I am back in Jordan. This time Amman to study Classical Arabic at Qasid.
You can follow my blogs this time at:
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Sunday, April 27, 2014
The return
I've been back for a while, almost two weeks.
The trip back was non eventful. Of course leaving Feynan is always somewhat tricky. I had to leave around 5 AM Monday morning to make it to the airport before 9 for an 11:00 am flight, which had been delayed to 11:20. Leaving Feynan at 5 is always challenging. I did not have a confirmed ride until about 9 PM on Sunday, even thought the search for a reliable driver started on Friday.
The driver did show up about five minutes early and we got off on time. As usual we ended up picking up a person going to Karak, and then one of the guides who was going to Amman. Even after hitting traffic and some confusion about which airport I was taking off from we made it to the right airport before nine.
The plane did not take off until after 12 and due to strong head winds arrived quite late in London. Fortunately I was allowed to go through the fast track line for security and made the connection as they were announcing last call for boarding.
So most people want to know if I would do this again, I guess that is the top level measure, and without hesitation I have responded Yes, to everyone who has asked. I think this is a unique experience and hard to match the life style around Feynan. Then people want to know what was great about it. The things that stand out are the people and I mean all the people. The locals are very welcoming and the guests, in most cases, are very interesting and some are doing wonderful things to help the world. The land itself has something about it that is harsh but calming at the same time. And finally the simplicity of life. While the lodge has many comforts, the mindset is still of simplicity because of the surrounding culture and the focus on Eco-friendly environment.
So how do you conclude such a great journey/experience. In most of my career I closed each major step by writing a poem, but in this case I have already written a dedication to the readers and have had no inspiration to write another poem. So I am picking a poem from my past and putting it here. I wrote this when I changed jobs many years ago. The poem has nothing to do with Feynan, but I think it is a good poem for a major transition.
The trip back was non eventful. Of course leaving Feynan is always somewhat tricky. I had to leave around 5 AM Monday morning to make it to the airport before 9 for an 11:00 am flight, which had been delayed to 11:20. Leaving Feynan at 5 is always challenging. I did not have a confirmed ride until about 9 PM on Sunday, even thought the search for a reliable driver started on Friday.
The driver did show up about five minutes early and we got off on time. As usual we ended up picking up a person going to Karak, and then one of the guides who was going to Amman. Even after hitting traffic and some confusion about which airport I was taking off from we made it to the right airport before nine.
The plane did not take off until after 12 and due to strong head winds arrived quite late in London. Fortunately I was allowed to go through the fast track line for security and made the connection as they were announcing last call for boarding.
So most people want to know if I would do this again, I guess that is the top level measure, and without hesitation I have responded Yes, to everyone who has asked. I think this is a unique experience and hard to match the life style around Feynan. Then people want to know what was great about it. The things that stand out are the people and I mean all the people. The locals are very welcoming and the guests, in most cases, are very interesting and some are doing wonderful things to help the world. The land itself has something about it that is harsh but calming at the same time. And finally the simplicity of life. While the lodge has many comforts, the mindset is still of simplicity because of the surrounding culture and the focus on Eco-friendly environment.
So how do you conclude such a great journey/experience. In most of my career I closed each major step by writing a poem, but in this case I have already written a dedication to the readers and have had no inspiration to write another poem. So I am picking a poem from my past and putting it here. I wrote this when I changed jobs many years ago. The poem has nothing to do with Feynan, but I think it is a good poem for a major transition.
Corporation
The beastly head of the cobra
The unnoticeable ripple of the dry sand
The unspoken stillness of the venom death
Mars the dry crusted skin of the desert
In it life flows, unseen abundant
Furtive movements, slight, unnoticed
In it flows death, seen abundant
Skeletons dry and crusted
It is here that I dwell among them
One shady spot no different than another
It is here that sand resembles sand
No differentiation among them
The stillness of the night chills the bones
The coldness of the night crawls through the stones
The day and night show uncanny resemblance
The sparkling mirages fill the imagination
The unending mirages give hope to the naive
But in mirages I do not believe.
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Hike to Dana and back
Dana reserve where the lodge is located is a protected area under the ownership of a NGO, Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature. The reserve is over 300 square km, about 115 square miles. It is the biggest reserve in Jordan. Currently there are 7 reserves, soon to be expanded to 12. The reserve was started to protect wild life, primarily Ibex. Of course other life is thriving as well. There are about 37 mammels, including wolfves, hyenas, jackels, and diffent types of wild cats. There are many types of birds as well. The most popular being the Palestinian song bird. A very tiny bird. The female is grey, but the mail has beautiful colors under the wings, to impress the female.
There are many types of plants depending on where you are in the reserve. What's unique about the reserve is that it contains four main biogeographical zones. These zones are: the Mediterranean bio-geographical zone, the Irano-Turanian biogeographical zone, the Sudanian biogeographical zone and the Suharo Arabian biogeographical zone. These zones extend in altitude from 100 meter (around 100 yards) below sea level up to 1,500 meter (around 1 mile) above sea level.
So I am starting my hike from about 330 meters above sea level and going to almost the top. It is very hot today. The forecast is for mid to high seventies with the real feel of mid to high eighties.
I've hiked the beginning of this valley a few times, so it is quite familiar. I even know some of the bedou along the way. There used to be a rough dirt road connecting the two villages, so I have the option to walk on the river bed or on the road. While the river bed is flat, it is sandy making walking quite difficult. In addition once the sand and the valley rocks get hot it feels like you are walking in an oven. The old road has a hard surface and possibly a breeze, although today it's quite calm, but it goes up and down and switches back and forth. I end up alternating between the dry river bed and the old road. I make good progress and cover about 5 miles in the first couple of hours. It's about 11 and I stop for water and to take some pictures and lunch, one apple.
I have trained myself to drink less. When I got here I was drinking about 12 OZ of water and about 6 OZ of tea on a four hour slow hike in moderate heat. Now I can do the same hike with no water, just 6 OZ of tea.
It is getting very hot and the sun is strong. I am starting to climb higher, the vegetation is changing. There are pistachio trees, no nuts in them yet. The terrain is rougher. Walking on the river bed is not really an option. The left bank on the river is off limits to human beings, fully protected. It rises up several hundred meters and is dotted with green vegetation. I stick to the road which now hugs the right bank. It's about noon and I have drunk about 20 OZ, much more than usual. It is getting hot. I have about a mile to go. The mountain is ahead of me and I can see the road snake up the mountain. As I start I can feel the steepness. Later I figure that the last mile or less is about a 1000 meter climb. Quite a tough hike. I have to stop several times to drink and take pictures. It is hard to tell where Dana Village is and I am getting quite tired. I stop to rest and have a sesame seed power bar. I've drunk most of the water, probably have 8 OZ left and feeling thirsty and dehydrated. Fortunately as the road winds I see the first buildings of the village above me. Dana is a very small village. About 3 hotels and a small grocery store and a mosque. I go directly to the store and get a large bottle of water. It is cold and feels good drinking it. I check into the hotel and take a shower. It feels good. I am ready for some food, but it's past 2 and the kitchen is closed. I am told dinner would be soon, but it's not. Due to many issues dinner is served at 8.
The hike down the next day is nowhere as tough as the hike up. Some people hire a local driver to take them up to Dana and then they hike down, or hike down and have a driver meet them at the bottom. While the hike is about nine miles, the drive is about 75 miles over partially unpaved road taking at least 2 hours or more.
The hike down is actually quite nice. It is about ten degrees cooler and there is a nice breeze. The views of the valley are great, and you can sort of see the dead sea. There is a bit of a haze so the distance is not 100% clear.
The big event hiking down is that I see a blue lizard.
There are many types of plants depending on where you are in the reserve. What's unique about the reserve is that it contains four main biogeographical zones. These zones are: the Mediterranean bio-geographical zone, the Irano-Turanian biogeographical zone, the Sudanian biogeographical zone and the Suharo Arabian biogeographical zone. These zones extend in altitude from 100 meter (around 100 yards) below sea level up to 1,500 meter (around 1 mile) above sea level.
So I am starting my hike from about 330 meters above sea level and going to almost the top. It is very hot today. The forecast is for mid to high seventies with the real feel of mid to high eighties.
I've hiked the beginning of this valley a few times, so it is quite familiar. I even know some of the bedou along the way. There used to be a rough dirt road connecting the two villages, so I have the option to walk on the river bed or on the road. While the river bed is flat, it is sandy making walking quite difficult. In addition once the sand and the valley rocks get hot it feels like you are walking in an oven. The old road has a hard surface and possibly a breeze, although today it's quite calm, but it goes up and down and switches back and forth. I end up alternating between the dry river bed and the old road. I make good progress and cover about 5 miles in the first couple of hours. It's about 11 and I stop for water and to take some pictures and lunch, one apple.
I have trained myself to drink less. When I got here I was drinking about 12 OZ of water and about 6 OZ of tea on a four hour slow hike in moderate heat. Now I can do the same hike with no water, just 6 OZ of tea.
It is getting very hot and the sun is strong. I am starting to climb higher, the vegetation is changing. There are pistachio trees, no nuts in them yet. The terrain is rougher. Walking on the river bed is not really an option. The left bank on the river is off limits to human beings, fully protected. It rises up several hundred meters and is dotted with green vegetation. I stick to the road which now hugs the right bank. It's about noon and I have drunk about 20 OZ, much more than usual. It is getting hot. I have about a mile to go. The mountain is ahead of me and I can see the road snake up the mountain. As I start I can feel the steepness. Later I figure that the last mile or less is about a 1000 meter climb. Quite a tough hike. I have to stop several times to drink and take pictures. It is hard to tell where Dana Village is and I am getting quite tired. I stop to rest and have a sesame seed power bar. I've drunk most of the water, probably have 8 OZ left and feeling thirsty and dehydrated. Fortunately as the road winds I see the first buildings of the village above me. Dana is a very small village. About 3 hotels and a small grocery store and a mosque. I go directly to the store and get a large bottle of water. It is cold and feels good drinking it. I check into the hotel and take a shower. It feels good. I am ready for some food, but it's past 2 and the kitchen is closed. I am told dinner would be soon, but it's not. Due to many issues dinner is served at 8.
The hike down the next day is nowhere as tough as the hike up. Some people hire a local driver to take them up to Dana and then they hike down, or hike down and have a driver meet them at the bottom. While the hike is about nine miles, the drive is about 75 miles over partially unpaved road taking at least 2 hours or more.
The hike down is actually quite nice. It is about ten degrees cooler and there is a nice breeze. The views of the valley are great, and you can sort of see the dead sea. There is a bit of a haze so the distance is not 100% clear.
The big event hiking down is that I see a blue lizard.
Friday, April 4, 2014
Wadi Guire hike
I've talked with some of the guides and let them know that I would like to do the wadi Guide hike. They tell me it is closed at this time because of the possibility of flash floods. It will open in May. But I won't be here in May. So I am contemplating of doing it by myself.
There are a couple of dangers. The worst being getting surprised by a flash when you are walking in the narrow part of the valley. The upper part of the valley is the narrow part, anywhere between four to twelve feet wide. The valley is carved out of the rock, which is quite high, 20 - 30 feet. So if you are hit by a flash flood, the force of the water is strong because it is concentrated in a narrow area and you have nowhere to go and nothing to hold onto. The other danger is that no one knows what the path is like. The pools are anywhere from 3 to 6 feet deep. Also since no one has done this hike since summer/fall no one knows if the path is clear. There could be big boulders in the way.
My plan is to start at the bottom and work my way up. If the path is blocked I can turn back. The danger in this case is the flash flood. While it can be sunny and clear at the bottom of the valley it can a different story at the top. This happened a couple of weeks ago. There was a small flash flood in wadi Dana and then it cleared up. We were sitting by the river watching the river bed dry up. Suddenly torrents of water came down. Later we found out that it was raining hard and snowing at the top of the mountains.
Some of the folks here have family members who live at the top of the mountain, so I can get current weather conditions, good for at least a few hours.
However there is another plan.
One of the guides I haven't talked to about this hike is preparing the activity schedule for the guests for the next day. A young couple from France who look fit wants to do a challenging hike. The guide asks them
"Do you have strong muscles?"
"Yes"
"Do you mid getting wet?"
"No"
"Do you know how to swim?"
"Yes"
"Ok, I have an option that we can discuss after I am done with the other guests."
I am pretty sure he is thinking about hiking wadi Guire.
I ask him that. He is thinking and does not say anything. I have to leave, so I tell him if he is planning to do wadi Guire I am in and leave.
Later he shows up at my room. He says once he described the details of the hike the French couple decided to do wadi Dana, but he is planning to do wadi Guide to see if it can be opened for hiking now instead of waiting till May. The French couple will start at the lodge and hike up. A driver will pick them up at the top and drive them back. He will catch a ride with the driver and hike down wadi Guide.
I am free to join him. He gives me the details. Basically, water will be cold. I've been in lakes where the edges were frozen. So I don't think this is a problem. We might have to swim, max 25 feet. Not a problem. The path condition is unknown. I knew that. I have to be ready at 8:30.
Next day I am ready early. I get a couple of plastic bags. These are to put our gear in in case we have to swim in one of the larger pools.
The driver who will be taking us, and bring back the French couple shows up. We drive down to the town. The guide is waiting for us. The driver and the guide are bothers.
We drive along the road to Petra, quite an experience as described earlier. Right before Petra we turn left and head up the mountain to Shaubek. It gets noticeably cooler as we climb up. Many people spend the summer in Shaubeck because it is cooler. The scenery is spectacular. We finally reach Shaubeck. The guide asks me if chicken is OK for lunch. I am fine with a cheese sandwich, but I say no problem. He takes a long time to get back. Later I find out that he wanted a fresh chicken, so he had one slaughtered and cleaned and that's why it took that long. He also gets some felafel and sweets. Finally we get some bread. We are all set. The guide tells me that he has no idea what the trail will look like. The flash floods can move huge bolders and tons of sand.
His brother drives us down the valley a bit to make the hike shorter. Even the road is pretty steep here, and the truck can only go up in first gear as his brother heads back, Half way down we start the hike; a steep drop to the river bed. It is about noon.
The water is not as cold as I thought, and in most places there are plenty of rocks to step on and avoid getting wet.
About an hour into the hike we stop and the guide marinates the chicken with spices and a can of tomatoes paste. We continue down the canyon which is getting deeper and narrower. We finally hit the deep pools. At first the water is about knee high, but then it gets to be waist high. The guide keeps saying it is very different than last year. There is a huge bolder blocking the way. This was not there last year the guide assures me. We find a way to get over it and have to slide down on the other side into a deep pool. The rocks underneath are slippery. We carefully make our way through the pool. There is a thick rope here that you can hold onto as you walk. Apparently this is the dangerous part and at times can be deep, as much as six feet. Today it's only waist high, maybe three and a half feet. We get through it fine. The guide tells me to look up. There is a huge bolder, the size of a small room precariously edged between the two walls of the canyon. It doesn't look like it should be there. Only a few inches on each side are touching the walls of the canyon. We hurry past it just in case it gets dislodged. Bit by bit the canyon starts opening up. We stop for the mid day prayer. Since we are travelling we combine the mid day and the afternoon prayers. Late in the afternoon we stop for lunch. The guide builds a fire, then puts a couple of stones on the sides and puts thick branches across the stones. One the branches catch fire he reduces the ground fire to coals and puts the chicken pieces on this. This forms an oven with heat on all sides. Originally I thought we would not be able to finish a whole chicken between the two of us. But we do. In addition we eat two small onions each also roasted in the fire and a loaf of bread. We clean up. The bones are left for the hyenas, the onion skins for the goats I think.
The guide tells me it should be easier now, but that proves to be false. While it's less dangerous because the valley has opened up and there are banks every now and then, the flash floods had the most impact here. The guide shows me a rock that is jetting out. It is less than three feet high from the sandy ground. The guide tells me that last year he was able to stand below the rock and could barely touch the rock with his hand raised. This means that the flash flood moved about five feet of sand into this area from somewhere else. We run into many unexpected pools, rocks blocking the way, and sand in unexpected places. Finally we get to the part where the water goes completely under ground. Guire means going underground, which is the name of this valley.
The guide heads straight to his home. I go right towards the lodge. As I come over the hill I see the sunset hike participants. I go to sunset point. Tea is ready. I have some tea. Talk to some of the guests and head back to the lodge.
Sorry, no pictures. My phone has the pictures. Unfortunately it got wet, caught a cold and now the touch screen does not work. Yes, I tried the rice. The kitchen staff looked at me real funny when I asked for rice. They thought I was hungry and showed me the pot with rice cooking. When I told them I needed dry rice to put my phone in it, they just nodded and got me the rice.
There are a couple of dangers. The worst being getting surprised by a flash when you are walking in the narrow part of the valley. The upper part of the valley is the narrow part, anywhere between four to twelve feet wide. The valley is carved out of the rock, which is quite high, 20 - 30 feet. So if you are hit by a flash flood, the force of the water is strong because it is concentrated in a narrow area and you have nowhere to go and nothing to hold onto. The other danger is that no one knows what the path is like. The pools are anywhere from 3 to 6 feet deep. Also since no one has done this hike since summer/fall no one knows if the path is clear. There could be big boulders in the way.
My plan is to start at the bottom and work my way up. If the path is blocked I can turn back. The danger in this case is the flash flood. While it can be sunny and clear at the bottom of the valley it can a different story at the top. This happened a couple of weeks ago. There was a small flash flood in wadi Dana and then it cleared up. We were sitting by the river watching the river bed dry up. Suddenly torrents of water came down. Later we found out that it was raining hard and snowing at the top of the mountains.
Some of the folks here have family members who live at the top of the mountain, so I can get current weather conditions, good for at least a few hours.
However there is another plan.
One of the guides I haven't talked to about this hike is preparing the activity schedule for the guests for the next day. A young couple from France who look fit wants to do a challenging hike. The guide asks them
"Do you have strong muscles?"
"Yes"
"Do you mid getting wet?"
"No"
"Do you know how to swim?"
"Yes"
"Ok, I have an option that we can discuss after I am done with the other guests."
I am pretty sure he is thinking about hiking wadi Guire.
I ask him that. He is thinking and does not say anything. I have to leave, so I tell him if he is planning to do wadi Guire I am in and leave.
Later he shows up at my room. He says once he described the details of the hike the French couple decided to do wadi Dana, but he is planning to do wadi Guide to see if it can be opened for hiking now instead of waiting till May. The French couple will start at the lodge and hike up. A driver will pick them up at the top and drive them back. He will catch a ride with the driver and hike down wadi Guide.
I am free to join him. He gives me the details. Basically, water will be cold. I've been in lakes where the edges were frozen. So I don't think this is a problem. We might have to swim, max 25 feet. Not a problem. The path condition is unknown. I knew that. I have to be ready at 8:30.
Next day I am ready early. I get a couple of plastic bags. These are to put our gear in in case we have to swim in one of the larger pools.
The driver who will be taking us, and bring back the French couple shows up. We drive down to the town. The guide is waiting for us. The driver and the guide are bothers.
We drive along the road to Petra, quite an experience as described earlier. Right before Petra we turn left and head up the mountain to Shaubek. It gets noticeably cooler as we climb up. Many people spend the summer in Shaubeck because it is cooler. The scenery is spectacular. We finally reach Shaubeck. The guide asks me if chicken is OK for lunch. I am fine with a cheese sandwich, but I say no problem. He takes a long time to get back. Later I find out that he wanted a fresh chicken, so he had one slaughtered and cleaned and that's why it took that long. He also gets some felafel and sweets. Finally we get some bread. We are all set. The guide tells me that he has no idea what the trail will look like. The flash floods can move huge bolders and tons of sand.
His brother drives us down the valley a bit to make the hike shorter. Even the road is pretty steep here, and the truck can only go up in first gear as his brother heads back, Half way down we start the hike; a steep drop to the river bed. It is about noon.
The water is not as cold as I thought, and in most places there are plenty of rocks to step on and avoid getting wet.
About an hour into the hike we stop and the guide marinates the chicken with spices and a can of tomatoes paste. We continue down the canyon which is getting deeper and narrower. We finally hit the deep pools. At first the water is about knee high, but then it gets to be waist high. The guide keeps saying it is very different than last year. There is a huge bolder blocking the way. This was not there last year the guide assures me. We find a way to get over it and have to slide down on the other side into a deep pool. The rocks underneath are slippery. We carefully make our way through the pool. There is a thick rope here that you can hold onto as you walk. Apparently this is the dangerous part and at times can be deep, as much as six feet. Today it's only waist high, maybe three and a half feet. We get through it fine. The guide tells me to look up. There is a huge bolder, the size of a small room precariously edged between the two walls of the canyon. It doesn't look like it should be there. Only a few inches on each side are touching the walls of the canyon. We hurry past it just in case it gets dislodged. Bit by bit the canyon starts opening up. We stop for the mid day prayer. Since we are travelling we combine the mid day and the afternoon prayers. Late in the afternoon we stop for lunch. The guide builds a fire, then puts a couple of stones on the sides and puts thick branches across the stones. One the branches catch fire he reduces the ground fire to coals and puts the chicken pieces on this. This forms an oven with heat on all sides. Originally I thought we would not be able to finish a whole chicken between the two of us. But we do. In addition we eat two small onions each also roasted in the fire and a loaf of bread. We clean up. The bones are left for the hyenas, the onion skins for the goats I think.
The guide tells me it should be easier now, but that proves to be false. While it's less dangerous because the valley has opened up and there are banks every now and then, the flash floods had the most impact here. The guide shows me a rock that is jetting out. It is less than three feet high from the sandy ground. The guide tells me that last year he was able to stand below the rock and could barely touch the rock with his hand raised. This means that the flash flood moved about five feet of sand into this area from somewhere else. We run into many unexpected pools, rocks blocking the way, and sand in unexpected places. Finally we get to the part where the water goes completely under ground. Guire means going underground, which is the name of this valley.
The guide heads straight to his home. I go right towards the lodge. As I come over the hill I see the sunset hike participants. I go to sunset point. Tea is ready. I have some tea. Talk to some of the guests and head back to the lodge.
Sorry, no pictures. My phone has the pictures. Unfortunately it got wet, caught a cold and now the touch screen does not work. Yes, I tried the rice. The kitchen staff looked at me real funny when I asked for rice. They thought I was hungry and showed me the pot with rice cooking. When I told them I needed dry rice to put my phone in it, they just nodded and got me the rice.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Petra and back
I go downstairs for breakfast the next day. I have breakfast with the Seattle/Holland couple. I know the lady is truly from Everette when we start talking about coffee and she brings up the cowgirl coffee stands. She has some nice stories. For those not familiar with cowgirl coffee stands; they are coffee drive through where the baristas are dressed in bikinis. The have different themes. They might dress up like police officers one day, meaning wearing a police hat and hanging a night club at the waist, or wearing firemen boots, ect. Of course I only know this through the news. Never been to one myself, but then again I don't live in Everette.
After breakfast we all take the shuttle to the entrance of Petra.
The couple decide to hire a guide. I decide to explore on my own. Petra is a big place. There are many things to see. I walk around quite a bit and get lost. Run into some English folks who are lost as well. I use the compass and we head into the right direction. I manage to climb almost to the top of Aaron's mount. Quit a hike. I also climb to the monastery, 800 steps up and guess what 800 steps down, at least that is what I am told. I run into some folks who I met in Feynan. We are all surprised to be meeting in Petra.
This takes up almost the entire day. I return to the hotel, have an early dinner and crash.
The drive back is not as exciting. The driver is very careful and drives slow.
After breakfast we all take the shuttle to the entrance of Petra.
The couple decide to hire a guide. I decide to explore on my own. Petra is a big place. There are many things to see. I walk around quite a bit and get lost. Run into some English folks who are lost as well. I use the compass and we head into the right direction. I manage to climb almost to the top of Aaron's mount. Quit a hike. I also climb to the monastery, 800 steps up and guess what 800 steps down, at least that is what I am told. I run into some folks who I met in Feynan. We are all surprised to be meeting in Petra.
This takes up almost the entire day. I return to the hotel, have an early dinner and crash.
The drive back is not as exciting. The driver is very careful and drives slow.
Monday, March 24, 2014
The cooking class
The lodge offers cooking classes. Today a newlywed couple from France has signed up for the class. The chef explains that the class includes making five dishes, but since they are newlyweds we will make seven dishes.
First is basil soup. I am not going to give the recipes here - they are secrets!
Then the newlyweds make dough for something called manakeesh, I believe. It's like pizza but you don't get to choose the toppings. The toppings are either basil mix or white goat cheese which is quite salty.
Then the make falafel. This is fun. First the soaked chick peas, peppers, onion, parsley, ect. are put through an old hand operated meat grinder. Half the mixture is ground a second time to get the right consistency. This is all mixed. A tool is used to make the falafel. The tool is a metal tube. The bottom of the tube has a thumb gizmo. When the gizmo is pulled up you can stuff the mixture into the tube. Then you use your thumb to push the formed falafel into the hot oil.
Next there is the salad that goes with the falafel. A mixture of tomatoes, cucumbers and tahini.
There are a couple of salads. Both have arugula as the base. One has white grapefruit and the other has some other fruits.
The last part is mint lemonade. This is fresh lemon juice with water, sugar, and mint put in a blender for a long while.
Lunch is ready in a couple of hours. The couple invite me to join them for lunch. It is very nice and well made.
The newlyweds cooking
First is basil soup. I am not going to give the recipes here - they are secrets!
Then the newlyweds make dough for something called manakeesh, I believe. It's like pizza but you don't get to choose the toppings. The toppings are either basil mix or white goat cheese which is quite salty.
Then the make falafel. This is fun. First the soaked chick peas, peppers, onion, parsley, ect. are put through an old hand operated meat grinder. Half the mixture is ground a second time to get the right consistency. This is all mixed. A tool is used to make the falafel. The tool is a metal tube. The bottom of the tube has a thumb gizmo. When the gizmo is pulled up you can stuff the mixture into the tube. Then you use your thumb to push the formed falafel into the hot oil.
Next there is the salad that goes with the falafel. A mixture of tomatoes, cucumbers and tahini.
There are a couple of salads. Both have arugula as the base. One has white grapefruit and the other has some other fruits.
The last part is mint lemonade. This is fresh lemon juice with water, sugar, and mint put in a blender for a long while.
Lunch is ready in a couple of hours. The couple invite me to join them for lunch. It is very nice and well made.
The newlyweds cooking
Petra first day, and Petra by night
I arrange for a local driver to take me to Petra. We leave early. I want to scope out the place and figure out what to see and when.
Outside the main town we pick up one of the guides. He needs a ride to Petra. Shortly after that we pick up a local hitch hiker. This is common here, to get a ride. I've done it myself a few times. The paved road ends and we are driving on gravel. We start climbing. The drop offs get deeper and deeper. At one point we are on a ridge, with nothing on either side. The danger is fishtailing on the gravel and slipping down a cliff. This can be avoided by going slowly. However this driver is going a bit faster than he should be, I think.
We finally make it through the mountains and are back on a paved road. We reach Petra. The driver drops me off at the hotel. It is about 11. We go through the routine of introductions, and the tea offer, drinking the tea, ect. After unpacking, I go downstairs and ask the hotel staff for a shuttle to the Petra entrance. I am dropped off there. One day pass is 50JD if you are spending the night in Petra. Two day pass is 55, and three day is 60. The fourth day is free. I get a three day pass just in case I am totally blown away.
It's actually a walk to get to the real entrance. There are folks offering horse rides, horse carriage rides, and claiming it is included in the ticket price. My plan is to walk for a couple of hours and take pictures, so tomorrow I can pick up where I left off without stopping on the way.
At the beginning, there are chambers dug in the stone. They are burial chambers. I finally get to the real entrance. This is basically a path carved through the mountain leading to the main square, called siq, and beyond. By the way it is the Nabateens who built this I think. I figure I will see first and do the research later.
This path is quite long and impressive. At some point there were carvings on the sides. There are remnants of ditches on the sides for water to flow. Here is a picture of the carving of a camel with a man standing in front of it.
A couple of pictures of the path
Also a picture of a tomb
I pretty much cover the main parts of Petra the first day, making it to the temple and the inner siq.
Back at the hotel I sign up for dinner at the hotel and the Petra by night show.
The hotel is actually really nice. It has been going through a total renovation and just opened this month, so everything is brand new.
After dinner I grab the shuttle with a couple. I get to talking to them. The guy is from Hong Kong originally, but born Holland. The lady is from Seattle, actually north of Seattle as I learn later. We chat on the way. We walk all the way to the outer siq. This is a little less than two miles. There are many people going there and the path is lit by candles, so we kind of lose each other. The front of the siq is lit with candles.
The siq at night
The show starts with a guy playing an instrument called rababa and singing. Apparently rababa is the original string instrument. It sounds like the blues bedou style.
Next there is a flute.
I recorded both of these, but just found out that Google has dropped ability to upload mp3 files to blogs.
Then there is some story telling. Of course they serve tea. After the show it is the walk back. Actually it's a pretty good experience, if your expectations have not been set too high by people. At about 10:30 I take the shuttle to the hotel.
Outside the main town we pick up one of the guides. He needs a ride to Petra. Shortly after that we pick up a local hitch hiker. This is common here, to get a ride. I've done it myself a few times. The paved road ends and we are driving on gravel. We start climbing. The drop offs get deeper and deeper. At one point we are on a ridge, with nothing on either side. The danger is fishtailing on the gravel and slipping down a cliff. This can be avoided by going slowly. However this driver is going a bit faster than he should be, I think.
We finally make it through the mountains and are back on a paved road. We reach Petra. The driver drops me off at the hotel. It is about 11. We go through the routine of introductions, and the tea offer, drinking the tea, ect. After unpacking, I go downstairs and ask the hotel staff for a shuttle to the Petra entrance. I am dropped off there. One day pass is 50JD if you are spending the night in Petra. Two day pass is 55, and three day is 60. The fourth day is free. I get a three day pass just in case I am totally blown away.
It's actually a walk to get to the real entrance. There are folks offering horse rides, horse carriage rides, and claiming it is included in the ticket price. My plan is to walk for a couple of hours and take pictures, so tomorrow I can pick up where I left off without stopping on the way.
At the beginning, there are chambers dug in the stone. They are burial chambers. I finally get to the real entrance. This is basically a path carved through the mountain leading to the main square, called siq, and beyond. By the way it is the Nabateens who built this I think. I figure I will see first and do the research later.
This path is quite long and impressive. At some point there were carvings on the sides. There are remnants of ditches on the sides for water to flow. Here is a picture of the carving of a camel with a man standing in front of it.
A couple of pictures of the path
Also a picture of a tomb
I pretty much cover the main parts of Petra the first day, making it to the temple and the inner siq.
Back at the hotel I sign up for dinner at the hotel and the Petra by night show.
The hotel is actually really nice. It has been going through a total renovation and just opened this month, so everything is brand new.
After dinner I grab the shuttle with a couple. I get to talking to them. The guy is from Hong Kong originally, but born Holland. The lady is from Seattle, actually north of Seattle as I learn later. We chat on the way. We walk all the way to the outer siq. This is a little less than two miles. There are many people going there and the path is lit by candles, so we kind of lose each other. The front of the siq is lit with candles.
The siq at night
The show starts with a guy playing an instrument called rababa and singing. Apparently rababa is the original string instrument. It sounds like the blues bedou style.
Next there is a flute.
I recorded both of these, but just found out that Google has dropped ability to upload mp3 files to blogs.
Then there is some story telling. Of course they serve tea. After the show it is the walk back. Actually it's a pretty good experience, if your expectations have not been set too high by people. At about 10:30 I take the shuttle to the hotel.
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