Since Jordan, life has hit a little bit of a lull. The rest of my break was pretty boring, as I spent majority of my time getting work done blogging, reading for class, and working on my thesis proposal for INTS back at DU. Of course I still had some fun, hanging out at the pool with Nisha and Nate, throwing together a super impromptu Shabbat dinner with Nisha and Doug (never, EVER listen to Lady. Or watch her music videos. Trust me on this one), going to the Kibbutz to see family and celebrate Kibbutz Hatzerim's 66th birthday. It was a pretty nice change from the physicality of Jordan but now that I've really caught the hiking bug I want to do it all the time!
Also this week, classes started fo realz. Before Sukkot break we had a few days of class but since we had about a two week break after them, they didn't really count. Now I have officially been to at least one session of each class and I'm pretty excited for this semester. I'm taking pretty diverse classes, one on the controversial topics in Israeli history (immigration, etc.), one on violence in mass media, one on terrorism and guerrilla warfare, and one on the creation of a collective memory within Israel, and of course Hebrew (with only 2 other people, it's a little intense). So far none of my classes seem like they will be boring, or more of a burden than I feel they are worth (aka not a lot of work). As the semester goes on I'll have more to do, but all the work should be pretty fun and interesting.
One of the best things about the "study" part of study abroad is the size of the classes. I've gotten pretty used to having small classes in Denver, with only about 20 other people. But since there's only about 30 people total int he program, our classes have at most 10 people and it's AWESOME. There is so much freedom for discussion instead of just lectures, and the classes feel so personal. For example in my terrorism class, our professor loves to address the one Czech guy in the class whenever he mentions Eastern Europe and always looks at the two French girls when talking about anything even remotely related to France. In my violence class we're watching specific movies but we're also able to suggest our own and bring up topics that are interesting to us rather than just what Kobi planned for the class.
I've got some pretty exciting things coming up, hiking day trip tomorrow (hopefully), birthday cruise to Cyprus in a week, the amazing Katrina coming to visit for a weekend, and then who knows what adventures will come my way! Can't wait to share them with y'all :)
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Dogs in the Desert
Like all the other days of our trip, we woke up to the sun rising over the rocks in a beautiful, yet bright, fashion. Luckily we were dry, as were all of our things, so once we had some breakfast we were ready to go! Because we didn't get to hike through the canyon the day before like we planned, we had to revise our plans a little bit and cut out a dog leg we planned to take around another canyon. Our first stop was another set of inscriptions, supposedly... Just like Lawrence's House, the inscriptions were not so easy to find, and certainly not where the little #7 was on our vague map. But we got to find a little spot of shade to sit before proceeding to Lawrence's Head.
The first time I heard that we were going to a place called Lawrence's Head, I was confused, what was that supposed to mean? But when we got there, it all made sense. Carved into the rock was a drawing of T.E. Lawrence's head labeled with "Lawrence of Arabia" (in Arabic of course) as well as a carving of another dude that I had never heard of, I don't even remember his name. On another rock a little ways away, there was another, much larger carving of Lawrence's face that just seemed awkward to me. We hung out at Lawrence's Head and met an adorable, but clearly stray and probably sick dog. She was covered in flies and other bugs and was definitely hungry. Adam took pity on her and gave her some sausages but that also meant that she followed us. And not just around Lawrence's Head or around to the next canyon, she followed us the entire rest of the day and even stayed and slept near us that night.
After Lawrence's Head we started to hike back to the Seven Pillars of Wisdom (named after a book title by, can you guess who? yep T.E. Lawrence) taking several breaks for tea from some random Bedouins that we met as well as taking a little nap in a shady cave-like section of rock. While our little detour and nap time was great, it ended up causing some little problems later but I'll get to that, no need to skip ahead. We continued hiking towards the Seven Pillars and found this massive rock that just looked too fun not to climb, especially guessing what amazing views we'd have from the top.
As we sat on top of the rock what should we see but more storm clouds. Seriously desert? Two rainstorms in one trip? We scrambled to find some shelter and ended up not really finding a place that would protect both us and our packs. Luckily it was only a sandstorm and by covering our faces we survived and proceeded to hike out to the camping spot to find a place for the night while Adam ran back to the Visitor's Center to refill our empty waters. Because of that nap time I mentioned earlier, as well as the threat of storm, we got to the campsite and it was getting dark quick. Too dark to find a spot up in the rocks that we could get to safely in order to be protected for the night. Instead we found a spot that was basically in the middle of open desert. We were close enough to the Visitor's Center that if a super rough sand/rainstorm came we could grab our stuff and run for at least some form of shelter behind a wall, but we were trying to be optimistic. We prepared our "feast" that wasn't exactly feast-like since we attempted to combine mac 'n cheese with cheese ravioli (blame Adam, I wanted to cook them separately), after having very, very strong soup (too much soup powder stuff, not a big enough pot for water). Unfortunately it was still pretty cloudy so we didn't really get to stargaze much but the moon was still mostly full and when the clouds cleared a little we got to see the beautiful night sky.
So that brings us to the end of my trip. We woke up in the morning, got a ride into Aqaba to the border, got through okay (no tourism police this time) and walked down to the Eilat Central Bus Station to catch our bus back up to Beer Sheva and take our packs off for the last time. A shower has never felt so amazing. Overall, it was a pretty fantastic trip despite the many mishaps and changes in plan. It was a once in a lifetime experience and I'm so glad I went.
The first time I heard that we were going to a place called Lawrence's Head, I was confused, what was that supposed to mean? But when we got there, it all made sense. Carved into the rock was a drawing of T.E. Lawrence's head labeled with "Lawrence of Arabia" (in Arabic of course) as well as a carving of another dude that I had never heard of, I don't even remember his name. On another rock a little ways away, there was another, much larger carving of Lawrence's face that just seemed awkward to me. We hung out at Lawrence's Head and met an adorable, but clearly stray and probably sick dog. She was covered in flies and other bugs and was definitely hungry. Adam took pity on her and gave her some sausages but that also meant that she followed us. And not just around Lawrence's Head or around to the next canyon, she followed us the entire rest of the day and even stayed and slept near us that night.
After Lawrence's Head we started to hike back to the Seven Pillars of Wisdom (named after a book title by, can you guess who? yep T.E. Lawrence) taking several breaks for tea from some random Bedouins that we met as well as taking a little nap in a shady cave-like section of rock. While our little detour and nap time was great, it ended up causing some little problems later but I'll get to that, no need to skip ahead. We continued hiking towards the Seven Pillars and found this massive rock that just looked too fun not to climb, especially guessing what amazing views we'd have from the top.
As we sat on top of the rock what should we see but more storm clouds. Seriously desert? Two rainstorms in one trip? We scrambled to find some shelter and ended up not really finding a place that would protect both us and our packs. Luckily it was only a sandstorm and by covering our faces we survived and proceeded to hike out to the camping spot to find a place for the night while Adam ran back to the Visitor's Center to refill our empty waters. Because of that nap time I mentioned earlier, as well as the threat of storm, we got to the campsite and it was getting dark quick. Too dark to find a spot up in the rocks that we could get to safely in order to be protected for the night. Instead we found a spot that was basically in the middle of open desert. We were close enough to the Visitor's Center that if a super rough sand/rainstorm came we could grab our stuff and run for at least some form of shelter behind a wall, but we were trying to be optimistic. We prepared our "feast" that wasn't exactly feast-like since we attempted to combine mac 'n cheese with cheese ravioli (blame Adam, I wanted to cook them separately), after having very, very strong soup (too much soup powder stuff, not a big enough pot for water). Unfortunately it was still pretty cloudy so we didn't really get to stargaze much but the moon was still mostly full and when the clouds cleared a little we got to see the beautiful night sky.
So that brings us to the end of my trip. We woke up in the morning, got a ride into Aqaba to the border, got through okay (no tourism police this time) and walked down to the Eilat Central Bus Station to catch our bus back up to Beer Sheva and take our packs off for the last time. A shower has never felt so amazing. Overall, it was a pretty fantastic trip despite the many mishaps and changes in plan. It was a once in a lifetime experience and I'm so glad I went.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Soft Sand and Breaking Backs
So now we get to the real adventures, or should I say misadventures once more. We got a relatively early start cause we didn't want to be hiking with heavy packs through open desert in the heat of the day. With our packs full of water (about 12 liters per person to last us the two days) and not much else, we set out for the first few kilometers (klicks, k's, whatever you want to call them) to Lawrence's house (see, I told you everything would be named after T.E. Lawrence). But of course the house was not where the number was on our very vague map. We went about .75 km too far and had to go back in order to see it and let me tell ya, it was not worth the 1.5 km detour. It was nice to see, but nothing all that special especially when we had a long day still ahead of us hiking through super soft sand.
After the detour to Lawrence's house was over, we headed onwards to the first of two inscriptions we would see on the trip. Painted and carved into the stone were images of camel caravans from (if I'm remembering correctly) when the Nabateans lived in the region. The carvings were pretty cool, but the best part about the inscriptions was the fact that there was a little cave in the wall that provided some nice shade to take a little break, eat some food, and rest before what would be the worst part of the hike going over sand dunes. Now if you've never walked in/around/up sand dunes, it is one of the most difficult things ever. Especially when it's upwards of 90 degrees outside, and you have a 30 pound pack on your back that you've been carrying for the last 8 km.
But I survived the sand dunes, and after taking a few little breaks in the very sparse shade we were able to find on the way, we finally made it to Burrah Canyon. We stopped pretty close to the entrance of the 5km long canyon in what was was probably a spring sometime in the past before the water dried up. We had a great lunch thanks to Chef Kristof, and each took a little nap before we were to hike through the rest of the canyon and find a place to camp on the other side. Of course, things couldn't work out that way as we were all awoken from our naps by thunder and Adam saying that a rainstorm was two canyons over and we needed to pack up and find shelter, STAT. Uh oh. We found a little cave that we thought might work out, til we realized that the wind was blowing directly into the cave and we would only be partially sheltered. But there was no time to find another spot before the rain hit so we just covered our packs the best we could and hoped that the rain wouldn't be too bad. The rain storm was quite long though, lasting at least 2 hours with some serious thunder and lightning. Once we realized that the rain was going to be happening for a long time we embraced it, running around in the rain, marveling at the formation of waterfalls on the rocks all around us. Clearly the storm was something as we kept seeing cars presumably full of excited Bedouins, all driving to the canyon to watch the storm.
Luckily one of those Bedouin families saw us trying to find a better shelter where we would be able to stay dry that night, and took pity on us. They told us about a nice, roomy, dry, flat cave that would be just perfect for us that night. And in true Bedouin fashion, they built a fire, brewed us some tea, and left us the extra dry wood they had found so we could have our own fire later after they left. It ended up being a pretty awesome night in the cave, just chilling with the fire and cuddling up in sweatshirts and warm sleeping bags to fight the continuing rain. Luckily we stayed dry and were able to be up and at 'em the next morning with dry things, ready to take on the next day.
After the detour to Lawrence's house was over, we headed onwards to the first of two inscriptions we would see on the trip. Painted and carved into the stone were images of camel caravans from (if I'm remembering correctly) when the Nabateans lived in the region. The carvings were pretty cool, but the best part about the inscriptions was the fact that there was a little cave in the wall that provided some nice shade to take a little break, eat some food, and rest before what would be the worst part of the hike going over sand dunes. Now if you've never walked in/around/up sand dunes, it is one of the most difficult things ever. Especially when it's upwards of 90 degrees outside, and you have a 30 pound pack on your back that you've been carrying for the last 8 km.
But I survived the sand dunes, and after taking a few little breaks in the very sparse shade we were able to find on the way, we finally made it to Burrah Canyon. We stopped pretty close to the entrance of the 5km long canyon in what was was probably a spring sometime in the past before the water dried up. We had a great lunch thanks to Chef Kristof, and each took a little nap before we were to hike through the rest of the canyon and find a place to camp on the other side. Of course, things couldn't work out that way as we were all awoken from our naps by thunder and Adam saying that a rainstorm was two canyons over and we needed to pack up and find shelter, STAT. Uh oh. We found a little cave that we thought might work out, til we realized that the wind was blowing directly into the cave and we would only be partially sheltered. But there was no time to find another spot before the rain hit so we just covered our packs the best we could and hoped that the rain wouldn't be too bad. The rain storm was quite long though, lasting at least 2 hours with some serious thunder and lightning. Once we realized that the rain was going to be happening for a long time we embraced it, running around in the rain, marveling at the formation of waterfalls on the rocks all around us. Clearly the storm was something as we kept seeing cars presumably full of excited Bedouins, all driving to the canyon to watch the storm.
Luckily one of those Bedouin families saw us trying to find a better shelter where we would be able to stay dry that night, and took pity on us. They told us about a nice, roomy, dry, flat cave that would be just perfect for us that night. And in true Bedouin fashion, they built a fire, brewed us some tea, and left us the extra dry wood they had found so we could have our own fire later after they left. It ended up being a pretty awesome night in the cave, just chilling with the fire and cuddling up in sweatshirts and warm sleeping bags to fight the continuing rain. Luckily we stayed dry and were able to be up and at 'em the next morning with dry things, ready to take on the next day.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Sandstorms and Stone
So the day after Petra, the guys decided that they wanted to return for one more day in order to hike out to the Monestary. Since the other ladies and I didn't get 2 day passes to Petra, we stayed at the hostel sleeping in a little and relaxing before making the drive down to Wadi Rum. Wadi Rum is a protected area in the south of Jordan that is best known for its connection to T.E. Lawrence (AKA Lawrence of Arabia) as it was the base of his operations in the Arab World during WWI. The connection to T.E. Lawrence was clear as on the map we had of Wadi Rum, half of the famous sites were named after him. Since we got to Wadi Rum pretty late in the afternoon, we only really had time to organize our jeep tour for the next day and hike to an old Nabatean temple that was just a few minutes away from the house we stayed at. It was nice to have a relaxing day because the next few were not so.
The morning of the jeep tour was relatively chill as we hiked up to a spring up in the hills. It was such a rewarding hike as the water was cool and beautiful and after sitting under the dripping water, we were able to lay out on the rocks and let the sun dry us before hiking back to start our tour. Within the first 5 minutes of our tour, a sandstorm started followed by little drops of rain. I think our tour guide, Mohamed, was more excited than we were about the sand storm, stopping the car to take pictures of his own. Regardless the sand storm was pretty cool, even though standing outside in it hurt a little since sand kind of stings.
On the rest of the tour we saw different canyons, springs, natural rock bridges, etc, and the best part of it all was the fact that at each stop we got to get out of the super tightly packed jeep and scramble up all of the rocks seeing even more than what was just in front of us. At each point of the tour we met other travelers who were also on their own jeep tours and we got a chance to talk to a bunch of different people and see where they all had traveled thus far. At some spots we even got some Bedouin tea. I've mentioned it a few times so far, but Bedouin tea is maybe the best beverage in the world. It is pretty simple, just black tea with sage and a whole lot of sugar added, but there is something about the way it is brewed directly on the fire and given out with such generosity that makes it so delicious. The sugar gives you energy to keep going, and is amazing even on super hot days. We tried to brew it ourselves a few times in the coming days but nothing was as good as when the Bedouins made it for us. I can't even count how many cups of that tea I drank over my 6 days in Jordan, and it will definitely be what I miss the most about Jordan.
The end of our jeep tour brought us to Mohammed's bedouin camp in the middle of the desert where we had a delicious Bedouin dinner, relaxed, and just talked. We had wanted to sleep out on the rocks outside but Mohammed kept warning us that sand storms and a little rain were probably coming again that night and the wind did not seem friendly out on the high flat rock we hoped would be our bed. Probably for the best, cause I got to get a good night's sleep under a tent, my last of the trip as the next morning we would don our packs and start on the real adventure of the trip.
Gotta love the spelling...
Pretty nice view to wake up to if you ask me.
The morning of the jeep tour was relatively chill as we hiked up to a spring up in the hills. It was such a rewarding hike as the water was cool and beautiful and after sitting under the dripping water, we were able to lay out on the rocks and let the sun dry us before hiking back to start our tour. Within the first 5 minutes of our tour, a sandstorm started followed by little drops of rain. I think our tour guide, Mohamed, was more excited than we were about the sand storm, stopping the car to take pictures of his own. Regardless the sand storm was pretty cool, even though standing outside in it hurt a little since sand kind of stings.
My first sand storm!
On the rest of the tour we saw different canyons, springs, natural rock bridges, etc, and the best part of it all was the fact that at each stop we got to get out of the super tightly packed jeep and scramble up all of the rocks seeing even more than what was just in front of us. At each point of the tour we met other travelers who were also on their own jeep tours and we got a chance to talk to a bunch of different people and see where they all had traveled thus far. At some spots we even got some Bedouin tea. I've mentioned it a few times so far, but Bedouin tea is maybe the best beverage in the world. It is pretty simple, just black tea with sage and a whole lot of sugar added, but there is something about the way it is brewed directly on the fire and given out with such generosity that makes it so delicious. The sugar gives you energy to keep going, and is amazing even on super hot days. We tried to brew it ourselves a few times in the coming days but nothing was as good as when the Bedouins made it for us. I can't even count how many cups of that tea I drank over my 6 days in Jordan, and it will definitely be what I miss the most about Jordan.
The end of our jeep tour brought us to Mohammed's bedouin camp in the middle of the desert where we had a delicious Bedouin dinner, relaxed, and just talked. We had wanted to sleep out on the rocks outside but Mohammed kept warning us that sand storms and a little rain were probably coming again that night and the wind did not seem friendly out on the high flat rock we hoped would be our bed. Probably for the best, cause I got to get a good night's sleep under a tent, my last of the trip as the next morning we would don our packs and start on the real adventure of the trip.
My Day as Indiana Jones
The first day of my Jordan trip should've been a sign as to how the rest of the adventure would go: absolutely not according to plan. We took the 1:30 AM bus from Beer Sheva down to Eilat, arriving at around 5AM. Of course, the 5 of us were split on 2 different buses and didn't all get off at the same stop, meaning Kristof and I had to take a little 5AM hike to get to the rest of the crew so we could cross the border all together. Getting across the border was an adventure in and of itself, as one of the placed Kristof and I had planned to go was essentially off limits unless you had a guide, which we were lacking. But for some reason, I was the only one pulled aside by the tourism police (curse you Israeli passport) and after not believing me when I said I would change my plans and not go to Wadi Chessa (seriously, why would I lie to the Jordanian police? that would be such a bad move!) they made a copy of my passport and wrote down my travel plans for their files.
FINALLY we made it across the border and into Aqaba, where we bought the cheapest falafel I will ever get (less than 1 Dinar, which converts to about $1), and boarded a bus to Petra. As we met other Israelis crossing the border and on the bus to Petra, they all said that because it was International Tourism Day, entrance into Petra was going to be free, woohoo! But why should things be so easy? After we arrived in Petra and dropped our things off at the hostel, we got to the entrance to the actual Petra site and discovered that it was only free for Jordanian residents. Maybe it's just me, but it doesn't make sense that tourists don't get in free on International Tourism day. Regardless we paid the entrance fee and started our trek into Petra. It was hilarious to see how much they attempted to exploit Indiana Jones at the various shops leading towards the main canyon.
I'll spare you all the specific details of Petra and just hit the highlights. At the end of the Siq (canyon in Arabic) we got to the Treasury which is arguably the most famous part of Petra, immortalized by Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, as it is where Indy finds the Holy Grail at the end of the movie. Of course I have seen many pictures of the Treasury before but nothing could compare to actually seeing it in person. I can't even imagine how it was made as the stones are smoothed to perfection and meters above the ground. It was absolutely incredible but it was nothing compared to everything else that we saw.
From the Treasury we went through the next canyon and up what seemed like hundreds of steps to attempt to reach the High Place of Sacrifice up on top of the mountain. On our way up, we met these wonderful Bedouin women that offered us tea, practically forced us to sit and rest while we drank our tea and just chatted. It was a lovely conversation, and a very interesting insight into the lifestyle of Bedouin women. Two of them were only 16, and worked instead of continuing with school. However one of these 16 year olds knew the basics of 7 or 8 languages because of all the tourists she talks to each day on the mountain. She seemed like she would do so well in school, afterwards the crew and I were saying we wished we could send her to a real school in the states and not the Bedouin schools that she was probably attending in Jordan.
From the High Place of Sacrifice we could see everything, the views were absolutely incredible. It if weren't for the heat, we might have stayed up there all day. But alas Petra was closing in a few hours and we still wanted to get down the mountain and see what else there was to see. On our way down the back side of the mountain everything was just indescribable. There were absolutely no people around so we could do all the exploring we wanted through every single ruin we passed. The rocks were brilliant colors, and looked amazing as the sunlight hit them just right. We got down the mountain finally, wandered through one final temple, and hiked our way out through the Siq and returned to the hostel. Overall, a pretty fantastic day, despite the rough start...
FINALLY we made it across the border and into Aqaba, where we bought the cheapest falafel I will ever get (less than 1 Dinar, which converts to about $1), and boarded a bus to Petra. As we met other Israelis crossing the border and on the bus to Petra, they all said that because it was International Tourism Day, entrance into Petra was going to be free, woohoo! But why should things be so easy? After we arrived in Petra and dropped our things off at the hostel, we got to the entrance to the actual Petra site and discovered that it was only free for Jordanian residents. Maybe it's just me, but it doesn't make sense that tourists don't get in free on International Tourism day. Regardless we paid the entrance fee and started our trek into Petra. It was hilarious to see how much they attempted to exploit Indiana Jones at the various shops leading towards the main canyon.
I'll spare you all the specific details of Petra and just hit the highlights. At the end of the Siq (canyon in Arabic) we got to the Treasury which is arguably the most famous part of Petra, immortalized by Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, as it is where Indy finds the Holy Grail at the end of the movie. Of course I have seen many pictures of the Treasury before but nothing could compare to actually seeing it in person. I can't even imagine how it was made as the stones are smoothed to perfection and meters above the ground. It was absolutely incredible but it was nothing compared to everything else that we saw.
From the Treasury we went through the next canyon and up what seemed like hundreds of steps to attempt to reach the High Place of Sacrifice up on top of the mountain. On our way up, we met these wonderful Bedouin women that offered us tea, practically forced us to sit and rest while we drank our tea and just chatted. It was a lovely conversation, and a very interesting insight into the lifestyle of Bedouin women. Two of them were only 16, and worked instead of continuing with school. However one of these 16 year olds knew the basics of 7 or 8 languages because of all the tourists she talks to each day on the mountain. She seemed like she would do so well in school, afterwards the crew and I were saying we wished we could send her to a real school in the states and not the Bedouin schools that she was probably attending in Jordan.
From the High Place of Sacrifice we could see everything, the views were absolutely incredible. It if weren't for the heat, we might have stayed up there all day. But alas Petra was closing in a few hours and we still wanted to get down the mountain and see what else there was to see. On our way down the back side of the mountain everything was just indescribable. There were absolutely no people around so we could do all the exploring we wanted through every single ruin we passed. The rocks were brilliant colors, and looked amazing as the sunlight hit them just right. We got down the mountain finally, wandered through one final temple, and hiked our way out through the Siq and returned to the hostel. Overall, a pretty fantastic day, despite the rough start...
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Misadventures in Backpacking
Since there are a lot of Jewish holidays in September/October (the new year, day of atonement, feast of tabernacles, etc), we have a lot of days off of school here in Beer Sheva. It is a pretty great opportunity to travel, especially since we're so close to Europe (well, closer than the states anyways). I wasn't organized enough to get a relatively inexpensive trip to Europe put together in time, so instead I decided to backpack with a few of my friends through Jordan since it's something I may never do again. Before I left people kept telling me don't die and (SPOILER ALERT) I survived with only a few blisters, bruises, and scratches, and quite a lot of sore muscles. It was an absolutely crazy and incredible trip, and even those adjectives don't accurately describe Jordan. Since I have a lot of stories to tell, I split the trip up into a few parts so feel free to read all of them, some of them, or none of them if you so desire. It was a ridiculous trip and I'll do my best to share it with y'all in a semi-coherent manner.
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