Yes Virginia, it does rain in Jordan.....

It doesn't happen often and usually doesn't last very long, but it does rain here in Jordan. This weather marks the beginning of winter. : / 

This is about halfway to my apartment

One of the professors said that it usually only rains for a couple hours.....well, it has been raining since 8:30-ish this morning. It now is 5:15 and I think it is starting to clear up. 

Well, in this weather, it is near impossible to get a taxi or a bus. And, if you do get a taxi, a lot of times the driver will want you to pay extra because he knows that its raining and you are desperate to get a ride. I learned all this the hard way today.

My friend, Pat, and I were supposed to go to Jabal Hussein to go shopping with one of her Arab friends. We were supposed to meet her friend, Hiba, at 4:00, so we planned to catch a taxi near Pat's apartment at 3:45. Well, we got out there and it was still raining, not too bad mind you. After waiting 15 minutes, we decided to walk up to the main street and try to catch a taxi there. After about 10 minutes, during which it had started to rain harder, we decided to walk (it takes about 5-8 minutes) up to the University to try and catch a bus.

I lost count of how many times I got splashed by cars

By the time we get there, we both are soaking wet, but we still wanted to go shopping, so we were going to try to find some transportation. After another 10-15 minutes, we still haven't found anything, it is now after four, and even if we were to get inside a mall, it would take forever for us to dry out. Pat's friend called us, and Pat explained to her that we had been trying to get transportation but there wasn't anything available and if we could reschedule. Hiba was understanding, and we're going to try again at a later date. 

When I first walked in, all wet, cold and pathetic....but smiling

Pat and I walked back to our neighborhood, even wetter than before (since a couple of cars drove by and splashed us). We went our separate ways, and I headed back to my apartment. Thank goodness I don't live on a hill that doesn't have continuous sidewalks or real gutters. Oh, wait........I do. 

Notice the difference between wet and dry

Thankfully, I had my fleece jacket on, so my other shirts only got partially wet, as you can sort of see

I started going up the hill, careful to avoid puddles, and I was doing a good job. Then, as I was jumping across a puddle, I hear a car coming and I think it's turning towards where I am, so I stop myself from following through the jump, and instead one foot lands in the aforementioned puddle. So, now I'm soaked through, I can't see clearly through my glasses, and now one of my shoes was waterlogged and all squishy when I walked. 

I decided that if I have to be soaking wet, I might as well have fun with it

I get home, and look at myself in the mirror (actually, it was my reflection in the elevator walls) and I can't help but laugh. I looked all pathetic, and like I had drowned. I get into my apartment, strip off my soaked clothes, put on dry, relatively warm ones, and stuffed newspaper in my shoes to help dry them out. While I was getting the newspaper, I, thankfully was looking at what I was tearing up, and saw a picture I had to save.   

For those who are too uncultured to know, this is one of the players on my football team. Yes, I have my own football team. The Chelsea Football Club, from Chelsea England

At this point, I'm still cold, and I think it'd be nice to have soup or turn on the oven and just sit in front of it, then I remember, we're out of gas.......

Ajloun and Tell Mar Elias

Well, including today I only have four more Saturdays in Jordan. When I realized that, I was shocked, I felt like I had so much more time. Anyway, the weekends (meaning Saturday) is really the best time to do any trips. This weekend, we went up to Ajloun and Mar Elias.

Ajloun Castle

Ajloun is a crusader castle. It is smaller than Karak and Shobek, but I'd have to say it is more well preserved. The castle is located at the top of a hill (for strategic purposes), in the region Gilead. It is North-West of Amman, and a lot wetter and greener. No, seriously, you wouldn't believe you were in the Middle East, it looks more like Western Washington. It was gorgeous. Also, the weather was perfect for it. It was windy, and rainy. There was a foggy mist that surrounded part of the hills/mountains, it really was picturesque. 

One of the few times I've had to stoop to get through a door

This is the last defense of the castle. It is a space between the arches of the gate that they would pour boiling oil down. 

Lucy, me and Pat

When we were driving towards the castle, we could see the mist/fog on the mountains/hills, and I made the comment that it looked like a scene from Lord of the Rings, and that they were the "Misty Mountains". The rest of the time we were at the castle, we kept making LOTR comparisons. A lot of us even admitted that we felt like there should be orcs attacking. 

After that, we went to a place called Tell Mar Elias. This is traditionally, the birthplace of Elijah. There really isn't much to see there, it just has a great view. Actually, at the top of the Tell, there used to be a Byzantine Church, and the mosaic floors are still there, and have been excavated. There also were some catacombs that we went inside of.  We also saw a "Wishing tree". when you visit, you tie something on the tree, and make a wish. It was neat, and most of us found something to tie on.

The Wishing Tree

Because the region is all foresty, there is a Nature Preserve, unfortunately it was closed today. But, we pulled to the side of a road and were able to go exploring in the forest a little bit. It brought back memories of my grandparent's farm back in Washington.

Some more of the amazing signs here

The sun decided to come out....sort of

The ride back was pretty uneventful. The only significant thing is that it stopped raining and the sun came out. I've heard from a lot of people, that yesterday was the last day of summer weather, and now it's going to get a lot colder and rainier.....

"Educational Experience" part IV: Finding Nemo, Under the Sea

The Red Sea, at sunset

We spent our last day in the port city Aqaba, on the Red Sea. Jordan has about 34 Km of the Red Sea coastline. 

On the coast of the Red Sea

We got to Aqaba in the late afternoon, so we were on our own for dinner. We also were able to wander around the city. The hotel was maybe a 5-10 minute walk from the beach. 

This was one of the signs in the hotel, they want us to "Engoy our stay" 

Another hilarious sign, "smoke the hupply bubbly" 

The main shopping district was right around our hotel too. Aqaba is well known for its jewelry, but I didn't get any (something that I figuratively kick myself for). I did wander around the shops with some friends. Then I got some really good ice cream with a couple friends. 

Christina came to the conclusion that a picture of her eating ice cream in honor of her friend would make a great   souvenir

One of the guys saw this and said "Look at that Stud", someone gasped and he said "I meant the horse". 

The Red Sea in general is famous for its snorkeling. So, I and about 17 other people went out snorkeling the next morning. It was a lot of fun. The water was super clear and super blue. We were in glass boats, which meant that there was a glass panel in the bottom so we could see everything. 

View from the bottom of the boat. Oh, we did find Nemo a couple times. 

This building reminded me of the Space Needle, just shorter and fatter. It actually is a lighthouse. 

Such a pretty boat!

Knowing, that  odds were that I would get sick, I took dramamine before we left, and I really enjoyed it. I was able to actually look at the water and walk around without feeling sick. The boat had a canopy and the driver let us stand on the boat rails, if we held onto the frame of the canopy. 

Hangin' off the edge

So, I did get in the water, and I tried to snorkel. But, it really didn't work very well, I couldn't get the hang of it. So, I spent like 10 minutes in the water, then got back in the boat. Dil came with us and was babysitting baby Nadya while her parents were in the water, so I helped with her. 

Even though I didn't spend a long time in the water, the time I did spend in the water was great. Aqaba in general was super fun, and I wish we got to spend more time there. 

  Being out on the water made me wish Pappy was there 

That afternoon we came back to Amman, it was a five hour drive, and felt so long. The whole trip was a great experience. Now, we're at the beginning of week 11 (of 14). So we're on the downhill slide. We have our final at the end of this month, then we have our OPI, and we leave to spend two weeks in Israel on December 7th (about a month away), then we fly back to the States on December 21st. It is so crazy, my time here is almost up. Part of me is anxious to see my family and friends again, but at the same time, I don't completely want to leave.  

"Educational Experience" part III: On a magic camel ride

Yes, you read that title correctly, a camel ride. Monday, the 29th, we went to a place called Wadi Rum. It is a huge wildlife preserve. There is a lot of mountains, rocks, sand, and the occasional sagebrush. The movie, Lawrence of Arabia was filmed here. The visitor's center is next to a mountain called the "Seven Pillars of Wisdom", Lawrence of Arabia named them, it's also the name of his book. (Just a little FYI)

The Seven Pillars of Wisdom

Jimbo, me, and Keith in the back of our truck

Anyway, we rode in the backs of trucks to various places before going to a Bedouin camp for lunch. And, on part of the "tour", we got to ride camels. The camel I rode, was named A'lia, and she was really good. One guy got a camel that was angry and kept growling at him. Oh, camels have really sharp teeth, their canines look as sharp as any wild animal's. Riding the camel was fun. It was a bit like riding a horse.

We were the last truck in our "caravan" 

I climbed up that steep sand dune, and then climbed up on the rocks

The Bedouin feast was delicious. There was so much food there. I'm pretty sure I went back for thirds. The Bedu guys were really nice. One of them helped my friend Paul put on a kufiya (the traditional head gear/scarf that guys wear). Also, I've learned that in Southern Jordan, they really like the Club Chelsea football team. The Bedu guys thought that it was so cool that my name was "Chelsea". And I saw several people wearing 'Chelsea' jerseys, whereas here in Amman, and northern Jordan in general, the favorite teams are Madrid and Barcelona. 

Me on A'lia

Paul, in his kufiya

Joachim took Paul's fedora hat when he put on the kufiya and then someone else gave him a baseball hat to wear

After the feast, we all were so well fed that we pretty much fell into "food comas" for the hour drive down to Aqaba, which is where we spent our last day. 

Walking in Harrison Ford's footsteps: Educational Experience part II

You can't visit Jordan and not go to Petra. It has to be some unofficial rule. And if it isn't, well, it should be. Anyway, Petra is where part of the 1989 film "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" was filmed. It was portrayed as being in the Canyon of the Crescent Moon, but, alas, it really isn't. It actually is hidden in the mountains, and was unknown to the Western World until 1812, when a Swiss explorer, who was masquerading as a Sheikh, was taken to the site by the local Bedouins. (Note: the explorer died in 1817 of dysentery  which, in Professor Dil's words, was poetic justice)

Anyway, Petra was still fairly unknown until 1989, when Harrison Ford and Sean Connery filmed Indiana Jones there. That film essentially put Jordan on the map. Going into Petra, there are a ton of Indiana Jones souvenir shops. Part of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was filmed there too (but, that was a terrible movie and really doesn't deserve to be mentioned, except for the part with Petra).

Mark, next to one of the gift shops

To get to Petra, you walk .8 miles through the Siq, this is close to the view shown in Indiana Jones

Lucy and I in front of the Treasury

So, what exactly is Petra? Well, here's some background information:

Petra is carved out of sandstone. It was the capital city for the Nabataeans and was established as early as 312 BC. The Nabataeans didn't have a writing system. They also didn't really have their own style. Petra was a center for trade from all over, so, it is a combination of styles from various cultures. Styles were borrowed primarily from the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. The carvings are very detailed, and a lot of time was put into them. 

You can't see it very well, but there is a 6-pack chiseled on this facade

Petra is a huge site, and it takes over a full day to see everything. Here's a fun fact, only about 20-25% of Petra has been excavated. Yeah, it's massive. I actually spent about 10 hours there. A majority of Petra is tombs of some kind. There literally are hundreds. We found one place that was covered in little rock towers or cairns, which represent a tomb/grave. 

The place of many cairns

There also are a couple of hikes you can go on. The first one we went one was to the "High Place of Sacrifice". As its name implies, it was at the top of one of the mountains. There were about 650 stair steps. However, there also were stretches that didn't have steps. Oh, side note about the Nabataeans, they loved stairs. I'm serious, there were random stairs carved into the mountains, that led nowhere. It's as if when they got bored, they just carved another set of stairs. Anyway, at the top of this mountain, there was an awesome view of the valley. 

Pat, Lucy, Carrie and I, mimicking the Four Obelisks

On the edge of one of the cliffs, over looking the valley

There also was the sacrificial altar. My friends, Lucy, Sarah, and I did some reenactments, and documented them via photos, for your enjoyment :) 

I'm so somber after being sentenced to be sacrificed

Sarah, sacrificing me (How odd, I"m actually grinning). You can't see it, but she's using a hot pink pocket knife

We believe in equal opportunity sacrifice, and took turns sacrificing each other

You can't see it very well, but I have a maniacal look on my face

After that, we went down a different way, and went through a small valley, that had a lot of carvings, and tombs. I'll just say that all of the tombs had amazing acoustics. A group of us would go from tomb to tomb and sing hymns. Some other tourists (I think they were German), recorded us, and said it sounded really good. Either way, it was a lot of fun.

In one of the tombs, it was a mass graveyard, one of the students decided to play dead too

Then we went up to the Royal Tombs, which were pretty impressive. and then hiked up to the Monastery. It is a longer, harder hike than the hike to the High Place of Sacrifice. It is 850 stair steps with long stretches without stairs. I'm pretty sure that they filmed Transformers 2 at the Monastery. It was alright, but, after a while, everything starts to look the same. 

I ended up coming home at 7 or 8 that night. Lucy, Pat, and I got pizza for dinner, then bought ice cream and had a bit of a girls night, bemoaning our sore legs. All in all, it was a great, but exhausting day.  

Cats are everywhere in Jordan. Even in Petra, and this little kitten was well taken care of. He was super cute and posed for me