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Middle East Trip - 2008 (2008-08-26 23:45:03)

Wow, I think this is the latest I have ever posted trip pictures before. I can blame a few different factors this year. Namely we had close to 3,000 photos when we got back. The downside of having 4 digital cameras along for the ride.

Anyhow, you can view the main gallery here.

I have pasted a few sample photos below that we really like.

Pyramid At Giza


Beautiful View Of A Temple While On Our Cruise Boat On The Nile


Women Swimming At The Beach On The Red Sea In Jordan


Wadi Rum , Jordan


2,000 Year Old Market In Old Damascus, Syria


Man Hanging Around A Crusader Castle In Syria


Cappadocia Scenery (Turkey)


Scott and Shawna In Front of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey

Super Slimey Hagfish Video (2008-08-08 18:34:23)

My brother-in-law Scott is working on his PhD in Biology and has done some work with hagfish. This is a really cool animal that is capable of producing massive amounts of slime on its body as a defense mechanism to get away from predators.

He recently uploaded a video of it that you can check out. I have embedded it on this page or you can click this link to see the hagfish video.

Hagfish and the Disgusting Slime - More amazing videos are a click away

Istanbul - Turkey (2008-07-26 16:15:34)

Well...we officially experienced the Turkish bath and it was great. It was a little odd at times, but the language barrier did not help either. Basically, you get a sauna, personalized body scrub (actually remove a layer of skin), a hair wash, then massage/chiro treatment, followed by cold shower and sauna. This is all while lounging in a skimpy cotton cloth.

Overnight bus trip to Istanbul went well. We arrived bright and early and then spent the morning touring the Blue Mosque and the more impressive Aya Sofia (old church converted to mosque and now a museum). Had the rest of the day to wander the streets and the Grand Bazaar, which to our surprise felt just like a shopping mall. We wandered along the water front where you could work out in what looks like an adults playground or shoot at cans with pellet guns.

The Sea of Marmara separates the two sides of Istanbul and makes for a nice city landscape. It is actually the dividing line for Europe and Asia (apparentlty Istanbul is the only city in two continents).

We truly felt like we were in Europe as we got to enjoy a meal on a sidewalk patio with flowers, people, smoke, trams, and tons of people about.

Today has been a great last day. We got to see Topkapi Palace which houses lots of jewels and authentic (????) relics. From there we decided to hop a public ferry and cruise up the Bosphorous Strait. This is the channel of water the connects the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea. It is a gorgeous boat ride as you get a good view of the city. We passed a bunch of cruise ships.

Planning on an early dinner and getting off to bed, seeing as our transfer to the airport is booked for 3:30 AM. Fun, fun.

Sad to see the trip end, but Egypt seems like a long time ago and we are ready to get home.

Cappadocia - Turkey (2008-07-24 16:11:59)

Well we had a nıce experıence on the publıc bus from Gazientep to Cappadocıa regıon. Was a long but comfortable bus rıde. Also, there was very nıce scenery along the way whıch was a nice change from the desert landscapes of the last few weeks.

We arrıved Tuesday evenıng into the city of Urgüp. Had some good traditional food on the sidewalk patio before being fogged out by the roving bug spraying mobile. Kınd of funny.

Wedensday was a really busy day as we hit almost every main attraction in this region. Our day started with a hıke through the Red and Rose Valleys. The approxıamately 2hr hike gave us a sunburn along with many unique rock formations to look at. Also tonnes of fruit trees so we enjoyed snatching the odd apricot here and there. Our hike finished at a neat village carved out of the mountain.

From there it was off to see how they make onyx crafts. Then another healthy lunch before heading to one of the underground cities. This was very interesting. City goes down 8 levels and we explored 4 of them. It was bıg enough to house 6000 people and dates back to the 4th century AD. Some tunnels were rather small and squıshy but we emerged wıthout any major claustrophobic meltdowns. The one positive is that it is 13 celcius at all times underground there which was refreshıng.

From there we went to view an area with lots of fairy chımneys (thınk hoodoos with a cap on them). Also visited a winery and an old Greek village.

We topped off our day wıth a Turkish night. There was lots of traditional dancing and a nice variety of delicious food.

Today we hopped on a local bus to go to the Göreme open air museum. This World Heritage site consists of a lot of living areas carved into the mountains along with a large number of churches. Some of them had impressive frescos ın them that have survived quıte well over the years.

Now we are hoping to get ın a Turkish bath before our overnight bus to İstanbul. Sounds like it is a pretty nice time but we wıll have to wait and see.

Into Turkey (2008-07-21 19:26:01)

We have spent that last 2 days in Aleppo in the northern part of Syria. It is similar to Damascus, but definitely not as tidy and picturesque. Cool city nonetheless. We basically spent our time wandering around through the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim parts of the Old City. Lots of really old buildings and some decent shopping. Their outlook is different on ancient structures in Aleppo because everything is super old (an 800 year old family home is no big deal and relatively recent).

Today, we boarded taxis to head to the Turkish border. Our driver seemed to know what was going on, but we sure had our doubts. The whole process took about 2 hours to just cross the border. We stopped about 4 times per sıde to do various tasks. At one point our cab driver felt completely free to go behind the counter and hang out with the customs agents and help them out. Our crossing ended with our passports being used to maximize duty free purchases for the cab driver. Each one of our passports purchased 4 bottles of Jack Danıels (whıskey) and 3 cartons of cıgarettes. We were not sure what was going on until we were told to pick up the bags and carry them through with the instructions, "police...no me". We assumed that meant not to tell the police that it was for him if asked. After talking to a few people in Turkey, ıt sounds like this is normal procedure for taxi drivers. We are learning as we go!

Definitely one of the more amusing border crossings.

We have now arrived in Turkey whıch ıs COMPLETELY DİFFERENT from our last 3 weeks. We are in Gaizentep (south and quite a bit inland). Drivıng through the town we feel we are out of place or in an extremely wealthy suburb. Perspective is everything. Apparently this is a regular town.

İt is a nice change to be able to read the signs, but we still have no idea what they say.

We had a great introduction to Turkish food at lunchtime. We ate like pigs. Turkish pizza (more like a pita with a spread of meat sauce and spices), kebabs, and salads. We were introduced to icim, which is a runny, salty, yoghurt drink...yuck! We will not be drinking it again.

This city claims to be the baklava capital of Turkey. So we went for dessert and ate a lot of sweets.

We think we will really enjoy Turkey as it feels very European and therefore more normal. A easier transition back into North American society.

Syria - Palmyra to Aleppo (2008-07-19 15:10:23)

Headed straight towards paradise... we are talking Iraq. Made it as close as 152Km from the Iraq border, likely as close as we'll get for a while. We were amused by the highway signs pointing to Baghdad and had a stop at the Baghdad cafe. Our destination was the city of Palmyra which is at an oasis in the middle of the desert.

Palmyra looks like an ancient Roman city but has an extensive history. It was actually controlled by the Palmyran people, who had their own language and everything. However, as it was located on the main trade routes for virtually everything it was overtaken numerous times by Romans, Persians, and other groups. The current town is completely supported by visitors to the site, and as such is basically dead during the day. All visits are done at night due to the heat. Reminded us of Egypt heat again. Cool city, massive expanse of ruins.

The next day we drove onto Krak de Chevaliers. This impressive castle rose to fame during the Crusades and experienced many battles as well. This castle is amazing! Very well preserved and massive. Was supposed to house 4000 soldiers, with enough food and water to last for 2 years.

After dining on the "best roasted chicken in Syria" we went to our hotel, which to our suprise, was a new resort at the top of a mountain. Although new, it had some issues. Power outages were regular, walls were chipping off, tiles were already discoloured, and the pillows were rather moldy. Other than that, it's a 5 star hotel! Blessed by the President as well. The view from the hotel was amazing as we could see the castle across the valley. We have forgot to mention that our breakfasts lately have consisted of pita bread, hummus, taziki, olives, and sometimes strawberry jam. Definitely unique. Other items that are served we are not sure how to describe so we generally avoid.

Today we headed on to Aleppo. The second largest city in Syria. We stopped in Hama. A city that was devestated by a battle in the 80's. There is still a section of the old town left to wander through. They have really neat water wheels used for irrigation.

Now we are in Aleppo. Staying in an old 17th century mansion that is now converted into a hotel. It is part of the original wall of the old city. Once again, we have found even better tasting and cheaper shwarmas, so life is good. Beards are getting long so we must be getting closer to the trip's end.

Syria - Damascus (2008-07-16 22:17:37)

Ok, yesterday we left Amman bright and early to take a public bus to Damascus. It was a short trip, made long only by the numerous stops and border crossing. After appeasing the grumpy border man in Syria, we were on our way. We didn't have a hotel name or phone number so he was upset. This also caused a minor delay when we arrived as we were supposed to be met at the bus stop by a guide of some sort, but he never showed up. We eventually made our way to the hotel and there was a reservation for us so everything was fine.

Spent the afternoon relaxing and wandering around the area of our hotel. There are many many shops in this area. This was more like real shopping, not just nick nacks. We tested out the Syrian shwarmas (sandwhich like item) as well as their sweets for dinner. Rather yummy indeed. Spent some time enjoying the view from our roof top patio in the evening. The city climbs the surrounding hills and looks neat.

This morning we did eventually meet up with our guide and headed for the old city. It is spectacular and incredibly old. In fact, this is supposed to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world along with Jericho and one other that we forget (think it is Aleppo). They claim to have found remains from the city dating back to 9000 BC. There have been so many civilisations here that whenever they do construction they find about 33 layers of history from modern times to waaaaaay back when.

Wandering the city we stopped in at a school and then a bath house. From there it was on to the Shiite mosque where many Iranians visit every day. This is a Sunni country but there is a shiite mosque in the old city. Lets just say the place was rather intense. People wailing, beating themselves, kissing everything, throwing everything imaginable at this shrine, praying in front of holy mud, and many other things. We all felt a bit weirded out by the whole thing. Definitely worth seeing and something completely different. The strictest place in terms of women being covered as well that we have seen yet.

After that, the second Sunni mosque seemed rather tame. Much larger, still impressive, but not as much activity. Here's something we never knew, in the mosque, there is a tomb for John the Baptist, just his head! At one point it was in a church and is now part of the mosque. We also saw the tomb of Saladin (who defeated the crusaders). So yeah, pretty cool stuff.

The houses in Old Damascus are very impressive with a central courtyard and fountain. Many of them now have restaurants in the courtyard, and that is where we ate lunch. Tried some new dishes. After that we visited one of the oldest known churches dating back to the first century AD, it is basically an underground cellar, as Christianity was forbidden them and they had to hide out.

Then spent time wandering through the old town markets. There are 3000 shops. In Islam they have this interesting thing where shop space is given for free in exchange for a tax. It is a complicated system related to tribute paid that will require us to fill you in later....if you care but it is neat. We went to a famous ice cream stand, presidents always stop there we hear. Had to devour a huge cone of hand made ice cream covered in pistachio nuts as it melted in the heat (a mild 40C or so today). Delicious and filling. It was pretty neat shopping in an area that has been used as a market for over 2000 years.

Still getting many looks, think they are just for the girls, even lots of people wanting pictures, there really is no blond hair here. Also, the Iran vistors are definitely the most conservative we have seen, all the women in all black. We have a lot of interesting info on this country, but we are not sure about censurship of emails etc, particularly as we are being blocked from a number of websites, so that info will wait till later. But overall, it seems like a great place to see and everyone is really friendly.

Amman Jordan (2008-07-14 21:13:55)

Left Petra to head along the King's highway towards Amman. This is the oldest continuous trade route in the world and is supposed to be where Moses passed by as well on his way through this area. We were shown a rock with a spring coming out of it that is supposed to be the same rock that Moses struck to bring water. It is still flowing today and provides much of the water for the city of Petra. One of Jordan's main attractions is numerous geographical bible locations.

Our first stop was a castle from the Crusades. Impressive on a high point. Then we were onto a church in the town of Madaba which had a nifty mosaic floor that was a map of the middle east. This mosaic dated back to the Byzantine time around 6th century AD.

Amman is great. It is reffered to as the white city as all of the buildings are made out of white limestone. A good look. It is a very modern city with lots of money driving around. They claim it to be the most modern city of the arabic lands. We wandered downtown, saw a 5000 seat Roman theatre, bargained for goods, ate supper, then pigged out on some of the most delicious "sweets" ever. We never knew goat cheese desserts can be so lovely. The interesting difference in Jordan is that everything seems very orderly. People actually drive slow, stop for pedestrians, avoid their horns, stay in their lanes for the most part, and there are numerous police to enforce strict traffic laws. They love the King here. He has absolute power and his picture is all over the place.

Since the fall of the Iraqi regime, approximately 750 000 Iraqis have flooded into Jordan. As the population is under 6 million, that is now about 1 in 10 people. Some very rich, some poor, but overall it has put a large strain on the local Jordanian landscape. Inflation went up, jobs snatched away etc. It was interesting to learn that since the late Jordanian King did not condemn Iraq during the first gulf war (he wanted to remain completely neutral) Iraq in turn had provided Jordan with free oil. This ended with the recent fall of the Iraqi regime and that is now a shock to the people here as well.

Today we headed to the Roman city of Jerash. This was a fantastic place and is supposed to be the most well preserved Roman city outside of Rome. The theatre was the highlight as we could play around with the acoustics. Those Romans had some things figured out pretty well. If Roman history is your thing...GO!

Then it was off to a resort on the Dead Sea which is 400m below sea level. We could see across to the West bank (of the Jordan River) or Palestine and as well you could catch a glimpse of Jerusalem and Jericho in Israel. The Dead Sea we would have to say is one of the coolest things we have ever done. It's just amazing! You go in, it's hotter than a bathtub, and you float. And I mean you float. You cannot stand up without being turned onto your stomach or back. Even another person trying can not sink you. Some poor unfortunate people got the water in their eyes and mouth...yuck is an understatement. Then of course you just go to the shallow regions and scoop out the quicksand like mud, lather up, stand around like idiots while letting it dry, rinse off and look 10 years younger. Your skin literally feels like a baby's bottom. There are such large chunks of salt in the mud that exfloiating can go a bit too far. Particularly when you get back into the sea, and it lets you know right away about every cut or scrape on your body. Simply stunning.

We have just returned from gorging ourselves on schwarmas (while preventing the girls from dragging us to the westernized Mecca Mall) which are kind of like donairs with lamb meat. 7 shwarmas and 4 pops was about 5 bucks. Sitting in a park in the middle of a traffic circle was endless entertainment. There are not many tourists here and we draw some serious attention. Almost caused a couple of accidents as people would stare at us while driving by. Many hellos out the windows and the occasional wink. Everyone is extremely friendly and welcoming and we've felt completely at ease our whole time in Jordan. Our driver initially gave us concern as he was introduced by the name Jihad. We assumed it was a language barrier but then he spelt it our for us as well...still Jihad. Needless to say, he has been great and we've had a good chuckle at his name. It is a great place to visit and we would recommend it to anyone.

Wadi Rum and Petra (2008-07-12 19:01:52)

We woke up early in Aqaba yesterday. Unfortunately Shawna and Neil weren't feeling that great, so Cheryl and Scott were the only two that got to go snorkeling in the Red Sea. A bunch of neat fish and clear blue water. According to the Aussies they were with, it is better than what they see down under. We'll have to check that out ourselves someday.

Headed to Wadi Rum desert. This is where Lawrence of Arabia hung out and organized the Arab revolt against the Turks in the early 1900's. Cool rock structures and lots of sand dunes and heat. We rode in the back of rickety 4x4's that we are sure would not have passed inspections! We also hung out in a bedouin (desert nomads) tent with locals who made us tea. Very cool.

We arrived in Petra that evening and fine dined on a balcony with wedding fireworks and some VERY loud prayer calls in the background.

Today was spent in the ancient lost city of Petra. We were all very impressed. UNESCO declared it a world heritage site in 1985 and it is now considered one of the modern seven wonders of the world. It is a series of tombs and buildings that have elaborate facades carved into the mountains. This city belonged to the Nabateans who were of Saudi/Yemen decent. These people became very rich and powerful as they controlled the major trade routes through the region.

It was a very long day as we walked 4 km in and 4km out...plus the guys decided to climb another couple kilometres to see the monastery. All-in-all, a fabulous site and one of the highlights for this country.

Enjoyed the pool at the hotel as it is absolutely freezing cold. Also did a city tour which took about 10 minutes. Reminds you of Chemainus.

Aqaba - Jordan (2008-07-10 22:21:02)

We left Cairo bright and early a couple days ago and headed for the Sinai peninsula. You take a tunnel underneath the Suez canal and you are on the peninsula. We followed the Red Sea coast for awhile as we headed south. Water is beautiful and clear. Saw some oil wells both on land and offshore.

Headed inland...talk about barren. Seems like there is almost no vegetation or anything living. Arrived at St. Catherine's seven hours after leaving Cairo. This is a town that is basically just hostels.

Cheryl and Shawna were quite happy to see the biggest pool yet at our hostel and went for a dip in the afternoon. Meanwhile, Scott fended off the pet cats living at the hostel that were mangy and "disgusting" as he put it.

Our perception of hot weather has changed a bit as we kept commenting on how cool it was in St. Catherines...even thought it was 38.

That evening we climbed Mount Sinai to see the sunset at the top. We were under the impression that it was relatively easy, but that turned out to be not true. 2 and a half hours to the top and the final 900 metres of elevation is over 700 sketchy stairs...and you have to realize that we are walking through dust and rock with nothing to give you shade.

The hike down was even more fun as it turns pitch black and we all had headlamps to help with the descent. This only took an hour and a half. Unfortunately, a few people got left behind and a bit lost coming back, so there were some irate tourists back at the bus. There was a guide...but he seemed to disappear once we reached the top. We felt out doorsy and not even remotely inclined to do it again. This is believed to be the mountain where Moses ascended and was given the ten commandments. The monastery at the bottom supposedly has the original burning bush as well...hmmmm not sure if we believe that.

Needless to say, we were quite knackered as our British friends would say once we got back to the hostel. We pigged out on a late dinner and then socialized in a bedouin tent.

Today was interesting. Left around 10 AM for Nuweiba where there is a port on the Red Sea and a Hydrofoil that takes you to Jordan. We were warned that we may have to wait, and wait, and wait before getting on this ferry. However, we managed to get on to it right away. Took about an hour to depart once we loaded, 45 minutes to cross, and about 3 hours to finally get out of the boat and customs when we reached the other side. Scott was designated tour leader for the ride and was held responsible for everyone's passports and he even got to go shake the captain's hand. They took our passports on the boat and we were wondering the whole time where those were. It was chaos the whole time and customs consisted of our guide calling the police, who didn't feel like showing up, so they just let us through (because they trusted us)!

We are in Aqaba now. A small city on the ocean. We just dined on falafel and kofta, which was the best food we had yet. We all ate for less than 7 JD (US $10). We are in a brand new hotel and from the windows we can see the south Israeli coast. Aqaba just sits in a sliver of Jordanian land that is minutes by car from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Israel.

All for now.