, armies passing through after a conquest or individuals took the liberty of stashing gold and treasures they could not carry in caves or in the ground.  It is also believed that some of these graves and caves have spells on them so if you enter them, you will die or bad things happen to you.
This is where the Moroccan connection comes in.  People here believe that many Moroccans know how to communicate with the jin. So if you can find the right Moroccan, he can find out from the jin where the treasure is and then work with the jin to remove any spells and now you have pure gold.
A very short side note for those who don't know about jins. God created the angels from light, the jin from fire, and Adam from clay. So the jins do inhabit the earth, but cannot be seen my humans. Jins have abilities that humans do not have and vice versa.
So some people here apparently believe I have this ability and maybe I know where the gold is. This explains some reactions I have gotten when I said I went on a hike by myself.
So as we are heading back the guy says to me jokingly. I think people will think that we were off looking for gold.

Most authentic Bedou experience

Today is Saturday 22nd of Feb. A couple of women I met yesterday are off on the Wadi Dana hike. A driver will take them to the top, 120 km, or 72 mile drive. From there they will follow the valley to the lodge. The hike is only 14 km or 8-9 miles, but quite steep at first descending about 1200 m, or 3600 feet in a few km.  I am planning to do this hike but maybe both ways sometime Insha'Allah.
I decide to go hiking as well but only for a couple of hours. I ask one of the guides about the sunrise hike. Apparently there are 2 sunrise hikes. One to the top of the mountain to the right and one to the mountain to the left. The guide points to the top of each. I tell him I will do the one on the right side. I ask him if there is a path. Apparently there isn't. He says there are some goat paths that I can find. I ask him for the best approach. After some discussion he concedes that the left side approach might be better. I decide to take a beach bag with a bottle of water and the camera instead of the better equipped back pack. I have to cross several hills before I get to the mountain. As I start climbing I notice the terrain is quite rough. A lot of loose rocks and steep in places. Since it is sand stone there are plenty of loose rocks waiting to deceive you. I should have brought the back pack. One wrong step and you can easily sprain or break your ankle or worst you can end up in the valley. It's too late. I move on. I am finally climbing the mountain. I keep to the left side and then turn right and towards the summit. It is about 11 and getting quite hot. I get to a flat area that looks like a mine shaft. Later I learn from one of the guides that this is an exploratry shaft dug about 40 years ago to see if copper mining would be profitable. I forgot to mention that 2000 years ago this was a copper minning center. Here are some pictures.

I continue up. The last part is quite steep. I am wondering how I will make it down. The views are spectacular from here. Here are some pictures.
The lodge

 A bedou tenttent

I start down. Here is what it looks like looking down.

I still have some water but I know I am dehidrating. The descent is slow, since I am making sure that I don't step or lean on any rock that will give.
I finally make it down.
Later in the afternoon I am chatting with one of the staff. His phone rings. We are invited to dinner that a couple of the staff have made. We walk a few hundred feed and turn left. There is a hot coal fire, a couple of the staff and a guy, who I discover later is from Minessota and was walking by when he saw the fire so headed that way.
I can see something is burried under the coal. The locals have told me how when herding goats in the mountains, they make bread. Since they don't have pans or an oven they put the bread directly on the coal and then cover it with more coal. This bread is called Arboud. This is what's cooking. Salim who is in charge takes a rock and wipes the coal revealing a brownish crust. He picks it up and with a rock sands down the slightly burbed parts. Surprisingly there aren't many.  Here is Salim with the bread.

We each get a peace of bread. This is extremely delicious. It's crusty on top and quite chewey inside. The crust has a fire flavor. But this is not dinner.
Next Salim breaks the bread into small pieces and puts them in a big bowl. He then pours some yogurt and olive oil and mixes everything. We gather around and eat with hour hands. I am told this is the most authentic bedou experience. Next time they are going to let me make the Arboud.
It is sunset and I head back to the lodge. It occures to me that the two ladies have not returned from the hike. As I am thinking about this there is a commotion at the gate.
Later I learn that one of the ladies slipped.  They walked for quite a while before a ranger on a donkey spotted them. He apparently put her on the donkey and brought them to the lodge. They were both laughing about the donkey ride. Her ankle is quite swollen, but does not look broken. I ask one of the staff to get ice. There is no ice. The staff wants to take her to a doctor, but she wants to rest. Later the staff produces an instant ice pack. We wrap this around the ankle, but it's not going to be enough.
Next day I look at the ankle. It is turning blue. I recommend they see a doctor. They will stop on their way to the airport at the clinic and if needed at the hospital. Logistics are arranged by the staff and they are off. Things are cool.

A step back - what to pack

A step back - How did I pack for the trip, for those interested, otherwise you can skip this one.
I did not have much information about the place before coming here.
This place is quite isolated. It is about 8 km, 5 miles from the road. The terrain is quite rough for these 8 km taking almost half hour to travel by truck. From the road it's probably another hour to any major city, and 3 hours to Amman if taking the direct route.
This place is off the grid both by choice and by the fact that there is no electricity in the area. So far the temperatures have ranged from the low forties at night to high seventies during the day. When it rained last week the temperature did rise beyond the low fifties during the day, and the wind made it quite chilly. There is a big difference in temperature between a shady spot and a sunny spot. Maybe as much as 20 degrees.
The lodge generates electricity through solar panels. Howeve most of the lodge is lit up with candles. The guest bathrooms do have a bulb. The rooms are also lit with cancels.
There is no heat or AC in the rooms. There are a couple of fireplaces, one at the reception and one in what I call the living room. This is where people gather at night. They burn what is called "jift". After crushing the olives for olive oil, the left over is compressed and this is jift.
This much I knew before coming here, so how do you pack for this. As the picture shows I brought with me a medium size bag and a medium size backpack, and light hiking boots.

The strategy was to have multiple layers of clothing. I packed
3 pairs of hiking pants
1 long john bottom (haven't used it yet and don't think I will need it.)
1 pair of light sweat pants. These have come handy in the room.
3 pairs of medium weight socks
2 pairs of light wait socks. So far I have only worn the medium weight socks, but by mid March the temperature will rise and by April it will be in the eighties. I figured if it gets really cold I can always wear the med weight over the light weight.
3 short sleeve t-shirts,
2 long sleeve t-shirts
2 long john tops ( these have come quite handy both during the day and night in the room when reading or writing.) All the t-shirts, and long john are made of organic cotton. It feels really good against the body. I know the debate about heat when wet, time to dry ect. Despite all that I am very happy with this choice.
2 polo shirts, if I need casual dress up.
2 shirts, SPF 30 or more. These can also be worn as dress shirts.
1 pair of minimalist sneakers, very light
1 pair of flip flops
1 pair of five finger shoes (I have not worn these yet, but they are a good backup for any shoe, good in water and extremely light and hardly take any space.)
And I wore a pair of pants, boots, socks, shirt T-shirt and a jacket.
2 safary hats,
2 regular caps,
2 flashlights, a small one that easily fits in my pocket, 2 extra AAA batteries, a large rechargeable flashlight.
1 small first aid kit,
1 sewing kit,
1 swiss army knife,
1 knife with a locking blade,
2 toothbrushes,
2 toothpaste,
1 soap,
1 solid bar shampoo,
1 bug repellent,
3 chap sticks
1 bottle of iodine pills,
2 aluminum thurmos water bottles. Granted these are heavy, but I don't like plastic and I don't like camel back drinking system.
1 light weight SPF 30 jacket.
2 pairs of rag gloves. One fingerless, this has come real handy both at night when reading or typing and during the day walking.
That's about it for necessities. I also have a 35 mm camera with an 18-200 mm lens, a tablet and a smart phone.
So far the only thing I have missed not having is a sweatshirt or a sweater. While I have used the jacket when needed it is not as easy to carry as a sweatshirt.
Hope this helps those looking to pack light and go to remote places.

A few more pictures mixed

This is a picture of the moon taken by cell phone through the telescope on the roof

Sunset picture from sunset point. Taken by cell phone

The school and the masjid, mosque

The river bed

A slow day at the lodge

Today is Friday. There is no Imam at the Masjid. So there will be no Khutba (sermon.) I plan stay in the lodge. I help one of the guides with his computer. Later he invites me to lunch at his brother's house. He has brought his family to visit with his brother.
We have makloob (turn over.) It is rice with chicken under it. When done it is turned over so the chicken is on top. It is quite good. Of course we have tea. Then we head back. More guests arrive and go on the sunset hike. I have decided to stay and write.
It is getting cloudy, but rain is unlikely. Most of the guests decide to stay outside. I stay by the fire with one of the guides.

A day at the lodge

It's Thursday and I spend the morning with the staff. There is a problem with the scanner so I fix it. People are not very familiar with computers around here.  Around four I go on the sunset hike. I've already done this hike a couple of times but it gives me the opportunity to chat with the guides. There are seven visitors. I chat with a lady from Australia and her mate, not sure where he is from. Then I chat with a couple from Portland Oregon. They are with their daughter who lives in Amman. The daugter speaks some Arabic. I ask where she picked up the Arabic and she says she studied in Morocco in Fez. She explains that Moroccan Arabic, Darija, is different so she is still learning the local Arabic. So I talk to her in Darija. Her Darija is pretty good. She can carry a full conversation without a problem. She is happy to be able to practice her Darija. It feels weird speaking Darija with someone from Oregon in Feynan. Then again this is a unique place.
We are at sunset point. I have noticed that sunset has become part of the local vocabulary.  Even the older folks refer to it as such. The visitors are free to explore. There are a couple of short hikes. The guide and I stay behind. The guide makes a fire to prepare the tea.
The views from here are spectacular.
The sun sets towards the south south west.
It is quite red today.
The steamy sky gently floats on the horizon as it sinks lower.
To my right is the dry river bed now gently sleeping, quite.
The deep cut in the sandstone tells a different story, of violent flash floods ripping the walls of the shallow canyon mercilessly carrying with them whatever cannot hold on for dear life.
The color reddish but peaceful.
To the left, first a small rocky reddish hill.
The visitors have already reached the top.
Beyond is a dark green hill.
It has no vegetation despite the deceiving color it is presenting.
I am wrapped in this valley, a part of nothing.
The sun has set. I finish my second cup of tea. I want to be alone. I tell the guide I am going to the mosque, proper name Masjid.  I will meet him as he comes down with the visitors. There are only a few men at the Masjid. The Imam is out of town. I am asked to lead the prayers. As I am leaving a young boy, who I met earlier invites me for tea. We go to his family's tent. The same folks we had dinner with last night.
The tent is open the length of one side and divided into quarters, sitting room for men, one for women ect. In the middle of the men's sitting room there is a small fire, made from dead branches, since cutting live trees is not alowed in the reserve. This fire is used to make tea and to keep the tent warm at night. A fresh pot of tea is on the fire. It takes a while for the tea to boil. Finally we have tea. After a couple of glasses I get up to leave. I am told dinner is almost ready and I should stay. We have zukini stuffed with rice and meat I think. It is dark and the gas lamp is behind me so I can't see well.
Afte dinner we leave. I have a flashlight, but the guy I am with says he does not need a flashlight. So I turn off the flashlight. We walk in the dark. As we approach the lodge the pathway is lit up with candles.

Two days in Amman

I spend some time in the office. I get directions to downtown and the names of a few restaurants. Amman is built on several hills. So there is up and down no matter where you go. In this case I walk down a fairly steep hill take a right, left and another right. I get to a garage and enter it on the tenth floor. I take the elevator to the first floor and I am downtown. A short walk and I am at the Kuds restaurant. I go in. Service is slow. One of the specials is chicken biryani. But they are out of it. The second special is mansif. I ask the waiter what is mansif. He says it's rice and meat. I think it sounds like biryani. It's not. You get a big flat bowl of rice with a piece of meat on top of it. Condiments include fresh hot pepers ,Olives, bread and some kind of white sauce. The one at the restaurant was not that good. After dinner I explore a bit of downtown. I end up at Habiba, a pastry shop. Not the one near the Kuds restaurant but the other one. I was specifically instructed to go to the other oneguidet a couple of pastries. They are very good. I am pretty tired so I head back.
It's Tuesday and the suggestion for today is to visit the Citadel and rainbow street. After the same elevator routine as yesterday I take a left and head up a long steep hill. I am climbing Citadel mountain. I get there around 3:35. It is closed. There are great views of Amman from here, probably better from inside the Citadel. I decide to go back to town. Going downhill is not that bad. I am a bit tired so I walk around a bit and decide to go to Hisham for some falafel sandwiches. Apparently this place is famous. The sandwiches are pretty good. Back at the B&B. I generally don't like B&B but this is very nice and the people running it are nice. Highly recommend it. Tomorrow I am headed back to Feynan.
It's Wednesday afternoon and I am back in Feynan. The Amman office staff are here and we are all invited to dinner with one of the bedou families. I go to the sunset hike and on the way back the guide tells me to go to his family's tent. The Amman staff is already there. As I sit down the youngest son brings a pot of coffee and pours me a shot. I drink it, but he is still standing there. I give him the cup back and he poor's me another cup. I figure there is a protocol to indicate I've had enough. I ask the Amman staff. They find this amusing and tell that I need I need to move the cup - it's like a "hang ten" signal with the cup. After the second cup I do that and it works. Folks talk about many things. Dinner is served. A large plate of mansif. After the goodbyes we leave for the lodge.

Getting to Amman - take 2

It's Monday. I am awake at 4:20. It's been cloudy and rainy here for 3 days. Yesterday I did the laundry by hand. Because of the clouds there is not enough electricity to use the washing machine. I hung the clothes in the room to dry. The air was damp yesterday but overnight the weather has changed. The moon is out and the air is dry. The laundry is almost dry. I had the option of taking it with me to Amman, but decided not to carry it. There is little hot water, again due to clouds. Good thing it will be sunny today.
I am ready. I leave one bag at the reception and take the back pack with me. The temporary driver arrives at the same time. The plan today is that he will deliver me to the bus. I am not sure what that means but I am about to find out. No lunch box today. The duty manager is still asleep. We take off. The driver tells me he is busy. I am not sure how that is relevant but I am sure it is. The driver's phone rings. I think it is the duty manager from the lodge telling the driver to be sure to drive me to the bus. The driver keeps telling him he his busy.
We make it to the paved road. The driver takes a side street and pulls up to a house. I pretend I am getting out. He tells me to stay put. He goes into the house then comes out with a flash light and starts rummaging in the yard looking for something. I hear a car coming on the main road.
The driver runs to the road and stops the truck. They chat. The driver wants the truck to take me to the Amman bus. He waves to me. I walk down to the truck. There are already two guys in the front seat. I squeeze in. We drive. Instead of driving to the intrsection to make a right or left, this guy gets off the road a few hundred feet before the intersection and cuts accross. I am not sure if this faster and certainly puts more ware and tear on the truck, but I am not about to have a conversation about this. Now the truck driver seems in a hurry. He gases the truck. Talking to his friend he says "I don't see the bus"
I am not quite sure where they are looking. Now we are in a small town. We see rear red lights. The truck driver thinks it's the bus. His friend does not think so.  We speed up and eventually they both agree it's the bus. It does look like it could be bus. The driver flicks the headlights multiple times but the bus does not stop. He wonders out loud if it's the Amman bus or some other bus. We are very close to the bus. As we pass the bus I see the sign on the bus. It is the Amman bus. The truck stops in front of the bus and the bus stops. I get out and get into the bus. I get to Amman. The bus driver calls a cab and gives him directions. Once we get to the waibdeh neighborhood the cab driver is a bit confused. I tell him to drop me off at the Paris round about. I get to the office. The hotel is a five minutes walk from the office. Everything is cool.

Getting to Amman

I woke up early this morning to go to Amman.  It is Sunday, first day of the week.  Weekend is Friday and Saturday. A driver came to take me to the reception center. The bus driver is supposed to meet me there at 6. We leave the lodge at 5:15 AM. The manager on duty gives me a packed lunch. This is excellent lunch, as I found out later.  The sandwich is made from thin fresh flat bread filled with goat cheese, a packet of dried dates and apricots. The rest is an apple and a carton of orange juice. Anyway we reach the reception center at 5:45. I wait and wait. It's 6:30 and I am sure the bus driver is not showing up. I can wait for the reception center Staff to wake up or walk back to the lodge, it's about 8 km of hiking. I decide to wait. Around 8 a guy comes out, goes to wash up. After a time he walks over we talk. I ask him if he can get in touch with head office. He doesn't work for the lodge. He is a farmer. He has a melon farm. He tells me exactly where the farm is. I learn later this region grows excellent mellons and watermelons. We talk about various things including how I can get to Amman.
The farmer is also looking for a ride to his farm.
Finally another guy comes out. He is the brother of the guy who staffs the center. He wakes up his brother. It's pretty cold, maybe 50 and cloudy. Luckily I am dressed for it. We go inside. The farmer has been making tea. We drink tea and talk. They smoke, a lot. People smoke everywhere, buses, restaurants etc. I feel I am getting addicted to nicotine. Slowly people start leaving. I talk to the staff, they tell me a driver will be by to take me to the lodge. It is about 10. Around noon a driver shows up. I learn later that the official lodge driver is out sick. This driver fills in as he has time and apparently is quite busy as I found out the next day. I get back to the lodge and take a nap.
After dinner we gather around the fire. There is an English tour group of 8. There is a crew of 4 that do documentary films. This is their last day in Jordan. They have spent 5 weeks living in a refugee camp doing a documentary. They look very young, mid twenties. They are from California. They look exhausted. I talk to them for about 15 minutes. They need to go to bed. They give me their web site URL, www.salamneighbor.org. The English group and film crew go to bed. There is a couple from last night. They want to know why I am still around. I explain the bus stuff. The lady works at the American embassy in Isreal. The guy works for a company that let's him telecomute from anywhere.  They also go to bed.
I start talking to a couple. We are the only ones left. They live in Switzerland. The guy is from Barcelona and the lady is from Lithuania. He used to be a dentist got bored and started working on his PHD. He now does basic research in molecular biology. The lady works for the UN in the humanitarian area. She was in the Philippines and training for next assignment in Africa. We talk for a couple of hours, quite an intellectual conversation. The guy is really smart and grasps things fast. I have to go to bed to wake up at 4:30. Starting to feel like ground hog day.

Some pictures from the hike

I've done a couple of short self directed hikes. The first I walked down wadi Dana I believe for about an hour before turning back. I took some pictures that I will post. There is a danger of flash floods when it rains. It rained for a couple days after a long dry spell. The locals are very happy while some visitors were complaining about crummy weather. It's a matter of perspective.

Second hike took me to the top of the mountain closest to the lodge. Quite a view from here. I wish I had brought the camera.

Here are some pictures

The goat picture is taken from the room. The goats were playing king of the table and head butting each other off the table

first few days at the lodge

I was a little hungry having had small breakfast and no lunch. Dinner is a vegetarian buffet made with local vegetables, local bread, yogurt, pasta, etc. There are generally seven or eight dishes plus soup and desert. They also serve fresh juice. Waiter's recommendation, hibiscus. I found it to be quite tasty.
After dinner people gather in the sitting room. It's cold these days, so they build a fire in the fireplace and people gather around for tea and to plan the next day activities. One of the guides gives an overview of the area, helps plan activities and then folks just talk.
I was pretty tired so don't remember much. Also there is so much going on that if I don't write it down the less important stuff fades away quickly. I am quite behind right now. It's Monday and I am blogging last Thursday. I will try to catch up in the next couple of days Insha'Allah (God willing)
It's Friday. There is a lot on my mind. Breakfast is great. Arabic coffee with cardimen. I had three small glasses before feeling awake. Again a vegetarian buffet, mostly local and fresh.
Later went to the local mosque. About 15 minute walk from the lodge. A lively discussion about the khutba (sermon) after the prayer between the Imam and some folks.
Went to the sunset walk around four with a guide, two German ladies and a couple, the lady from Belgium and the guy from Palestine. The guide stayed at the sunset viewing area to build a fire and make tea while we climbed to the top of a mountain to see the other valley, I believe this is called Guir.
We had tea, but no sunset. A storm is moving in and it's getting cloudy. The wind has picked up and the temperature has dropped. People start leaving. The guide and I stop at the mosque for sunset prayers then head to the lodge.
After dinner we gather in the living room. There is a fire and tea. I sit next to a guy. He is with his grandparents who are visiting. He teaches history at a school in Amman. He has been in Amman for 5 months. He understands and speaks some Arabic.
The Belgium lady and the Palestinian both work for the Red Cross Humanitarian program. They are based in Lebanon. The lady is headed to Syria to report on the prison conditions if they can get access. The guy is doing the same in Iraq. We have a long discussion. These people are very committed and doing great things.
Next day I chat with the grandparents. They're activity has been to visit with the bedou. The grandfather is very happy. He is 80, and was the oldest in the gathering so got the most respect.

Making it to the lodge

After a couple of hours at the Feynan offices getting briefed on the history, geography, politics of the Feynan area, the operations manager, Bisher, drove me to the bus station. On the way we stopped at apparently the best known halawat (middle eastern pastries) shop, and Bisher bought a big tin can. Bisher explained that someone at the lodged was having a family celebration and needed the pastries. While the lodge is isolated, there is a daily bus. So things can be sent.

There is a bus schedule but ultimately the driver decides when to leave. So 11:30 schedule translated to 1 o'clock departure time.

There were two Bedouin women on the bus (to be clear this is a Toyota mini bus) when I got on. Bisher introduced me to the driver and after a short talk they went off to have tea.
Then I hear this voice saying in Arabic: "Are you American." I thought it quite weird that a Bedouin woman would be talking to a man; but there was no one else on the bus. So I turned around. A couple of rows back was what tomorrow
ike a mother and her daughter. The daughter then said: "Hi" in English, followed by "Are you American" in Arabic. They had heard me speak Arabic to the driver, so they knew I spoke Arabic. I explained that I was from Morocco and living in America. Well they just wanted to welcome me to Jordan.
We left around 1:00 PM. The bus was full. The bags comfortably occupied the aisle forcing passengers to step over them.
The sun was bright and the shades were drawn, but I did manage to get some views of the dead sea. I think the drive is scenic and best done in the morning when there is less heat and sun.
We stopped after an hour at a roadside strip mall. People had lunch and then bought groceries, mainly big bottles of sodas. Of course the sodas went next to bags in the already crowded aisle.
After another hour some people started getting off the bus. another hour later we reached a small town. The driver told me and this other guy to wait there for a pick up to the lodge. He said someone should be by in 10 minutes.
After fifteen minutes he was back.

He acted surprised or was surprised that no one had showed up. I was not surprised. We got back on the bus and drove to the Feynan EcoLodge reception center.
More tents than houses here. Many of the tents were labeled UN Refugee Aid. When you see it reality sets in.
Finally got to the reception center, a parking lot with a waiting room. There are other buidings around. A short distance from the reception center the road ends and you need a four wheel or you park your car and arrange with the lodge to have a local drive you.

I got off the bus and a guy directed me to put the luggage inside the room. When I came back out I went over to where a couple of guys were standing. We exchanged greetings. A another guy came over and after the greetings he asked: "where are you from."
From his accent and language I could tell he was not a Bedouin (the proper word is bedou, so I will be using bedou.)
"Morocco" I replied.
I could tell he was sizing me up. He seemed better educated. I guess I was sizing him up too.
"Where in Morocco?"
"Tetouan"
Upon hearing that he launched into reciting a poem ending in the verse from Cairo to Tetouan. I said: "You are a poet"
I think he found that quite pleasing because he burst out laughing. He said his name was Musa. He had done many of the developments in the area.

Of course we sat down and had tea. It is not unusual to have many cups of tea. The tea is sweet but easy to get used to. Fortunately the glasses are small, a little bigger than a shot glass, and if you learn to sip you can avoid multiple refills.

After about ten minutes an old Toyota truck showed up. The driver took unloading in the back then brought the truck around. The path is quite rocky and very bumpy. So the eight or so kilometers takes a longtime.
Finally made it to the lodge. I got a guest room for the two days. Time for some pictures.
The lodge website www.Feynan.com
OK can't figure out how to upload right now, maybe tomorrow

Flight to Jordan

Flight from London to Amman was five hours but felt longer.

At the airport I did not see the driver with my name because a bright sun was shining through the glass wall and right into my eyes. I walked around the gallery of greeters and started checking the signs. The second one I looked at had my name. So I walk up behind this guy and say say in Arabic, "I am Hilal." The guy turns around and looking quite suspicious asks, "Did you come through this gate", pointing to the arrivals area. I assured him I had and he finally decided to head to the car.

Bad driving, nothing new there. Took a while to find the place. Locked down place with cameras and no sign. An elderly woman pointed us to a door. Rang the bell and as soon as I said "I have a reservation" through the speaker I heard "you must be Hilal" perfectly pronounced. Guido the owner of the B&B came to the door.

Next morning at breakfast I learned that Guido was born in Jordan. His grandfather, a surgeon built the local hospital back in the sixties. I learned many other things about and from Guido. Check out the 'lemon tree b&b' on TripAdvisor.

My view about blogging

OK. I decide to give blogging a try. My two reservation are the quality of the content and the fact that the blog becomes a train of thought rather than a story. I feel a blog should have high quality content set of stories. For me to do that I have to take time editing, which affects the quantity. So you will have to bear with me while I practice writing high quality story telling content in a short period of time. I think this is what good journalists do well. So on to my first post.

Getting ready

Created new blog.
starting one week count down