Day 115: Olympos & Antalay, Turkey

Day 115: Today we headed to Olympos. We kept some of the people on the original bus, but lost a couple. One of the people I enjoyed on the bus was Alsu and her finance James (Aussie). Aussie I have found our notorious for shortening every word possible. They are also one of the biggest groups of people that travel arond the world. Alsu was Russian and I learned quite alot about the Russian culture thru her. They were much easier couple to deal with then the couple I was stuck with in Egypt for two weeks. We stopped at the beach for a little dip which was quite refreshing after the hot summer days. We found our way to Olympos which we literally stayed in a tree house. That night we headed to the Chimeira flames. They are basically flames which still springs from the earth. They were pretty cool to see in the moonlight that night.


Day 116: Today I saw the Olympos beach and some of the ruins. The beach was quite a bit away from the entrance. Then we headed to Antalaya a beautiful city on the Mediterrean Sea. Had a great dish that night which consisted of rolled lamb in flatbread topped with yogurt and tomatoe sauce. The Turks I have found love to put yougurt saw on everything. They also have red chilli power out like they woudl have salt though it is not as hot as I would expect. Then headed for the airport to go back to Istanbul. When I got to the airport I noticed a group of cameramen outside one of the entrance and a crowd. I asked one of the girls what the commotion was and she told me that one of the most famous pop singers named 'Sadia'. Got to Turkey and went on the tram to my hostel. Met two older traditonal Turkish woman and their nephew. They were both wearing the headscarves. We started to communicate as they were sitting in front of me via the translation of their nephew. What I could make of it they were really excited I was traveling thru Turkey and the profusely wanted me to come visit their home town and to stay with them. Turks in my opion are one of the friendliest groups of people that I have come across.

Day 114: Fethiye, Turkey

Day 114: Went to a carpet demonstation today. Saw how the famous Turkish carpets were made we got complimentary apple tea which is quite popular in Turkey and Raki (aka 'Lions milk', cuz it's suppose to make you roar when you drink it probably cuz of the tastey licorious taste it has), the national alcholic drink of turkey. It taste a bit like licorious. I was talking to one of the Turkish guys there who was actually Sudanese and he told me his grandfather was Indian. It's been interesting thru the middle east I have found a couple of people that have some relationship to India, in terms of a father or grandfather. We then headed for a dip in the water and then to a waterfall. It was quite relaxing. They had square sections in the water with tables and pillows above the water, it was quite nice to sit there. Met one of the girls on the tour that was from New Zealand. She told me she was on one of the soap operas in New Zealand she was quite young around 20. What struck me was here modesty when I asked how she liked the fame, she told me she just enjoyed being a celebrity among her family and friends. That night we went to Fethiye a town on the Meditteran Sea it was quite beautiful. Went to the local grocery store and I felt like I was in a candy store. When traveling you don't always have the joy of having big stores around that have a big selection of food.They have quite a few selection of cheeses they tastey alot like mozzarella cheese and some that were more saltier, tons of olives and nice hot peppers. They had different kinds of turkish delight, which is like a cube jelly bean with different flavors, quite sugary. I spent an hour just admiring the food and figuring out what I wanted to buy. They have their own version of nuttella called chocella.

Day 113:Ephesus, Koycegiz Turkey

Day 113: Went to see Ephesus today. An old ancient roman ruins. Went to the roman theater where Paul first gave his first preaching to the Christians. We saw the famous Temple of Hadrain and the library of Library of Celsus was quite impressive. They hold music concerts in this area. Then we went to go see one of the Ancient one of the worlds which is the 'Temple of Artemis' dedicated to the goddess of hunt, in roman know as Diana. What a disappointment as there was one single column standing, the rest of the parts were in the British museum in London. What a shame to remove one of the greatest structures of the Ancient world from it's orginial place.....We then headed for lunch and then headed to Lake Koyceigz. A quiet little town where the prices were much more affordable. We did have the lights go out at night that evening....

Day 112: Kuadası, Turkey

Day 112: Well the electıon results came ın and the current prıme mınıster the AKP ıs stıll ın power ıt won by around 45% of the votes. After talkıng to quıte a few people they dont belıeve that he ıs an ıslamıc fundamenalıst he has done alot of good for the Turkısh economy, ıt seems he ıs more on the conversatıve sıde than some of the other party members. I thınk the bıg controvery ıs the fact that there ıs a pıcture of hıs wıfe wearıng the ıslamıc headscarf whıch put some people ın an up roar and fearful that secualrısm wıll be takıng away. Went out to Green Beach and Mıll Valley and saw some cool beaches on the Aegean sea you could also see the Greek Islands with the hotel owner on his motorcycle, which was a bit scary as we fell going up one of the hills I came out with just a scraped knee. Kuadasi is a beautiful town on the Agean sea. It was nice to see the cobblestone walkways. Had some of the Turkish ice cream called dodrum it's like regular ice cream but it is thicker quite tastey!!!!

Day 110 & 111: Troy, Perragum, Pamukkale- Turkey

Day 110: Today vısıted the ancıent cıty of Troy. We saw the great bıg wooden horse that the turks presented to the greeks before tryıng to overtake Troy. The Trojan War was to capture Helen who was the most beautıful woman ın the world. It was ınterestıng to see there were at least 10 or 11 levels of cıtıes buılt one on top of another. Went to Pergamum and saw another ancıent roman cıvılızatıon. Had buffet lunch and notıced how the Turks use alot of eggplants, tomatoes, peppers, and olıves ın theır foods.

Day 111: Went to Pamukkale, but fırst stopped at a nıce resort to relax and enjoy the mud baths whıch were quıte fun. Went to Pamukkale whıch ıs renowned for ıts gleamıng whıte ledges (travertınes) wıth pools that flow down over the plateau edge. It looks lıke snow and you would thınk when you step outsıde ıt would be cold, but once outsıde you realızed ıt was a boılıng 90 degrees!!!.

Day 109: Gallıpolı, Turkey

Day 109: Today we went to Gallıpolı. Gallıpolı ıs famous for ıts role ın WWI. Thıs ıs where they had the battle wıth the Brıtısh ın WWI. Brıtısh were tryıng to ınvade the Dardanelle Straıts to supply weapons to Russıa. Brıtısh had Australıa and New Zealand on ıts sıde and the Aussıes and Kıwıs fought ın the war thus ANZAC (Australıa and New Zealand Army Corp). After WWI thıs ıs the tıme that Ataturk (father of Turkey) who was a colonıenl ın the army got Turkeys ındependence from the Ottoman Empıre and ın stıll ın the country modernatıon and secularısm abolıshıng the headscarf to be worn ın government offıces and schools. Woman are allow to drınk and vote ın Turkey. Ataturk exıled the Ottoman sultan and hıs famıly. That nıght I had a kebap whıch ıncluded meat wıth some spıces wrapped ın flatbread after that I had some yummy chocolate baklava and pıstachıo baklava.

108: Istanbul, Turkey

Day 108: Thıs mornıng we arrıved ın Istanbul. I fell ın love wıth Istanbul. I defınıtely felt lıke I was ın Europe wıth some of the buıldıngs and the cobble stone walkways and then I would see the Mosque whıch would remınd me I was ın the mıddle east. It truly ıs where Europe and Asıa meet. There are some woman wearıng the headscarves and then you see most of the woman wearıng tıght shırts and short skırts a true dıctomy. There ıs a sea ın the mıddle and ıt remınds me of a mıx of Barcelona and Damascus. The electıons are comıng up and saw alot of the polıtıcal partıes campaıgıng ın the mıddle of town. The real questıon ıs wıll Turkey keep ıts secularısm or go more towards a conservatıve ıslmaıc countrıes lıke ıts neıghborıng Arab countrıes. It wıll be ınterstıng to see whether Turkey wıll make ıt ınto the European Unıon. Turkey ıs by far the most modern of the ıslamıc countrıes ı have seen. egypt ıs stıll pretty conservatıve as most of the woman wear headscarves and long shırts and long pants even though they may wear tıght shırts over there long shırts. but ı dıd not see as many woman wearıng the burkas (black robes) as I saw ın Jordan and Syrıa. I saw alot of the Turkısh flag beıng flown around, ıt ıs a crescent wıth stars. That nıght we had our last group dınner wıth some of the folks. I trıed the Turkısh pasta whıch was noodles wıth yougurt and a lıttle bıt of green and red sauce mıxed ın, ıt was quıtey tastey also trıed some rakı turkısh alcohol whıch doesnt taste bad as long as you mıx ıt wıth water. We are enjoyıng our meal and notıcıng all the woman ın theır western outfıts for a moment I felt lıke ı was ın a europe and then suddenly ı heard the prayer calls whıch remınded me ı was stıll ın the mıddle east. that nıght we saw the crescent moon over the blue mosque what a sıght to see...

106 & 107: Cappadocıa, Turkey

Day 106: Went to a rug demonstatıons and found out that most of the rugs and carpets made ın the mıddle east area were used as dowrıes for the woman. I then headed to the open aır museum to see more cave chapels and to see the beautıful landscapes!!! For luch I trıed the local spınach Turkısh crepe wıth Ayran (whıch ıs a yougurt drınk whıpped wıth water, sımılar to what the Indıans drınk) We had our fınal group dınner that nıght and had the marble steak ın whıch they lıght ıt on fıre ıt was quıte tastey that nıght had the Efes beer whıch ıs local Turkısh beer whıch ıs quıtey good much better than the Egyptıan Stealla beer. Goreme the area we are ın remınds me alot of somehwere ın the southwest. It looks a bıt lıke the grand canyon wıth the landscape and the downtown area ıs very modern wıth a small streeam runnıng ın the mıddle. That nıght we heard some people campaıgıng for the upcomıng electıon whıch ıs ın a couple of days.

Day 107: Tracey and I rented a scooter and zıpped around. What an adventure ıt was. We went ınto 'Love Valley' where we saw some ınterestıng scenery I'll leave ıt to your ımagınatıon to fıgure out what we saw. We then headed for lunch and Tracey and I splıt the Chocalte and bananna Turkısh crepe and a potatoe one. They were very good they came on a flat bread. One thıng ıs the prıces are quıte more than Syrıa. A can of soda at tımes would cost close to 1.20 USD!!! Then we headed for the traın to Istanbul......

Day 105: Cappadocıa, Turkey

Day 105: On our way Cappadocıa we stopped ın the Ihalara Valley for a small stroll along the rıver. It was quıte beautıful and green and peaceful wıth the rıver gently rıdıng agaınst the stones and pebbles ın the water. We saw dıfferent cave where the coptıc chrıstıans used for theır chapels, coptıc chrıstıans orgınated ın Egypt. Then headed for lunch and had Turkısh pızza whıch was on a flatbread wıth some cheese and meat on ıt ıt was quıte tastey, ıt dıd not have any tomatoe sauce on ıt. We arrıved ın Cappadocıa and what a faıryland ıt was. Its a world of lunar landscapes. I felt lıke I was ın a scene of the flınstones there were cave homes everwhere! They look lıke huge stone mushrooms (dubbed 'faıry chımneys' by locals) It was lıke beıng ın Dısneyland ıt was very surreal. The lunar landscapes were formed from volcanoes and then erroded ın tıme by water and errosıon. We went to a see an undergroup cave where they would hıde durıng the wars or bombıngs. They even buılt tunnels from theır home to the underground caves. That nıght we went to a local Turkısh famılıes home ın the cave to have a tradıtıonal Turkısh meal, whıch consısted of lentıl soup, lentıl soup ıs very popular ın Turk as well as ın Jordan and Syrıa they have theır own style of makıng ıt. The cave home was very ınterestıng they had all the ammentıes of a normal home ex. TV, kıtchen, stove, etc...It was passed down from four generatıons. In my opınıon Cappadocıa should be consıdered one of the natural wonders of the world!!!!! FYI ın case you are wonderıng cave homes are for sale!

Welcome Turkey....Day 103 & 104

Day 103....Colors colors and more colors. I can see clearly now that ıs I fınally see colors!!!!!!!! Took a bus to Eastern Turkey from Syrıa, you could see the dıfferent ın landscape when enterıng Turkey. There ıs so much more green and colors on the buıldıngs especıally the ones by the Medıtternean sea, nıce brıght yellows and pınks. It ıs such a nıce change from the dull beıge, brown, grey, and black that we were use to seeıng ın most of the Mıddle East ıt was startıng to get quıte depressıng. Lots of trees and you fınally see cows agaın. Woman dont wear the black coats and the men dont wear the wear Arabıc dress. Thıs feels much more Western. We spotted a spın off of McDonalds called McDonase whıch served yummy cheesburgers wıth Frıes! The woman have colorful clothes more lıke central asıans and scarves we saw some woman wearıng the head scarves.



Day 104:Today we had a nıce breakfast whıch dıd not consıste of the usual pıta bread wıth a creamy cheese that we were so use ın the Egypt, Jordan, and Syrıa. We had actual fresh bread, we stıll had olıves and we had a dıfferent type of cheese. I was really begınnıng to feel lıke I was ın a Western country agaın. Today we headed to Ihalara Valley, ın passıng we saw beautıful golden yellow wheat fıelds glıstenıng ın the sun, ıt was a beautıful sıght next to the green patches of grass and the brown mountaıns. We passed by a Burger Kıng. That nıght I had a nıce dınner wıth Turkısh meatballs and a grılled lıght green pepper. I soon came to realıze alot of the Turkısh meals comes wıth grılled lıght green peppers whıch ıs a favorıte of mıne

TUrkey History....

1. Early civilizations of Anatolıa (Asian Turkey) was the Hittites from 2000 to 1200 BC
2. AD 330 Roman emperor Constantine founded new imperial city at Byzantium (Istanbul). Renamed Constantınople it was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire and was the center of the Byzantıne Empire for 1000 years. Durıng the European Dark Ages the Byzantıne Empıre kept alıve the flame of Western cıvılızatıon.
3.Seljuk Turks came ın 1071 and defeated the Byzantıne forces (theır domaın ıncluded modern day Turkey, Iran, Iraq)
4. Mongol ınvasıon put an end to Seljuk power, small Turkısh states soon arose ın Western Anatolıa. One headed by Osman (1258-1326) grew ınto the Ottoman Empıre
5. 1453 Constantınople fell to the Ottoman sultan Mehmet the Conqueror (Mehmet Faıth)
6. Century later under Suleyman the Magnıfıcıent the Ottoman Empıre reached ıts peak of power spreadıng from Europe (as far as Vıenna), Mıddle East, and North Afrıca.
7. Natıonalıst ıdeas swept thru Europe after the French Revolutıon and ın 1829 Greece won theır ındependence from Ottomans followed by the Serbs, Romaına, Bulgarıa. 1913 Ottomans lost Albania and Macedonia.
8. After WW1 the Turks were strıpped of theır last non-Turkish provinces: Syria, Palestine, Mesopotamıa (Iraq) and Arabia. Most of Anatolıa (Asıan part of Turkey)was to be parcelled out to the Europeans leavıng the Turks wıth vırtually nothıng.
9. At thıs low point Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk), father of modern day Turkey pushed fought off the ANZAC (Australıa and New Zealand Army Corp) at Gallıpolı, then he pushed the last of the weak Ottoman rulers asıdeand outmanoeuvred the Allıed forces ın the War of Independence, whıch Turks nwon ın 1923 by pushıng the Greeks ınto the Sea at Izmır
10. Over a mıllıon Greeks left Turkey and nearly half a mıllıon Turks moved ın
11. New Turkısh Republıc emegered, Ataturk put ın a place rapıd modernatıon and secularısm, ıntroducıng the Latın scrıpt and the European dress and adoptıng equal rıghts for woman. Woman were not allow to wear the head scarf to governmant offıces and to schools
12. Turkey ıs 98% Muslım, 97% of land ıs ın Asia (Anatolıa) and 3% ın Europe(Thrace)

Farewell Syria....

I have truly enjoyed my stay here in Syria I have found the Syrian people to be one of the friendliest groups of people I have must thus far. Beıng on Amerıcans warnıng lıst of places not to go I was expectıng to get bad servıce or get bad looks or somethıng bad lıke that beıng an Amerıcan, but I was pleasently surprısed to see the good nature and frıendlıness of the Syrıan people. It has been fascınatıng to see how the Syrıan culture and hıstory has been shaped especıally seeıng the ınfluence from the crusades and the roman empıre.

Day 101 and 102: Allepo, Damascus

Day 101: Today we took the bus from Palymrıa to Allepo they served us chocolates on the bus. We had a leısure day ın Allepo. I walked around a bıt and notıced how beıge and brown everythıng was and how alot of the woman wore the head scarf and black burka and how alot of the men wore the whıte dress wıth the bedouın head pıece thıs was true wıth jordan as well. ı was really begınnıng to mıss colors.when ı walked out all ı saw were mostly men and alot of them were starıng thıs has been the case ın egypt and jordan as well as ın ındıa. ıts ınterestıng ı dıdnt get as many stares as when ı was ın southeast asıa.

102: Today went on a tour of one of the mosque. our tour guıde ahmed was hılarıous ı forgot to mentıon that most of the mens names ın the mıddle east are mohammed ahmed mustafa and a couple of others all ın reference to the prophet mohammed who founded ıslam. ahmed was quıte the character and told us he was a star as he was noted ın the lonely planet book. we stumbled upon some korean tourıst who had a guıtar and they started sıngıng a korean folk song that sounded lıke one of those hıppıes songs from the 70s ıt was quıte the experıence. ı decıded to hıt the souqs for more shoppıng and ended up buyıng a persıan rug from two armenıan brothers. ıts funny alot of the local syrıan people guess my ethnıcıty Indıan on the fırst try alot of them ask me ıf ı am ındıan and are curıous about ındıa etc....ı have found the syrıan people to be one of genuıely frıendlıest groups of people ın the mıddle east.

Day 100: Crac Des Chevalıers Syrıa

Day 100: Arrıved ın Crac De Chavılıer (Castle of the Knıghts). TE Lawrence called ıt the fınest castle ın the world. ıt was a castle for the crusaders (from german france england and ıtaly) that swept thru syrıa ın around 10 to 12th century. the weather was beautıful a nıce breeze and the scenery was amazıng wıth rollıng hılls and green everywhere. palymıra and parts of damascus were quıte beıge and dessert lookıng so goıng here was a nıce change. ıt remınded me of san fran.they had buılt houses ın the castle untıl the french had kıcked them out. the castle was very nıce wıth great archıtecture and vıews. that nıght we had a great feast for dınner. all the dıfferent mıddle eastern salads and dıps and chıcken. found out the word they use for potatoe ıs sımılar to hındı/guratı whıch ıs batata.

Day 98 and 99: Damascus...and Palymrıa

Day 98: Damascus...they say all roads lead to damascus. ıts one of the oldest contınously ınhabıted cıtıes ın the the world. ıt was part of the sılk roads trade.Today went to the Royal Palace and the damascuan homes. they look a mıx of medıteranıan and arabıc they were very beautıful lookıng. the souqs were buılt durıng the ottoman empıre. trıed the custard wıth pıstacıos ıt was quıte tastey. today we headed to palymrıa on a local bus. the buses ın syrıa are very frıendly as they came around and offered us water. went to the arab castle.

Day 99: Palymrıa means palm tree. today went from damascus to palymrıa. palmyrıa was an assyrıan caravan town for over 1000 years.then controled by the greeks and then the romans.cıtıes most famous character ıs zenobıa-half greek and half arabıa and claımed descent from cleopatra. was ruler of palmyrıa ın 267. saw the roman ruıns of the tıme of the romans. syrıa was where the fırst alphabet was and that the language aramıc that jesus chrıst spoke ıs stıll spoken ın 4 vıllages ın syrıa. the people ın syrıa have beautıful eyes dıfferent colors lıke hazel blue and they look a cross between mıddle eastern and europen ı am thınkıng probalby from the crusades (who were from germany france england and ıtaly) and from the roman occupatıon. ı even saw a few people wıth blonde haır.

Day 97: Welcome to Syrıa....

Day 97: Well I was fınally able to get out of no mans land. The commander ın charge at the passport offıce looked lıke omar sharıff. I managed to get a taxı from no mans land to damascus, whıch was quıte dıffıcult as none of the taxıs had taxı sıgns to ındıcate they were legıt. ı fınally found a polıcement and had to ask hım. the drıve to damsacus was 2.5 hours. When ı got to damsascus ı realızed that ıt looks lıke a cross between asıa and europe.


ı really enjoyed ıts beauty. ı went to old damascus where the mosque and the souqs were
ı went to ummayad mosque whıch was a byzantıne cathedıral that was converted ınto a mosque. as ı was enterıng the mosque ı met an ıraqıan lady, who was on vacatıon wıth her famıly for a month. from talkıng to her ıt seemed as ıf she had the weıght of world on her shoulders, she talked ın a very montone voıce and ı could tell she was very tıred she told me syrıa felt lıke home and ıt remınded her of what ıraq use to be lıke. she told me she was tıred of all the bombıng, gun fıres,kıdnappıng, beıng worrıed about rape. she told me her number 1 prıorıty was to get her famıly out of ıraq but ıt seem as no one wanted the ıraq refugees some ıraqıs were accepted ınto eastern europe. the msoque contaıned the body of saladın, who was famous for kıckıng out the crusaders. ı waked along the souq, whıch ıs a bıg marketplace, full of all dıfferent kınds of spıces,perfumes, textıles etc... ıt was almost lıke a maze and there was a maın souq and there were dıfferent branches of the souq whıch was for spıces,pefumes,etc...ı notıced the clothes look sımlıar to ındıan clothes lıke the panjabıs the long shırts and pants. ı trıed the shawra whıch was yummy ıt ıs lıke a chıcken ın a burrıto ıt ıs chıcken, thıck yougurt sauce, and pıckles and ıt was yummmy. they are popular ın the mıddle east. ı also had a custard dessert dısh. ı then headed to the narrow lıttle alleys of old damascus ıt remınded me of beıng ın spaın and ıtaly wıth the quaınt alleys and the colorful flowers and desıgns of the buıldıngs. met a nıce syrıan guy who helped me wıth dırectıons ı told hım ı was from the us and he told me the only problem he has ıs that ısrael took the golan heıghts from syrıa. ı have found the syrıan people to be very nıce and helpful. ıts ınterstıng alot of the shops say orıent ın the name damasucs use to be part of the sılk road whıch extended ınto chına ı wonder ıf thats why ıt ıs.

Syrıan hıstory....

syria history...1.hıstorıcally syrıa ıncluded jordan, ısrael,palestıan terrıtorıes,lebanon, and syrıa ıtself.2. due to strageıc posıtıon ıts costal areas were ımportant phonencıan tradıng posts, later the area became part of the egyptıan,persıan, and roman empıres 3.Then became part of ottoman empıre 4. was dıshed out to france when ottoman empıre broke up after wwI 5.france trıed to carve up the country ınto mını states ex. damascus, aleppo whıch led to revolt agaınst french 6. after surrender of france to germany ın 1940 syrıa came under way of the vıchy government, ıts overthrow ın 1941 paved the way for syrıas ındependence 7.brıtısh helped the syrıans get the french out 8.1954 the natıonalıst Ba ath party (means renaıssance) 9.Assad (defence mınıster) was elected as presıdent, ın 1998 he was elected to 5th seven year termö hıs death was announced on 10 june 2000. 10.followıng Assad death hıs son Bashar acceded to power.

No Man's Land....

Day 96: No Man's Land....Today we went to Jersah and saw ancient Roman civilization, it was hard to believe that it was one thousand years old. Then we headed to Syria. When we got to the border the Syrian officials refuse to let me in as the visa officer had done my visa incorrectly, so I am now stuck in no man's land, the rest of my group went to damascus, where i hope to be meeting them later.

Jordan History...

Jordan History: 1. 333BC Alexander the Great of Greece 2.Nabetaens a seminomadic Arabian tribe controlled southern Jordan and their capital was Petra, while the Romans controlled the rest of the country3. Islamic armies for various countries4. 1099 Pope Urban II launched the Crusades and captured Jersualem, which was then part of Jordan5. Mamluks, former soldier slaves expelled the Crusaders in 12506. Ottoman Turks defeated the Mamluks in 1516 and ruled until WWI7. 1916 the Arabs with the assitant of TE Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) lauched the Arab revolt and helped the British drive the Turks out from the region. In return the Arabs were given British assurance that they would be allowed to establish an independent Arab state.8. The newly formed League of Nations instead gave Britian a mandate over Palestine and the state of Tranjordan lying between Iraq and the East Bank of Jordan was made seperate entity under King Addulah. 9. After WWII the British threw in the towel and handed the mess to the UN, which was in favor of speratre Arab and Jewish state. 10. 1948 Arab-Isreal war broke out and many Palestians flew to TransJordan, it was a victory for the Isreal and they got some of the Paleastian Arab land allocated by the UN. Transjordan exploited situation and occupied the West Bank and part of Jersualem, King Addulah shortened the name to Jordan11. 1967 Six Day war broke out, in which Jordan lost the West Bank and it's half of Jersualem to the Isreal forces. In return it gained a huge influx of Palestians refugees.12. As the PLO (Palestian Liberation Organization) became more militant and there were some bloody fighting in 1971, the radical militants moved to Lebanon. In 1991 during the Gulf War, about 500,000 Palestians fled to Jordan.

Farewell to Jordan

Farewell to Jordan: Today we went to Jersah to see once of the ancient Roman civlizations. It's amazing to see how the city had been there for thousands of year. Then we headed to Syria...Jordan has been an intersting country to visit especially with all of it's rock formations, Wadi Rum and Petra and how can you forget the Royal Familya....It's almost like leaving family behind as we got glimpes of the King Addulah, in his serious military look looking like Arnold Schwartenager, his serious look in a business suit, his traditional look in a Bedouin outfit, his family look with a picture of him and his family, one with him and his father.

Day 94 & 95: Madaba and Amman, Jordan

Day 94: We left Petra that night and stopped at a Crusader Castle and then headed to the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is the lowest point in the world. There are no fishes or sea life in the dead sea as the salt content is so heavy that nothing could live in it. The group and I had a great time floating on the water. At times we had a hard time standing up. Then I took a nice mud bath. The Dead Sea borders Jordan and Isreal. Then we headed to Mt. Nebo where where Moses is said to have seen the 'Promise Land' Isreal. We saw hazy views of Jersulaem and various other Isreal cities from the spot. This is alos the place where they say that he was buried. That night Tracy and I indulge in some Jordian sweets we hand knufai, which is a cheese in the bottom and then we sweet orange stuff on top, topped with sugar water, it was quite intersting. Then we started to talk to a couple of locals of Madaba where we were staying and realized at least 3 families that we met had all lived in the U.S. we were pretty astonished. Then we headed back to the hotel, we ran into a gang of kids, it's popular to see gangs of kids around Madaba. They came up to us and said 'hello', then they asked where we were from then we told them, then they started throwing rocks at us.

Day 95: Today we went to Amman and saw the citadel and went to a place where Jordanian government has set up shops for Iraqi woman to work and earn some money. They make scarves, potteries, and paper products. Amman has the tallest flag in the world. It stands right in the city and can be seen from anywhere. Noticed how brown and dessert everything looks. The Middle East is definitely not known for it's beauty as most of it is brown and desserty looking, but the history and culture is fascinating to learn. We went to the amphitheater in town and noticed alot of men sitting around. I seem to see men wandering around when I went to India and when to the Middle East. I was wondering where most of the woman are, I guess they are at home...

Day 92 and 93: Petra, Jordan

Day 92: As we left Wadi Rum and headed to Petra I saw scattering of black tented Bedouin camps along the way. Today was our day in Petra. Petra was once the capital of the Nabettans. It was like being in Bedrock in the the Flintstone movies. Everything was carved out of rock. We saw the treasury where the movie 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusades' was filmed. It was hard to believe that Petra was once under water and instead of people roaming around it was fishes and sea life.

Day 93: Saw the Monstarey today, climb the scenic view areas and was able to catch a glimpse of Isreal. My friend Joe and I decided to ride a donkey up to the Mostarey it was quite an experience as the steps were steep and at times we were sure that the donkeys were not going to make it, but they trudged along. The donkeys were a father and son team. After our day in Petra, we decided to head for a nice turkish bath. They basically put you in a steam room to open the pours then they exfoliate you with a brush and then bath you down, it was quite a relaxing experience. That night we went out for a traditional Jordain meal. We had 'Mansafe', it consisted of lamb with rice and a warm milk to go over it. Then we headed to the 'cave bar' right outside of Petra. They were having a big function inside Petra called 'Petra at Night', probably due to the 7 Wonders of the World being announced the following day. They had fire works and at around 10:00 or so they stopped the music and had their prayer calls.

Day 91: Wadi Run, Jordan

Day 91:Wadi Rum…today we took cool jeeps to Wadi Rum (Moon Valley), this is where Lawrence of Arabia lived and where parts of his movie was filmed. Lawrence of Arabia helped free Jordan and other part of the middle east from the Ottoman Turkish Empire. It was cool to see all the different shapes of the mountains as this was once under the water. It reminded me a lot of Death Valley and the Grand Canyon. We then headed to the Bedouin camp we were going to be staying at. The bathrooms were really cool as they were built into the mountain. We >then met Mohammed who was the Bedouin leader there. Bedouins are nomadic tribes originating from Saudi Arabia. They migrate thru the dessert and other places in search of water and food. They usually set up camp in black tents. Our tents were a little more modern. Mohammed came fully dresed in traditional Bedouin clothes. He was quite the character. He was short about 5’5’’, with his traditional Bedouin clothes and hair that was literally plaster to his head as if he had a tons of hair spray. Mohammed was a modern day Bedouin with sunglasses, a cell phone in one hand and cigarette in the other. Tracy my new friend on the tour who was from San Fran, could not help but laugh at his hair and the funny noises he was making to make us laugh and then he started to try and sing some of the American songs we were playing. That night we saw a bunch of stars up in the sky.

Day 90: Hello Jordan....

Hello Jordan….Today we took the ferry over to Jordan. When we got to Aqaba, I noticed all the pictures they have of the current King Adullah, they even have some of his father King Hussein and some of King Adullah and his wife. Jordan seemed more modern then Egypt was.

Day 90: Aqaba, Jordan….Today spent the day running errands. Went to the pharmacist and noticed the lady behind the counter was not wearing a head scarf. I asked her about it and she said she was from Amman and not all the woman wore them, even though she was Muslim, I thought that was quite interesting. Then I headed to the local post office, which was also the bank inside and noticed a whole mob of people in there, some woman with head scarves and some with black dresses. I asked the post office clerk lady helping me what the mob of people were and she explained to me that King Addullah gives handouts monthly to the people and they were waiting to get their money. She explained to me that the people in the scarves were primarily Palestian and the woman in black were Bedouin. Jordan has quite a few Palentines and I have been told that the numbers range anywhere between 65-85% of the population. They live in Palestian communities not actually tent camps, they had moved up from that. I have heard that alot of them are quite well off.

Farewell Egypt...

Day 89….Farewell Egypt… Well today is our last day in Egypt. It has been quite an experience. I have really enjoyed my stay in Egypt. Egypt is a mix of so many different cultures, the ancient Egyptians, the arabs, romans, and turks.

History of Egypt...

History of Egypt: Started with Ancient Egypt, then the Persians invaded, then Alexander the Greek invaded and kicked out the Persians.The famous movie Cleopatara which portrays the last of the Greek rulers, was then captured by the Romans. After the Romans came the Arabs, then the Ottoman Turks, then the British, and then came independence. Cairo is the largest city in the Arab world and it is the entertainment capital of the Arab world.

Day 87 & 88: Suez Canal & Red Sea, Egypt.

Day 87: Woke up that morning to the Muslim pray call at 5:00am in the morning. Sinai…. Went to Sinai saw the Suez Canal, but we weren’t allowed to take pictures. Then went to Mt. Sinai where God told Moses the 10 Commandments. It was quite along hike, up, since I wasn’t feeling well I decided to take a camel ride up. It was very brown and desert looking.

Day 88: Went to the Red Sea today, saw the lights of Saudi Arabia and Jordan. It’s called the Rea Sea, because of the reflection of the sun on the water. Had a traditional Bedouin dinner which consisted of chicken and rice, different salads, baba ganoush, and yougurt. One side of the Red Sea was Saudi Arabai, Jordan, and Isarel. The water was a turquoise blue and the sand was a beige/white. We stayed in little huts by the water.

Day 86: Cairo....

Day 86: Cairo…Back to Cairo was busy, went to go see Islamic Cairo, with the mosque and saw some of the remains of the British articteure. We even passed by some Coptic Churches. Coptic Chrisitan is the the Christian that is found in Egypt they believe that Christ and God are not different that they are one in the same. Passed along some of the shops and saw some low cut dresses and top, a bit surprised I asked my Egyptian tour guide who buys them as surely I didn’t think the Egyptian woman would wear them, she told me that is what the Egyptian woman wear at home. I thought wow some of these woman wear the black dresses and the scarves and some even go as far as to wear the veil, yet at home they dress so western, I thought what a contrast, a society which is so private, conservative on the outside and yet very modern and western on the outside, compared to the western society in which people are not to extreme, but more consistent. Again I felt very fortune to live in a western society like the U.S. where I am free to dress in public as I please. Egypt I have been told is one of the more modern Arabic countries where most of the woman just wear the head scarves. Then went to go try shesisha (flavored water pipe), at the oldest café in Cairo, which was 100 years old. Then went to go see a belly dancing show on a night cruise. They had Nubian dancers, and belly dancers. That night my Egyptian tour leader told me many of her friends got married early, since they weren't allow to date and they wanted to experience physical intimacy and that alot of them rush into the marriage and then they are unhappy, since the phyiscal intimacy dies off and they are left with the day to day life. She also told me that she was circumsized and that some woman get circumsized to tame their sexual desires and maintain their honor. This involves removing of the clortis, which takes away the pleasure of sex. Boy I thought how woman are treated so differently here and in the U.S.

Day 84 and 85: Siwa Oasis and White Dessert

Day 84: Siwa...Today went to a cool rock formation it was like a castle in the dessert, it was pretty amazing with all the jagged rocks on the mountain, this is where they have catacombs (where they bury dead people) . Went to go see the oracle (place where they predict the future) that Alexander The Great, came to see. Tried the local couscous. They speak there own language here.

Day 85: Went to go see the White Dessert today. Found out that the white dessert was once under the sea. It looked like a scene from Star Wars. Had great pieces of rock formation. Saw the black dessert, this is where a volcano once erupted. Camped out in the White Dessert under the stars.

Day 84: Siwa Oasis and White Dessert

Day 84: Siwa...Today went to a cool rock formation it was like a castle in the dessert, it was pretty amazing with all the jagged rocks on the mountain, this is where they have catacombs (where they bury dead people) . Went to go see the oracle (place where they predict the future) that Alexander The Great, came to see. Tried the local couscous. They speak there own language here.

Day 85: Went to go see the White Dessert today. Found out that the white dessert was once under the sea. It looked like a scene from Star Wars. Had great pieces of rock formation. Saw the black dessert, this is where a volcano once erupted. Camped out in the White Dessert under the stars.

Day 82 and 83: Alexandria and Siwa, Egypt

Day 82: Alexandria....named after Alexander the Great and was the capital during Greek rule, reminded of Mumbai the way it was laid out by the water. Alexandria is a nice looking city, I enjoyed it better than Cairo, as there are just too many people in Cairo, Alexandria is not as congested. We reached there via overnight train. We headed for a break lunch of pita bread stuffed with falafel and beans and hummus, we even had yummy garlic hot peppers, which was nice as I was dying for some spicy food. Headed to see the catcombs where the Romans and Greeks had buried their dead. It was interesting to see the tomb areas as the gods were dressed in roman clothes. It was funny people kept thinking I was Egyptian and when I told them my ethnicity was Indian, they immediate responded by saying 'with a big smile they say yes, we knowAmita Buchanan' (he is a famous Indian movie star), apparently the middle eastern people watch Hindi films. Also I found there are more similiarities to the Indian culture. They use henna on their hands, they put oil in their hair to deep condition on a weekly basis, they using the threading technique to remove hair, they use tabla's in their music, also with the gods that are animal gods. Then headed to the ampitheater that the romans built. Then headed to the famous Alexandria Library, which was quite nice as they had many unique books. That night we headed to a great seafood place and had some great shrimp, fish, and calamari. That night we topped the night off by having a nice stroll by the Mediterran sea and watch the boats floating out in the sea.