Archive for June, 2007
June 29th, 2007 -- Posted in Egypt |
Hello again.
We are back in Cairo… third time in a month! Today consisted of an extremely cramped bus for 8.5 hours from Dahab here. We had a great time in Dahab and again were sad to leave the chilled out and easygoing town. I really have to get my water consumption in check, because I ended up in bed at 9:15 last night after eating cornflakes for dinner (it was the only thing that appealed on the menu), feeling like hell. Too much fun in the sun I guess…I just don’t think about drinking water when I am swimming in it. Despite Chris’ constant hounding (and I use the term in the nicest way possible), I still learn the hard way.
We met a couple of really great people on the way across the Israel/Egypt border on the way back to Dahab. Mark and Joica, both from the US. Joica is studying Hebrew as a part of her studies to become a Rabbi and do social justice work. She is also writing a book about the perils of single life… we heard lots of funny stories, and of course I was eager to share a few of my own from my single days. Mark is an environmentalist and a builder, with a huge passion for sustainable architecture. He’s involved in a host of environmental issues, however we spent a good deal of time talking about straw bale building. If anyone is interested, here is a link with some general information about straw bale (this is a link from Ontario that I was surprised to find). Funny how timing works when people come in and out of your life. Chris and I were watching (blush) Oprah one evening after arriving at a hotel, and the show was about people living happily in smaller, more customized spaces, and how your living space can be an expression of you and your ideals. It had an impression on both of us, and then talking with Mark and Joica, it resonated again. Also, being away from it all, you get a different idea of consumerism, insatiability and how much you really need for happiness. Anyhow, the conversations really gave us something to think about.
We will be flying to Nairobi tomorrow at around midnight and starting our 8 day safari on Monday morning. We have received the list of lodges that we will be staying at, and cross referenced with our new best friend the Lonely Planet… it is going to be a pretty posh week by the looks of things. Can’t wait! We have been planning our next steps post safari as well. From Nairobi we are heading to Zanzibar for a couple of weeks before our volunteering starts on the 21st in Moshi, Tanzania. We’ll spend a few days in Stone Town then head north for some more beach time. Chris was wondering if it is possible that we could end up being full time beach bums… stranger things have happened I guess! (don’t worry Dad, it likely won’t happen).
I think that’s all I have for now. I hope that all is well at home. Hope the move is going well Morag; Sibby hope you’re feeling ok and if the baby isn’t here yet, I hope she is soon!!; Hope you are enjoying the new job, Morgan.
xoxoxox
Paula
June 22nd, 2007 -- Posted in Egypt |
Shalom from Jerusalem!
We have been in Israel for about a week now. Had a bit of a rough start with a 9.5 hour wait at the Taba border. To start things off, Chris’ bag was pulled out of the luggage scanner with some very grave faces opening his bag. Don’t know how they saw the actual book, but they weren’t thrilled to see “The Way of Truth” - a book with a rather serious looking Islamic elder on the cover, that discusses Islam and talks about the similarities between it and other faiths. We were given the book when we were in Syria (strike two) visiting the Mosque at the university. I got through and watched Chris wait around while a young border guard talked on her walkie talkie, obviously referencing the book and Chris. She then questioned him…
“Do you know any Muslims?” — “yes”
“How many and who are they?” — “………..(bewildered look only)..”
“In Israel?” — “oh, no, none”
“What do you know about Islam?” — “….(flabberghasted)..um, there’s Mohammed…”
“Why do you have this book?”
And on it went, lots of odd questions without waiting for answers. Another young guy (American) was stopped for having “A History of Arab Peoples”. In the end he was allowed to pass. Once we got to the passport control, more questions and then we were asked to take a seat. Both questioned independently (more a concern at this point over the Syria stam in our passports). 9.5 very boring hours later, we were given our passports and shown the door to Israel. Not a great first impression, but happy to say it has been uphill since then.
After leaving the border we felt like crap - no real food since early that morning, tired, grumpy, with 40 shekels in our pockets (about $10 Canadian). No bank machines anywhere nearby, we got into a cab and he took us to the only hotel we could remember from what little research we had done on Eilat (the resort town that borders Egypt). Reception there was closed for the night (approx 11pm at this point), so we headed to our own sort of oasis (appropriate, being in the desert), The Sheraton. We planned to stay two nights as there was a mall nearby… we were in serious need of some clothes that wouldn’t fall apart as soon as we put them on (first mall we have been in in months, with brand names that are legit and everything!!! oh glory!!). Two expensive but great days passed, and we had booked a ticket to Jerusalem for the next day. That day I wake up sick, and know fairly soon that there is no chance of being comfortable on a bus for 4 hours!!! Solution: another night in the Sheraton. No wonder we have slightly overspent on this trip!!
Next day we headed to Jerusalem and made it to the hostel near the Jaffa Gate. We are on our third day here and it is very clear that this is a very special city. It seems that the city oozes religion from every corner. In a five minute span you can see a group of young Hassidic boys with their black keppis and ringlets; a Catholic priest; hear the Muezin calling Muslims to prayer from a nearby Minaret; and the list goes on. The city has many sites of interest and we’ve seen a lot so far. Today we walked on the Via Delarosa (Path of Suffering) that has the stations of the cross from Jesus being judged to him arrising from the tomb. We were a part of a large group following a group of Franciscan Monks… it was very cool to hear them singing and to see the procession of “pilgrims”. The path ends in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is on the site of Calvary (or Golgotha). In the church there is an area that marks where the crucifixion happened, where the body was prepared for the tomb, and the tomb itself. Regardless of what you believe about the Bible or the Jesus story, it is an amazing place to see. Crazy ornate chapels from all sorts of denomination including Greek Orthodox (the fanciest), Coptic Christian (burned down during an earthquake in the 30’s and they didn’t have the money to restore it), Ethiopian Jewish monks, Armenians, etc… It is a pretty amazing place. We also took in some other sights including the Garden of Gethsemane, the Tomb of Mary (hmm, thought that was in Selcuk, Turkey…), and of course the Western Wall.
Funny enough, we had a great sushi meal last night in the new city. What a cool downtown area! Cool restaurants and bars everywhere, and a really good vibe in general. We have both missed sushi a lot, and though it wasn’t as good as home, it was still great to taste miso, soy, and the clean taste of good raw fish (oh yeah, and an Asahi too!).
It is now about 4 minutes to Shabbat. We are in an internet cafe in the Muslim quarter and expect to see a bit of a ghost town when we leave here. Apparently there is no public transport during the Sabbath and most restaurants and stores are closed up tight.
Thats about all for now. Long posting, sorry about that.
I hope that all is well at home.
Paula
xoxoxox
June 14th, 2007 -- Posted in Egypt |
Paula says he was a HOT watermelon farmer. Let me tell you he was no Hoff, but maybe handsome.
Today we went off to see some Canyons in the desert of the Sinai Peninsula. It was a blast. 11 of us (6 French, 3 Arabs, Paula and myself) all packed in a Landcruiser doing 120 around giant piles of sand. We also did some quasi rock climbing around some cool canyons made of sand/chalk combination. Had a mean lunch cooked in packets on an open fire (I thought Chad and Sean invented those?).
Full day. Now we are back in Dahab and the wind is blowing on the sea. Time for some strawberry juice and the Sheesha pipe (I can’t keep her off it!).
Good night all.
June 13th, 2007 -- Posted in Egypt |
Despite the 40 degree sunshine and beach about 10 meters to my right, we decided to bite the bullet and upload a bunch of photos.
Syria
Jordan
Egypt
Enjoy! (If there is anyone out there who still gives a dam 
June 13th, 2007 -- Posted in Egypt |
We are back in Dahab for a week of R&R.
Our 36 day tour ended on Sunday, and I think we were both happy to have it completed. Met some nice people, enjoyed our time, but keeping up with a hectic tour pace and having no control over itinerary gets wearing after a while. Dahab is one of the most chilled out places that I have been. The most difficult decision to make in a day is whether to have strawberry or mango juice. The rest of our time in Egypt was decidedly less relaxed…
I will try to go in order, but no doubt I will mix things up a bit. From Cairo we took a night train to Aswan. The train was surprisingly comfortable, though the washroom was not surprisingly quite uncomfortable!!! It was a quite evening in preparation for our early rise at 3:00 a.m. to visit Abu Simbel. Abu Simbel is an amazing temple overlooking Lake Nasser (The lake or water resevoir created by the building of the Aswan Dam) - it originally was located in the area flooded, so in the early 60’s, UNESCO put a plan in place to literally carve it up and move it to higher land. The temple itself is amazing… like most sights that we visited, in excellent condition with original paint and inscriptions still visible. The effort of moving it was incredible to learn about - they sawed it into 19,000 pieces and moved each piece to higher ground, all while the flood waters continued to rise around it. Looking really hard you can not see any cut marks… it really was a cool place to visit.
After getting back from Abu Simbel we boarded Felucas for an overnight sail on the Nile. These are old boats with sails, and no motors. If there is no wind, you sit. Luckily we had some wind, though we didn’t go anywhere in a hurry. Several people from the tour, including Chris, went for a swim in the Nile. After hearing horror stories about bugs that get under your skin in the Nile, I relaxed on the cushioned deck! Dinner that night was in a home of a local Nubian man (also turned out to own the business of the feluca we were on). We had a nice dinner, including stewed veggies, a potato casserole, tomato/cucumber salad, bread, chicken wings, and pasta. After dinner it was back to the feluca for sleep. While it was very comfy (literally the whole deck is a mattress), it was freaking hot and not the best sleep ever.
From Aswan we drove to Luxor, and visited Edfu and Kom Ombo temples on the way. In the afternoon Chris went to see Karnak Temple with the group while I spent a frustrating 2 hours on and off the phone to Kenya Airways, trying to make changes to our flight to Mombasa sheduled for June 11. The next morning we were up at 5 am and caught a quick ferry from the West bank to the East bank of the Nile. From there we rode donkies to the Valley of the Kings! The donkey rides will no doubt be on our list of fondest memories of the trip! My little donkey had a need for speed, and the hour long trip was spent jockeying for first place with a mule, ridden by someone else on the tour. In the end the mule won, but I still felt like I came in first, since I was the first donkey across the finish line (not to mention the first female to come in first-ish)!! Yes, I still like to win!! I have easily been very impressed by both camels and donkeys! They are amazing animals!! Anyhow, on to the Valley of the Kings. There were 67 tombs (including Tut) found in this valley. Because of the heat and dryness of the desert, they are in amazing shape (though most were pilfered of their contents prior to being uncovered later by archaeologists) — the paintings for the most part are just as bright as when they were painted. Very interesting how much time was spent on the afterlife in ancient Egyptian times. The tombs we visited were really deep and some had multiple rooms where the belongings of the King would have been kept. We also visited the tombs of the workers - just outside of the Valley.
From Luxor we headed back (on another overnight train), to Cairo. It was a busy and hectic week. You could literally spend weeks and weeks in Egpyt - there are so many sites. It does get quite tiring due to temperatures in the late 30’s and early 40’s, and after a while, the temples kind of blend into one another. Regardless of that, I am so glad that we visited.
As I mentioned, we have changed our tickets for our Kenya leg of our journey. Due to travel advisories we have decided to knock off the Kenyan coast section, giving us about 3 weeks to play with. We fly out of Cairo to Nairobi on July 1, and start an 8 day safari on July 2. This week we will continue to relax in Dahab, and on Sunday will leave here for Israel (and no worries, we will be avoiding the Gaza area). We are so close to Israel… it is about a two hour bus ride to Taba, where we cross into Israel. It will nicely round off our time in the Middle East. We’ve loved our time here, learned a lot, and have so far come away with a new appreciation of this part of the world. I highly recommend spending some time in this region (especially in our favorite - Syria).
I hope that all is well at home. I’ve been feeling homesick, and while I am happy to be where I am, I do miss life back in Canada. I’ll be thinking of you Morag, moving into your brand new home; Sibby, I can’t wait to see a picture when the baby is born! Don’t forget to send one when you can!!!!!; Mom and Dad, have fun with Katie, Lauren, Barb and Neil.
xoxoxox
Paula
June 4th, 2007 -- Posted in Egypt |
We spent a really good day in Dahab. We took Jeeps to “The Blue Hole”, very close to the town centre. After a bumpy ride we arrived at a very nice rocky beach with an amazing coral reef. We snorkelled and swam, seeing the most amazing fish! Along the beach there were cozy cafe/bars where you could literally lounge the day (or a week) away… pillows on the floor, low tables, sheesha pipes, amazing fruit smoothies, good tunes, etc. We definitely want to spend more time chilling out in Dahab and/or other Red Sea resorts. After this tour, I think we will need a vacation!
We took a bus from Dahab to Mount Sinai, where Moses received the Ten Commandments. Big climb up after a wakeup call at 2am! We made it in time for a beautiful sunrise. On the way down I tripped and literally rolled down three steps (three of 3500 “Steps of Repentance”). I am ok, but look like I have been roughed up - scrapes, a couple of cuts and a whole lot of bruising! The embarrassment!!. Despite the tumble I managed to save the camera that was in my hands at the time. I swear I am developing an anxiety about stairs!
In the late morning we headed to Cairo. We will be coming back to Cairo at the end of the tour, so this was a full day before we take an overnight train (tonight) to Aswan. Today was a long day!! We started out seeing the pyramids at Giza. Anyone who has been to Cairo has already no doubt been amazed at how close they are to the city! The three pyramids here as well as the Sphinx are literally being crowded by the city. 94% of the population of Egypt lives in 4% of the land, and you can really see the congestion here in Cairo. In some spots, experts know that there are ruins (example two huge sphinxes) underneath residential and retail properties, but negotiations have failed to convince owners to sell at a reasonable price ($50 million for an apartment was being asked, for example). Anyhow, the pyramids are impressive to say the least. We were being guided by an Egyptologist and you can’t help but be amazed at the ingenuity. The largest pyramid is equivalent to a 100 story building, and the stones used weigh no less than 2 tonnes each!
After the Pyramids and Sphinx, we headed to the Egyptian Museum. There are approximately 1.5 million antiquities on display and over 4 million antiquities in storage, waiting for a new museum to be built that will house it all. Our guide said that they believe they have only uncovered 8-10% of the existing antiquities. Highlight would have to be King Tut’s tomb exhibit, but a close second would be the mummified animals — snakes, massive crocodiles, baboons, dogs… bizarre and amazing!
Not looking forward to an overnight train but definitely looking forward to seeing Abu Simbel!
More later, and also hoping to get more pics posted soon!
Paula
June 1st, 2007 -- Posted in Egypt |
Today we travelled across the Red Sea from Jordan to Egypt. A pretty cool area actually. You can see Jordan, Egypt, Israel and Saudi Arabia all from one spot. So…The Red Sea is not actually that wide. You can see across it very easily. So why did it take 12 hours you ask….
10am we arrive at the terminal in Aqaba, Jordan, figuring that after some hurdles we could go on the 11:30 sailing to Nuweiba, Egypt. So the 11:30 sailing finally boards at around 3pm. Then we sit on the ferry until 7pm when it starts puttering it’s way South (Hydrofoils aren’t supposed to putter are they?). 9pm we arrive. 10pm we finally make our way thru Egyptian passport control.
Hard to believe even as I typed that.
Tomorrow…..A nice lie in for the morning and then some snorkelling in the afternoon. The next few days are going to be hectic. Mt. Sinai and off to Cairo. Dahab is beautiful from what I can see (its 1:30am!). I think we will come back here in a few weeks to relax for some time.
Over and out for now.
Chris
June 1st, 2007 -- Posted in Jordan |
Hi!
We are in Aqaba, Jordan, preparing to head out on hyrofoil to Dahab, Egypt. We’ve enjoyed our time in Jordan. Our first stop was Amman - a big, bustling and modern city. Our group hiked up to the old Citadel (approx 5000 years old, the original Philadelphia), and visited the Jordan Archaeological Museum. This small and low tech museum houses some of the dead sea scrolls as well as the oldest sculptures found on Earth. They are 6000 years old and would fit nicely in a modern art museum today (in my humble opinion). When we have a moment to upload some pics, I’ll include one.
Again we are surrounded by religious history. We visited Madaba and Mount Nebo (a day trip from Amman). Mount Nebo is where Moses went to die, looking over the promised land. From the mountain you can see the Dead Sea, Jerusalem, Jericho, Galilee… all the Biblical biggies. There is also an amazing church built on the site with beautiful mosaics.
We spent a relaxing day in a Dead Sea resort. After floating in the sea (it is amazing how buoyant it is!) and covering ourselves with mud, we lazed around by a pool. Chris and the other guys from the tour spent about three hours trying to figure out clever ways to increase their speed on the waterslide. Several sunburns and a badly bruised/sprained toe (Chris’) later, we had all had a good day. From the resort we headed straight to Wadi Musa to see Petra the next day. Petra is a massive site. Petra (referred to in the Bible as Sella) was at its peak in the first century AD and in decline by the second century. About 30,000 people lived there. It is about 40 sq km. You have to walk though a gorge to reach the city, and this walk is one of the best parts of the visit. The Treasury and the Monastery (you reach it by climbing about a million steps) are the biggest buildings cut into the rock, but there are also over 1000 tombs, a dam, waterways, a Byzantine church, etc. on the site. It was a dusty, hot, amazing day!
Today may be a long day. Our Hydrofoil is supposed to leave at 11:30 but it is apparently always delayed. Our tour leader said that on the last tour it departed at 4:00 pm, and on other occasions they have not had a spot to dock at on the other side, and have sat in the boat for up to three hours waiting to dock. We will be sleeping in Dahab tonight.
That’s all the update for now!
Hope that all is very well at home.
Paula