Jordaneese joy...Red seas, Dead seas, Petra and Wadi Rum

We drove for a sleep two hours in the early morning darkness until we reached the ferry port. Slipping through customs dan and I boarded the small and clean boat and sat uptop on deck amongst a large group of french tourists. As dan slept I greeted the morning sun and watched it rise as we headed further through the red sea. We arrived at about 9am with a few hours time change we climbed off the boat and proceeded through to customs. The process was easy and we were let through quickly to find our on the go guide on the other side. Due to the fact that it was just the two of us; Danni and myself, who continued on with the Jordan leg, Ogla; our new guide had cancelled the driver so it would just be the three of us for the next 5 days.

Jumping straight in the car we drove up the hill and out of Aqaba. Looking out towards the red sea and the town that chased it shores it looked strikingly familiar; a stone throw away it was indeed Eliat, israel. We followed the border up for about 2 and a half hours driving to the very top of the dead sea. It's bizare looking at Israel from the other side, it looks exactly what Jordan appeared from there, I don't know why but for some reason I expecting something different. We pulled into Dead Sea Spa hotel where we were to swim for a few hours. Heading straight for the salty still luke warm waterand before too long that same feeling in my belly occurred and my feet rose to the surface. The biggest differentiating factors that I found between the two sides of the dead sea were that although Israeli side is more pictuesct and nicer, the Jordanian waters didn't sting as much and you could find the mud at your feet instead of purchasing the packaged product. After covering our bodies in the scrumptious mud, sweating in the heat then splashing back into the salty water to rinse it off we headed up to the hotel for a Delicious buffet lunch. I couldn't help myself but go back a ridiculous amount of times snapping up all sorts of salads, meats and incredible bite size and surprise deserts.

Back in the car we continued our journey, driving until we came to our hotel for the night in the small city of Madaba. Very basic but friendly and family run we dropped off our luggage and dozed off into an afternoon nap. Waking at 5pm we headed an hour away to check out the capital; Amman. We drove through the city which had incredible views as it spread over the hills, climbing from richer areas to the old and rusty down town, hitting traffic and watching expensive cars tag each other on the streets. Grabbing a local desert, Ogla treated us to knafeh; which we had also tasted with the boys in Israel when we headed north, it was a delicious melted cheese with a very sweet baclava type syrup in top. We took in a beautiful view from Citadel hill and also checked out the old theatre before heading to a lovely little cafe to sit on the old top and watch the stars. I ordered a very popular drink as suggested by Ogla; a mint/lemon juice...which basically tastes like an extremely sweet mohito missing the most important ingredient. Families spread throughout the cafe ordering several shishas which filled the air with an incredibley fruity smell, Ogla had his daily one before we hit the road again back to the hotel.

The next morning, after breakfast in the hotel we checked out of our rooms and headed to see a local church to see a moisaic map; The Madaba Mosaic Map is an index map of the region, dating from the 6th century, preserved in the floor of the Greek Orthodox Basilica of Saint George. With two million pieces of colored stone, the map depicts hills and valleys, villages and towns in Palestine and the Nile Delta. The mosaic contains the earliest extant representation of Byzantine Jerusalem, labeled the "Holy City." The map provides important details as to its 6th century landmarks, with the cardo, or central colonnaded street and the Holy Sepulchre clearly visible. We then spent a good part of the day heading back south, four hours drive later landed us in Wadi Mosi, the city by Petra. The road was windy and the Barron desert went for miles as the stinging sun shone down. I spent he journey listening to Ogla's Arabian tunes as he hummed along to them. We checked into our lovely hotel; Petra moon, before heading down to the tours touristic strip of shops to see what treasures we could find. Exquisite but expensive antique jewelry had us in awe, as we opted for the cheap, imitation pieces. There were several men making colorful designs in sand bottles, offering us free drinks and persisting with multiple marriage proposals. Politely declining their offers we headed back to the hotel to enjoy a delicious falafel and salad serving, taking in an incredible view from their roof top bar as the full moon made for an amazing silhouette tracing the mountains of Petra. Finishing dinner we hurried down to Petra gate to do a tour; Petra by night. The road was lit with candles in bags tracing the entire 30 minute walk to the treasury. Upon reaching the treasury we were all ushered to sit and watch several men playing traditional instruments. A man approached dan and I, insisting that we should take the best seats on the rock...after being hitched up we understood the purpose of this; simply to grab our bums as we climbed higher. With in Half an hour the music had stopped and we headed back along the trail, up the hill and into bed.

The next morning we had an early start and were to meet Ogla in the foyer at 7:30 after a delicious buffet breakfast. Unfortunately Dan felt a little unwell between stomach problems and fever so she crawled back into bed and Ogla an I set off for the day. Seeing Petra in the day light was very different, definitely far more impressive as you can see the extend of the formations as well as understanding what they were. Petra was the capital of the Nabataeans, and the center of their caravan trade. Enclosed by towering rocks and watered by a perennial stream, Petra not only possessed the advantages of a fortress, but controlled the main commercial routes which passed through it to Gaza in the west, to Bosra and Damascus in the north, to Aqaba and Leuce Come on the Red Sea, and across the desert to the Persian Gulf. After passing the treasury we continued though to the old city and climbed beyond it to get a beautiful view of The Theatre which happens to be the only carved theatre in the world. The tombs that are built all throughout Petra differ from kne another, the more grand they were representing their wealth. We continued to climb to the top, the entire 700 steep rock steps in the sweltering heat all the way to the monastery. I then proceeded to the very top which was further up to get panoramic views of Petra which was simply breathtaking!

We then got word from Dan that she had called a doctor and had the flu so we headed home via car to make sure she was ok! With some antibiotics in her system she started to feel a little better and slept the afternoon away whilst I swam in the hotel pool and soaked up the dry desert sun. That eve we layed low and decided to veg out by the tv and watch Indiana Jones as it was filmed in Petra.

The next morning we attempted Petra again, this time Dan felt better so again we climbed to the treasury. Arguing the entire way up it was not near as enjoyable as the experience I had the day before. Finishing back at the hotel at 1pm we quickly packed up our things and checked out, back in the car and driving further into the desert to stay over night in the national park; Wadi Rum.

We drove for about an hour of flat terrain until we reached a national park 4 wheel drive station. Dan an I jumped in the four wheel drive with our new driver; Mohammed. We then continued off the main road and into the red desert weaving in and out of the giant dunes and along side the intimidating mountains. Stoping accasionally for a photo or a steep rock climb we reached our Bedouin camp just before 6pm. Situated in a wonderful place in Wadi Rum protected area, there was one big tent in traditional Bedouin style for eating & sitting, a fire place with Bedouin music, and clean toilettes & shower facilities. The tents to sleep in were simple but comfortable with a candle for lighting and Micky mouse blankets to keep us warm. It happened to be position just behind a large rock we climbed to watch the most incredible enchanting sunset over the desert. Climbing back down the men at the fire were cooking our delicious feed of chicken, veggies, rice and Bedouin tea. Finishing up the eve roasting marshmallows, Dan and I called it a night as we were the only guests at the camp.

The next morning we rose early and headed back to Aqabar to be dropped off at the ferry terminal, saying goodbye to Olga and tipping him for his efforts we spend the next 8 hours just waiting in the shade of the unkept station waiting. Finally ushered onto the ship at 6pm, we didn't arrive into Wadi Araba (Egypt) until 10pm to be picked up by an on the go representative. Unfortunately a further delay of half an hour at the gates through customs as we had to wait for a police escort verchle to follow us the 2 and a half hours to Sharm Al Shaikh. We just made it in time for our 25 minute flight back to Cairo to be collected by yet again another representative from our tour. Finally arriving to our hotel at 3am we had 2 hours to rest before our pick up and back to the airport for out flight out!

Sleepless, exhausted and in a slumber we boarded our flight to London via Istanbul...unfortunately due to a late departure we missed our transit in Istanbul and were stuck in the airport for the entire day! Unfortunately it seems we were amongst hundreds of other passengers also affected by Turkish airline flights on several other routes! Therefore fighting through a line for about 2 hours we were finally put on a flight departing that evening at 7pm and arriving into London past 10pm. Our bad luck had not ended there...it seems that upon arrival into heathrow, watching the conveyer belt for an hour will not make your luggage appear... So indeed Dan and I entered London with nothing more that a handbag each.

Fanny xx

Shishas, snorkeling and splashing in the red sea; Dahab.

Feeling revived after a free afternoon in Luxor, we all put on our fancy clothes and met in the foyer at half 5 for an evening tour of Luxor temple. The temple of Luxor is close to the Nile and parallel with the riverbank. King Amenhotep III who reigned 1390-53 BC built this beautiful temple and dedicated it to Amon-Re, king of the gods, his consort Mut, and their son Khons. The group then headed to a local resturaunt for a buffet searching traditional Egyptian food from delicious egg mashed egg plant to strange little sugary backava. Whilst dining there was also an in house silver jeweler selling beautiful pendants which I had couldn't resist.

The next morning some woke earlier than others opting for a 4 am ballon ride over the nile whilst we chose not to having already done one in Capadocia. So for a 6am wake up for the rest of us we piled into the bus and headed off to explore The Valley of The Kings; Where the ancient Egyptians built massive public monuments to their pharaohs. But they also spent time and treasure creating hidden underground mausoleums that no one was ever meant to see. This was the most famed collection of such elaborate tombs and lies on the Nile's west bank near Luxor. Evening the Playing field we then headed onto The Valley of the Queens which was located on the West Bank at Luxor (ancient Thebes). There are between 75 and 80 tombs in the Valley of the Queens, or Biban al-Harim. These belong to Queens of the 18th, 19th and 20th Dynasties. Visiting a souvenir factory on the way back to the hotel then we headed out to a local eatery before jumping on the over night train back to Cairo. This time however Dan and I chose not to upgrade and were placed in the seater cart. Now as bad as I expected...I'm more used to Indian style seater which is cramped and hectic with hundreds of bodies squeezed together, however what we received was old, ruined leather reclining chairs with a good amount of leg room. It was full but all passengers had seats, however some chose to sit on the arm rests of other chairs and awkwardly watch us sleep. Noisy and bright, I somehow managed to sleep a good part of the 10 hour journey which pulled into Cairo just after 9am.

Meeting up with the rest of the group back at the hotel we went to visit the Egyptian museum in Cairo which contains the world's most extensive collection of pharaonic antiquities; no visit to Egypt is complete without a trip through its galleries. The original collection was established in the late 19th century under Auguste Mariette and housed in Boulaq. Several hours consumed looking at the incredible collection we finally hit the bustling markets full of jewelry, belly dancing outfits, shishas, clothes, art work and souvenirs...I was overwhelmed and couldn't work out which direction to walk in and by the time I got my bearings unfortunately I had to return to meet the rest of the group! Heading out that night for our very last group meet we drank the evening away and smoked apple favored shishas until Haytham ushered us back int the van for home.

The wake up call sounded at 4am for our early departure to Dahab which was intend to be about a 10 hour drive. 2 movies and about 8 toilet breaks later the 7 of us left, Haythem and another new 6 people who joined, finally arrived to the red sea at about 4pm. Our 5 favorites happen to those that stayed on; the 'other', our beautiful token yank Toni who had me in fits of laughter the entire time, the 'newly married' a beautiful Aussie couple Peta and Simon, and the 'best friends', two lovely and very trendy English/Pakistani girls. The road south east was long, windy and very deserted. The rocky mountains followed us the entire way to the ocean as to did a police escort (due to the unrest of Egypt at the moment it was mandatory). Our hotel was beautiful, right on the red sea but a little bit out of Dahab centre where all of the resteraunts and shops. With that said; the evening was spent in the town centre which reminded me a lot of Bordrum (turkey) with a few Nepalese influences. All set along the water with quirky names, bright lights and cushions it was very tourist friendly and easy to be in. Complete with BYO of $3 vodka...it was a cheap but tasty evening!

The next morning we were picked up by three jeeps, Toni, Dan and I rode wind blown and rowdy the entire scenic route along the red sea. It was incredible, again the sandy rocks lined the beautiful blue beaches, as camels raced by and the occasional extravagant hotel would spread across the shores, the sun shone and it was smiles all round. Pulling into the blue hole; one of the beaches, it was more touristic and lined with cafes, snorkelers and divers...but for good reason. We spent the day soaring across the top of the waters, flippers on and goggles down; there was a giant reef just off the shores that was covered in coral and hundreds of fish! Definitely the most I have ever seen, it was memorizing and beautiful, hours had passed and I was in a world of my own listing to the faint clicking as the pretty creatures nibbled on the coral.

Back in town that night, again stopping at he bottle shop along the way, Dan and i indulged in a delicious seafood platter and perhaps accompanied this with a few too many strong vodkas. The rest of the group headed back whilst dan and I rebelled, making our guide and another girl that had joined the group for a few more rounds and some shisha! Turns out this cheap vodka was cheap for good reason, Dan and I woke 12 hours later to the 2pm sunshine burning our sleeping headaches. Moving extremely slowly out of bed the rest of the afternoon was spent at the hotel; indulging in a delicious Thai curry and splashing in the red sea at the resort. Our original plan had been to take advantage of the quad biking, more snorkeling and sailing...obviously all was dismissed in our slumber states. That eve, like the others we headed back into town for our final super with the group at Aladdin's. All of the restaurants seem to cater for a broad spectrum, ranging from western, to traditional Egyptian cuisine and most importantly delicious fresh fish! After dinner Dan, Toni, Peta and I decided to browse a few shops; unfortunately not as cheap as the rest of Egypt and unwilling to haggle their high prices we all left pretty soon. Negotiating with a cab for the ride home we agreed on a fare price...what we through was for a normal car, however pregnant Peta was out in the front and the three of us jumped in the back of ute, uncomfortable but careless we laughed it away. Home just before 12, we said our sad goodbyes and headed off to our room to pack up, accidentally falling asleep for a mere half hour we were woken by our 2am call to board our early bus.

Stumbling out, Dan and I were met by Haytham and passed onto another On the Go representative who was to drive us in our private mini van to catch our Ferry into Jordan.

fanny xx