Jordan – 13 to 21 May 2010

Everytime I open up our blog web address it opens to a login page. However, every country I go to changes the language on the login page and I can never remember what link is the login – this time I try and find it in Hebrew (because I’m updating this in Israel). Then you enter your details in backwards...crazy but cool! Anywho...

To get into Jordan we took another taxi and was dropped off to then take another taxi to Mecca Mall, Amman where we were collected by a friend. Coming into Jordan for me was tiring. Although it’s a different country, the culture for me was the same and it started taking it’s toll. Being in another culture drains me because I am constantly aware of what I’m doing, what I’m wearing and being careful not to upset anyone with looks or behaviour toward both sexes. Things happen that you don’t know if is okay so you kinda turn a blind eye. For instance, what the taxi’s do between borders is illegal for me (and probably there too but there isn’t much done about it and I’m sure they know about it) and although I wouldn’t do anything, it plays even on my conscious just seeing it. I mean, it’s not major stuff but it’s still not according to the law. Anyway…

We hired a car for the whole time we were here. At first I was concerned but Dan did an awesome job driving around these roads. It’s a mixed feeling for me here. It’s like there are no rules, yet somehow it feels safer but then there are no rules and it seems more dangerous. There is no structure to driving here, indicators aren’t used except to let other drivers know you are slowing down and lanes are ignored or no longer visible! The car was a little Chery and it got us places. We flattened the battery twice and when we travelled to Petra the engine light came on. I have to admit, all the joking about driving on the wrong side of the road meant that the passenger seat (me!) hugged the mountains, so I was able to remain flexible! :D

So we visited Jerash and Ajlun in the North where there were some ruins (the attitude of “more ruins” at this stage) and a castle (again, another “castle”). The drive was really beautiful all through the mountain ranges. In the South we visited the Dead Sea, which was really cool to float in. We were going to enter in Amman Beach, then we found it was a ~$20 entrance fee. We drove on further to find a tourist bus parked off the road and a bunch of people going over the ridge, they weren’t swimming but we decided to…after they’d left. The water was really slimy, and salty obviously. We then went over to Hamamat Ma’in where we sat in HOT springs, and a Roman Bath – separately, they had a women and a men’s side. The drive through that area was absolutely gorgeous!

We travelled down the Petra the last couple of days we were in Jordan. Our little car made it, but it was close. We got about 200km out of Amman when the engine light came on. We stopped to check it out and Dan pulled tightly parts of the engine with some wire he found on the road, and the engine light went off. Then we kept on praying. While we were waiting for the engine to cool down a bit, I’d opened the door to get a breeze and Dan dropped the map behind me. It went flying out the door! Man, I don’t think I’ve sprinted so fast! Was good to know I still have some form of fitness! It’s pretty windy out there but surprisingly cool. You know, I didn’t think it snowed in the Middle East and only thought of it as a hot desert. But I guess if I think back to the desert trips back in Australia, it gets pretty cold out there.

So, Petra is BIG! We got a day pass and that was enough - for me walking, maybe not seeing everything. There were a few places we didn’t get to see, but we saw majority of it. I couldn’t manage getting out there two days in a row, ther is a fair bit of walking all over the hilly areas. There are these tombs cut into the rock all over the place, you’ll have to check out Facebook for photos. We visited the monastry and getting up was a MISSION! So many steps and so high up! The exercise was good, when I got past the pain – it kinda got to me mentally too, you go around the corner to see people climbing further up. As we were climbing, there were people on donkeys and they pooped everywhere, so when we were gasping for breath it was filled with the smell (and taste) of donkey poo – yumoo! Good for the lungs, blah! We stayed there for two days as we didn’t want to drive the car to Wadi Rum, which was our original plan – where we would have done a Bedouin campout. On the way home the engine light came on a couple of times and we asked God to get us home – He did. So awesome, thank you!

In Amman we helped out for a couple of hours scoring people against an English test to conclude what level class they would start at. It was really fun, a little nervous to start with as I didn’t want to score incorrectly making it hard for them to learn. I had fun getting to know some of them as there were a couple of personal questions in there.

It’s been good to see more of Jordan and we couldn’t have done it without the car. There is still a lot left unexplored, such a big country. It’s quite expensive here, especially after being in Syria. We’ve heard Israel is much more expensive so we’ll save all our shopping for Egypt, where it’s supposed to be really cheap.

Getting across the border was easy enough, though there was much waiting involved – on the Israel side. My passport got sorted but we had to wait while they checked Dan’s passport over and asked him many questions. I think because they’d seen we’d been to Lebanon and Syria. We thought it would be easy enough and I reckon it was just routine. They stamped my passport, which will mean I won’t be able to enter Syria or Lebanon again…unless I got creative with a “new” passport. But we’ll wait to see if we ever want to visit those countries again.

Till post our Israel trip, Ma as-salaamah!

Liz

Syria – 9 to 13 May 2010

The Syrian Pound – the Aussie Dollar is AWESOME against it!!!

Getting from Lebanon to Syria was another service taxi and passing through many border control areas. It’s so weird, just driving into another country.

We stayed in Damascus, with a day trip to Bosra. Bosra has this huge Roman theatre that has been well preserved and is really awesome to walk around in, there are so many rooms everywhere. The best theatre we’ve been to so far. We then walked around some ruins just near the theatre, which I think was the old town. There were people living there in these little brick houses, so simple.

In Damascus we walked around the Old City quite a bit, there are so many alleyways and streets to explore. There are many shops also. What I like about Damascus is it isn’t an overly touristy town. Not all the shops aren’t set up for just tourists and most of them are there for the locals to shop at also. There isn’t (that I saw) a huge shopping centre so you basically shop where the locals shop. The Syrian Pound was great value against our Aussie dollar. The food at restaurants was cheap and if you barter enough you can get material stuff cheap too, I kinda felt bad to though because they already started at a good price, comparing to our dollar. Public transport is cheap and so are the taxi’s – those with meters. Having said that we jumped into a taxi to get back from the bus station after visiting Bosra and it seemed to be a “special” meter. It jumped quite a bit – it was still cheap to us though. It’s hard to argue and weight it up.

The food in Syria is pretty tasty, although we got a bit “belly” from it. They love their chickpeas! We were in a restaurant one arvo and ate a few plates of appetizers. We were pretty full after that and were thinking of getting a main to share as they were huge. There were two Lebanese couples sitting on a table next to us and they offered to pay for a main meal. We were stunned and so blessed. After the meal the restaurant gave a huge bowl of fruit, and a plate of biscuits and jelly type sweets on the house. We were belly-aching full! I had to go back to the hotel for a sleep! I told Dan to take a couple of pieces of fruit and told him to do it inconspicuously… so in true Dan style he took all the fruit and left a smiley face in the bowl – what a stealth!

We visited a mosque in the old city, which was really beautiful. Of all the places we’ve visited where Islam is practiced, this is the first mosque I actually visited. Boy did it challenge me though. I had to wear this long, hooded robe because women must cover their heads…and arms and legs. It felt so demeaning and ridiculous. It’s such a different culture. While I was in Syria, I read a book on the basics of Islamic belief, it confused me and for ages (and still now) I would imagine the type of conversation I would have with a Muslim. It would be an interesting one. It seems…incomplete. Anywho, I could go on.

I got sick the last two days we were there. It started off as a kind of hayfever, then into a flu. I’ve just gotten over it today (15th) after battling against it turning to a migraine. I’ve done really good at eliminating coffee, I haven’t had one since Easter. I’ve pretty much not had anything that I thought might trigger them – caffeine, excess sugar and wine. This one I think was muscular, which is the next investigation…time to pull out my knowledge from the fitness training…yikes!

When we left Syria, I had a feeling of tiredness from being in the Arab culture. It has started draining me…or it could be all the travelling. We’ve been on the road for some time now and I’m still fighting the thoughts of going back to a routine life. It’s difficult in another culture as I’m continually aware of it’s differences and I don’t wan to upset anyone and be a “typical tourist” who doesn’t care about the culture I’m visiting. So it’s taking a lot out of me to be conscious of what I wear and how I behave (maybe too much).

Oh well, must press on to Jordan.

Liz
xoxo

Cyprus & Lebanon - 4 to 9 May 2010

Cyprus – 4 to 6 May

No more apple tea, even in the “Turkey” side of Cyprus :o( That stuff was the bomb!

So we arrived on the Turkey side of Cyprus (North) and went to an internet café to book some accommodation. We then took a minibus, which we got off earlier than we needed to – but were able to buy some stamps, so the mistake wasn’t for nothing – and then got another bus to the accommodation, in the middle of nowhere. We booked for two nights, and if you ever go to Cyprus you need longer because you need a car, and they only do 3–day hire agreements. Planning is involved because you aren’t allowed to take them into the South if you hire them in the North – politics!

We basically chilled in Cyprus. We caught buses into town, which is basically hop on and off wherever you want. You get beeped at by every taxi that goes past, even if they’ve seen you deny the one in front of them. The bus beeps at everyone walking on the side of the road – even those who are on the opposite side! It’s kinda like, “Dude! They’re wanting to go in the opposite direction!” I did feel a little more at home because in Cyprus they drive on the left! And there were even normal cars - the steering wheels on the right :p

My legs finally saw some sun after goodness knows how long and I now have a sock tan. I’ve also got a bit of the panda eyes going on – belle!

Overall, Cyprus would be nice if you had a couple of weeks (though it is expensive) and a car to see things and places. We didn’t see much and it was more of a stopover to getting to Lebanon.

We took buses to the south side to fly out of the Greek Cyprus. Much more fun and cheaper than taking a taxi, though this was a time when I learnt how Dan orientates himself with or without a map – so different to me, but it works. A wise leader once taught me, “It doesn’t matter how you get there, as long as it’s the same result.” Thank you my fearless leader and brother, Andy :o).

We got to the airport (really early) and just chillaxed. Dan got out the bubbles. So, I got to the passport check counter and they loaded me with questions about where I’d been, how I got there and who I was travelling with. They told me that coming in the Turkey side and flying out the Greek side “was forbidden” and that I should have come in and out of the south – politics! Meanwhile, Dan is standing on the other side of the gate waiting. Why me? I must look suspicious…or they sense the “I don’t like formalities” vibe oozing out of me. It mustn’t have been too forbidden because they let me through, I guess that’s where the word “strictly” has some power. Meh.

Our flight was delayed by 25 minutes, which could have led to not getting any accommodation in Lebanon…

Beirut, Lebanon – 6 to 9 May

So we arrived to have a dude greet us from the accommodation Dan had “booked.” When we got there I got into an accommodation-snob attitude and wanted to cry. The place was…different, not my favourite (terrible in my eyes) and the dude didn’t make the reservation saying he’d called the guy at the airport telling him to forget about us. Apparently this hostel is not known for it’s organisation, and VERY MUCH known for cancelling any “reservation” you think you may have. I had a bed to sleep in and a hot shower, even if the bathroom’s ventilation was a hole in the wall, so I was ‘okay’ with that. We could only have one night, and I agreed when the dude told us that, I was eager to get outta there. The next morning Dan went to another hostel down the road to arrange 2 more nights, which was much nicer. I have been blessed with the accommodation we’ve had at a decent price, I suppose we can go flash but with the amount of travelling we’re doing we gotta keep it to a budget…but this place was bad. Now in saying all that I feel terrible because there are much worse places in the world people are forced to live in from birth to death…so I shall ponder upon my accommodation-snob attitude and dismiss it if it should rear it’s ugly head again.

Anyway…Beirut is a city, and it’s big. We walked around quite a bit and I thought about getting down to Tyre and Sidon, but we didn’t. The city is quite fascinating when you see the old with the new. Buildings that were hit by gunfire in the civil war are still standing displaying their war scars…literally. They are friendly people and there isn’t so much trying to get you into shops as Turkey was. There are SO many hotels and accommodation buildings going up, they say that people are “beiruting again”, but the amount they’re expecting with all these buildings is pretty hopeful on their part.

In Beirut there are police and army dudes with guns everywhere. I don’t blame them. I read that they are on guard for any “activity” coming from Israel (which is comforting since we’re headed there in 2-3 weeks’ time). I’m not stressing too much as there hasn’t been much activity for a while. Though prayer would still be nice because I would love to go.

We basically ate out twice and were filled up big time. It was reasonably priced in Beirut, one of our meals cost ~72,000 Lebanese Pounds, which equated to ~$54, and we were full.

Then we left on Sunday (Happy Birthday to mah little sis!!!) to Syria – on election day. The guys at the hostel wished us luck in getting a bus, which was leaving at 1530hrs – maybe. So the only way to go was by a service taxi, which is the preferred way to travel anyway as then you don’t have busloads of people getting in and out of the borders.

I have found it difficult (and I mentioned this before) staying such a short time in all these places. We seem to just be doing cities because of time and cost, but I guess that’s just the way it is and what we have chosen. I just need to have the “taste test” mindset - that it’s enough time to mix with the people, taste the food, see the culture and figure out if we’d like to come back in the future.

So hopefully I can post photos on facebook. I’ve been having dramas lately with them – unable to find the server or something.

Anyway, much love to you all. Even as I travel, I get images of being back home and seeing your friendly faces.

Liz

xoxo

Turkey – 21 April to 3 May

Introduced to the Turkish Lyre - finally a currency where we get more for our Aussie dollar!

We made it to Turkey despite Ashy. We spent 3 nights in Sultanahmet and basically hung out, ate lots of Turkish food and walked around a bit. We both weren’t a fan of the place, especially when we started comparing some of the inland places. We set off on a tour on the 24^th to Gallipoli. Our guide was a last minute ring-in plus a few other things so it wasn’t very impressive. Getting down to the area was a long bus ride. When we got closer everyone was told they weren’t going to get an orientation tour around the area because there were some VIP’s visiting…pfft. So we got to the memorial service area just in time to get a spot on the grass to sleep. The line was huge and they had this male-on-male and female-on-female searching system, which made the ladies’ line huge! Funny how there were more women there. We were given little show bag things with some coolish stuff…including a booklet on the war…which helped.

When I learnt the basics of what happened in WW1 it confused me. I had/have strong opinions (as I think everyone does) and considered voicing them here but to be honest I haven’t read about it enough to. I just found this website (www.firstworldwar.com) which has a lot of information I want to read, more importantly the whole ally and treaty stuff which has a lot to do with it. Not understanding it completely I’m keeping my thoughts to myself and maybe come to a better conclusion (more positive one) about the whole ANZAC commemoration. To date, not impressed.

I do have to say though, I give a lot of credit to and respect for Turkey (which is what I thought about mostly during the services). We invaded their land and now they give a very big piece of it so we can hold our memorial services. We were told the government is concerned with the Turkish people as they really honour Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (Ataturk meaning father of Turks, given to him by the people), a little more than they would like them to. He is a national hero, having founded modern Turkey, bringing about reformations and other things. He and our Australian Prime Minister at the time made piece in the end.

Turkish people are very friendly and hospitable. My first reaction (from the time in Milan) when everyone offered to help us was that they wanted money. They don’t expect anything in return. I think it’s part of their culture, that when they help it’s like a pact that you won’t bring them harm. You get hassled in the streets to go into EVERY shop - even if they’re all the same. They are friendly about it though, they stop hassling quickly enough and aren’t grumpy if you don’t go in and look. It’s been great in some ways to be backpacking because I have an excuse to say no, but also there are some things I like to have bought. I haven’t been too tempted though, I’m a simple girl and can’t justify spending money on a lot of the stuff they offer.

So, after that we went and saw an Acropolis in Bergama (one of the seven churches, Pergamum, mentioned in the book of Revelation), visited a carpet ‘factory’ where we saw the women hand making the carpets – madness! Visited an Onxy factory which had really beautiful pieces. The tour ended after four days in Kusadasi. We went on a tour to Ephesus, an ancient city where Paul visited and wrote a letter to the church (the book of Ephesians in the Bible), which has only had 5-10% uncovered. There was so much there already! I had just finished ready Acts before I reached Greece and it was cool seeing the towns where Paul lived and preached (on the map for most of them as we didn’t have time to visit them all). Visiting these places has strengthened my faith, seeing and hearing stories that align with the Bible. I believe you cannot just accept it for it’s history, there is a much more important message contained – what Jesus did for us and how much He loves us, in action. This is much of who the Bible is centered around - His purpose in bringing us close to God.

We stayed in Kusadasi for a few nights then went onto Pummakale. This place was pretty cool. Hard to explain without photos, so you’ll need to check out Facebook. There are all these calcium travertines, they made some fake ones so people could walk in and back down to the town. We had to wait a while for our overnight bus to Cappadoccia and decided to see the town. We got pulled into a house by this old lady. She gave us tea and then started showing all these hand made cushion covers, scarves and booties. I ended up buying some kinda outta compassion and how much work she’d done. I didn’t have the heart to barter for them. I know I probably got ripped off, but all I could think about was how they still had to make a living. It’s hard going to a culture where you’re not used to bartering, even moreso to understand that it’s an insult to not barter – I find it hard to comprehend, just ask the price you want for them! Simple transaction…grrr.

Cappadoccia was really pretty. It’s a valley where there are carved houses and churches in the rock. They where used by the early Christians to hide because they were sought after as Christianity was not accepted. Some of them are really cool and go on for a while. They are carved a couple of levels up, it’s quite amazing to think of how much work went into them. We went for a hot air balloon ride over the valley, which was fun – I was trying hard not to freak out, we went up about 800m. We went on a tour that took us to an underground city, with awesome ventilation. The first day we got there we got lost among the valleys and I had a bit of freak out trying to get across a certain section – we had to turn back.

From Cappa we went on a loooong bus ride to Tarsucu to then ferry to Cyprus. We sat at this little café near the water when a girl from a local family came and said hi. She was learning English at school and spoke it pretty good though it took her a bit to think about what she was going to say. Her mum, dad and younger brother came over and we showed them some photos of the Pilbara on a deck of cards (thanks to mama). They then invited us to their home. The ticket office told us to be there at 2230hrs so I thought, yeah we have time (as an effort to remain flexible). We had a couple of drinks and talked as much as we could with the daughter translating. When we’d first arrived the mother gave me a hand made tablecloth as a gift straight out, I was surprised. Something that took her 1 month to make. I felt really blessed. We found out the mother was ill and I offered to pray for her, which she accepted. The father explained where the ferries were coming in and I had not given it any thought at the time, then we looked at the time and it was 2320hrs. I then began to freak out cause it was some distance away and I’d realised why the office told us to be there at 1030hrs – so they could take us to the ferry! It was leaving at midnight. The father offered to take us, so we went to the office and then he drove us out. When we got there the daughter told me they’d closed the gate, but had opened it for us. The father was greeting everyone and just wandering through slowly. Meanwhile, I’m freaking out. I tell you, when I got on that ferry I was very happy…then it didn’t leave until 0130hrs anyway! So, the moral of the story – remain flexible, because you can in Turkey (btw – the whole remaining flexible is an in joke with my DTS outreach team, sorry).

So what did I get out of Turkey:

- they very hospitable, especially with their apple tea – YUMMO!

- they love to help, so let them!

- if you’re going to do a tour, make sure you have a good guide (don’t know how, just make sure) who knows his stuff and is not telling porkies…or do a self-guided tour

- get away from over-priced touristy places (like Istanbul) and get into the smaller country areas. I would say try and get further East if you can.

- be prepared for the “communication” coming from the mosques 5 times a day (call to prayer)

- if you think you have patience, come to Turkey – it will be tested

- them where you want to go once (public transport) and they will get you there. They’ll pass on the information to the next bus, and the next bus, and the next bus

Overall, Turkey has been a good experience. I have gotten tired of not being able to speak their language – haven’t really tried because it’s not a language I want to learn (I wanna learn Spanish and Italian), then feeling bad because I haven’t tried…grrr.

I am missing friends and family and there is so much going on at home. Peeps having babies (Hi Emma, Lisa, Meredith), and more babies (Hi Kristy, Jodie), getting engaged (congratulations Sandy and Saskia). It’s all happening!

There truly is no place like home, though I am trying to enjoy where I am and what I’m doing – more importantly what I am learning. It’s funny how during our circumstances/situations we can be focussed on one thing and totally miss the important things – those which will last.

Liz