My parents left while I was sleeping, early in the morning from Rodos Palace (it's more of a resort than a palace) on Sunday. I awoke about 9, packed my stuff and went for a swim in the pool.
The day before I had asked the friendly staff at Rodos Palace (who were really not so friendly, but actually fairly rude)if there were any boats to Tilos in the afternoon. The woman at their information booth said that there was only one, and it left at 9am. This didn't sound right, so I checked the internet, and it appeared there was one at 5:30pm, which suited me better.
As I was leaving the hotel I again stopped at the information booth to see if they knew when the bus came and how much it cost. She made up some information and off I went, fully convinced that the information booth is actually just some sort of ruse, but for what I'm not sure.
Anyway, the whole time I was in Rodos I barely saw any public buses, but it seems luck was on my side. As I was approaching the bus stop, the bus came! It was completely packed (probably because that was the first one to run that day!!! haha, T knows what I'm talking about), but I managed to squeeze on as the last passenger.
That's right, I actually managed to catch one of the elusive buses of Rodos.
I got into town and found a travel agent who sold me a ticked to Tilos on the 5:30 boat (wow!). It was much cheaper than the other ferry company, so I guess those Rodos Palace cats are affiliated with the other company? Anyway, it was only half past noon and I didn't want to walk around with my pack for 5 hours, so I asked the travel agent, Tony, if there was a place I could leave my bag. He said I could leave it in his store if I wanted, but that he was closing at 2. When it was clear that 2 was too early for me, he kindly offered to come back and open up the store for me when I wanted to pick it up, so we agreed on 4.
I wandered around the old town for a few hours which was nice. Since this was my first experience alone in the town, I now understand how forward Greek men are, but they're much easier to deal with (and even a little flattering), unlike the Egyptians I encountered.
When I went to get my bag, Tony offered me a lift to the ferry on his scooter and I accepted. I'm so glad I did, because it was hard to find where the boat was supposed to leave, and he helped me find it and waited with me for the ferry to arrive. He was super nice (and not creepy, and not hitting on me).
The ride to Tilos was rough and rainy. I arrived in the dark and felt a little worried about finding a place. Luck found me again, and I met another Tony who rented me a super cute little studio for quite cheap. I had the best balcony!! I also had a bucket and a drying rack so I did all my laundry that night. Sounds stupid perhaps, but this made me really fucking happy. Small things, I guess.
The next day, Monday, I went for a big hike to this beach for a swim, then through a gorge and up this mountain to an old deserted town. It was crazy! The town, Mikro Horio, was last occupied by a few in the 60s, but it's super old and most of the buildings are just ruins. There is still an operable church and what appears to be a bar or club (with a sign saying "we open at 23:00 every day"). Other than that there are just goats roaming the stony streets. It was like a ghost town- only a goat town (hardy-har-har) It was surreal and I didn't see anyone. I was the only person there! Now that's solitude.
I was kind of a retard though, and in lieu of bringing enough water, I brought my journal and a book. Of course, I didn't read or write the whole time, so I just had a heavy purse and I was super thirsty... it was easily a 15k hike that I did, plus a swim out in the ocean, and all I drank was 0.5L. I survived, of course, but when I got back to my room I drank about a litre of water and pigged out on digestive biscuits and chocolate with yogurt (the yogurt here is more like whip cream than yogurt).
I was planning on leaving Tilos yesterday, but then I found out there were no boats leaving the island. Luckily, I met these Brits who were sailing to Kos so I asked for a ride. It was amazing! They were a funny lot of older sailors from Brighton. 5 men and one woman. They were a tad dry, but they gave me a free lift on their 42ft yacht, fed me lunch in a Turkish bay where we went snorkeling, and they made me feel very comfortable. I had dinner with them last night, after I had secured a place to stay.
I swear, my luck has been insane. When we got to the marina in Kos last night, I had no idea where to stay. I went into the marina supermarket and the man running it called a place for me and got the owner, Alexi, to pick me up from the pier. I can't believe how nice the people here are! So different from Rodos... er, rather Rodos Palace. Tony in Rodos was super kind.
Okay, I just finished my application to U of Calgary. I think all my med school applications are in now. I really should go do something with my day though, since I've been on the internet for more than 2 hours now and the day is a-wasting.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Old tales of Petra
Today was my last day with my parents in Rodos. I want to tell you all about everything, but I will start by giving you a post I have been meaning to post for awhile now. I have had to finish this post, and now I am tired and feel I can’t continue with stories from Greece or, as you will see, even with stories from Egypt.
So far this trip has been so amazing. I feel the gods are truly on my side and everything thus far has worked out so nicely.
Tomorrow I am alone again. I am going to hop a ferry to a small Greek island, Tilos, where I can hopefully spend some time reflecting on all that has transpired. I kind of doubt this will result in much public material, but hey, you never know. I won’t have a computer anymore though, so unless there is a good internet café on this remote island (known for bird watching) it seems unlikely that any of you will hear from me until I reach Turkey (which is a new addition to my trip).
Anyway, this piece was started in Dahab either on September 8th or 9th, I’m not too sure now.
Sitting in a beach side restaurant in Dahab, Egypt- it is time for me to attempt to relay my stories.
Friday Sep 3rd, Mego, Huda, and I left for Petra. We drove the 3 hours to Wadi Musa where I had a room booked at the Cleopetra. We arrived and found the place without too much ado. My room was a clean, small room with adjoining bathroom - it was perfect.
Petra was spectacular. I have no words to describe the experience of being there. I will post some pictures, but even these really do not do the experience justice. [edit: actually, you'll have to just look at my facebook album for these photos since I don't have access to them presently]
Walking through the siq, which is a canyon with rock walls on either side, was so moving. When the treasury came into view I felt my heart swell and my eyes fill- it is honestly so awe inspiring. I climbed up many stairs (and rocks) to visit tombs scattered all over. The moment I was separated from Mego and Huda, I met a Bedouin man who gave me a cigarette and we chatted awhile until Mego and Huda found me (to save me?). Later, I went exploring again on my own. I think that experiencing this place requires some solitude. The grandeur of the space makes you feel so incredibly small…
Mego, Huda and I decided to climb the stairs up to the monastery on foot, despite the constant appeals to take a donkey. I thought that perhaps this would be a great ordeal, akin to the Grouse Grind [for those of you not familiar, this is a grueling stair climb up Grouse mountain in BC], but really it was not so far. During our climb we were told so many different numbers as to how far it was ah, such a hard sell!
The monastery was astounding. From there I hiked up to the sacrifice point where there was a Bedouin tent set up. There was a young man there who fed me tea and while I sat there with him, Mego and Huda came up. The view was spectacular!
Mego, Huda and I meandered out of Petra just as dusk was approaching. Tired and happy, we grabbed a bite to eat at a nearby hotel and then went to Cleopetra. Mego and Huda also decided to stay for the night, since the drive back to Amman was quite far and it was already dark. We had tea with the owner, Mosleh, who arranged for me to go on a tour of Wadi Rum (a desert) the following day. When I told him that I wished to go to Dahab, he asked me to bring some Jordanian coffee to a hotel owner friend of his in Dahab. I agreed, so we went to the store to pick up the coffee. I said my goodbyes to Mego and Huda, as I would be leaving early the next morning.
Later that night, while I was trying to sleep, amid the sounds of the night streaming in through my window, I was suddenly afraid that I was actually asked to smuggle drugs. I quickly got up and turned on the lights to inspect the “coffee.” It was, indeed, just coffee. Phew.
The next morning I got up early and packed up my stuff. I met these 2 German girls who were to be going on the tour of Wadi Rum with me. We drove to the desert town, Rum Village, where we were met by a Bedouin. He took us to his house to drop off our bags and told us to take a walk up this mountain to a spring and then to come back to his house. We were a little confused by these directions, since we were under the impression we would be doing a jeep tour. Also, we had all been to Petra the day before, so we were quite exhausted and looking forward to sitting in a jeep passively. Alas, we did the hike, since it seemed we really had no other choice. It was incredibly hot already, and so we reticently climbed up the mountain. We were pleasantly surprised to see that there was a nice spring up there, where we sat and laughed and got to know each other a bit better.
While we were making our way back into the town, we were met by another man, our guide, Audi. It would appear that we had taken a little too long on our hike, so he had come to meet us.
Audi took us in the jeep to see where the camels get water and some inscriptions. The inscriptions did not look very old, so [privately] I thought that perhaps this was actually just a scam. I was not overly impressed. Then he took us to this siq where hiked through and then climbed up further and further into the siq. I was completely terrified, luckily, the other 2 German girls, Louisa and Tami seemed equally scared so I did not feel so ridiculous in my trepidation. The rock climbing really brought us close together and I made fast friends with the 2 girls.
We saw many other sites that day, including hiking up a huge red sand dune, which was absolutely beautiful and so serene. That night we all slept outside under the desert sky. The stars were mesmerizing and I had a hard time sleeping lest I miss some of the changes in the night. That, and also because there were desert foxes noisily fighting and playing all night long.
The day had been so great, I decided to stay another night. Louisa and Tami left to go to Israel and I went into town to meet some of Audi’s family. At his family’s home I hung out with all these children. I let them listen to my ipod, while I sipped tea and napped in their home. Audi went to go get some supplies and I had lunch with his cousin and his wife.
That night, while I was watching the sunset with another group of tourists I got the phone call from my mother, which I mentioned in an earlier post. Originally I had decided that I would head to Egypt the next day, but upon hearing the news, I felt like I was not prepared to deal with the chaos which I knew Egypt would entail. I decided to stay one more night to collect myself. Also, when your family is so far away, it felt especially nice to spend time with someone else’s family. After all, family is family.
So my last full day in Wadi Rum I helped Audi give a quick tour to this girl, Fiona, from Australia. It was super fun! Then I spend some more time with the kids dancing and generally being silly.
Finally, on Tuesday the 7th of September, 2 days after I was supposed to go, I made my way to Aqaba to catch the ferry to Egypt.
I’m afraid I’ll have to leave it at that, because I cannot possibly regale you with all that has happened. Egypt will have to be its own chapter, when I have some more time and access to internet.
So far this trip has been so amazing. I feel the gods are truly on my side and everything thus far has worked out so nicely.
Tomorrow I am alone again. I am going to hop a ferry to a small Greek island, Tilos, where I can hopefully spend some time reflecting on all that has transpired. I kind of doubt this will result in much public material, but hey, you never know. I won’t have a computer anymore though, so unless there is a good internet café on this remote island (known for bird watching) it seems unlikely that any of you will hear from me until I reach Turkey (which is a new addition to my trip).
Anyway, this piece was started in Dahab either on September 8th or 9th, I’m not too sure now.
Sitting in a beach side restaurant in Dahab, Egypt- it is time for me to attempt to relay my stories.
Friday Sep 3rd, Mego, Huda, and I left for Petra. We drove the 3 hours to Wadi Musa where I had a room booked at the Cleopetra. We arrived and found the place without too much ado. My room was a clean, small room with adjoining bathroom - it was perfect.
Petra was spectacular. I have no words to describe the experience of being there. I will post some pictures, but even these really do not do the experience justice. [edit: actually, you'll have to just look at my facebook album for these photos since I don't have access to them presently]
Walking through the siq, which is a canyon with rock walls on either side, was so moving. When the treasury came into view I felt my heart swell and my eyes fill- it is honestly so awe inspiring. I climbed up many stairs (and rocks) to visit tombs scattered all over. The moment I was separated from Mego and Huda, I met a Bedouin man who gave me a cigarette and we chatted awhile until Mego and Huda found me (to save me?). Later, I went exploring again on my own. I think that experiencing this place requires some solitude. The grandeur of the space makes you feel so incredibly small…
Mego, Huda and I decided to climb the stairs up to the monastery on foot, despite the constant appeals to take a donkey. I thought that perhaps this would be a great ordeal, akin to the Grouse Grind [for those of you not familiar, this is a grueling stair climb up Grouse mountain in BC], but really it was not so far. During our climb we were told so many different numbers as to how far it was ah, such a hard sell!
The monastery was astounding. From there I hiked up to the sacrifice point where there was a Bedouin tent set up. There was a young man there who fed me tea and while I sat there with him, Mego and Huda came up. The view was spectacular!
Mego, Huda and I meandered out of Petra just as dusk was approaching. Tired and happy, we grabbed a bite to eat at a nearby hotel and then went to Cleopetra. Mego and Huda also decided to stay for the night, since the drive back to Amman was quite far and it was already dark. We had tea with the owner, Mosleh, who arranged for me to go on a tour of Wadi Rum (a desert) the following day. When I told him that I wished to go to Dahab, he asked me to bring some Jordanian coffee to a hotel owner friend of his in Dahab. I agreed, so we went to the store to pick up the coffee. I said my goodbyes to Mego and Huda, as I would be leaving early the next morning.
Later that night, while I was trying to sleep, amid the sounds of the night streaming in through my window, I was suddenly afraid that I was actually asked to smuggle drugs. I quickly got up and turned on the lights to inspect the “coffee.” It was, indeed, just coffee. Phew.
The next morning I got up early and packed up my stuff. I met these 2 German girls who were to be going on the tour of Wadi Rum with me. We drove to the desert town, Rum Village, where we were met by a Bedouin. He took us to his house to drop off our bags and told us to take a walk up this mountain to a spring and then to come back to his house. We were a little confused by these directions, since we were under the impression we would be doing a jeep tour. Also, we had all been to Petra the day before, so we were quite exhausted and looking forward to sitting in a jeep passively. Alas, we did the hike, since it seemed we really had no other choice. It was incredibly hot already, and so we reticently climbed up the mountain. We were pleasantly surprised to see that there was a nice spring up there, where we sat and laughed and got to know each other a bit better.
While we were making our way back into the town, we were met by another man, our guide, Audi. It would appear that we had taken a little too long on our hike, so he had come to meet us.
Audi took us in the jeep to see where the camels get water and some inscriptions. The inscriptions did not look very old, so [privately] I thought that perhaps this was actually just a scam. I was not overly impressed. Then he took us to this siq where hiked through and then climbed up further and further into the siq. I was completely terrified, luckily, the other 2 German girls, Louisa and Tami seemed equally scared so I did not feel so ridiculous in my trepidation. The rock climbing really brought us close together and I made fast friends with the 2 girls.
We saw many other sites that day, including hiking up a huge red sand dune, which was absolutely beautiful and so serene. That night we all slept outside under the desert sky. The stars were mesmerizing and I had a hard time sleeping lest I miss some of the changes in the night. That, and also because there were desert foxes noisily fighting and playing all night long.
The day had been so great, I decided to stay another night. Louisa and Tami left to go to Israel and I went into town to meet some of Audi’s family. At his family’s home I hung out with all these children. I let them listen to my ipod, while I sipped tea and napped in their home. Audi went to go get some supplies and I had lunch with his cousin and his wife.
That night, while I was watching the sunset with another group of tourists I got the phone call from my mother, which I mentioned in an earlier post. Originally I had decided that I would head to Egypt the next day, but upon hearing the news, I felt like I was not prepared to deal with the chaos which I knew Egypt would entail. I decided to stay one more night to collect myself. Also, when your family is so far away, it felt especially nice to spend time with someone else’s family. After all, family is family.
So my last full day in Wadi Rum I helped Audi give a quick tour to this girl, Fiona, from Australia. It was super fun! Then I spend some more time with the kids dancing and generally being silly.
Finally, on Tuesday the 7th of September, 2 days after I was supposed to go, I made my way to Aqaba to catch the ferry to Egypt.
I’m afraid I’ll have to leave it at that, because I cannot possibly regale you with all that has happened. Egypt will have to be its own chapter, when I have some more time and access to internet.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
last night in egypt
i am sitting in the hotel lobby in luxor. i have to leave in a few moments, but i thought i would write a quick blog to let you all know that, not only am i alive, i am well!
today i went to the valley of the kings with my traveling partner, for the last week, Umit. we have been the best of travel companions, i am so fortunate to have met him. we have traversed this crazy land with many adventures and luckily, we both have been seeking the true egyptian experience. for instance, when we arrived in luxor yesterday, we took a local minibus to kartan temple. it cost us only 50 piastres, which is about... um maybe 10 cents. normally, tourists take taxis, which would have been about $2. not that it's a lot of money, but this way we get to sit with realy egyptians and feel what their life is like. it's been so incredible.
of course, i am not egyptian, and the men can smell me coming. today i had a young boy of about 12 try to sell me a scarf while pressing his boner into my back... shudder. so gross.
i am off to greece tomorrow. i really can't wait. i am meeting tristan, and then we are going over to see my parents in rodos. so exciting! i am ready to get out of this hot, chaotic, incessant egypt.
love to everyone! i promise i will write a better post later, with pictures!!
today i went to the valley of the kings with my traveling partner, for the last week, Umit. we have been the best of travel companions, i am so fortunate to have met him. we have traversed this crazy land with many adventures and luckily, we both have been seeking the true egyptian experience. for instance, when we arrived in luxor yesterday, we took a local minibus to kartan temple. it cost us only 50 piastres, which is about... um maybe 10 cents. normally, tourists take taxis, which would have been about $2. not that it's a lot of money, but this way we get to sit with realy egyptians and feel what their life is like. it's been so incredible.
of course, i am not egyptian, and the men can smell me coming. today i had a young boy of about 12 try to sell me a scarf while pressing his boner into my back... shudder. so gross.
i am off to greece tomorrow. i really can't wait. i am meeting tristan, and then we are going over to see my parents in rodos. so exciting! i am ready to get out of this hot, chaotic, incessant egypt.
love to everyone! i promise i will write a better post later, with pictures!!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
mourning in dahab
ın dahab on the beach in egypt. i finally checked my email today, to learn that my grandmother passed yesterday. it is a strange and surreal sadness that i feel from so far away.
i spent 3 nıghts in the desert, wadi rum, in jordan. while i was sitting atop a large rock watching the sunset, my mother called my cellphone to tell me that she was not doing well. i feel so disconnected from all that is happening at home. my world is so different here...
anyway, i have a million stories to tell, but it seems ınappropriate to get into it now. i have to process this death. tonight i will mourn from dahab.
i spent 3 nıghts in the desert, wadi rum, in jordan. while i was sitting atop a large rock watching the sunset, my mother called my cellphone to tell me that she was not doing well. i feel so disconnected from all that is happening at home. my world is so different here...
anyway, i have a million stories to tell, but it seems ınappropriate to get into it now. i have to process this death. tonight i will mourn from dahab.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Jerash, lazy day, and today
I can't remember if I mentioned this in my previous post about the citadel, but Karina (Mego's mother) was slightly horrified that I was planning on taking the public bus to Jerash on Monday. She spoke with her husband, Viken, and he arranged for a driver to take me to Jerash. On Monday morning, I drove to Viken's office and was met by one of his employees, Emil.
Emil is a kind man, about 50 or so, and a Christian. I was relieved he was a Christian, because it meant we could smoke, eat and drink freely. [note: I will confess, Montreal and the Middle East have turned me back into a smoker. I'm not proud, but it's hard not to smoke when everyone else is doing so, please don't judge.] Someone had tried to tell me that it is illegal to smoke in the day during Ramadan, but Emil said that this is not true- but that it can cause trouble for you, which I can see would be true. Also, there are significantly more accidents during this time, apparently. I don't know though, the driving seems totally insane to me, but I can't help but wonder if it is really any better at some other time. So bearing in mind people's touchiness, we waited until we were on the highway and could easily hide our water drinking and cigarette smoking. Emil stopped to grab a coffee and bought me some juice and water.
When we arrived at Jerash, I wasn't sure if he was going to be coming in with me, since Viken seemed to think he would wait in the car (which would have made me feel awful). Luckily, Emil really likes Jerash and wanted to come in, in typical Jordanian style- he also paid my entrance fee and wouldn't let me pay him back.
Jerash was incredible. There are so many columns and intricate Hellenistic carvings in the stones at the top, you could feel the opulence. There were two amphitheatres, a small one and a large one. There was also a hippodrome where they reenact chariot races and some temples and mosaics, which were still in tact. I can't really describe how cool it was, because it was not just visual, it was a feeling.
In the large amphitheatre there were a group of Spanish tourists and their tour guide was showing them these circles etched in the walls around the centre stage. If you speak into one of them, and someone listens at any of the other circles, you can hear them perfectly. So I leaned into one to listen and the tour guide said "escucha me, pero, no entiendes." (you hear me, but you don't understand) to which I replied "Si, yo entiendo, hablo espanol." (yes, I understand, I speak Spanish) it was hilarious, he was completely surprised!
Emil also showed me this neat trick with the columns. He said it was engineered so that they could tell when an earthquake was coming (which I didn't quite understand) but he put a key in between the column and it's base, then he knocked on the column and the key starting waving up and down. I'm not sure I'm explaining it well, but it was really cool.
On the way back to Amman, Emil bought me more drinks and cigarettes. Jordanians are a funny lot: either they're ripping you off, or giving it to you for free. There is absolutely no in between, and if they know you at all- you'll get anything free. When we got back to the house I gave him my email address and told him to give it to his daughters (he doesn't have an email address). I said if he or any of his family is coming to Vancouver to please send me an email. I only hope I can be a good host, too!
Back at the house, Karina had made some delicious pasta and we all had dinner together (Viken, Mego, Karina and me).
I checked my email and saw that Melissa was in Amman and staying at a hotel so I called her. Crazy! Mego and I went to her hotel and had a drink with her in the lobby which was a total trip. Melissa was tired from going to Petra that day, so she didn't want to come out with us, but we went to this poolside bar called H2O.
Apparently, the drinks at H2O are incredibly strong and I got utterly wasted. I was starving when we left so Mego and I stopped to get some shawarmas.
At the shawarma shop, I was the only girl, until this other woman came in covered from head to toe, including her eyes. The only parts uncovered were her fingers (usually they cover those too). The only thing I could tell of her was that she bites her nails. I felt extremely uncomfortable sitting there, uncovered and totally trashed during Ramadan beside this woman. I have no idea how she felt. Mego took a picture of my awkwardness. I felt absurd.
Well, yesterday, after our late night, both Mego and I were complete wrecks. I slept until 2pm. We didn't do anything. Well, that's a lie. I actually managed to complete and submit my application to Dalhousie while Mego napped. Later we watched a movie and then went to bed pretty early.
Today I got up early. Huda (Mego's girlfriend) came by and we went down to the amphitheatre in downtown Amman. It is bigger than both amphitheatres at Jerash and gave me vertigo. It was kind of scary, but I did it! After we went to the market where I wanted to purchase an abaya. Both Huda and Mego thought I was crazy for wanting one, but I had seen some really beautiful ones when I was walking through the market a few days ago. I don't know how to haggle though, so I needed someone with me. I found a really beautiful one (which I don't have a picture of yet, but I will put one up soon) which Huda got down from 100 to 30JD. I also bought a little something for my niece and a really cheap watch that I have trouble reading.
Huda and I went and got our nails done and I had my eyebrows shaped and threaded. The woman did an amazing job.
This evening Huda, Susanna, Mego, Sarah and I all went to this Middle Eastern restaurant in a castle outside of town. It was really awesome. Then we went to this sports club and heard live Arabic music and played cards while sipping lemonade. A very sober, cultural, and fun evening!
So now you're caught up. It looks like I probably won't be doing much tomorrow. I have sort of run out of things to do in Amman, and everyone is working. Friday we're going to Petra though, and then Saturday I will be left to my own devices in Aqaba... should be interesting. I'm a little nervous, but excited too, of course.
Emil is a kind man, about 50 or so, and a Christian. I was relieved he was a Christian, because it meant we could smoke, eat and drink freely. [note: I will confess, Montreal and the Middle East have turned me back into a smoker. I'm not proud, but it's hard not to smoke when everyone else is doing so, please don't judge.] Someone had tried to tell me that it is illegal to smoke in the day during Ramadan, but Emil said that this is not true- but that it can cause trouble for you, which I can see would be true. Also, there are significantly more accidents during this time, apparently. I don't know though, the driving seems totally insane to me, but I can't help but wonder if it is really any better at some other time. So bearing in mind people's touchiness, we waited until we were on the highway and could easily hide our water drinking and cigarette smoking. Emil stopped to grab a coffee and bought me some juice and water.
When we arrived at Jerash, I wasn't sure if he was going to be coming in with me, since Viken seemed to think he would wait in the car (which would have made me feel awful). Luckily, Emil really likes Jerash and wanted to come in, in typical Jordanian style- he also paid my entrance fee and wouldn't let me pay him back.
Jerash was incredible. There are so many columns and intricate Hellenistic carvings in the stones at the top, you could feel the opulence. There were two amphitheatres, a small one and a large one. There was also a hippodrome where they reenact chariot races and some temples and mosaics, which were still in tact. I can't really describe how cool it was, because it was not just visual, it was a feeling.
In the large amphitheatre there were a group of Spanish tourists and their tour guide was showing them these circles etched in the walls around the centre stage. If you speak into one of them, and someone listens at any of the other circles, you can hear them perfectly. So I leaned into one to listen and the tour guide said "escucha me, pero, no entiendes." (you hear me, but you don't understand) to which I replied "Si, yo entiendo, hablo espanol." (yes, I understand, I speak Spanish) it was hilarious, he was completely surprised!
Emil also showed me this neat trick with the columns. He said it was engineered so that they could tell when an earthquake was coming (which I didn't quite understand) but he put a key in between the column and it's base, then he knocked on the column and the key starting waving up and down. I'm not sure I'm explaining it well, but it was really cool.
On the way back to Amman, Emil bought me more drinks and cigarettes. Jordanians are a funny lot: either they're ripping you off, or giving it to you for free. There is absolutely no in between, and if they know you at all- you'll get anything free. When we got back to the house I gave him my email address and told him to give it to his daughters (he doesn't have an email address). I said if he or any of his family is coming to Vancouver to please send me an email. I only hope I can be a good host, too!
Back at the house, Karina had made some delicious pasta and we all had dinner together (Viken, Mego, Karina and me).
I checked my email and saw that Melissa was in Amman and staying at a hotel so I called her. Crazy! Mego and I went to her hotel and had a drink with her in the lobby which was a total trip. Melissa was tired from going to Petra that day, so she didn't want to come out with us, but we went to this poolside bar called H2O.
Apparently, the drinks at H2O are incredibly strong and I got utterly wasted. I was starving when we left so Mego and I stopped to get some shawarmas.
At the shawarma shop, I was the only girl, until this other woman came in covered from head to toe, including her eyes. The only parts uncovered were her fingers (usually they cover those too). The only thing I could tell of her was that she bites her nails. I felt extremely uncomfortable sitting there, uncovered and totally trashed during Ramadan beside this woman. I have no idea how she felt. Mego took a picture of my awkwardness. I felt absurd. Well, yesterday, after our late night, both Mego and I were complete wrecks. I slept until 2pm. We didn't do anything. Well, that's a lie. I actually managed to complete and submit my application to Dalhousie while Mego napped. Later we watched a movie and then went to bed pretty early.
Today I got up early. Huda (Mego's girlfriend) came by and we went down to the amphitheatre in downtown Amman. It is bigger than both amphitheatres at Jerash and gave me vertigo. It was kind of scary, but I did it! After we went to the market where I wanted to purchase an abaya. Both Huda and Mego thought I was crazy for wanting one, but I had seen some really beautiful ones when I was walking through the market a few days ago. I don't know how to haggle though, so I needed someone with me. I found a really beautiful one (which I don't have a picture of yet, but I will put one up soon) which Huda got down from 100 to 30JD. I also bought a little something for my niece and a really cheap watch that I have trouble reading.
Huda and I went and got our nails done and I had my eyebrows shaped and threaded. The woman did an amazing job.
This evening Huda, Susanna, Mego, Sarah and I all went to this Middle Eastern restaurant in a castle outside of town. It was really awesome. Then we went to this sports club and heard live Arabic music and played cards while sipping lemonade. A very sober, cultural, and fun evening!
So now you're caught up. It looks like I probably won't be doing much tomorrow. I have sort of run out of things to do in Amman, and everyone is working. Friday we're going to Petra though, and then Saturday I will be left to my own devices in Aqaba... should be interesting. I'm a little nervous, but excited too, of course.
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